Regretting my CM9 purchase

[sharpenit]

I bought a CM9 about 10 days ago based on all the glowing reviews, but I'm really regretting it. Right from the start, the thing felt like bad, buggy machinery. The slide is stiff, it doesn't slide very smoothly, it seems to stick and catch. I've had just one opportunity so far to shoot it and put 200 rounds through it. The slide locked open without warning with rounds still in the mag. There was no rhyme or reason to it. Sometimes I'd get off one round and the slide would lock open, sometimes I'd get three rounds off and then have the slide lock open. Another time I'd get five rounds off and then it would lock open.

Yes, I had cleaned and lubed it before I fired it. I think the slide problem has to do with the spring in the slide-stop lever. When I compared how mine looked compared to a photo I found online, my spring looked like it was bent in such a way that it wouldn't properly engage the slide stop lever. I corrected the angle, but haven't had a chance to get back to the range to see if that cured the problem.

So I'm going to try to get back to the range to test my fixes, and if problems persist, I'll be in touch with Kahr CS to find out where to go from here.

But I'm asking myself, why in the hell am I going through all this angst and difficulty with a brand new pistol? I wish I'd bought something else that would have simply worked right from the start. I bought this for concealed carry, but even if I get it working right, I'm not sure I'll ever trust it.

[Bawanna]

Sorry your having problems sharpenit. It could be just your thumb hitting that slide release causing the slide lock or you may have bent that spring putting the slide stop back in the first time. Both of these happen quite frequently.

It's a pretty simple fix which you already may have accomplished. Given a little time most come to love these little gun even experiencing a few glitches. But if your confidence is shattered, don't dwell on it, sell it and move on.

No need to waste time on something that you have no confidence in.

[Ken_K]

Welcome to the forum!

Sorry to hear that your having issues with your new CM9. Have you read this?http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1521

There are a few things that could be causing the slide to lock back prematurely. The simplest is to make sure your not hitting the slide lock by accident. It could also be ammo related. What brand and grain of ammo are you using? What's the OAL? When you put it back together after cleaning it did you install the recoil spring closed end first on the guide rod?


Dang it Bawanna, you beat me too it lol.

[wagon]

. The slide locked open without warning with rounds still in the mag. There was no rhyme or reason to it. Sometimes I'd get off one round and the slide would lock open, sometimes I'd get three rounds off and then have the slide lock open. Another time I'd get five rounds off and then it would lock open.

I always criticize and bash Kahr on their quality.. none the less I took home another CW9 yesterday ... (I cannot believe I did that, but I just did.).

But I just want to say that I'm SURELY not one of their fan-boys.

But to your point of slide open, sometimes it is caused by our thumb position which COULD be pushing the slide stop.. it DID happen to me, even on my Glocks, once I have repositioned the thumb position, the "issue" subsided.

Good luck with your micro Kahr. ;)

[Barth]

When I first got my MK40 I accidentally bent the slide stop spring during reassembly. I understand it's even easier to do with the polymer guns.
Once the spring is bent you get pre-mature slide locking open with rounds still in the gun. It sucks.

You have to follow the assembly instructions very carefully to insure the
spring isn't bent. It's a cheap part and I have several on hand now - but never need them anymore. I think the release lever is inserted at about 4 o clock and
then rotated to three after partially inserted? or something like that?
It's sub-concise and natural for my now.

Someone else can chime in with specifics.
A gunsmith at the LGS that sells PM9s said this is a very common problem.
I was really disappointed too in the design.
But after you get used to it it's fine.

[jocko]

3 things can cause premature slide stop

! thumb hitting the release lever and u just don't know it. Try shooting it left handed to see if it persists.

2. bullets hitting on the inside of the slide stop lever and pre engaging the lever. refer to kahr tech section and propper prepping thread to see how to check this out. a 5 minutes thing to see. ( out of spec slide lock lever, a call to kahr willget a new one in the mail pronto)

3. slide stop lever spring is bent or out of spec, cause dby not putting the slide stop lever back correctly, there is a photo tutorial onve ron kahr tech section under propper preppng thread and also under the cw 45 fixes. again easily fixed, u tweeked it and maybe this will solve it

u just need to eliminate the posabilitys starting with # 1.

