Among the currently produced 9mm's, I can't think of a higher quality pistol. Only thing coming close is a vintage Browning HiPower. The machining and finish is top rate. I added the Hogue wood grips (see the Kahr website). Extremely accurate, 100% reliable out of the box. Remember to release the slide and chamber it using the slide release, especially during the break in period of 200 rounds. I love the trigger, an unusually smooth longer pull, like a finest DA revolver. It's not everyone's cup of tea, though. A bit of advice: if you carry a spare mag, get an ammo armor cover for it-otherwise the mag tends to spit out rounds into your pocket.

This is by far the best single stack 9mm pistol I have ever owned or fired. For the sake of brevity I will break this review down into categories. Fit and finish: EXCELLENT. The tight tolerances of this pistol are awe inspiring, with minimal play anywhere between the slide and frame. There are no tool markings visible on either the exterior or interior; this is truly high craftsmanship at its finest. The polished stainless finish is very smooth, not super shiny like some of the old Taurus PT92 finishes, but not the duller grey of standard brushed stainless guns. Trigger: possibly the most impressive part of the entire firearm. I don't shoot revolvers that well in double action, and many people compared the trigger on the K9 Elite to that of a good revolver. In honesty the trigger pull and reset are long but the pull is so smooth and consistent, the fact that it's double action isn't even noticeable. It just feels like a super smooth, long, consistent trigger pull with no wall or staging. Fast follow up shots aren't an issue at all, you just have to remember to let the trigger reset all the way. Accuracy: stellar. At 25 yards on my first magazine I kept a small group on a shoot and see target just firing off-hand. The first shot was about half inch below dead center, and the pistol is very good with point of aim impact. Sights: great. The Kahr uses a "dot and bar" system that makes it very easy to acquire targets and line up shots. The sights are metal as well, so you don't have the durability concerns you might over polymer guns with polymer sights. Grips: while after-market wood grips are available (and look beautiful), the factory Hogue grips look great against the stainless finish and offer a really good feel as well. They are made of a rubberized soft polymer with a lightly "sticky" and tactile feel that allows you to get a really good grip on the pistol. Overall this is what I refer to as a "Goldilocks" gun. It's in that perfect size between tiny pocket guns and full size service guns. It makes a very handsome addition to a gun collection, and is the type of gun that will last for many years with proper care and maintenance. A small tip for anyone having reliability issues: these pistols are built VERY tight and Kahr advises a 200 round break-in period. You can expediate this process to an extent by doing what Paul Harrell calls "marinating" the pistol: take the gun apart, clean and lubricate everything judiciously, and then sit and simply rack the slide repeatedly until you begin to feel it loosen up. This will help speed up the break in process and aid greatly in reliability. How many times should you rack the slide? I'd say anywhere between 200 and 1,000 depending on your hand strength. It really does help. I racked the slide about 500 times before ever firing it and when I got to the range I had one malfunction on the very first magazine. After that one magazine I didn't have one single failure in over 200 shots. It is getting more broke in as I fire it and smoother and smoother to operate. Truly a wonderfully engineered firearm. This is a pistol small enough for concealed carry, but accurate enough for competition shooting. Happy buying!

Runs great (over 1200 rounds through it). Soft shooting and just a beautiful gun--not many like it! American-made goodness.

I’m very pleased with my Kahr K-9. The fit and finish are superb as expected and shoots great, recoil is minimum with Cor-Bon. The gun fits my hand well and it’s easy to control during any kind of firing whether rapid or slow. If you are looking for a terrific shooting 9mm, give this one a chance. No buyers remorse here.

BUDS WAS WONDERFULL!! KAHR WAS TERRIBLE!!! I received this K9 Elite and was so excited to add to my collection of 9mm pistols. After opening the box I immediately noticed a few flaws. The trigger had a high spot and prevented it from being smooth. A smooth trigger is what Kahr brags about. The second issue was the magazine release was not flush with the frame. Keep in mind through this rant I have never shot this K9. I sent it back to Kahr and It was returned in Worse condition The trigger bar was filed down and now the trigger was gritty. The magazine release was now flush but they buggered the magazine screw. Also the frame now had scratches which were not there before. I sent the K9 back to Kahr and they were willing to refinish the frame and install a new trigger bar. I indicated this was not a new gun any more, after 2 trips to Kahr, and I request a brand new K9 Elite---MAKE ME HOLE!!! They would not budge and insisted the gun was a used firearm as soon as I purchased it. I told the customer service manager, Jay, I wanted a NEW firearm. He indicated Bob Holmes,Customer Service Director, must make that call. Bob Holmes would not send a New K9 Elite. He indicated the fix of the frame and other issues would take a few minutes to fix and would send it back. I told him this K9 Elite will NEVER be a new gun to me. I suggested he use this K9 Elite as a sample at a gun show. They could care less!!!!!! Bob Holmes indicated I would receive the K9 back soon and it would "be better than new". I have owned and been in the firearms industry for over 50 years. I know what great customer service is like Wilson Combat. They are the best and Kahr could learn a hell of alot from them. I do like the Kahr pistols but will warn anyone I know about their TERRIBLE ATTITUDE!!!

I had wanted a Kahr K9 since shooting a friend's K9 at the range five years ago. I had balked at spending the money on a K9 and bought a CW9 three years ago. The CW9 shoots very well, but not it was not as good as what I remembered about the K9. Once I decided to get K9, I decided to go all out and get the K9 Elite. The order process with Bud's was typically outstanding. The gun was delivered quickly and in outstanding condition. Upon taking the gun to the range, I can say that the wait was worth it. The K9 Elite is everything I remembered, and more. The feel, the balance, and the trigger are what make shooting this gun special. Right out of the box, after a quick cleaning, I was able to shoot tight groups. I've only put 200 rounds through the gun, but it is already my favorite gun to shoot.

Great shooting and carrys great in a good iwb holster. Also bought it $200 cheaper than anywhere else. Thanks buds

This is the K9 Elite 03, which is their "custom shop" 9mm gun. The fit and finish is exceptional, the trigger action is the smoothest double-action that I've ever felt (or at least tied with Sig Sauer P220 DAK), so this Kahr is upgraded in every way from their standard polymer line. The steel frame also makes it feel more solid. Even though this one is $741, I would say that it's well woth the money.

Great Handgun! The Kahr K9 Elite is a great carry firearm. Size is great for concealment yet still fits great in hand. Looks beautiful. Shoots great. Put 200 rounds through right when I got it and couldn't be happier. The only problem is the magazines only hold 7-8 rounds. Other than that, absolutely wonderful carry firearm.

The Kahr K9 Elite 2003 has been on my wish list with Bud's since Dec. 2008, so when I received notice that one came in,I just happened to be online I jumped on it. Everything went smoothly as always with Bud's. This pistols fit & finish is immaculate and it deserves more than 5*'s. So far it has be flawless at the range with just over 200 rounds through it. Its operation is like butter with minimum recoil. Like the rest of my Kahr's, I can expect it to get better with age. The "ELITE 2003" is the finest that Kahr has to offer, and I hate to say it but it has been worth the wait.