It wasn’t until I heard that Kahr was releasing a new pistol that I realized I hadn’t heard from them in a long while. Kahr roared onto the scene almost 30 years ago, circa 1995, with the K9, an all-steel single-stack 9mm that was nearly the same size as many of the .380s of the day. The 1994 Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) was in effect, so new magazines holding more than 10 rounds were unavailable for commercial sale. The crime rate went up, and a nationwide movement in support of concealed carry shifted into gear. It was perfect timing for the single-stack K9. Additional models followed in different sizes, some with polymer frames.
Kahr pistols were not just popular with private citizens. The reliability, durability, and double-action-only (DAO) trigger system earned it authorization by law enforcement for use as a backup and off-duty gun. The entire firearms market seemed to pivot. With the demise of the AWB in 2004, and the introduction of new designs with increased capacity and reduced weight, Kahr was met with additional competition. The new-for-2024 Kahr X9 aims to reclaim some of that glory — and market share.
The X9 is the first in an all-new line of pistols from Kahr, the Premium X Series. These are fed by double-stack magazines. As Kahr has done with its previous models, different versions of the new models will follow. The initial X9, however, was sized to meet the needs of the concealed-carry market.
Features & Specs
The X9 is a polymer-framed, optics-ready, striker-fired 9mm fed by 10-round magazines, and utilizing what Kahr describes as its DAO trigger system. In function and feel, it is far closer to a traditional striker-fired trigger system than one might expect.
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It has a 3.54-inch barrel, and overall is 6.125 inches long, 4.375 inches tall (with the flush magazine inserted), and 1.05 inches wide. Unloaded, with an empty magazine, it weighs 20.2 ounces.
In appearance, the X9 is clearly a Kahr. It sports the distinctive lines and curves of previous pistols. Both the barrel and slide are stainless steel, and the slide is given a matte black finish. Between the stainless-steel and polymer construction, the X9 is as corrosion-resistant and built for carry as you’re likely to find.
“Built for carry?” Yes, the X9 sports the same slick exterior design as all Kahr pistols. One aspect that made the original K9 so trendsetting as a concealed-carry piece was the smooth exterior to minimize the chance of printing or snagging on cover garments. Still, there is no external safety or trigger-safety lever. All controls are thin and low profile to make it as comfortable to carry as it is quick to deploy. Other pistols have followed suit, but the K9 used to be the exception.
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The slide sports wide, flat-bottomed serrations front and back. Between the serrations and the matte texture, there are no handling issues when racking the slide. Kahr pistols feature the recoil-operated, tilt-barrel design. There is a small cutout at the rear of the barrel hood that serves as the loaded chamber indicator. Interestingly, the polished feed ramp on the barrel is “angled,” meaning the left side sticks out farther. I’m not sure I’ve seen that before.
Compared to many polymer, striker-fired pistols, the X9 locks up tight, which is not surprising. Kahr pistols are known to be “bank vault tough.” There was barely any play between the slide and frame of Guns & Ammo’s test sample. When the barrel hood was pressed down, it didn’t move at all in battery.
Sights on the X9 are simple, but robust. That’s what you want on a concealed-carry gun. They’re made of steel and dovetailed into place. The front sight sports a white dot, and the rear sight a notch. Underneath the notch is a vertical white line. Kahr has termed these “white bar-dot combat sights.”
For many, iron sights are as out of date as AM radio. For those, the X9 slide was engineered to be optic-ready. Simply remove the coverplate to see that the slide was designed to accept direct-mount optics having the Holosun K footprint. The footprint is Holosun’s modified version of the Shield RMSc footprint; a number of affordable and popular Holosun optics use it. G&A’s sample was delivered with a Holosun EPS Carry on it. The Holosun EPS Carry is an enclosed optic available with red or green reticles. The version on G&A’s sample featured a 2 MOA green dot. Green dots are actually brighter to the human eye, which is why some people prefer them. Others — myself included — prefer red dots simply because that’s what they’ve grown up using; they just look “right” to our brains. (Actually, I prefer iron sights on my carry guns, but that’s a discussion for another time.) Whatever sighting arrangement you prefer, the Kahr X9 can likely accommodate it.
Inside the slide is a full-length steel guiderod; around it is a single recoil spring. The spring is captured, but if you look closely you’ll see the rod was designed to be disassembled, allowing intrepid owners to swap out recoil springs. I assume this means different weight springs will be offered at some point. The provided recoil spring is somewhat stiff in order to absorb a broad span of 9mm recoil forces in such a small gun.
There is a three-slot rail at the front of the polymer frame for mounting accessories such as a light or laser.
The markings on the slide are subtle. “X9” appears near the muzzle on the left side, and “KAHR” is just above the takedown lever. The left side of the frame is marked to note that it was made in Kahr’s Greeley, Pennsylvania, factory.
The X9 offers a bilateral slide-stop lever. The serrated pads are small and nearly flush with the frame, so utilizing them as slide-release levers may be tricky, depending on the size of your thumb and how tight your gun is. When in doubt, rack the slide by hand to chamber a round.
The takedown lever is nearly flush with the left side of the frame. I found that I needed a tool — in my case, the tip of a pen — to rotate it down for disassembly.