[ripley16]

Probably your thumb is the culprit. Modify your grip and/ or have someone else shoot the gun. Shoot some rounds one handed. I bet that solves the problem. That tiny little spring holds the follower down pretty tightly in normal situations.

[muggsy]

I think that we have a Jocko impostor in our midst. I couldn't find one typo or spelling error in his last post. Way to go, Jocko. :) (Horse head coming my way.)

[Ken_K]

I think that we have a Jocko impostor in our midst. I couldn't find one typo or spelling error in his last post. Way to go, Jocko. :) (Horse head coming my way.)

Lmao! (now there's one heading my way too)

[jocko]

Im trying!!

[Bawanna]

Spelling aside I'm just glad your back amongst us Jocko. Obviously others think so too judging from the PM's in my in box.

[Tinman507]

Im trying!!
Glad you took my advice and asked for starch only in the cuffs and collar and not the entire arm. Welcome back!

[Barth]

Yes, something is very wrong here?
Does this mean Jocko is on, or off, his meds???

[jocko]

trust me a-holes. I have a full line of horseheads waitibng. U guys have been good to me offline with PM's so I feel I owe u guys SOMETHING.

I was a a lopcal fish stocking event a fewdays ago and the fish hatchery truck had some dead carp in their tanks. I HAVE UM NOW!!! Just sayin:popcorn:

[Thunder71]

Welcome to the forum!

First:
There's no (0, zilch, nadda) guarantee that any other purchase you would have made would have resulted in a 100% flawless gun regardless of manufacturer.

Second:
Is this your first handgun?

Third:
Kahr's are tight until broken in, even then they are tight (but smooth).

Fourth:
I feel that the gun may need to head back to Kahr, it shouldn't be THAT tight if what you describe is accurate. 200 rounds should have been enough to smooth it out.

There's no reason not to trust it once you get it broken in if it cycles well. Different ammo may help as well, mine seem to like Winchester for what it's worth.

[jocko]

being he is a new poster here and his description of TIGHT to ost all of us is just normal for a kahr. One has to mate up with any gun and kahrs are no different, U won't notice a tight gun when shooting it, so the tighness IMO has to come from maybe hand racking etc which no doubt is tight compared to alot of other gun makes. It will get better with more rounds, not knowing if he has read and reviewed the lube chart which is a real must IMO, this helps alot for smoothing out a gun, but certainly rounds down range will do better. He may have a tight kahr to so IMO he has to get used to the quirkie things that come from a tight gun. Just saying.

[Bronco302]

I've been shooting better than 40 years and have shot all kinds of simiautos. The first time I pulled the slide back on my CM I thought HOLY CRAP this can't be right. I had been reading on here so I cleaned her up, rubbed her down, greased her and run her wet:rolleyes: and she has performed without a hitch.


Joe W.

[Barth]

I've been shooting better than 40 years and have shot all kinds of simiautos. The first time I pulled the slide back on my CM I thought HOLY CRAP this can't be right. I had been reading on here so I cleaned her up, rubbed her down, greased her and run her wet:rolleyes: and she has performed without a hitch.


Joe W.

+1
I've been shooting for 30+ and own seven handguns.
My NIB MK40 was much tighter than anything I had experienced up to that point.
But with Militec-1 and 400 rounds of hot HP 40 Winchester Rangers?
That wild stallion broke in nicely.
Now she runs like the wind.

[jocko]

I have never shot any semi with as hard to hand rack as my kahrs. I could not for the life of jme hand rack my P380 at first reliaubly, just would ot work. Using the slide release it was perfect. today Ic an do both with ease. It has smoothed out,. I have gotten accustomed to its qurikrs and how to properly hand rack it, so all my kahrs now and I work great together. My wife can hand rack my g19 blidnfolded and my son also, but neither can hand rack my PM9 and it is smoother than a egg passing through a hen..(got that one from bawanna).

