First Carry Conceal Weapon (Glock vs Kahr)

[irishlord]

Looking to buy my first carry conceal weapon. My main concern is concealing, second is "enough" caliber.

I have shoot lots of rifles, pistols, and revolvers. Both in hunting and in the military, so recoil isn't much of an issue.
So far I have it narrowed down to a 9 mil. Looks like I am between the Glock 26 and Kahr PM9, both sub-compact. Looking to carry IWB.

The Glocks Pros: Reliable, Proven, Carries 10 rounds +1, cheaper than Kahr Cons:Wider and heavier

The Kahr: Pros: Smaller, Lighter, Thinner Cons:More Expensive, Carries 6 rounds +1,

Or maybe I should consider other brands or caliber. Again looking for compact and concealable.

Thanks

[almostfree]

My first choice for your requirements would be a Glock 29 in 10mm. It is a nice size for concealment, in a caliber that is very versatile. The recoil is not bad, even shooting full house loads. I jog with one. If the 10 is a little too exotic for you, then the G30 is another great choice.

For a 9mm, I would go for the Glock 26. I don't have any experience with the Kahr and I am sure it is great pistol, but the 26 is as small as I would ever want and I know from experience that despite its size it can still be shot accurately.

[roknjs]

Glock all the way

I've never shot the Kahr, but Glocks are the schizznit for carry and defense.

[JOAT]

I would steer away from 9mm for personal defense. The 40S&W would be my first choice and 45ACP the second. Other calibers are good (10mm, 357Sig, 45GAP) but they are less popular, therefore the ammo is more expensive and harder to find.

Glock would be the preferred platform and the model of choice would be either the 23 (compact) or the 27 (sub-compact). I regularly carry a concealed model 22 (full size), so even the big Glocks can be easily concealed. The 23 is a good balance in size. I find the 27 to be dang near too small, however it can be improved by using model 23 mags with the grip spacers installed on them to give you enough handle with a slide that's about half an inch shorter than the 23. You do lose the front rail with the 27 if you wanted an aiming laser or such fancy clip-on do-dads.

If the "thickness" of the full frame Glock seems to be an issue with you, then I'd take a look at the 36. It's their slim line 45ACP and they are very concealable, though you're limited to a single-stacked 6 rounds. A friend of mine carries one IWB and it is a very nice pistol.

[doug1980]

I have a Taurus PT111 9mm it is a perfect conceal carry gun. I also have a Beretta 9000s 9mm very compact and easy to use. I also Have a Sig Pro 2340 40 s&w I use for conceal carry as well. It's not as compact as the other two but is still fairly easy to conceal. However if I had to choose between the two you have selected I would go with a Glock.

[AKPacker]

If being compact and concealable is your most important criteria, the Kahr wins hands down. I have a Kahr PM9 which is their smallest 9mm, it conceals very easily in my pants pocket (and I'm not a very big guy) and is significantly smaller than the smallest Glocks. If you don't feel comfortable with a 9mm, they make the PM40 which is the same size as the PM9 and is in .40 S&W. I have 1000 or so trouble free rounds through my Kahr and I'd highly recommend one as a carry weapon. I don't find mine hard to shoot at all and its plenty accurate too.

Here's a pic of PM9 next to a baby Glock:


Here's a thread with pictures of a baby Glock, a Kahr PM9, and a Walther PPS side by side for size comparison:
http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=799578

[PRDATR]

I have a G22 so I would probably opt for the Kahr in nine and carry +p's.
I also have a Sig Pro in nine but is a bit large for CC and still have not found much out there in the way of holsters, granted I have not looked everywhere, but it is definately no a commonly stocked item.
Nine is cheaper to practice with.

[Jimboak47]

1st Carry CC

I like to carry the Glock 20 or the Sig 220 when I'm out and about in this State.

[sweepint]

CC



I believe that any of those will work fine for you as long as they are comfortable for you to carry. I lean toward the glock 19 myself as that is what I carry in and out of the area. I have looked at the glock 26 and it is a nice size I did not care for the shortened hand grip and then found myself looking for a extend a mag for it.
9mm is as low as you want to go for a concealed carry when it comes to the human threat. There are many larger cal out there to choose and everybody has an opinion on what is best. The answer to that is what is best for you. 9mm is I believe the cheapest on the market and you can load low to heavy and hot.
Reliability is a major factor in what I carry and I know for a fact that the glock goes above and beyond. I have run as many as 1000 to 1200 rounds before cleaning and have no malfunctions to include desert condition.
Good luck T

[irishlord]

I found a nice write up comparing the two at this link if anyone else is debating the same:http://www.a-human-right.com/p9vsg26.html

After reading many forums and reviews on this topic, I think it may come down to price and locally the Glock is $580 and the Kahr is $786.

