Member Since Last April, New CW40 Questions

[Kal0348]

I joined this forum last April, and was trying to decide on a caliber for my first Kahr. Well, jocko and bawanna, you both probably don't want to speak to me ...I didn't get a 9 or a 45 for my first Kahr.

I had back surgery last June, got a bone infection that wouldn't go away, and they pulled the antibiotics for the second time nearly 3 weeks ago. Keeping my fingers crossed that the cursed infection is gone now.

All that to say that I'm blaming my choice of a .40 on the residual effects of drugs, and the fact that the CW40 was the first Kahr I put in my hands yesterday, and it felt really goooood:D.

I've used the search thingy on this forum, and I've been reading some of the Kahr-Tech threads here, and I'm trying to make sure I get the pistol ready for the first shooting session.

I've left a post on the tech section about whether or not Hornady One Shot spray cleaner/lube will work on my Kahr for the lubing, or should I be using something else.

The one thing I can't get the hang of in field stripping:eek: my CW40 is the recoil spring pressure making it hard to line up the witness holes making it really hard to push the slide release out. Also the uncaptured guide rod/spring are giving me fits during re-installation...I'm probably gonna shoot my eye out if I don't find a better way to get the parts together:confused:.

I'm really happy with the way the CW40 fits my hand, I've got a couple hundred Wally World WWB and Federal FMJ ammo ready to start firing "break-in" rounds, and I'll do it as soon as I find out what lube/oil/whatever I need to apply to get and keep my Kahr running well.

Thanks for being here, and for any help you can give me.

[Tinman507]

Glad you're on the mend and able to get your Kahr itch fixed.

That slide can be a beast when brand new. It would help to have a third hand I am sure.

Several old timers here suggest using a plain old wooden chopstick and slide it down in the magwell. The taper allows you to keep inserting until the witness marks line up. then you can use two hands (and sometimes a small screwdriver) to pop the slidestop lever out.

Hopefully some other folks will come along and offer a more descriptive narrative on this.

Hope that helps.

[crazymailman]

First off, welcome back! Hope that your infection is gone and you can start working on that CW. I'm not familiar with the Hornady lube, but most of the reviews are positive, so it should work fine. I do like to use some type of grease along the rails though.

[Tinman507]

Yeah, grease on Spot 5&6 as well as the top of the barrel block for the initial couple of hundred will help a bunch unto they all begin to wear in.

[Bawanna]

Six post since last April? I'm thinking some sort of fine is in order here. That's a pure and simple case of forum neglect.

I have no issue with you not getting a 45 as long as you didn't do what Jocko said either, he uses every little advantage he can get to pick on me.

I grip the slide and frame in my right hand and insert the pin with my left. I really don't have a hard time and I suspect yours will get better with use.

[TheTman]

A CW40 was my first Kahr too. It's been flawless since I learned how to shoot it. It was my first poly framed gun and I had a bit of a limp wristing problem that had never been a problem with my steel framed guns or revolvers. A small change in my hold on the gun fixed it right up.
The recoil spring will loosen up as the gun gets broke in making it easier to line up the witness marks.
Replacing the guide rod assembly during re-assembly is a real bear if they cut your guide rod flat and didn't put a bevel on it. My CW40 had the bevel from the factory, but when I got my CW45 it was cut flat, and you'd laugh at all the gyrations I went through trying to get that guide rod assembly back in place. I had to send the CW45 in for some work, and asked them to put a bevel on the end of the guide rod, and they did, and it was amazing how much difference such a little thing made. So I'd suggest cutting a very slight bevel maybe 1/32-1/16" on the end of the guide rod.
Here are pics of my CW40 guide rod, as you can see, the bevel is very small, but makes a huge difference. Good Luck!
http://kartalk.pccomps.com/CW40%20Guide%20Rod%203.jpghttp://kartalk.pccomps.com/CW40%20Guide%20Rod%201.jpg

[jocko]

I could tell u guys what I stick in that opening to line up those two witness marks but you guys would not believe me and then it would end up in a pissin contest and thegreat one would step in andlock the thread, so thejn we would now take it to the PM'
s and then I would win and then u guys would no longer speak to me and then I would get lonely and then I woult start drinkiing and then I would get on my trusty harley and then I would lay it all over the highway and then u guys would feel sorry for me and then someone would say lets get a fund up for ol jocko tohelp him and then some of u guys would say fokk ol jocko, and then it would again be back to PM's and then allthis crap would start all over again, and all becuase u guys never wanted to believe me in the first place.. Juswt sayin

[Bawanna]

Why do I suddenly have this urge to bawl my eyes out. I haven't felt this way since the last time I watched Ole Yeller.

[Kal0348]

Thank you all for your replies. I think I'll use good ole oil and grease for the first few hundred rounds.

I'm not sure about the chop stick trick (I don't have any around), but I'm pretty sure that would work to hold the slide in place for sticking the mag release back in. (I'm almost afraid to ask Jocko to PM me with what he sticks in the ejector opening):2eek:.

I tried using my right hand to hold the slide back, and it might work for re-installing the release (if it wasn't so darned difficult to click into place), but not for removing it (my right hand gets in the way of the release button on the right side of the frame, and so I can't hammer it to get it started without further damaging my body:2eek:).

I'm pretty sure that all this stiffness stuff is because the gun is new. I was just looking for tips on how to make it a little easier. (I once took a Ruger MKIII pistol to a gunsmith in a paper bag after trying in vain to re-assemble the thing):o.