Now we can stand there and stomp our feet over this hard racking thing or we can just say fokk it I am gonna master this bastard and move on. Most choose the later..

[Thunder71]

Hand rack...

:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vLWP3-JhsA

[DKD]

You know JOCKO my man I beleive you are absolutley right. After hanging out on this forum for about two years now and currently own three Kahr pistols and I have come to a conclusion. These are specialty guns, tight as all get out and as small as modern machining would allow so the tolerances are very close. As such it would seem to me that these pistols just might be better suited to an experienced shooter and not the best choice for a new comer to handguns. I feel they are professional grade weapons. Now I am not sying that this is the case for all new shooter, but probbaly most would fall intto that cadegory. Just my observation & personal opinion from reading here and hands on experience.

[paperpuncher]

I've been shooting better than 40 years and have shot all kinds of simiautos. The first time I pulled the slide back on my CM I thought HOLY CRAP this can't be right. I had been reading on here so I cleaned her up, rubbed her down, greased her and run her wet:rolleyes: and she has performed without a hitch.


Joe W.


My thoughts exactly. Throw in a bit of polymer shavings, and I was hesitant to shoot the gun for a little while, I thought I had a dog on my hands. But it's been just fine for 250 rounds now.

I also run it a tad sloppy, but will tone that down as the round count goes up.

[Barth]

I have never shot any semi with as hard to hand rack as my kahrs. I could not for the life of jme hand rack my P380 at first reliaubly, just would ot work. Using the slide release it was perfect. today Ic an do both with ease. It has smoothed out,. I have gotten accustomed to its qurikrs and how to properly hand rack it, so all my kahrs now and I work great together. My wife can hand rack my g19 blidnfolded and my son also, but neither can hand rack my PM9 and it is smoother than a egg passing through a hen..(got that one from bawanna).

Now we can stand there and stomp our feet over this hard racking thing or we can just say fokk it I am gonna master this bastard and move on. Most choose the later..

I really think the dual spring tension needed to have a three inch barrel and slide run reliably with hot 40 cal ammo is pretty extensiveness.
I can live with that.

[jocko]

Hand rack...

:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vLWP3-JhsA

probably one out of 500 can do that with a kahr. Kinda reenforces the PROPER PROCEDURE technique to.

[jocko]

considering the PM9 and PM40 use the same exact recoil sprngs and it is nite and day between a 9m and a 40 cal thing. quite possably the kahr 9's could go down a few pounds in recoil spring poundage and be OK. Just sayin.

[JFootin]

Well, I got the Kahr because of the smooth, light trigger and no manual safeties or a hammer, just a pull of the trigger to get it into action. I can shoot this little gun pretty well, even with the snappy +p defense ammo. I have weakened, partially paralyzed hands, with my right hand being much worse than my left hand (but I'm a lefty :)), so I have to put my gun in my right hand and rackit with my left hand, but I do it just fine and can clear a misfeed. I'm not lightening fast at it, but it is what it is. I'm not fast at doing anything...

Here comes Uncle Joe, he's a movin' kinda slow at the junction...

Like Jocko, I don't carry a spare mag much of the time, so my slowness at changing mags isn't going to come into play in a s.h.t.f. situation, and if 7 rounds shooting reliably out of my CM9 isn't enough, see ya on the other side! :target: or I hope :angel:

[sharpenit]

Thanks to everybody for the suggestions and the encouragement. I will try your suggestions. I really want this to work, because I know others have great success with the PM9 and CM9. And it's a beautiful little machine.

Some wondered if I'm new to shooting, and I am. I got this CM9 just 10 days ago and a Springfield XD .45 about a month ago. The Springfield was so easy right out of the box that I was just flummoxed when the Kahr turned out to be so different.

I hope to get to the range this weekend to try out your suggestions. I'll report back afterward.

