K9 grip problem, thanks for the help guys

[Ultona]

Hello all, I have a grip question for you all on the K9. I have one that needed new grips so ordered grips number 041K9BS which were right for my black stainless K9 according to Kahrs website. They seem to fit rather poorly at the backstrap as you can see in the pics, leaving a sharp projection from the frame on each side.
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb373/marlinaholic/Kahrgrips3.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb373/marlinaholic/Kahrgrips2-1.jpg
Is that normal? Would the grips part number 041K4B or 041K4CV work any better? BOTH are just slightly less money than the grips I just bought AND both are listed as for the K9. How can this be? What is the difference between them and between them and mine! Would wood grips fit better at the rear of the frame assuming these are ALL too small. Man I'm lost, ANY info from other customers or someone from Kahr is appreciated. My serial number is AR90XX and I have the dot on the underside of the slide, so this gun isn't real old, about 2005 I believe. Thanks for any help.

P.S. I emailed these pics to Kahr and the same questions. We'll see what they say.

[Bawanna]

There are apparently some frame variations. Best thing is to call or email Kahr and tell them your serial number and your issue. They should be able to figure out which part number would fit.

Those are not acceptable.

Wood grips are the same, some require a bit of modification to fit on the inside properly. I think they fit well on the outside along the backstrap etc.

[Ultona]

Well Kahr emailed me, kudos for getting back to me fast:

"Good afternoon. Thank you for the question. I have spoken to the head of
our web shop as well as our head gunsmith and they have told me the grip
you have is the correct grip that is currently made for the K9 pistols. The
Model 041K4B and 041K4CV are the same grip panels. Wood grips would be a
slightly different fit because the wood does need to be modified to fit
each firearm. I hope this information helps and I apologize for any
inconvenience."


So I guess I just have to live with these if I want rubber grips. The worn out grips that were on this gun fit no better than these and were constructed just like the new ones. Kind of a bummer.

[Bawanna]

PM Inbound. Those are unacceptable.

[MLESa7990]

Seems to me that the gun is off and not the grips if the OE grips that came with it fit the same.

[JFootin]

Kahr's "we don't care" attitude about non fitting grips on the steel guns is ugly. They really need to get their act together.

[Bawanna]

I think this is a very early gun and the new production guns have grips that fit perfectly as they should.

I still have trouble accepting that they ever put them out like that but apparently so.

[jocko]

I can tell you my nypd kahr with the rubberfactory grips dont look like that.Ihave no doubt the gun is madeto the right specs to. just that somehow khars grips have changed.

I think I could have said though, that the kanswer from kahr wold be a bullsh!t answer. Hell they probaby don['tknoiw themselves even..

by the way how old is thegun. (serial #wold help)

[Ultona]

Thanks for the thoughts guys. Yep, I gave them the serial info so they could sure determine age, isn't AR90XX about 2005? Gun has the dot on the underside of the slide, so isn't real old. I think there was just variations on these guns.

I also am wondering if this gun could have come with the all rubber older style grips, and the grips I tossed were already a replacement pair? Are the all rubber old style K9 grips a little different size at the backstrap? That might be the culprit if they were still using them circa 2005. Any collectors out there know? Bawanna (http://kahrtalk.com/member.php?u=585) is going to try and help me out with some custom grips, he get's an A+ for that :) You guys have a great forum here for sure.

[jocko]

My nypd kahr is in that vintange and it does have the rubber grips. I am more inclined to think that JUST MAYBE the grips were changed for some reason.

I just don't see a frame change thing happening. To my knowledge this is the first that we have seen of ur situaiton...

[kahrsport]

1st time i've seen grips that unfitting... mine is spot on...

jep as far as bawanna goes... he's great... or she's great... too...

thought the bawanna came from zimbawe but i could be wrong... i'm back to the general section of the kahr forum so i don't make anyone mad now... hehe

[Ultona]

So your grips are the old style rubber grips and fit fine, is that right Jocko? I'm thinking that my gun may have had those all rubber early grips when it was born and perhaps Kahr changed the frame when they went to the current style grips, so that current grips dont' fit my gun?

Unfortunately, a lot of people liked those old grips for they way they felt but Kahr/Hogue doesn't make them anymore :( Too bad Hogue doesn't sell them for older Kahr owners, I don't think I've ever had a gun less than 10 years old that was tough to find grips for.

It would be good to roughly pinpoint the transition date for other guys who hit this problem as well. Of course if Kahr is like the old S&W top breaks I collect they probably made both style frames and then put them in a tub and mixed them with a stick before picking them out randomly for serial numbering and assembly :p

[Bawanna]

I'm thinking you are correct. Although they did have the nice rubber grips after your version too so it's hard to pin point the transition.
I can't wait to get home and look at my K40 and see what that back strap looks like.

