New to Kahr CM9 - break in suggestions ?

[Duchess]

I'm female, 50, and just bought my first Kahr - a CM9 - to replace my Beretta Tomcat as conceal carry and BUG to my S&W M&P's. I wanted a 9mm as I'm fed up of the prices for 0.32 rounds :(, and also the extra stopping power of 9 mm over the 32 is nice :).

So now I have to rack the slide (the tomcat has a trick barrel to feed the first round, and a SA/DA trigger, so real easy for this old girl to use) and disassemble/reassemble for cleaning. I had the LGS guy take me through it a few times, and I did manage in the store - otherwise I would not have bought the gun - but wondering if you experienced Kahr guys have any suggestions to get me through the break-in period.

Racking I can do, its more the strip and rebuild. Getting the slide lock lever out is the biggie - I don't have the strength to hold the slide in position while I get the lock pin out.

Any suggestions ?

Duchess

[jocko]

u really need to learn how to disassemble and reassembly the kahr though. Maybe this same fella at the gun shop would give u some extra help to. nothing beats hands on type stuff. These guys here can be of a big help to u but IMO u still have to be able to take the gun down. U need to be able to to the proper lube thing as shown on the kahr tech section under lube chart. The cm9 is a super gun but sometimes very difficult for a woman to hand rack or clear a jam also. U might buy some snap caps so that u can work on those drills also. Use no live rounds. Right now for sure use the kahr manual for loading the un with slide locked open and using the slide lock lever to load that first round. U just realy need possably a range officer or a good gun guy to spend some time with you..

[AIRret]

Jocko is right about the Kahr. I'm a woman and I researched my Kahr PM9 extensively before purchasing it. I knew the break-in would be difficult but the more rounds you shoot the better it will get. I have significant arthritis in my right thumb so in November I had to start shooting left handed. Only problem is, I have nerve damage in my left arm and the hand is weak.
However, with a lot of work which includes racking and using snap caps to do mag. changes and lots of range time you can make it work. For me the work has been well worth it!! After 400 rounds I am now able to field strip, clean, reassemble the gun and shoot the hell out of it. Keep at it, you will love this great gun.
Again Joko was right, fortunately for me my husband helped me through the break in process. IMO if you shoot a gun you should become capable of maintaning it, unless there are medical issues that can't be overcome.

[flieger67]

Hi, Duchess, and welcome.

I'm not certain how much it would help but wrapping one hand over the top of the with that hand's thumb on the back side of the grip works for me. As you've seen, you have to have the slide in the right spot to get the slide stop lever out.

Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.

[AIRret]

PS My PM9 now has 912 rounds through it and it just keeps getting better and better. By the way switching to the left hand has been working out better than I thought.

[jocko]

PS My PM9 now has 912 rounds through it and it just keeps getting better and better. By the way switching to the left hand has been working out better than I thought.

do smooth our alot better as u have found out. glad u adapted tothe PM9. alot of women just canj't do it but in ur case u did the mond over matter thing and made it work for u Onceu learn the techniques with kahrs, it is thena no brainer but some just won't put for the effort like u did, so kudos to you and 900 rounds is alot of shootin.

[GROTMAN]

The first time I took out the slide lock lever out was a little tough, had to hold the slide and tap it with backend of a screwdriver to get it started. After the first time and lubing it per the lube chart the slide stop pops out easily with a push of my finger and i don't need to hold the slide back for very long. Also you may want to get a squeeze ball or something and try strengthen your grip some. :)

[jocko]

someone, somewhere on this forum came up with a block or something that if u run the slide back and drop in from thetop it aligns the take down pin correctly and takes alot of effort away from holding the slide back and trying to push the pin out.

surey someone will come forward with this tip in some kind of a photo tutorial. that always helps a new owner to SEE HOW IT IS DONE. There realy is more than one way to skin a frog!!

[getsome]

Hello Duchess and welcome to Kahr Talk and also to you AIRret.....We welcome and need more female members on this forum...One thing you will find out about Kahr Talk is there are many nice folks here that will be glad to answer any questions you may have and we love newbies...First of all listen to old Jocko because even though it's hard to read his typing sometimes but he is one of the main go to guys here and is a great source of information about Kahr pistols....

DO read the manual as there is much good stuff in there and don't be like us fellows who figure they don't need no stinkin manuals or maps and find themselves lost and in trouble which could have been avoided...DO read the lube and break in sticky in the tech section...Good info there...

Now about the take down issues you have...I have nerve damage in one hand and find it hard to hold the slide open to line up the witness marks on the slide and frame to get the slide stop out and it almost takes 3 1/2 hands but I found an easy cheap tool to hold it open with no hands...

Go have dinner at a Chinese restaurant and grap a hand full of chop sticks...They are tapered and wood and wont hurt the gun...Now pull back the slide and stick the tapered end down between the slide and the chamber/feed ramp and move it up/down until the witness marks are lined up and now the slide stays put and you have both hands to work with to get the slide stop pin out...