[jocko]

that xd45 is a bigger gun than ur cm9. there is a difference as u well know. take ur time, do all the prep stuff, the lube stuff and give it a good workout. document any issues , ammo, round count, etc.

[Thunder71]

Definitely different, I have an XDm and it's a dream to rack in comparison - much more tolerant of 'sloppy' skills, with the Kahr it can be all or nothing - at least for several hundred rounds.

[dean1818]

3 things can cause premature slide stop

! thumb hitting the release lever and u just don't know it. Try shooting it left handed to see if it persists.

2. bullets hitting on the inside of the slide stop lever and pre engaging the lever. refer to kahr tech section and propper prepping thread to see how to check this out. a 5 minutes thing to see. ( out of spec slide lock lever, a call to kahr willget a new one in the mail pronto)

3. slide stop lever spring is bent or out of spec, cause dby not putting the slide stop lever back correctly, there is a photo tutorial onve ron kahr tech section under propper preppng thread and also under the cw 45 fixes. again easily fixed, u tweeked it and maybe this will solve it

u just need to eliminate the posabilitys starting with # 1.

I just recieved mine back from Kahr with this exact issue.

The note said they replaced the barrel.

For some reason this fixed this issue as i have had 100 plus rounds with no repeat of the same problem

[jocko]

very interesting, no way to eliminate that possability either, as we just don't have spare barrels to test out. Odd that a barrel would cause premature slide lock but ur thread kinda disproves that.

[kb2wji]

3 things can cause premature slide stop

! thumb hitting the release lever and u just don't know it. Try shooting it left handed to see if it persists.

2. bullets hitting on the inside of the slide stop lever and pre engaging the lever. refer to kahr tech section and propper prepping thread to see how to check this out. a 5 minutes thing to see. ( out of spec slide lock lever, a call to kahr willget a new one in the mail pronto)

3. slide stop lever spring is bent or out of spec, cause dby not putting the slide stop lever back correctly, there is a photo tutorial onve ron kahr tech section under propper preppng thread and also under the cw 45 fixes. again easily fixed, u tweeked it and maybe this will solve it

u just need to eliminate the posabilitys starting with # 1.


I think that we have a Jocko impostor in our midst. I couldn't find one typo or spelling error in his last post. Way to go, Jocko. :) (Horse head coming my way.)

Here, this should help. It's really Jocko, dont worry. Dont even get me started on the lack of capitalization to start a sentence. I feel I can get away with this sarcasm now due to my senior status now. Jocko, do you need my address so you can send me my horse head?

[jocko]

hell no need to be of senior status. it is what it is , as u well know. some say I am getting better, must be the new meds:popcorn:

[bboswell]

There was another one recently that Kahr did some grinding on the barrel and fixed it.

This is a pretty common issue.

[Blue150]

That gritty feel is probably your trigger bar; the top is tapered to make sure it goes into the "in battery" notch on the inside bottom of the slide on the right side rear "Notice how I got four coordinates in three dimensional space." Anyway, my trigger bar was running so close to the frame that only about 1/4 of the available bearing surface was contacting the slide and it began wearing away prematurely.

To check, remove the recoil spring and barrel from the slide and the side-plate from the frame. Put the slide on the frame and rack it back and forth, that gritty feeling should be even more obvious without springs. Next, hold the trigger bar down away from the slide while racking. If the gritty feeling goes away you have just identified its location.

I used some sturdy needle nose pliers padded with duct tape to bend that contact point out ever so slightly right below the taper so it rides fully on the bottom of the slide but still finds the "in battery" notch. Then I took some sandpaper and polished both the bottom of the slide and the top of the trigger bar progressing from 200 through 1000 grit. (Slip a chopstick behind the trigger bar to hold it away from the gun and cover the gun with tape to avoid marring the surface). It's smooth as can be now.

Alternatively, call Kahr to describe your problem and they will probably have you send the gun back and fix it for you. Though I like things that work well out of the box as much as the next guy, I love figuring out little things that I can do to make things work better. Kahr makes a very good product and they stick behind them with excellent service but that doesn't mean little boners can't work their way into production.

