Kahr Arms
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
manufacturer founded by Kook Jin "Justin" Moon (son of Unification Church
Unification Church
The Unification Church is a new religious movement founded by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. In 1954, the Unification Church was formally and legally established in Seoul, South Korea, as The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity . In 1994, Moon gave the church...
founder Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon is the Korean founder and leader of the worldwide Unification Church. He is also the founder of many other organizations and projects...
), who currently serves as CEO and President. It is owned by the Saeilo Corporation , a subsidiary of Tongil Group
Tongil Group
Tongil Group is a South Korean business group associated with the Unification Church. It was founded in 1963 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon as a nonprofit organization which would provide revenue for the church...
, a South Korean business group (chaebol
Chaebol
Chaebol refers to a South Korean form of business conglomerate. They are global multinationals owning numerous international enterprises. The term is often used in a context similar to that of the English word "conglomerate"...
) associated with the Unification Church. (“Tongil” is Korean for “unification,” the name of the Unification Church in Korean is “Tongilgyo.”).
Tongil's other business lines include: Ginseng
Ginseng
Ginseng is any one of eleven species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, belonging to the genus Panax of the family Araliaceae....
and related products, building materials, machine parts including munitions for the South Korean military, pharmaceuticals, tourism, and publishing
Kahr Arms specializes in compact and mid-size semi-automatic pistols chambered for popular cartridges, including 9 mm Luger Parabellum
9 mm Luger Parabellum
The 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge was designed by Georg Luger and introduced in 1902 by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken for their Luger semi-automatic pistol...
, .40 S&W
.40 S&W
The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could...
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...
. Kahr pistols feature polymer or stainless steel frames, single-stack magazines
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...
, and double-action-only striker firing actions. Company headquarters is in Blauvelt, New York
Blauvelt, New York
Blauvelt is a hamlet , formerly known as Greenbush and then Blauveltville, in the Town of Orangetown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Tappan; east of Nauraushaun and Pearl River; south of Central Nyack and west of Orangeburg...
and the Kahr manufacturing facility is located 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....
.
History
From the age of 14, Justin Moon enjoyed shooting guns. At age 18, Moon got a license to carry a handgun, co-signed by one of his older brothers, but he wasn't satisfied with the small calibers available in compact handguns. "I had been licensed to carry in New York State since I was 18 and had looked for an ultra-compact 9mm pistol," Justin later told American HandgunnerAmerican Handgunner
American Handgunner is a magazine dedicated to handguns, handgun hunting, competition shooting, reloading, tactical knives and other shooting-related activities in the United States...
. "To my chagrin, I could not find a pistol with the quality of construction and features in design which I felt were appropriate for a carry gun. Therefore, I decided to design an ultra-compact 9-mm. pistol that I could carry." By his junior year of college, he decided to design one himself.
In 1999, Kahr Arms bought Auto-Ordnance Company
Auto-Ordnance Company
Auto-Ordnance was a U.S. arms development firm founded by retired Colonel John T. Thompson of the U.S. Army Ordnance Department in 1916. Auto-Ordnance is best known for the Thompson submachine gun, notorious as a gangster weapon of the Roaring Twenties and famous as a military weapon of the Allied...
, not associated with the original AOC, maker of Thompson submachine gun
Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
s, then owned and operated by Numrich Arms who had bought the crated assets of Auto-Ordnance started by General John T. Thompson
John T. Thompson
John Taliaferro Thompson, , was a United States Army officer best remembered as the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun.-Early life:...
and his investors. Now Kahr manufactures Auto-Ordnance's line of semi-automatic weapons, including a long-barreled rifle version of the famous "Tommy Gun."
Kahr offers its line of compact pistols at a time of significant liberalization of concealed weapons laws
Carrying concealed weapon
Concealed carry, or CCW , refers to the practice of carrying a handgun or other weapon in public in a concealed manner, either on one's person or in proximity....
in many U.S. states. Since the 1990s, many states have passed "shall-issue" laws, as promoted by the American National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
and other gun rights organizations
Gun politics in the United States
Gun politics in the United States refers to an ongoing political and social debate regarding both the restriction and availability of firearms within the United States. It has long been among the most controversial and intractable issues in American politics...
. Such laws mandate that state authorities must issue permits to carry concealed weapons to all law-abiding applicants who met certain conditions set forth by state law, including passing a comprehensive background check.