The magazine release is also small and as low profile as the rest of the controls. You will not be dislodging magazines unintentionally. Plus, the magazine release is reversible. All the controls — slide stop levers, takedown lever, and magazine release — are steel. So is the trigger.
As for the trigger system, if you’re used to modern striker-fired guns, you won’t be disappointed. The trigger has a wide, smooth face, but no safety lever. There is about half an inch of takeup — measured at the trigger tip — and then the trigger moves less than .4 inch. The trigger feel has a rolling break, smooth and with a total weight measuring 7 pounds.
Kahr indicates that the X9 has a “DAO trigger system,” which is not technically correct. With the slide of the X9 at rest, the striker is already partially, mostly, retracted, and under tension. Pulling the trigger pivots the sear in a short arc, moving the striker backward a little further. Then the sear drops out of the way and allows the striker to snap forward under spring pressure. Other than the trigger pull being longer than what you’ll find in most striker-fired pistols, the internal function is similar. Trigger reset measured .4 inch.
Grip, Size Small/Medium
The big news is this: If you’ve got small hands, I think you’ll like how the X9 is laid out. The reach to the trigger is quite short. After the takeup, the distance between the trigger face and the backstrap is just 21⁄3 inches. That’s about half-an-inch less than on a SIG Sauer P365. If you’ve got big hands, the X9 might not be for you. I’ve got smaller hands for a guy, and I was nearly pressing the trigger with the tip of my trigger finger. If you’ve got small hands and have always struggled to reach triggers, the X9 might be the answer. On that note, the X9 includes two, 10-round stainless-steel magazines. One has a flush-type basepad, and the other a grip extension. I wear size Medium gloves and I could only get all fingers around the gun when I used the extended magazine. With the flush magazine basepad, most of us will find that our pinky has to curl under the bottom of the magazine. The finger extension offers more gripping surface; it shouldn’t compromise concealability since it adds no length at the butt of the grip, and that’s what prints against a covering garment. It doesn’t add capacity. I would recommend to Kahr that it ship the X9 with one 10-round magazine and two baseplates — flush and extended — and one higher capacity magazine, 12 rounds or so, for the same length as the 10 rounder with extended grip. It would be a win-win.
As this model seems to be the first in the new X-series, I expect future variants will be larger and offer longer and greater-capacity magazines. A prototype 15-round magazine with grip extension was shown during its soft launch at the 2024 SHOT Show, but I’d like to see a shorter mid-length magazine offered, as well. One of those magazines stuffed into the grip of this pistol would solve any control issues for people with big hands while being concealable.
There is raised rectangular texturing on the front and back of the frame that does grip the hand nicely. The sides of the frame have more mild texture to the mold. While the grip does feel a little chunky in my hand, a little squarish, perhaps, it doesn’t feel bad. I found the X9 quite shootable. You can choke up on it quite well.
Aesthetically, the only thing I didn’t like was the placement of the serial number. It’s laser engraved into a nearly square stainless-steel plate set into the left side of the frame. I would have preferred it be out of sight, perhaps within the frame rail underneath the dustcover.
At the Range
The Kahr X9 ran everything I fed it, including a mix of hollowpoints and standard full-metal-jacket (FMJ) ammunition. Except for the slide locking back on a full magazine after the first shot — something that never happened again — the gun was 100-percent reliable. Seating fully-loaded magazines on a closed slide took some effort.
I shot the X9 side-by-side with a SIG Sauer P365 to compare recoil impulses. The P365 is marginally smaller and lighter than the X9, so, unsurprisingly, the X9 displayed less recoil; the P365 was definitely snappier, especially when shooting defensive loads. The X9 was nicely accurate, too, especially for a subcompact pistol almost small enough to fit in a pocket.
While shooting, I saw that if I wasn’t paying close attention, I pushed the dot left while pulling the trigger, a rookie mistake. I finally realized it was due to the short reach to the trigger; my finger had to curve in an unfamiliar way to work it, which caused the issue.
Parting Shot
In many ways, the X9 is a mix of the old and new. It is slightly chunky and heavy compared to some competing designs, but it offers all the modern features we now expect from a new subcompact, striker-fired 9mm. And — please — note that I don’t consider the extra weight a negative! All of the alternatives to the X9 are available in larger and heavier versions of the sub- and micro-compact pistols. People quickly discover that shooting small light pistols isn’t usually pleasant. The extra few ounces in the X9 means that it is shootable for its size. I suspect the follow-on models will prove to be absolute hammers.
Is Kahr late to the program with the X9? Yes, but it is still a reliable performer. The extra weight reduces felt recoil, and the short trigger reach makes the X9 one of the best options for people with small hands needing a quality carry gun.
Kahr X9
- Type: Recoil operated, striker fired, double-action only (DAO), semiautomatic
- Cartridge: 9mm
- Capacity: 10+1 rds.
- Barrel: 3.54 in., stainless steel
- Overall Length: 6.13 in.
- Width: 1.05 in.
- Height: 4.38 in.
- Weight: 1 lb., 4.2 oz. (tested)
- Finish: Nitride (steel)
- Grip: Polymer, molded texture
- Sights: Steel; white dot (front), white bar notch (rear); optic ready
- Trigger: 7 lbs. (tested)
- Safety: Internal plunger (drop safety)
- MSRP: $549
- Importer: Kahr Arms, 508-795-3919, kahr.com
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