Were I to redesign the "out of battery disconnect" mechanism, I would probably leave that part of the trigger bar full thickness and have the notch all the way through the slide for reliability rather than aesthetics. That way minor variations in the shape of the trigger bar wouldn't matter and there would be enough metal making contact to last forever. That's up to Mr. Moon though; it's his design.

[jocko]

yes it was talked about with photos about a week or so agoa, I think the did some mods to the side of the barrel and not to the top of the chamber, but again, if in doubt, let kahr hav ethe barrel back, let them do the mod instead of u, that way they cannot later on say, u voided ur warranty if it gets worse. They deal with this far more than we do and as someone metnion it is all about proper timing and mabe in this case the timing is off a tad, or possable that chamber top cold be off spec just enough to cause some peening and smoothing that area down will never come back again. Proabably gonna be a decision the owner has to make here as to how he is going to further approach this. Kahr says one thing, we (some) are saying another, many here are saying it is OK, just shoot it. I can see where maybe we have just confused the owner more than helped him..

[GROTMAN]

Muggsy.. there is no Jocko imposter..proper only has one r..just sayin :)

[jocko]

Muggsy.. there is no Jocko imposter..proper only has one r..just sayin :)

only one "r" hu???:blushing:

[AIRret]

I might be wrong, but I thought the fact that the Kahr tolerances are tight (including the slide) is to make them more accurate. Heck, I've never shot such a small gun that is as accurate as my pm9

[GROTMAN]

Oops..meant only one "p"..now i have to learn how to spell humble:(

[jocko]

Oops..meant only one "p"..now i have to learn how to spell humble:(

hel lI thought u werre right even:53:

[GROTMAN]

lol..thanks for being a good sport..and really do appreciate all the advice you've passed on. keep it coming!

[kerby9mm]

Probably your thumb is the culprit. Modify your grip and/ or have someone else shoot the gun. Shoot some rounds one handed. I bet that solves the problem. That tiny little spring holds the follower down pretty tightly in normal situations.

The tiny little spring holds the slide stop down until the last round is fired then the follower insert OVERPOWERS the tiny little spring to push up the slide stop into the notch in the slide thus locking back the slide as long as the gun is put together with parts that are in spec which lately can be a crapshoot.

[Blue150]

very interesting, no way to eliminate that possability either, as we just don't have spare barrels to test out. Odd that a barrel would cause premature slide lock but ur thread kinda disproves that.

There is nothing to indicate that the barrel is causing the slide to lock back but rather there is speculation that the barrel is causing the gritty sensation. He has two separate, probably unrelated issues. I know you're tongue was planted firmly in cheek but let's not confuse the less mechanically talented present.

:40:

[BOBBO268]

this will tell you if the barrel is sticking. Mine did this, sent back to kahr, they ground down the barrel, no more sticking...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr6Gxg14SGA

[boatsteve]

:eek:
I am not real happy with it sent it back to Kahr as the recoil spring would come out the hole in the front when it cycled. Jay said that the gun smith report would say what was wrong. It didn't when I got it back just said "replaced slide" OK well and good but what was wrong with it? What was machined wrong? Said test fired and they did but not much as it was not cleaned after firing. I email Jay so maybe Monday I will hear from him on what was wrong. I do notice the front sight is a little loose and can't be tighted, But three weeks at Kahr again is a pain. A drop of epoxy should fit it. Also two nicks in the new slide where the rear hatch is?

The CM9 was smaller than the Ruger LC9 so I bought the Kahr, the Nano just can out maybe those are better? I will get the Kahr to the range again and see what happens. If it still has issues it will continue to go back until they get it right or get tire of me and offer a buy back on it.

[Sparx]

this will tell you if the barrel is sticking. Mine did this, sent back to kahr, they ground down the barrel, no more sticking...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr6Gxg14SGA

Are all the guns like this as demonstrated in the video?