In 1994 the U.S. government banned manufacture and importation of pistol magazines with more than a 10-round capacity. These were the so-called "high-capacity" magazines, which again became legal to manufacture and import in most states in September 2004, after the relevant federal law expired. This change in federal law rendered many staggered-magazine pistol models (commonly with magazine capacities of 15 or more rounds) less popular in the American market. They were now overly large in light of their newly mandated 10-shot limit. Kahr was at the forefront, offering relatively small, well-made pistols with magazine capacities of up to eight rounds of 9mm or .40-caliber ammunition. These single-stack magazines allow for slender, compact pistols that have proven popular with the buying public.
Since late 2003 or very early in 2004, Kahr has changed from offering a Limited Lifetime Warranty on their pistols to one of only five years' duration. In 2003 the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
reported that the Kahr K9 was popular as a back-up weapon with New York City police officers, who called it the "Moonie
Moonie
Moonie, a family name in the United Kingdom, is used as a nickname for members of the Unification Church and is sometimes considered offensive in that use although not in others.Moonie may also refer to:*Moonie, Queensland, town in Australia...
gun".
In June 2010, Kahr bought Magnum Research
Magnum Research
Magnum Research Inc. is a privately held corporation based in Fridley, Minnesota which manufactures and distributes firearms. The majority owners, Jim Skildum and John Risdall , have been with the company since its founding in 1979...
, which designed and markets the Desert Eagle
Desert Eagle
The Desert Eagle is a large-framed gas-operated semi-automatic pistol designed by Magnum Research in the U.S. and by IMI in Israel; the pistol is manufactured primarily in Israel by IMI...
.
Kahr design
The Kahr action is a BrowningJohn Browning
John Moses Browning , born in Ogden, Utah, was an American firearms designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms, many of which are still in use around the world...
locked-breech design featuring a striker-operated firing pin with a passive firing pin safety, making it a true hammerless action. When the trigger is pulled, the trigger bar begins to rotate a double-lobed cocking cam. This cam simultaneously begins to draw the striker to the rear, compressing the spring behind it, while depressing and deactivating the firing pin block. At the end of the trigger's travel, the lobe contacting the striker slips off the striker and releases it; the other lobe has, by this point, completely depressed the firing pin block and permitted the striker to snap forward and strike the primer. This single piece takes the place of more complicated and fragile designs employed in other pistols. It is similar in principle, though very different in execution, to the action design of Glocks
Glock pistol
The Glock pistol, sometimes referred to by the manufacturer as Glock "Safe Action" Pistol, is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Glock Ges.m.b.H., located in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria. The company's founder, engineer Gaston Glock, had no experience with firearm design or...
. It also allows the firing pin block to be located further to the rear of the slide and therefore further from possible contamination by combustion gases and powder fouling. For this innovation, Justin Moon was awarded one of the five patents he owns on the Kahr pistol design. This system is employed on all Kahr pistols, regardless of frame material, size, or caliber.
The Kahr trigger is similar to a double-action revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
, with a short 3/8 inch trigger travel. On polymer-framed models, the slide travels on steel inserts that are permanently set into the polymer frame. There are also polymer rails, which are not structurally functional, but aid in keeping out dirt, and with aligning the slide when reassembling the slide onto the polymer frame. In steel framed versions, the rail design is traditional and very similar to that of the M1911 pistol. Kahr pistols have their feed ramps offset to the left, which allows the trigger draw bar to lie flatter against the right side of the frame. This feature helps the Kahr pistol line to achieve a slide width of .90 of an inch in 9mm and .40 S&W models, and 1.01 inches when chambered in .45ACP, narrower than many popular pistols.
The initial Kahr offering, the K9, provided a full-power 9mm Parabellum pistol that was virtually the same size, and in some dimensions, smaller, as widely accepted "Pocket Pistol" .380ACP and .32 ACP handguns such as the Walther PP and PPK/S, as well as the Sig-Sauer P230/232, and the Beretta "80" Series.
With the introduction of the K9's brother, the P9 (and soon thereafter, the P40) they not only matched size, but offered these service calibered weapons in a format sometimes weighing several ounces less than these respected arms.
Kahr offers a line of "economy" pistols which are identical to the P series of pistols except that some luxury features are eliminated to cut costs. The polymer-frame CW economy models have fewer machining operations, pinned-in front sights rather than dovetail (cannot accept night sights), traditional rifling rather than 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....