[jocko]

So your grips are the old style rubber grips and fit fine, is that right Jocko? I'm thinking that my gun may have had those all rubber early grips when it was born and perhaps Kahr changed the frame when they went to the current style grips, so that current grips dont' fit my gun?

Unfortunately, a lot of people liked those old grips for they way they felt but Kahr/Hogue doesn't make them anymore :( Too bad Hogue doesn't sell them for older Kahr owners, I don't think I've ever had a gun less than 10 years old that was tough to find grips for.

It would be good to roughly pinpoint the transition date for other guys who hit this problem as well. Of course if Kahr is like the old S&W top breaks I collect they probably made both style frames and then put them in a tub and mixed them with a stick before picking them out randomly for serial numbering and assembly :p

but to be honest I have never seen such a sh!t fit as on yours, so I just can't believe it is a frame varience but more of a grip sumpin. again just guessin but we have seen hundred of K's on this fourm both early and late and never grips that showed what ur frame is showing. Just sayin

[Ultona]

I'd blame the new grips they sent me, but the ones on there already that were worn and of the same newer style fit just as badly.

[Bawanna]

I just got home and checked and I'm 99.7% positive my K40 is that same early frame. It's more squared off in that back strap area than the later models.

My original rubber grips fit it perfectly like they grew on the frame.

I'm sending you my set of Coco Bolo grips for a test fit but I'm sure they are gonna drop on like a match made in Milwaukee.

I don't think I want to part with the original rubber grips unless there's a ridiculous high offer. For a wood guy I do like the old soft rubber grips and I like to keep all the original stuff with all my new purchased guns when I can.

Ok, Ok, you can have em for 200.

Watch your mail box Ultona.

[Tslepebull]

My NYPD trade in is the same vintage as yours AR84xx and the stock rubber grips are a bit worn but still fit much better.http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx338/Tslepebull/003-4.jpg
It looks like your grips are tucked in under the horn of the grip. Have you tried taking the grips off and straightening them out and re-installing them? It might be worth putting a small piece of aluminum foil between the grips and frame to push them out long enough for them to mould properly.

[Bawanna]

That is precisely what my K40 looked like originally. All black, has stainless kind of etch a sketched in the frame on the other side. I had a slide peening issue and Kahr replaced the slide. They didn't have any black slides and I asked if I could get a stainless which is my preference anyhow. They happily abliged and then we were both happy.

Same squared off back strap. I think some later style grips got put on that thing.

[7shot]

This is also a first for me, never seen anything like that before! That's messed up, sure hope Kahr can get you fixed up. Does it effect any in the way you shoot it?

[Ultona]

With the worn grips which had the same problem, yeah those sharp frame corners kinda bite your palm where your thumb connects to it during firing. Not good. I took the grips off and on and it isn't binding causing this and I sure can't stretch my grips to come anywhere close to fitting correctly. I think Bawanna's idea is on track, must be an earlier style frame that doesn't jive with the current mfg grips.

[LorenzoB]

That's a disappointing shame that Kahr didn't have a better answer or explanation why the fit is so far off. :(

[JohnR]

My K9, s/n AR5XXX has rubber grips flush in that area. I'm guessing my grips are original, being as worn as the rest of the gun. Man, I gotta clean the frame on this thing.

[7shot]

With the worn grips which had the same problem, yeah those sharp frame corners kinda bite your palm where your thumb connects to it during firing. Not good. I took the grips off and on and it isn't binding causing this and I sure can't stretch my grips to come anywhere close to fitting correctly. I think Bawanna's idea is on track, must be an earlier style frame that doesn't jive with the current mfg grips.

man if that's the case you might be s.o.l on the rubber grips and need to find some custom wood grips. that just bites...

[Tinman507]

Really puzzled on this one.
My K9 AR85XX had it's original grips when I got it and I replaced them from Kahr and the new ones fit perfectly. I did have issues with a set Bawanna sent me that fit his K40 but not my K9. There's too much variation going on here. Very strange.

[Bawanna]

We should have answers shortly. Those same grips are headed east as we speak. My concern now is they fit your except the screw holes didn't line up quite right. I'm hoping all 3 of ours have the same frame and maybe with some luck his mounting screws will line up too.

I'm still perplexed on yours, completely boggled in fact.

[Tinman507]

welcome to my world. I'm boggled 24/7

[OlympicFox]

I thought the Smith & Wesson Performance Center was the only one that passed off grips that fit that poorly! Yuck.

My K9 is much newer, BF22XX, and all four of it's grips fit reasonably well. I did have a problem with the first set of [Hogue] checkered wood grips I bought from Kahr and they cracked immediately. Hogue 's response was useless and Kahr's wasn't much better, so I simply returned them and ordered another set. I took more care to custom fit the second set as well as the 3rd smooth set. OTOH, the Crimson Trace grips fit perfectly right out of the box.