How is this problem corrected?
sparx

[jocko]

best thing one can do is clean the gun. lube it according to the kahr lube chart, read the propper prepping thread and see if there is anything in there that might be worth checking out and THEN GO OUT AND SHOOT IT. Becuase maybe u can do something while sitting at home does not mean the gun will react that way when firing it and no doubt rounds down range takes care of alot of start of things.

[Sparx]

I don't have the problem, was just curious on how to solve it.
Try to stay one step ahead.

[bandrich]

I had the same problems first trip to the range. After ALL the cleaning and racking and other BS I had the slide stick back 4 of 6 rounds on all 225 fired. American Eagle, WWB and Hornady CD. Sent it back to Kahr on there nickel over night. Just got it back after three weeks and two days. The work order indicates that they "reworked the barrel and recoil spring". I can't see anything different but went to the range today and the CM worked perfectly on 100 rounds of WWB from Wally World. I love the gun, the feel, trigger pull and how accurate it is for me. It is my EDC now. :D

[Sparx]

When I lube up my cm9, I put tetra gun grease around the barrel, and on the slide rails.
Maybe this is why I never had the issue.
Is 500 rounds really what is needed to break these in?
sparx

[sharpenit]

Thanks to everybody for the suggestions and the encouragement. I will try your suggestions. I really want this to work, because I know others have great success with the PM9 and CM9. And it's a beautiful little machine.

Some wondered if I'm new to shooting, and I am. I got this CM9 just 10 days ago and a Springfield XD .45 about a month ago. The Springfield was so easy right out of the box that I was just flummoxed when the Kahr turned out to be so different.

I hope to get to the range this weekend to try out your suggestions. I'll report back afterward.

I got to the range on Sunday and again on Tuesday. On Sunday, with the slide-stop spring adjusted as per the photo in the manual, I had no more problems with the slide locking back when there were still rounds in the magazine. The pistol fired off the entire magazine as it should, firing 100 rounds using two magazines. Great. That relieves my worries about the reliability of the pistol if I'm ever in a situation where I need it to fire. But sometimes, after firing the last round in the magazine, the slide did not lock back.

Yesterday, with the gun cleaned and lubed, I returned to the range and put another 100 rounds through it. Again, the pistol cycled through each magazine without a problem, though I still had the problem with the slide failing to lock back after firing the last round in the magazine, only it occurred less frequently.

Any ideas on what is going on with that?

Overall, I'm feeling much better about this purchase. I appreciate all of the advice and encouragement you folks gave me when I was feeling like I'd paid big bucks for a lemon.

I also signed up yesterday for a CHL certification class in April. Hope to have my permit by May.

[muggsy]

Well, I got the Kahr because of the smooth, light trigger and no manual safeties or a hammer, just a pull of the trigger to get it into action. I can shoot this little gun pretty well, even with the snappy +p defense ammo. I have weakened, partially paralyzed hands, with my right hand being much worse than my left hand (but I'm a lefty :)), so I have to put my gun in my right hand and rackit with my left hand, but I do it just fine and can clear a misfeed. I'm not lightening fast at it, but it is what it is. I'm not fast at doing anything...

Here comes Uncle Joe, he's a movin' kinda slow at the junction...

Like Jocko, I don't carry a spare mag much of the time, so my slowness at changing mags isn't going to come into play in a s.h.t.f. situation, and if 7 rounds shooting reliably out of my CM9 isn't enough, see ya on the other side! :target: or I hope :angel:

I'm not really fast, but I'm far from slow. Kinda half fast, if you know what I mean. :)

[muggsy]

I got to the range on Sunday and again on Tuesday. On Sunday, with the slide-stop spring adjusted as per the photo in the manual, I had no more problems with the slide locking back when there were still rounds in the magazine. The pistol fired off the entire magazine as it should, firing 100 rounds using two magazines. Great. That relieves my worries about the reliability of the pistol if I'm ever in a situation where I need it to fire. But sometimes, after firing the last round in the magazine, the slide did not lock back.