Now a new Kahr pistol is made very tight and that slide stop lever is sometimes hard to get out until the pistol breaks in so take a plastic mallet or screw driver handle and tap it on the right side on the little nub to get it started out (you may have to whack it pretty good so dont be afraid it won't hurt anything...Once it is started out it may still be hard to pull out the left side so take one of the chop sticks or a screw driver blade wrapped in tape to prevent scratching the slide and lever the thing out until you can get a good enough grip to pull it out the rest of the way with your fingers...

Clean it up good and lube it per the chart...BOBBO268 made a lube video in the general discussion section that is titled "made a lube video" look at that as it will be helpful locating the striker/firing pin clean out hole on the under side of the slide...I use aerosol cans of electronic cleaner because it won't remove the white line on the rear sight like non clorinated automobile brake cleaner that many on the forum use to clean with and the electronic cleaner is easier on your skin and doesn't stink so bad...Either product can be found at any auto parts store so use which ever one you want...Neither product will harm the polymer frame but like I said before brake cleaner will remove the white line on the rear sight...

The clean out hole is on one side of the under side of the slide near where the firing pin/breach is so take the little red tube of from the cleaner can and stick it in that hole and spray away and you should see liquid coming from both the firing pin hole and the rear of the striker assembly...Do this every time you clean the pistol and DO NOT put any oil/lube on the firing pin as it will gunk up and cause light primer strikes...

The only other thing I can think of to tell you is after you line up the witness marks to put it back together BE SURE when you push the slide stop lever back in to have it pointing exactly to the 3:00 position parallel to the slide and push it stright in until it clicks...Most of us here, myself included have accidently bent the slide stop spring by not having the lever in the right position and you will know if you have because the slide will lock back every time without a magazine in the pistol...If you do happen to bend it it's not the end of the world and can be easily bent back in position...After you take the pistol apart and put it back together a few times you won't have any more problems...

Next thing is to go to Wal Mart and get the cheapest 9mm FMJ rounds they have on sale and as Jocko will tell you "shoot it like you stole it" Like I said earlier Kahr pistols are extremely tight when new and they aren't kidding about the at least 200 round break in period in the owners manual so if it happens to have a hickup or two don't worry about it, the more you shoot it the better it will function...Hopefully you got one like many here have that works 100% right out of the box...

Sorry for the long post but hope it helps and remember if you have any questions just ask and someone here will help you out..Good luck and again welcome to Kahr Talk...Happy shooting!!!

[Rubb]

A 9/64 allen key works for my PM9.
I would suggest buying a cheap set, find one that’s a hair small and wrap electrical tape to avoid scratching and bring it to size.

[jocko]

aw, so so nic eto see guys come forward to help women in need and the tips given are awesome. Photos are super. We don't want to loose women forum members and kahr owners, We are all here to help, so ask any question. If u think it might be foolish, we do not bite...

Thanks guys to for the nice suggestions.

[JFootin]

"Go have dinner at a Chinese restaurant and grap a hand full of chop sticks...They are tapered and wood and wont hurt the gun...Now pull back the slide and stick the tapered end down between the slide and the chamber/feed ramp and move it up/down until the witness marks are lined up and now the slide stays put and you have both hands to work with to get the slide stop pin out..."

That's what I was going to say. I hold the chop stick between my teeth with the pointed side out, use both hands to pull the slide back a bit and drop it in, repositioning it until the marks line up.

The other thing you need to master is reinserting the slide stop starting a 4:00, then rotating to 3:00 before inserting the rest of the way. Go to this web page, look below the picture and choose the Downloads tab. There is a take down video there.
http://www.kahr.com/Pistols/Kahr-CM9.asp

[jocko]

keep it up guys u guys are on a roll. we will have these gals shootin and cleanin in no time. I always knew there was apurpose for chop sticks besides trying to eat with them. No wonder chinese people are small and skinny., jretty hard to eat soup. or mashed potatoes. Just sayin

[Tinman507]

Duchess,

Welcome to the forum. It's great to see another lady join this rough crowd.

I second what JFootin suggested.
I taught my bride and 20yo daughter to strip down my CM9 this way. Both are able to disassemble it every easily.
The hardest part will be the reassembly. That 4 o'clock jab, rotate to 3 o'clock snap home thing is the key.
The more you go shoot that little beauty the easier it's gonna be to strip and clean. My CM9 slide stop lever will pop right out now by pressing the other end.

Enjoy and welcome to the forum!

[Duchess]

Thanks guys -
- of course I intend to learn to clean and maintain my own guns - the reference to having the dealer show me how to do it was a "point of purchase" thing, not an ongoing habit. I'm very comfortable maintaining my other pistols (M&P 45c, M&P 9c, Beretta Tomcat) and know I will be able to manage the Kahr when its loosened up a bit.

Tips like using the chopstick end, or an allen key wrapped in electrical tape are what I was looking for: "give me a lever and I will move the world" ...

Thanks for the clean and lube tips too - I read the PoS manual and it wasn't at all as helpful as you guys have been, so thank you for your keystrokes.

Duchess

ps: to those who make me welcome - thank you ! There are a few pistol packin' mommas out here !

[KahrDriver1]

You buy six Kahr pistol, get extra chopsticks and free egg roll!

[Tinman507]

Take that thing shooting and you want to go shooting again in 20 minutes.

