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I purchased a Kahr CM4043 .40 S&W semiautomatic to meet my need for a small powerful sub-compact pistol to carry concealed in a front pants pocket.
I ordered the pistol online from grabagun.com. The cost was $360 including shipping. I made additional purchases of A DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster and four 7-round magazines.
The specs for the CM40 as listed on the Kahr website are:
.40 Smith & Wesson
Operation: Trigger Cocking DAO; lock breech; "Browning - type" recoil lug; passive striker block: no magazine disconnect
Barrel: 3.1", conventional rifling; 1 - 16 right-hand twist
Length O/A: 5.47"
Height: 4.0"
Slide Width: .94"
Weight: Pistol 15.8 ounces, Magazine 1.9 ounces
Grips: Textured polymer
Sights: Drift adjustable white bar-dot combat rear sight, pinned in polymer front sight
Finish: Black polymer frame, matte stainless steel slide
Standard OEM Magazine: 5 round flush floor plate
The CM40 is a sturdy well-built striker-fire weapon. It is comprised of a steel-slide and polymer-frame. Surprisingly, I found this small pistol to be more similar to a 1911 hammer-fire all steel semiautomatic than to a striker-fire Glock.
The visual impression of this CM40 is that it is an all business, no frills deadly weapon.
I found this to be an accurate assessment during my first range session today. The tolerances of the CM40 are extremely tight. I do not consider this to be a bad thing. To the contrary, I believe the tight slide to frame fit and exceptionally stiff recoil spring make for an accurate firearm.
The manual indicates that the pistol requires a 200 round break-in period. My range session validates this. At first, hand racking the slide was difficult. However, repetitive shooting began to lessen the tightness of slide movement. By the end of my session, shooting 80 rounds each of FMJ and JHP ammunition, hand racking the slide was no longer difficult for me to do.
Recoil was not too sharp with either the FMJ or the JHP rounds that I used. To be specific, I shot Remington L40SW2B JHP .40 S&W 180gr with a muzzle velocity of 1015fps and Winchester Q4328 FMJ .40 S&W 180gr with a muzzle velocity of 1020fps.
Any thought that the CM40 could be a recreational target gun was soon disproved to me after only a few magazines of firing. Shooting this pistol is not my idea of fun at the range. The CM40 is what it is, an easy to conceal protector for close quarter’s encounters.
Regarding how the gun functioned this first time at the range breaking it in, I experienced a single jam (attributed to my not properly loading the round into the magazine.
I was accurate at seven yards and could probably print decent kill patterns at even further distances. But, my purpose today was simply to familiarize myself with the pistol and look for problem areas. Next time, I will focus on accuracy.
I used an identity flaw target for my first two 5-round magazines to see about the sights and my hand grip control:

I aimed one round high and one round low to check the front sight. My next eight rounds were scattered in the bullseye. My accuracy with this small pistol surprised me. I did not expect to shoot this well with it. So much for anticipation.
For its primary purpose, I think the small CM40 is a good choice for pocket conceal carry. The cost of the gun is modest and the value apparent.
I ordered the pistol online from grabagun.com. The cost was $360 including shipping. I made additional purchases of A DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster and four 7-round magazines.
The specs for the CM40 as listed on the Kahr website are:
.40 Smith & Wesson
Operation: Trigger Cocking DAO; lock breech; "Browning - type" recoil lug; passive striker block: no magazine disconnect
Barrel: 3.1", conventional rifling; 1 - 16 right-hand twist
Length O/A: 5.47"
Height: 4.0"
Slide Width: .94"
Weight: Pistol 15.8 ounces, Magazine 1.9 ounces
Grips: Textured polymer
Sights: Drift adjustable white bar-dot combat rear sight, pinned in polymer front sight
Finish: Black polymer frame, matte stainless steel slide
Standard OEM Magazine: 5 round flush floor plate
The CM40 is a sturdy well-built striker-fire weapon. It is comprised of a steel-slide and polymer-frame. Surprisingly, I found this small pistol to be more similar to a 1911 hammer-fire all steel semiautomatic than to a striker-fire Glock.
The visual impression of this CM40 is that it is an all business, no frills deadly weapon.
I found this to be an accurate assessment during my first range session today. The tolerances of the CM40 are extremely tight. I do not consider this to be a bad thing. To the contrary, I believe the tight slide to frame fit and exceptionally stiff recoil spring make for an accurate firearm.
The manual indicates that the pistol requires a 200 round break-in period. My range session validates this. At first, hand racking the slide was difficult. However, repetitive shooting began to lessen the tightness of slide movement. By the end of my session, shooting 80 rounds each of FMJ and JHP ammunition, hand racking the slide was no longer difficult for me to do.
Recoil was not too sharp with either the FMJ or the JHP rounds that I used. To be specific, I shot Remington L40SW2B JHP .40 S&W 180gr with a muzzle velocity of 1015fps and Winchester Q4328 FMJ .40 S&W 180gr with a muzzle velocity of 1020fps.
Any thought that the CM40 could be a recreational target gun was soon disproved to me after only a few magazines of firing. Shooting this pistol is not my idea of fun at the range. The CM40 is what it is, an easy to conceal protector for close quarter’s encounters.
Regarding how the gun functioned this first time at the range breaking it in, I experienced a single jam (attributed to my not properly loading the round into the magazine.
I was accurate at seven yards and could probably print decent kill patterns at even further distances. But, my purpose today was simply to familiarize myself with the pistol and look for problem areas. Next time, I will focus on accuracy.
I used an identity flaw target for my first two 5-round magazines to see about the sights and my hand grip control:

I aimed one round high and one round low to check the front sight. My next eight rounds were scattered in the bullseye. My accuracy with this small pistol surprised me. I did not expect to shoot this well with it. So much for anticipation.
For its primary purpose, I think the small CM40 is a good choice for pocket conceal carry. The cost of the gun is modest and the value apparent.