[tananaBrian]

How big is your hand? How 'concealable' do you want the gun to be? My Kahr PM9 proved to be too small for my hands to shoot consistently well, so I ended up selling it ...even though it was by far the easiest to conceal gun I've ever owned. Glocks are OK, but too thick. I do like my wife's sub-compact Springfield XD though. And there are many other guns that would work as well ...why limit yourself to Kahr and Glock? Already looked at the others and now are just refining the final 2 choices into one final choice? Either way, go get your hands wrapped around a couple down at the gun store. Raise your arm and see which one more naturally has sights aligned with your eyes. For example, a Ruger Mark -I/II/III naturally aims too high for me, a glock is OK, the PM9 was a pain, and last but not least, my wife's sub-compact XD just seems to materialize in the right spot, sights lined up. It works best for me. I think you should put a lot of focus on which gun shoots most naturally for you too... 'cuz for self protection, you're more than likely to be point shooting anyway, not much time to aim.

Brian

[irishlord]

After looking around and see which fit the best I narrowed it down between the glock and the kahr, but hadn't considered the sub-compact xd, when I go back to the gun store I'll check it out. Between the two, I was able to track the sights better on the glock and it fit my hand better.

[jguy.357]

My first choice for your requirements would be a Glock 29 in 10mm. It is a nice size for concealment, in a caliber that is very versatile. The recoil is not bad, even shooting full house loads. I jog with one. If the 10 is a little too exotic for you, then the G30 is another great choice.

For a 9mm, I would go for the Glock 26. I don't have any experience with the Kahr and I am sure it is great pistol, but the 26 is as small as I would ever want and I know from experience that despite its size it can still be shot accurately.

What is your preferred method of carry when your jogging?

[tananaBrian]

After looking around and see which fit the best I narrowed it down between the glock and the kahr, but hadn't considered the sub-compact xd, when I go back to the gun store I'll check it out. Between the two, I was able to track the sights better on the glock and it fit my hand better.

To me, the statement above would make me highly consider the Glock. Self-defense guns should feel like they naturally point for you. That's why we bought the sub-compact XD ...it worked that way for my wife (it's her gun), and when I tried it, it worked that way for me too. Sounds like you're giving it careful thought and trying things out and that tells me that you'll end up with the gun for you and it'll work well for you.

Brian

[flhshvlhed]

The Glocks Pros: Reliable, Proven, Carries 10 rounds +1, cheaper than Kahr Cons:Wider and heavier

The Kahr: Pros: Smaller, Lighter, Thinner Cons:More Expensive, Carries 6 rounds +1,

I currently have a couple of Glocks - 23 and 20 and also have a Kahr P40. Although I've carried the G23, for the most part, I found myself leaving it at the house. I purchased the P40 and it has become my AmEx card - I never leave home w/o it.

Given the parameters that you have set - IWB - I don't believe the 2 are in the same ballgame. I handled a G36 and a K40 at the same time - the Kahr, I felt, was much more comfortable. The Kahr is thinner in both the slide and frame section. There is a tradeoff - the Kahr has a 6+1 or 7+1 capability (mine came w/ both mags). For years 6 rds was plenty enough ammo, when all LEO's carried revolvers. Ultimately, you're not looking to get into a protracted fire fight - you should be trying to break contact and moving to a safer location.

Kahr has the capability of having practically the same thickness in 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP. The K version (all stainless) are not cheap ($700's). The P versions (polymer frame) are about $100 cheaper - around low $600's, the CW version (same appearance as P version) are around $420-450.

The difference in the P and CW version are that the P has a polygonal barrel - the same as Glock. Also - all of the pieces are machined. The CW version has a cut rifle barrel, allowing it to "safely" fire lead bullets, in addition to having some MIM parts - honestly, I think it's the best deal of all of them - but it doesn't have the readily capability of nite sites. The K and P have dovetailed front and rear site - the CW only on the rear - front is pinned.

It's not advised to fire lead bullets in the polygonal barrel of either Glock or Kahr. There are people that have fired GC lead bullets w/ little problems in both - just make sure to clean them thoroughly.

I have carried my P40 in a cheap IWB holster w/ a pullover shirt that was tucked in, all day at work, and no one was the wiser. Ultimately the choice is yours, but if strictly for CCW - I went w/ the Kahr.