Should I be concerned? Guide rod for CW9

[CamdenSC]

Purchased my second Kahr - CW9 and hope to break it in at the range this Thursday. I've racked the slide 500+ times, cleaned and lubed per the sticky and have dry fired the gun (trigger travel seems slightly longer than CM9) and everything appears OK but I did notice that the guide rod does not fit flush to the end of the hole or at least one side doesn't. In taking a closer look, it appears that the end of the rod is angled and was not cut at a 90 degree angle.

Thursday's break in will be telling but wanted to run this by the Kahr experts to see if this is something I should be concerned with and/or run it by Kahr support. Thanks in advance.

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u408/smoranos/DSC_0076.jpg
http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u408/smoranos/Angledguiderod.jpg

[stuch77]

nope mine fits ressed like that also i have 750rds on mine. but my rod is not cut at an angle like yours. thats bullcrap kahr should have never let it leave the factory that way.


just shoot it. then call kahr on the ph no email and tell them its cut all fubar they will sent you out a new one.

[gb6491]

While I think it's substandard work, I doubt it will cause you any issues.
The guide rod in my neither my CW45 or CW9 is flush with the face of the slide; so comparing this photo:
http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u408/smoranos/Angledguiderod.jpg
...to this one of my two pistols:
http://i42.tinypic.com/vobx4j.jpg
... it appears the end of your guide rod could be worked down for a more even fit (if you so desire).
Still, I see no reason not to forward the photos to the folks at Kahr and inquire about a replacement guide rod.
Regards,
Greg

[AlbinLee]

looking down from the top of the slide, with the slide locked open, my guide rod and barrel both favor the left side of the frame. This seems normal, I actually got feedback from the regulars here on a similar question recently. As for the end cut... that's just bad. I imagine an email with that picture attached to Kahr CS and a new rod will be on its way to your mailbox.

[CamdenSC]

Thanks for the feedback. Will email Kahr and see what they say.

[muggsy]

I'd e-mail the pictures to Kahr and ask for and RA number and ship it back to them. The whole gun looks twisted. It could be a frame problem.

[kerby9mm]

I have mk's so I'm not sure if this applys. When putting the recoil assembly back in I make sure the flange end (barrel link end) is centered between the frame rails on that cut in lip on the barrel. Just one of my quirks with these Kahrs that I love!

[CamdenSC]

Update - Received the following response from Jay @ Kahr this morning.

"Good morning. Thank you for the clear photographs. If you can provide
me with your shipping address, I would be happy to have another guide rod
sent. In the mean time, that guide rod is perfectly safe to use, it is just
not as esthetically pleasing."

[AlbinLee]

Update - Received the following response from Jay @ Kahr this morning.

"Good morning. Thank you for the clear photographs. If you can provide
me with your shipping address, I would be happy to have another guide rod
sent. In the mean time, that guide rod is perfectly safe to use, it is just
not as esthetically pleasing."

That is great news, I am glad to hear you were taken care of. I would tend to agree, no harm would be done in breaking the pistol in with that guide rod. The most important part is that the shaft is perfectly straight, and 90 degrees with the rearmost portion (edge riding against the barrel lug). The angle of cut along the front face really won't affect anything, as long as it is almost flush with the muzzle surface during lockup (if it were too short, other issues could arise as well). Shoot it! :D

P.S. Too bad nobody thought of this earlier, but you should have asked for a chrome replacement rod for the trouble... :rolleyes:

[AlbinLee]

I'd e-mail the pictures to Kahr and ask for and RA number and ship it back to them. The whole gun looks twisted. It could be a frame problem.

I thought the same thing initially, as my brand new CW9 favored the left side of the front rails. If you looked from above, the barrel and guide rod also lean off-center. Well, it turns out this seems normal, from the responses I got in this thread: http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=11188&highlight=Albinlee

Several other members with CW9 pistols checked theirs out, and noticed the same thing. If I had to guess, I would think that the offset barrel lug (left centered) has something to do with this tendency in the polymer CW9. Also, the fact that it is polymer could allow for the additional give, as this issue does not seem to appear in the K9? Just some thoughts.