The Kahr Arms S9 Pistol: The Quintessential Concealed Carry Pistol?

Kahr Arms S9 Pistol Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous aim — “The Kahr Arms S9 is a good balance of a compact gun with full-size ability.”

Kahr Arms S9 Pistol Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous lead — “The S9 operates on Kahr’s trigger cocking DAO, “Safe-Cam” Action, lock breech with “Browning-type” recoil lug and a passive striker block with no magazine disconnect.”

Kahr Arms S9 Pistol Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous cutaway — “Interestingly enough, Frank had a very unique cut away pistol to demonstrate just how this all worked inside.”

Kahr Arms S9 Pistol Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous range — “At 15.8 ounces unloaded, the S9 is close to several of its competitors in the arena.”

Kahr Arms S9 Pistol Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous right

Kahr Arms S9 Pistol Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous left

Kahr Arms has been a respected manufacturer of quality handguns since it opened its doors in 1995. The Kahr manufacturing facility in Worcester, Mass., consistently produces some of the best pistols on the market. I have owned a couple Kahr pistols in the past and really enjoyed them. With this as its pedigree, I was excited to hear that Kahr would be adding to its line. At the 2017 NRA Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Kahr announced it would be adding two guns to the family. The one I had the most interest in was the Kahr Arms S9.

I was equally as excited when I learned that Kahr would be one of the featured manufacturers at our recent Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous in Gateway, Colo. We all gathered at the Gateway Canyons Resort for some serious one on one time with companies.

I made my way to the Kahr station and found several tables full of guns. I grabbed the S9 and took a few minutes to become acquainted with it. Frank Harris from Kahr Arms was manning the station and was kind enough to give me an overview.

The S9 Rundown

The Kahr Arms S9 is a good balance of a compact gun with full-size ability. With an overall length of 5.9 inches and a height of 4.5 inches, it is an easy gun to carry. It has a 3.6-inch barrel with conventional rifling and feels very comfortable in the hands.

The new model comes with white three-dot sights, front serrations on the slide, and an accessory rail for a light or laser if you choose. It is a 7+1 capacity gun and your new blaster comes with two, seven-round magazines.

At 15.8 ounces unloaded, the S9 is close to several of its competitors in the arena.

The S9 operates on Kahr’s trigger cocking DAO, “Safe-Cam” Action, lock breech with “Browning-type” recoil lug and a passive striker block with no magazine disconnect. Interestingly enough, Frank had a very unique cut away pistol to demonstrate just how this all worked inside.

The pistol is sturdy with the slide, trigger, slide stop and even magazines being machined from stainless steel.

What I really liked about the S9 was the slender grip. I don’t have gigantic paws, so being able to wrap up a gun like this is satisfying.

The undercut trigger guard and square stippling made it comfortable to run. Being a “trigger cocking DAO, Safe-Cam Action,” the trigger pull was long, but not obnoxious. It was smooth with a decent reset and I ran entire mags at pace with no real issues in accuracy.

Range Time at Rendezvous

I imagine that with even a little more focused time on the gun I could have produced very good groups. As it was, I easily ran steel drills at everything from 10 yards out to 25 yards with little effort.

For a gun that weighs less than 16 ounces empty, it had very manageable recoil. While it did offer some snap, it was manageable and easy to shoot. I could easily see a long training session on this gun with no issues at all.

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The sight radius was a perfect balance between compact and full-size. I was able to quickly acquire targets with the stock three-dot sights and stay on as rounds went downrange. Throughout the morning I was able to shoot a small variety of ammunition and had no malfunctions at all.

In the end, I really enjoyed my time with the S9. Overall the gun is well made, easy to carry and conceal, and capable of being taken into the fight.

The Kahr Arms S9 pistol is truly the quintessential concealed carry pistol.

For more information on the S9, please visit Kahr.com.

Kahr Arms S9 Specifications

Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 7+1
Operation: Trigger cocking DAO; lock breech; “Browning – type” recoil lug; passive striker block; no magazine disconnect
Barrel: 3.6″, conventional rifling; 1-10 right-hand twist
Length O/A: 5.9 inches
Height: 4.5 inches
Slide Width: .90 inches
Weight: Pistol 15.8 ounces; Magazine 1.9 ounces
Grips: Textured polymer with ID tag
Sights: Drift adjustable white two-dot rear sight, pinned in polymer front sight
Finish: Black polymer frame with accessory rail, matte stainless steel slide with front serrations
Magazines: Two (2), seven-round, stainless
MSRP: $477