Kahr’s CT380 gets an updated grip and a new Cerakote finish, making a great carry gun even better.
Justin Moon has a habit of being in the right place at the right time. In the 1980s he was working for a company manufacturing precision CNC machining equipment, technology that completely changed manufacturing processes (including firearms manufacturing) in the United States and abroad.
In addition to his machining and manufacturing experience, Moon was also an avid shooter. As such, he had the skills and experience to build firearms that were compact, accurate and affordable. His company—known today as Kahr Arms—incorporated new operations, advanced materials and modern machining to produce handguns that were class-leading carry guns before there was even a class to lead.
Shortly after Kahr’s doors opened in the mid-’90s, the nationwide push for concealed-carry permits began in earnest. Within a decade virtually every state in the country allowed law-abiding citizens to possess and carry concealed firearms for personal protection.
The good news for Moon—and the company he founded—was that Kahr Arms already had a formidable pistol offering to appeal to the growing number of CCW permit holders. Known as the K9, this double-action-only locked-breech design was initially produced in 1996 and within two years was approved as a backup and duty pistol by the NYPD. That pistol catapulted Kahr’s reputation, and by the time millions of shooters were scrambling to find a reliable, compact carry pistol, Kahr already had a stable of semiautos from which these shooters could choose.
Kahr enjoyed a reputation for superb build quality and excellent reliability. But there was a problem: Competition in the compact pistol market was fierce, and machining and materials costs allowed manufacturers to build functional guns at rock-bottom prices. Kahr pistols had a lot of high-end
