Just Announced! Kahr CM40

Kahr has come out with a .40 S&W version of its CM economy series. What makes it economical? Manufacturing techniques and design. Instead of polygonal rifling that's found on the company PM series, the CM guns have traditional rifling. CMs have MIM'd slide stop levers instead of machined ones and uses simple engraving instead of roll marking. Last but not least, the CMs ship with just one mag instead of two.

The Kahr CM40 (full model designation is CM4043) is a three-inch .40 with an OAL of 5.47 inches and a height of 4 inches. It weighs 15.8 ounces without magazine; an empty mag weighs just shy of two ounces. In short, a perfect, powerful concealed carry gun.

It has drift adjustable rear sight and pinned front sight in a bar-dot configuration. The black polymer frame incorporates molded-in 4140 steel rails, and the design of the recoil lug and trigger bar attachment allow the barrel to sit low in the frame, and since it's hammerless as well — permitting the hand to grip higher on the gun — the overall effect is less muzzle rise and felt recoil.

If you haven't tried Kahr's double-action-only trigger, you owe to yourself to check it out. It has a long pull like a revolver's but there's no stacking — just a smooth, consistent pull. The gun's suggested retail is $517.

Our man Jim Tarr is currently testing one for the April/May issue of Handguns, and right at this very minute Mike Anschuetz is photographing the gun for our cover. So stay tuned for that.

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