Kahr P series
Encyclopedia
The Kahr P series is a product line
of double action only (DAO) hammer
less, striker
-fired, short recoil operated, semi-automatic pistols
manufactured by Kahr Arms
in Worcester, Massachusetts
.
The target market
for the P line is the civilian concealed carry firearm
s market
, as well as being intended as backup weapons for Law Enforcement officers.
were praised as well-made and solidly constructed, but criticized for their excessive weight which is a disadvantage in a weapon intended for concealed carry. Kahr attempted to address these concerns by introducing a line of polymer framed models.
with stainless steel
slides
which ride on steel inserts within the polymer frames, preventing the wear which would otherwise be inherent with metal slide to plastic frame contact.
Available ammunition
chamberings include 9x19mm Parabellum (P), .40 Smith & Wesson (P40), and .45 ACP
(P45); magazine
capacities vary between 6 and 7 rounds depending on model and caliber. P series pistols are noted for being very no-nonsense and utilitarian in appearance, with black plastic grips and a brushed
stainless or blackened Tungsten
TLC stainless slides. Produced by applying a thin but tough protective coating, the TLC patina was labeled "Black Diamond" in early production, and is valued for its lack of attention-catching light reflection in dim surroundings. TLC coatings also serve to protect the slide from oxidization, nicks and scrapes. P pistols are known for having very smooth and consistent DAO trigger pulls of approximately six pounds, and large and easy to see sights in various configurations including night sights. Simplified controls exemplified by the lack of a manual safety lever are also positive attributes and contribute to a desirable package for concealment use. The P series is noted for having a fully enclosed trigger transfer bar and the engineering design work necessary to fit it inside the cramped space of the receiver resulted in several beneficial lockwork changes. One such change was that the cartridge feed ramp had to be offset, which in turn allowed the overall receiver design to be thinner, it also permitted the slide to be more squat with a low bore axis, resulting is less muzzle rise and flip. The PM barrel configuration boasts polygonal rifling
, which in theory will wear longer and gather less fouling. Overall, an important innate advantage of the Kahr pistol design is that it is identical in function and trigger action across virtually all Kahr models, meaning that once a user becomes familiar with the handling characteristics and ‘feel’ of one model, the learning curve for mastery of other Kahr firearms is much shorter.
The major differences between the CW series and the P series are:
The CW series uses barrels with conventional rifling, rather than the polygonal rifling employed by the P series.
The CW series has a pinned-in front sight, rather than the drift-adjustable dovetail front sight on the P series.
Pistols in the CW series are very slightly larger than their counterparts in the P series.
The CW series have fewer machined contours, and some of the parts are cast rather than machined.
Product lining
Product lining is the marketing strategy of offering for sale several related products. Unlike product bundling, where several products are combined into one, lining involves offering several related products individually. A line can comprise related products of various sizes, types, colors,...
of double action only (DAO) hammer
Hammer (firearm)
thumb|150px|Hammer with an integral [[firing pin]] on a [[S&W Model 13]] revolver The hammer of a firearm was given its name for both resemblance and functional similarity to the common tool...
less, striker
Firing pin
A firing pin or striker is part of the firing mechanism used in a firearm or explosive device e.g. an M14 landmine or bomb fuze. Firing pins may take many forms, though the types used in landmines, bombs, grenade fuzes or other single-use devices generally have a sharpened point...
-fired, short recoil operated, semi-automatic pistols
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
manufactured by Kahr Arms
Kahr Arms
Kahr Arms is an American small arms manufacturer founded by Kook Jin "Justin" Moon , who currently serves as CEO and President. It is owned by the Saeilo Corporation , a subsidiary of Tongil Group, a South Korean business group associated with the Unification Church...
in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
.
The target market
Target market
A target market is a group of customers that the business has decided to aim its marketing efforts and ultimately its merchandise. A well-defined target market is the first element to a marketing strategy...
for the P line is the civilian concealed carry firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
, as well as being intended as backup weapons for Law Enforcement officers.
Development
When the first Kahr pistols appeared on the market in 1994 they were constructed entirely of carbon steel. Early Kahr models such as the K9Kahr K9
The Kahr K9 is a 9x19mm Parabellum semi-automatic pistol manufactured by Kahr Arms in their Worcester, Massachusetts small arms facility. The K9 was introduced in 1995 and features a double action only trigger mechanism with a Locked breech recoil operated action...
were praised as well-made and solidly constructed, but criticized for their excessive weight which is a disadvantage in a weapon intended for concealed carry. Kahr attempted to address these concerns by introducing a line of polymer framed models.