Thetmanski, my guide rod has a bevel like in your picture, so it's not getting hung up on the spring as I try to compress it with the rod in the center. Maybe some more oil on the rod will help...except that when the spring gets slicker than hog snot the whole reassembly process will turn into a real circus.:smash:

And Bawanna, I wanted to wait to get back on this forum because I was afraid the excitement and emotional turmoil might affect my condition. When the infection set in 3 weeks after the surgery in June, my heart went into atrial something or other, and they had to "shock":eek: me back into a normal rhythm. So you can see my concerns before coming back here;).

Well, I'm off to the garage where I'll blast out the striker/pin hole with gun scrubber, and then re-lube it. Keep me in your prayers that I'll get the CW back to together again with both eyes intact.

Thanks again.

[Tinman507]

Why do I suddenly have this urge to bawl my eyes out. I haven't felt this way since the last time I watched Ole Yeller.

Now that's funny, I don't care who you are
http://www.nndb.com/people/799/000096511/larry-the-cable-guy-1-sized.jpg

[Bawanna]

Thank you all for your replies. I think I'll use good ole oil and grease for the first few hundred rounds.

I'm not sure about the chop stick trick (I don't have any around), but I'm pretty sure that would work to hold the slide in place for sticking the mag release back in. (I'm almost afraid to ask Jocko to PM me with what he sticks in the ejector opening):2eek:.

I tried using my right hand to hold the slide back, and it might work for re-installing the release (if it wasn't so darned difficult to click into place), but not for removing it (my right hand gets in the way of the release button on the right side of the frame, and so I can't hammer it to get it started without further damaging my body:2eek:).

I'm pretty sure that all this stiffness stuff is because the gun is new. I was just looking for tips on how to make it a little easier. (I once took a Ruger MKIII pistol to a gunsmith in a paper bag after trying in vain to re-assemble the thing):o.

Thetmanski, my guide rod has a bevel like in your picture, so it's not getting hung up on the spring as I try to compress it with the rod in the center. Maybe some more oil on the rod will help...except that when the spring gets slicker than hog snot the whole reassembly process will turn into a real circus.:smash:

And Bawanna, I wanted to wait to get back on this forum because I was afraid the excitement and emotional turmoil might affect my condition. When the infection set in 3 weeks after the surgery in June, my heart went into atrial something or other, and they had to "shock":eek: me back into a normal rhythm. So you can see my concerns before coming back here;).

Well, I'm off to the garage where I'll blast out the striker/pin hole with gun scrubber, and then re-lube it. Keep me in your prayers that I'll get the CW back to together again with both eyes intact.

Thanks again.


You don't need doctors for that shock treatment and stuff, we do that right here. You might want to tale some valium or something before you PM ole Jocko, that could be a shock in and of itself.
When taking my slide off, I was focused on putting it on, but taking it off I hold it in my left hand and use a rubber tip hammer or a screw driver handle and tap the pin to get it started. My PM45 on a good day I can sometimes push it out without a tool, but my K40, it needs a tap or it ain't gonna happen.
With a little practice you can rack the slide a little bit with one hand, all you really need. Triggerman or somebody here actually can cycle a round in using one hand. I've tried and tried and I just dont have enough travel in my fingers to do that. Got close a few times. Pinched the heck out of myself several times too.

[Kal0348]

Only took 10 minutes in the garage. After Gunscrubbing the pin channel, applying oil to the guide rod, and Shooters Choice red-greasing a few parts here and there, I discovered that my plywood workbench top worked wonders in getting the slide release in.

I just started the pin part of the slide release into the frame, pointed the pistol downward at the edge of the workbench, and placed only the upper forward part of the slide on the wooden edge.

I then pushed the frame downward slowly until the slide/frame were in the right position, and pushed the release in until it clicked:cheer2:.
After racking the slide for another hundred times, I came back into the house where Lilly the wonder dog looked at me strangely, and started whining.

I then noticed that I got a little carried away with the red grease, my clothes looked like I was severely wounded, and I guess the poor dog thought I was done for:confused:.

I can hardly wait until I get to shoot the pistol this week!

I suppose dry-firing the pistol with A-Zoom snap caps is ok with Kahrs?

Thanks again for your help.

[jocko]

dry fire away. nice report, u should be good to go.. a good drill is to throw those snap caps in with 30 rounds of regular range ammo and let someone load the mags for u, this will show shooter error real fast and also when u hit that snap cap and nothing happens that is the time to do the TAP, RACK AND BANG DRILL. good training both ways..:cheer2:

[O'Dell]

Glad you got everything worked out. I think you'll like the CW40. Mine was my go-to belt carry pistol for several months until I got a CW45 in December, even though it was my least expensive gun.

[jocko]

port that cw40 and really enjoy it, just sayin!

[Kal0348]

Mixing snap caps with live ammo while shooting sounds like great training...I've got to get the friend I shoot with to help with that.

About porting, I'm not sure I know how it works, except it diverts some gases upwards to reduce muzzle rise. Will I lose any velocity with porting?

About "tap, rack, bang", I think I've got the rack and bang part down...but what am I supposed to tap? (never had formal shooting training:o).

[Bawanna]

Mixing snap caps with live ammo while shooting sounds like great training...I've got to get the friend I shoot with to help with that.

About porting, I'm not sure I know how it works, except it diverts some gases upwards to reduce muzzle rise. Will I lose any velocity with porting?

About "tap, rack, bang", I think I've got the rack and bang part down...but what am I supposed to tap? (never had formal shooting training:o).

The tap is to make sure the magazine is locked in securely so your smacking the bottom of the magazine.

Magna Port says little to no lost velocity. In a handgun the loss would be very negligible. The 40 has plenty of speed going anyhow, doubt it would effect much at all.