M1911 said:
Why's that? What's so uber about the P7, other than it's price? Why is it not a fair comparison? They are both single-stack 9mm of similar capacity. They both have a consistent trigger pull.
Advantages for the K9:
- slimmer
- smaller
- cheaper
- won't heat up as much as the P7 during rapid firing
Disadvantages
- longer, heavier trigger pull.
- doesn't have the P7 cachet.
Kahr Disadvantages-
-doesn't point as well as a P7 does. (can be subjective, but most would
agree)
-higher bore axis (more recoil/muzzle flip, although this is subjective)
-doesn't have fluted chamber or polygonal bore (P7 can function without
an extractor)
-not as accurate, and not as accurate "at speed" as a P7 is.
-crappier trigger (When a P7 is cocked, you get a single action trigger, not
"the spring assisted DAO" of a Kahr or Glock).
-trigger is hot all the time (P7 is "hot" only when the squeeze cocker is engaged and held). I could
care less, but might be an issue to some.
-no ambi mag release, and mags might not drop free (could be wrong about
NDF, but on a P7M8, when you hit that release it blows the empty
mag out of the gun, which makes for turbo fast reloads.
-Worse fit and finish. While it's not a practical issue, viewing and handling
both pistols, its evidently clear which one is the rolex and which one is
the timex. Both work fine, but the former looks a hell of a lot better.
P7 disadvantages?
-Heat (again, oh noes, its the end of the world that one cant
shoot a really long IPSC or IDPA course with one, big deal)
-Price - IMO only a disadavantage if you need to buy two handguns,
otherwise price is not really a disadvantage, because if you
can't afford a P7 then you won't be buying it anyways, and the
comparison is kinda moot at that point).
-Size- Ignoring the fact that theyre different guns, yeah it's heavier,
but the thin thing is pretty weak argument.... the P7 still has one
of the narrowest slides out there. Some would argue the large
slabs on the P7 make it easier to hold.
-No lead- You can't shoot lead bullets out of a P7. Oh no, the world is
going to end, because I can't shoot crappy,filthy unjacketed bullets!
Holster Cost: Good P7 holsters will cost more, you could probably get
away with a chinsebag holster for a K9, and the K9 holsters
are probably more availiable locally.
Other:
-Repair - IMO this is about neutral, considering that Kahr and HK both
often have notoriously bad CS, so that pretty much evens out.
a well maintained P7 or Kahr will also last a long time, so its kind
of a non issue.
And even just from a technical stanpdoint- these guns don't even use
the same operational principle. So they're not even the same animal
in that regard. The only tangible commonality is that they're both 9mm
and feed from a single stack magazine.
Kahr- Locked Breech Recoil, DAO (or spring assisted DAO)
P7 - Gas Retarded Blowback, SA (when the gun is cocked, it is indeed single action).
Apples vs Oranges if I ever saw it. That is why I own a few "classes" of
products. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. Most guns are
good, some are GREAT. Thankfully there is not much "pure trash" out there, like
there is in other industries.
-Mike