[jocko]

UR ARSENAL tells me u will have no issues at all with the kahrs, but never be leary of asking on this fourm. THESE GUYS ARE FULL OF IT. We do recommend a clean and lube before that first event though, as u just don't know what was left in the gun from the factoyr. We have seen striker channels full of maching crud. On the kahr tech sectio is also a good sticky calle dpropper prepping of ur kahr, . keep us posted, shoot close, the loooooong smooth trigger takes some rounds down range to get adjusted to. It ain't nutti like the models u have.

U have meet some of the cream of the crop members already, Tinman,JFootin, Bawanna

[KahrDriver1]

Seriouosly, my brand new Kahr PM40 is having some issues with the extended mag. (Regular 5 rd mag works fine.) It refuses to go into battery with rounds loaded in the extended mag. Slide moves forward @ 1/4 in. then stops. However, it works fine with plastic "training rounds." I called Kahr, they are sending a new floorplate (finger rest) for the extended mag. I'm not sure how that's going to help as it does not appear to be touching the bottom of the grip. Anyone else have this issue with an extended mag? If so, how did you resolve it? thanx.

[Duchess]

BTW - 200 rounds of 9mm waiting to be put through my new CM9 ... but I won't get to the range until mid next week :-(

home, home at the range, where the shells and the cordite do fly ....

[bandrich]

Thanks for the great info I learn something every visit to the site. :typing:

[Replay13]

Hi, Duchess, and welcome.

I'm not certain how much it would help but wrapping one hand over the top of the with that hand's thumb on the back side of the grip works for me. As you've seen, you have to have the slide in the right spot to get the slide stop lever out.

Good luck.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.
Welcome to the forum,

+1 on trying this. You have a lot more leverage then you think holding the pistol this way. You can always revert to the chopsticks if you need too.

Place the pistol in your right hand with the barrel facing to the left. The web of your hand should be on the backside of the grip and your fingers across the top of the slide. The pistol facing the left and you should be looking at the back of your hand. With the two fingers over the slide just in front of the rear sight you can hold the slide back enough to remove the pin really easy. Also if its easier, hold the pistol the same way but with the palm of your hand toward you and all your fingers over the top just ahead of the rear site. Be sure and remove the magazine first.

Have fun, its a fun pistol to shoot. I would also recommend getting a good slide grease like Tetra or CW25 and lube the rails and the outside of the barrel after cleaning. That keeps things running smooth and cuts down on wear.
James

[TucsonMTB]

Seriouosly, my brand new Kahr PM40 is having some issues with the extended mag. (Regular 5 rd mag works fine.) It refuses to go into battery with rounds loaded in the extended mag. Slide moves forward @ 1/4 in. then stops. However, it works fine with plastic "training rounds." I called Kahr, they are sending a new floorplate (finger rest) for the extended mag. I'm not sure how that's going to help as it does not appear to be touching the bottom of the grip. Anyone else have this issue with an extended mag? If so, how did you resolve it? thanx.
I have two PM40's and as a result two extended magazines. I would never bother to buy another. Mine work fine, most of the time, with the ammo that works best in my gun, but failures to feed are common with several other types of ammo. The extended magazines are just less reliable, in my experience.

Oh, and I have applied all the "fixes" the require reshaping the plastic followers. They helped, so I keep them for range sessions. But, carry them? No way!

Many people just exchange their extended mags for an additional shorter one. This is true of both 9mm and .40 S&W PM series pistols. Kahr will usually exchange the magazine if you ask. That's probably the simplest solution.

If you really want to make the extended mag work, make sure the spring is in correctly so that it holds up the nose of the follower and consider some of the techniques Greg describes in this thread: http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1612 Note: There is a lot in this thread. Scan for magazine follower modifications.

Best of luck, sir!

[sharpenit]

I'm female, 50, and just bought my first Kahr - a CM9 - to replace my Beretta Tomcat as conceal carry and BUG to my S&W M&P's. I wanted a 9mm as I'm fed up of the prices for 0.32 rounds :(, and also the extra stopping power of 9 mm over the 32 is nice :).

So now I have to rack the slide (the tomcat has a trick barrel to feed the first round, and a SA/DA trigger, so real easy for this old girl to use) and disassemble/reassemble for cleaning. I had the LGS guy take me through it a few times, and I did manage in the store - otherwise I would not have bought the gun - but wondering if you experienced Kahr guys have any suggestions to get me through the break-in period.

Racking I can do, its more the strip and rebuild. Getting the slide lock lever out is the biggie - I don't have the strength to hold the slide in position while I get the lock pin out.

Any suggestions ?

Duchess

Duchess:

The slide on the CM9 is awfully stiff. I found it helps to get a pair of snug gloves that have a grippy surface. This helps immensely in gripping and holding the slide while you push it back. It also reduces the chances of getting some skin pinched. In fact, I wear gloves when I'm shooting, because I find the jimping on the back of the grip is pretty punishing to my palm after just a few dozen rounds.

You'll find everybody on this forum very helpful, so don't be afraid to ask questions. I have had several issues with my new CM9 and the folks here have been generous and patient in sharing advice.