Yesterday, with the gun cleaned and lubed, I returned to the range and put another 100 rounds through it. Again, the pistol cycled through each magazine without a problem, though I still had the problem with the slide failing to lock back after firing the last round in the magazine, only it occurred less frequently.

Any ideas on what is going on with that?

Overall, I'm feeling much better about this purchase. I appreciate all of the advice and encouragement you folks gave me when I was feeling like I'd paid big bucks for a lemon.

I also signed up yesterday for a CHL certification class in April. Hope to have my permit by May.

You may need to loosen the screw that holds the slide stop spring in place and adjust the position of the spring for more spring tension. Becareful when you tighten the screw because it's threaded into polymer, not steel. Snug is good, too snug is stripped. If you were born with ten thumbs like Bawanna, you might want to send the pistol back to Kahr for a new spring and proper adjustment. :)

[JFootin]

You may need to loosen the screw that holds the slide stop spring in place and adjust the position of the spring for more spring tension. Becareful when you tighten the screw because it's threaded into polymer, not steel. Snug is good, too snug is stripped. If you were born with ten thumbs like Bawanna, you might want to send the pistol back to Kahr for a new spring and proper adjustment. :)

Muggsy, wouldn't he need a little LESS tension on that spring, seeing as how the slide stop doesn't want to move up after last round?

Sharpenit, it may solve itself with more use. Does it lock when you hand rackit with an empty mag in the gun?

[sharpenit]

Sharpenit, it may solve itself with more use. Does it lock when you hand rackit with an empty mag in the gun?

Jfootin:

I'm glad you asked that. I have two mags and when I tried your experiment, I found that with one of the mags, the slide locks back as expected. But with the other mag, it doesn't. This suggests a problem with the second mag, no?

[JFootin]

Jfootin:

I'm glad you asked that. I have two mags and when I tried your experiment, I found that with one of the mags, the slide locks back as expected. But with the other mag, it doesn't. This suggests a problem with the second mag, no?

Maybe, maybe not. It still could be a problem with the slide stop spring being out of position or bent, and one mag spring being weaker than the other. Does it only fail to lock back when firing with that one mag? I'll bet Kahr will replace that mag if asked.

[yqtszhj]

Thanks to everybody for the suggestions and the encouragement. I will try your suggestions. I really want this to work, because I know others have great success with the PM9 and CM9. And it's a beautiful little machine.

Some wondered if I'm new to shooting, and I am. I got this CM9 just 10 days ago and a Springfield XD .45 about a month ago. The Springfield was so easy right out of the box that I was just flummoxed when the Kahr turned out to be so different.

I hope to get to the range this weekend to try out your suggestions. I'll report back afterward.

Welcome. That CM9 will smooth out with a few hundred rounds but the spring will still be tight but that's how they made it. If it turns out that your thumb is not hitting the slide stop, it maybe could be the rounds bumping up against the do-hickie and engaging the slide stop. I think you can remove the slide and insert an empty mag into the frame and see where the follower hits the slide stop pushing it up. Then stick one round in the mag and do the same thing (with no slide, safety first) to see if maybe the round is hitting the same thing. Just a thought. If a round hitting you can call Kahr about a new slide stop or others here may be able to help out with some advice.

[getsome]

Not sure this is an issue but since one mag will lock the slide and not the other try taking the one that wont apart and make sure the mag spring is in the correct way...Some folks have found the spring inserted backwards from the factory....Also call Kahr and have them send you a new slide release lever to see if that will help....I'm glad it's shooting better for you and hopefully it will be 100% soon...good luck...

[sharpenit]

Not sure this is an issue but since one mag will lock the slide and not the other try taking the one that wont apart and make sure the mag spring is in the correct way...Some folks have found the spring inserted backwards from the factory....Also call Kahr and have them send you a new slide release lever to see if that will help....I'm glad it's shooting better for you and hopefully it will be 100% soon...good luck...

Thanks, Getsome, but how do I know which way the spring should be inserted? How do you tell if it's in the wrong way?