Design features
As noted above, P series pistols are manufacturedManufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
with stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
slides
Pistol slide
The slide is the part of the weapon on a majority of semi-automatic pistols that moves during the operating cycle and generally houses the firing pin or striker and the extractor, and serves as the bolt...
which ride on steel inserts within the polymer frames, preventing the wear which would otherwise be inherent with metal slide to plastic frame contact.
Available ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
chamberings include 9x19mm Parabellum (P), .40 Smith & Wesson (P40), and .45 ACP
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
(P45); magazine
Magazine (firearm)
A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device within or attached to a repeating firearm. Magazines may be integral to the firearm or removable . The magazine functions by moving the cartridges stored in the magazine into a position where they may be loaded into the chamber by the action...
capacities vary between 6 and 7 rounds depending on model and caliber. P series pistols are noted for being very no-nonsense and utilitarian in appearance, with black plastic grips and a brushed
Brushed metal
Brushed metal is metal that has been abraded , usually with a fine grit sandpaper. The brushing gives the metal a distinctive look, as it retains some but not all of its metallic lustre and is given a pattern of very fine lines. It can be compared to metal with several small scratches all running...
stainless or blackened Tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
TLC stainless slides. Produced by applying a thin but tough protective coating, the TLC patina was labeled "Black Diamond" in early production, and is valued for its lack of attention-catching light reflection in dim surroundings. TLC coatings also serve to protect the slide from oxidization, nicks and scrapes. P pistols are known for having very smooth and consistent DAO trigger pulls of approximately six pounds, and large and easy to see sights in various configurations including night sights. Simplified controls exemplified by the lack of a manual safety lever are also positive attributes and contribute to a desirable package for concealment use. The P series is noted for having a fully enclosed trigger transfer bar and the engineering design work necessary to fit it inside the cramped space of the receiver resulted in several beneficial lockwork changes. One such change was that the cartridge feed ramp had to be offset, which in turn allowed the overall receiver design to be thinner, it also permitted the slide to be more squat with a low bore axis, resulting is less muzzle rise and flip. The PM barrel configuration boasts polygonal rifling
Polygonal rifling
Polygonal rifling is a type of gun barrel rifling where the traditional lands and grooves are replaced by "hills and valleys" in a rounded polygonal pattern, usually a hexagon or octagon....
, which in theory will wear longer and gather less fouling. Overall, an important innate advantage of the Kahr pistol design is that it is identical in function and trigger action across virtually all Kahr models, meaning that once a user becomes familiar with the handling characteristics and ‘feel’ of one model, the learning curve for mastery of other Kahr firearms is much shorter.
P380
.380 ACP caliber. Weight 9.97 ounces, length: 4.9 inches (124.5 mm), width: 0.75 inches (19.1 mm), height: 3.9 inches (99.1 mm), 2.5 inches (63.5 mm) barrel, drift adjustable white bar-dot combat sights/optional tritium night sights, two 6 round flush fit magazines.P9
9x19mm. Weight 15 ounces, length: 5.8 inches (147.3 mm), width: 0.9 inches (22.9 mm), height: 5.4 inches (137.2 mm), 3.6 inches (91.4 mm) barrel with 1:10 right hand twist, drift adjustable white bar-dot combat sights/optional tritium night sights, two 7 round flush fit magazines.P40
.40 S&W caliber. Weight 16.9 ounces, length: 6.1 inches (154.9 mm), width: 0.94 inches (23.9 mm), height: 4.55 inches (115.6 mm), 3.6 inches (91.4 mm) barrel with 1:16 right hand twist, drift adjustable white bar-dot combat sights/optional tritium night sights, two 6 round flush fit magazines.P45
.45 ACP caliber. Weight 15 ounces, length: 6.07 inches (154.2 mm), width: 1.01 inches (25.7 mm), height: 4.8 inches (121.9 mm), 3.64 inches (92.5 mm) barrel with 1:16.38 right hand twist, drift adjustable white bar-dot combat sights/optional tritium night sights, two 6 round flush fit magazines.CW Budget Line
Kahr also offers the CW series of pistols which are essentially budget versions of the P series. The CW series is available in 9x19mm, .40 S&W caliber, and .45 ACP caliber, but is not available in .380 ACP caliber.The major differences between the CW series and the P series are:
The CW series uses barrels with conventional rifling, rather than the polygonal rifling employed by the P series.
The CW series has a pinned-in front sight, rather than the drift-adjustable dovetail front sight on the P series.
Pistols in the CW series are very slightly larger than their counterparts in the P series.
The CW series have fewer machined contours, and some of the parts are cast rather than machined.