Making a Kahr"P9 Covert"

[Old No7]

I really like Kahr firearms and have gone through a few over the years. After my son-in-law bought my PM9, I went to a P40 Covert but found it very snappy on recoil (for me, anyway) and more expensive to shoot. So then I found a factory made P9 Covert -- with a P9 barrel & slide and the shorter PM9 grip -- and I carried that for a number of years before it was sold to fund a stainless K9 that I’d always wanted. Then awhile ago, I got a stainless T9 too. To complete my “All Stainless Kahr Kollection” I recently bought a used MK9, but it got returned to the shop after a crack in the slide was found. Kahr told me that I’d have to pay for shipping and a new slide, which was quite a disappointment; so I abandoned the idea of going all stainless on Kahrs... Good news is the shop took the gun back under their 30-day used gun warranty policy and will deal with Kahr for the repairs.

So then the idea of another P9 Covert resurfaced to replace my Kahr CT380; as with the state of this world, I've decided that I will no longer carry a ,380, and I'd upgrade to the larger 9mm round with only a slight increase in width or weight. Covert P9s are as rare as hens teeth to find, so I found a donor P9 with 1 mag and no box or papers online selling for half of what used P9s will usually sell for, and I bought it -- and then proceeded to cut it down to make my own Kahr P9 Covert.

Some will cringe about cutting down a perfectly good gun...

But it works for me and came out great, and is just what I wanted to replace the CT380, as I find the shorter PM9-sized grip frame conceals better than the K9’s longer grip in summer clothing. But the longer P9 barrel is a little muzzle heavy which points and holds well. In winter months, I’ll typically carry the larger Kahr K9 or the T9. (Yes, it is nice to have such choices!) Below are some images of the P9 Covert conversion.

The donor P9 before with 1 mag, plus one of two PM9 mags which I bought really cheap:

P9 Covert 01 (Small).jpg

Here’s the grip all taped and marked, clamped to a board and being cut with a fine-tooth hacksaw:

P9 Covert 02 (Small).jpg

Here’s the 7+1 P9 mag inserted into the new Covert with the cutoff piece of the grip wedged onto the bottom of it (and some black electrical wraps allowed me to snug that right up nice and tight). You can see the gap from the kerf of the saw blade:

P9 Covert 03 (Small).jpg

Here it is with the longer P9 Mag inserted (I'll carry that as my backup mag) and a Pachmyer grip sleeve added. I add stick-on Velcro pads (loop side) to the right side of the grip to create a slight palm swell under the rubber sleeve. The finger groove on the sleeve helps maintain control of such a small grip (with the baby finger tucked under the grip for support):

P9 Covert 04 (Small).jpg

And finally, here’s the new-to-me Kahr P9 Covert with the shorter PM9 Mag inserted, positioned next to the P9 Mag at about the right height to better show you how much less grip there is to conceal now that she's been cut down to Covert length.

P9 Covert 05 (Small).jpg

For a total cost of about $325 for the P9, FFL transfer and 2 PM9 mags, I’m really happy with the way this conversion turned out.

Tight groups!

Old No7

[M. M. Wright]

It takes huge huevos to just start chopping on a nice pistol but man that turned out really nice. I do it with double barreled shotguns but then I'm not as neat as you. I just stick 'em under the hot saw.

My daughter in law carries a Kahr 40 S&W.

[Blaine]

What nice work on a great project.... I learned a couple decades ago to stay away from tools....I just don't have the patience to do nice work like that.

[piller]

That looks good. Now you have a custom Kahr. I like the .40 S&W, but there is a difference in recoil that makes smaller guns jump in your hand quite a lot. The math and personal experience will tell anyone that. A small 9mm is a lot easier to control than a same sized small .40. A Kahr should be accurate and reliable and there are plenty of ammunition choices around anymore that should do the job. Hope you have it and never need it instead of the other way round.

[wm]

I've bid on a couple of Kahr 9mm the last year or so on GB. They do not receive the appreciation that they deserve IMO. They get over looked in the niche dominated by S&W Shield, Glock 42, Sig 938/365, SA Hellcat, etc. but the Kahrs are right there in terms of accuracy and reliability.

Ditto the current production Auto Ordinance 1911s (Kahr owns AO). But the MSRP on AO are priced a little too dear for my taste compared to RIA, S&W, Remington, SA and Ruger.

So many appealing firearms …… so little available cash. We truly are in a golden age of firearms availability.

Wm

[1894c]

What nice work on a great project.... I learned a couple decades ago to stay away from tools....I just don't have the patience to do nice work like that.

Blaine +1... I too learned a long time ago just because I own tools doesn't mean I can fix stuff... by the way Old No7 you did a nice job on the Kahr.P9 conversion.. :)