[getsome]

There is a picture in your owners manual of the correct way...the end next to the follower should be at the same angle as the follower...Some who have had problems with rounds nose diving have found the spring inserted in the mag the wrong way....

Not sure this is your issue but it doesn't hurt to take the mag apart and clean it out good and be sure the spring is in correct....Word of warning, That is a very strong spring and my PM40 mags were very hard for me to get back together even while using a tool through the witness holes to hold off some of the pressure...I don't take mine apart anymore for that reason but do use some spray cleaner to clean things up and let them drain while finishing the rest of the gun cleaning job....Good luck

[gm412]

What do you spray them with?

[Tinman507]

Depending on some of the posts here, I occasionally spray them with pepsi or coke out my nose, but usually with brake cleaner from the can.

[Deano]

We should post a sticky about premature slide lock on new kahr pistols, with references to the threads showing the solutions, including
1) thumb off the slide lever when shooting
2) magazine follower mod
3) magazine nosedive mod
4) proper way to check if next round in mag is hitting slide lock lever pin, and directions on how to grind the pin to solve this issue.
5) proper ammo choice/ types of ammo with fatter nose, more likely to hit slide lock lever pin and cause premature slide lock.
6) Proper spring orientation in mags

Seems like there is a new kahr owner here every week, and the same thread repeats itself. I say Sticky Time. How about it mods?

[jocko]

I think the proper prepping thread covers most of this, minus photos..

[Deano]

I think the proper prepping thread covers most of this, minus photos..
Technically, you're correct. It's all there in some form. I'm just wondering if we can't put all the links in one post, to refer people to. Seems like it would save a lot of bandwidth.

[BOBBO268]

We should post a sticky about premature slide lock on new kahr pistols, with references to the threads showing the solutions, including
1) thumb off the slide lever when shooting
2) magazine follower mod
3) magazine nosedive mod
4) proper way to check if next round in mag is hitting slide lock lever pin, and directions on how to grind the pin to solve this issue.
5) proper ammo choice/ types of ammo with fatter nose, more likely to hit slide lock lever pin and cause premature slide lock.
6) Proper spring orientation in mags

Seems like there is a new kahr owner here every week, and the same thread repeats itself. I say Sticky Time. How about it mods?

7) barrel sticking in end of slide, tested by letting barrel slide to front of disassembled gun, if sticks, needs to go back to kahr (a few of us just had this, kahr fixed, and work great so far)

[sharpenit]

We should post a sticky about premature slide lock on new kahr pistols, with references to the threads showing the solutions, including
1) thumb off the slide lever when shooting
2) magazine follower mod
3) magazine nosedive mod
4) proper way to check if next round in mag is hitting slide lock lever pin, and directions on how to grind the pin to solve this issue.
5) proper ammo choice/ types of ammo with fatter nose, more likely to hit slide lock lever pin and cause premature slide lock.
6) Proper spring orientation in mags

Seems like there is a new kahr owner here every week, and the same thread repeats itself. I say Sticky Time. How about it mods?

As the new Kahr owner who started this thread because of these kinds of questions, I think a single guide that would cover all this stuff would be great. But as a new user of this thread, I'm also not that sure about how to navigate it. Where and how does one find these stickies?

Meanwhile, I went to the range last night and put another 100 rounds through my CM9 and everything worked as it should. Slide locked open once the mag was empty, and this was true of both mags.

So I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that this break-in is complete. But I have to say that while Kahr says 200 rounds should break in the gun, in my case we're looking at closer to 400 to 450.

[HeyGuysWatchThis]

But I have to say that while Kahr says 200 rounds should break in the gun, in my case we're looking at closer to 400 to 450.

Sorry to hear that it's taken you so much longer than usual. Kudos for hanging in there! I think you're the unfortunate outlier on the high side, while many of us were a box or 2 of break in or even less in some cases.

[JFootin]

The technical stickies are at the top of the Kahr-Tech (http://kahrtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=27) section.