, engraved rather than "rolled-on" lettering, and come with only one magazine. CW pistols generally retail for approximately 20% - 30% less than the full-featured P series. The E series is a discontinued line of Kahr economy pistols with stainless frame; the E series was discontinued in 2004.
Pistols
Kahr currently manufactures and distributes the following semi-automatic pistols:| Name | Frame | Barrel | Caliber | Action | Capacity | Length | Height | Width | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TP45 | Polymer | 4.04" | .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... |
DAO | 7+1 | 6.57" | 5.25" | 1.01" | 20.8 oz |
| CW45 | Polymer | 3.64" | .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... |
DAO | 6+1 | 6.32" | 4.8" | 1.01" | 19.7 oz |
| P45 Kahr P45 The Kahr P45 is a .45 ACP semi-automatic pistol manufactured by Kahr Arms in their Worcester, Massachusetts small arms facility. The P45 was introduced in 2006 and features a double action only trigger mechanism with a Locked breech recoil operated action... |
Polymer | 3.54" | .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... |
DAO | 6+1 | 6.07" | 4.8" | 1.01" | 18.5 oz |
| PM45 | Polymer | 3.14" | .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... |
DAO | 5+1 | 5.67" | 4.49" | 1.01" | 17.3 oz |
| T40 | Stainless | 4.0" | .40 S&W .40 S&W The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could... |
DAO | 7+1 | 6.6" | 5.0" | 0.94" | 27.0 oz |
| TP40 | Polymer | 4.0" | .40 S&W .40 S&W The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could... |
DAO | 6+1 | 6.7" | 4.55" | 0.94" | 19.0 oz |
| K40 | Stainless | 3.6" | .40 S&W .40 S&W The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could... |
DAO | 6+1 | 6.1" | 4.55" | 0.94" | 24.1 oz |
| CW40 | Polymer | 3.6" | .40 S&W .40 S&W The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could... |
DAO | 6+1 | 6.36" | 4.62" | 0.94" | 16.8 oz |
| P40 | Polymer | 3.5" | .40 S&W .40 S&W The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could... |
DAO | 6+1 | 6.1" | 4.55" | 0.94" | 16.8 oz |
| MK40 | Stainless | 3.5" | .40 S&W .40 S&W The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could... |
DAO | 5+1 | 5.35" | 4.0" | 0.94" | 23.1 oz |
| PM40 | Polymer | 3.0" | .40 S&W .40 S&W The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could... |
DAO | 5+1 | 5.35" | 4.0" | 0.94" | 15.8 oz |
| T9 | Stainless | 4.0" | 9mm | DAO | 8+1 | 6.5" | 4.95" | 0.9" | 26.0 oz |
| TP9 | Polymer | 4.0" | 9mm | DAO | 7+1 | 6.5" | 4.5" | 0.9" | 18.0 oz |
| K9 Kahr 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... |
Stainless | 3.6" | 9mm | DAO | 7+1 | 6.0" | 4.5" | 0.9" | 23.1 oz |
| CW9 | Polymer | 3.6" | 9mm | DAO | 7+1 | 5.9" | 4.5" | 0.9" | 15.8 oz |
| P9 | Polymer | 3.5" | 9mm | DAO | 7+1 | 5.8" | 4.5" | 0.9" | 15.8 oz |
| MK9 | Stainless | 3.0" | 9mm | DAO | 6+1 | 5.3" | 4.0" | 0.9" | 22.1 oz |
| PM9 | Polymer | 3.0" | 9mm | DAO | 6+1 | 5.3" | 4.0" | 0.9" | 14.0 oz |
| P380 Kahr P380 The Kahr P380 is a compact pistol chambered for the .380 ACP cartridge and produced by Kahr Arms. It uses a double-action only trigger and operates on the short recoil principle.... |
Polymer | 2.5" | .380 ACP .380 ACP The .380 ACP pistol cartridge is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case. It was introduced in 1908 by Colt, and has been a popular self-defense cartridge ever since... |
DAO | 6+1 | 4.9" | 3.9" | 0.75" | 9.97 oz |
| CM9 | Polymer | 3.0" | 9mm | DAO | 6+1 | 5.42" | 4.0" | 0.9" | 14.0 oz |
Discontinued firearms:
| Name | Frame | Barrel | Caliber | Action | Capacity | Length | Height | Width | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E9 | Stainless | 3.5" | 9mm | DAO | 7+1 | 6.0" | 4.5" | 0.9" | 23.1 oz |
All weights shown are without magazine, which approximates 1.9 ounces.