KahrOnTheFly
12-02-2012, 12:44 AM
... and now, as my CC pistol.
So the story begins with me purchasing a PM9 (black w/ night sights) and high hopes for an impeccably reliable pistol as many of you have experienced. Well, my "break-in" session turned out to reveal a "brok-en" pistol. When the slide cycled reward after discharge, it would bind at the rear and jam the slide in the open position. The slide lock was NOT involved in holding the slide back in the open position. And actually, the slide was further back than the slide lock detent and the slide was binding somewhere against the frame / barrel. It first happened about every 5-6 rounds... I was hoping that this might be part of the break-in process. To my dismay, it got worse and worse. By the time I had about 40 labored rounds through the pistol, it was happening EVERY round. UGH! It would return to battery only if I were to knock the back of the slide forward with my palm. My denial finally crashed and I realized that I had a defective pistol. I was deflated...
So, I contacted Kahr and they instructed me to return the pistol immediately on their shipping dime. I received their shipping RMA and FedEx label via email on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I was concerned about shipping a gun before a holiday weekend, for fear of it sitting somewhere unattended until the following Monday. They assured me that it would be received properly, despite it being the holiday weekend. Also, I communicated that I really needed it back in my possession before my qualification appointment on Dec. 11th. Kahr assured me that they would have it back to me by Dec. 6th, giving me time to properly break-in the pistol.
Well, on the Monday following the Thanksgiving weekend (yes, this past Monday), I missed a "signature required" delivery from FedEx. It did not even cross my mind that it could be from Kahr. The next day, FedEx redelivered the package and, to my surprise, it was my PM9!!! The gunsmiths at Kahr must have worked during the holiday weekend to repair my pistol. I am amazed.
The repair summary stated, "INSPECTED. REPLACED BARREL. LUBED. TEST FIRED GOOD." When I inspected the barrel, I see that they did indeed replace my barrel with a "shinier one" and,... AND!, the entire feed ramp and chamber was polished to a mirror-like finish. So, I did the recommended (on this forum) "prep" on the pistol and headed to the range today to break-in my PM9. Honestly, I was nervous about the outcome...
I almost cringed as the first round went off and had to take a long stare at the slide to see if it had returned to battery. YES! And, I am happy (relieved) to say that it had ZERO malfunctions through my entire session. I fired 100 rounds of WWB FMJ, 100 rounds of Federal FMJ, 100 rounds of Independence FMJ, and 40 rounds of HPR JHP. 100% performance. After about 200 rounds, I began to "challenge" the pistol by rapid firing entire magazines, shooting off-hand, single-hand, etc. Admittedly, I even tried "limp-wristing" it to see if I could make it fail. It shot every round without failure. YEAH!
So in final, I must say that I am completely satisfied and impressed with Kahr as a company, along with their commitment to standing behind their product. I understand that it is always possible to get a bad copy, but then the ball is in the manufacturer's lap to respond and perform, or lose a customer for life. Well, in my case their lightning fast response and repair (even during the holiday weekend), showed me that they truly CARE about their reputation and, most importantly, their customers. As a parting comment,... I am already shopping for my next Kahr! :)
So the story begins with me purchasing a PM9 (black w/ night sights) and high hopes for an impeccably reliable pistol as many of you have experienced. Well, my "break-in" session turned out to reveal a "brok-en" pistol. When the slide cycled reward after discharge, it would bind at the rear and jam the slide in the open position. The slide lock was NOT involved in holding the slide back in the open position. And actually, the slide was further back than the slide lock detent and the slide was binding somewhere against the frame / barrel. It first happened about every 5-6 rounds... I was hoping that this might be part of the break-in process. To my dismay, it got worse and worse. By the time I had about 40 labored rounds through the pistol, it was happening EVERY round. UGH! It would return to battery only if I were to knock the back of the slide forward with my palm. My denial finally crashed and I realized that I had a defective pistol. I was deflated...
So, I contacted Kahr and they instructed me to return the pistol immediately on their shipping dime. I received their shipping RMA and FedEx label via email on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I was concerned about shipping a gun before a holiday weekend, for fear of it sitting somewhere unattended until the following Monday. They assured me that it would be received properly, despite it being the holiday weekend. Also, I communicated that I really needed it back in my possession before my qualification appointment on Dec. 11th. Kahr assured me that they would have it back to me by Dec. 6th, giving me time to properly break-in the pistol.
Well, on the Monday following the Thanksgiving weekend (yes, this past Monday), I missed a "signature required" delivery from FedEx. It did not even cross my mind that it could be from Kahr. The next day, FedEx redelivered the package and, to my surprise, it was my PM9!!! The gunsmiths at Kahr must have worked during the holiday weekend to repair my pistol. I am amazed.
The repair summary stated, "INSPECTED. REPLACED BARREL. LUBED. TEST FIRED GOOD." When I inspected the barrel, I see that they did indeed replace my barrel with a "shinier one" and,... AND!, the entire feed ramp and chamber was polished to a mirror-like finish. So, I did the recommended (on this forum) "prep" on the pistol and headed to the range today to break-in my PM9. Honestly, I was nervous about the outcome...
I almost cringed as the first round went off and had to take a long stare at the slide to see if it had returned to battery. YES! And, I am happy (relieved) to say that it had ZERO malfunctions through my entire session. I fired 100 rounds of WWB FMJ, 100 rounds of Federal FMJ, 100 rounds of Independence FMJ, and 40 rounds of HPR JHP. 100% performance. After about 200 rounds, I began to "challenge" the pistol by rapid firing entire magazines, shooting off-hand, single-hand, etc. Admittedly, I even tried "limp-wristing" it to see if I could make it fail. It shot every round without failure. YEAH!
So in final, I must say that I am completely satisfied and impressed with Kahr as a company, along with their commitment to standing behind their product. I understand that it is always possible to get a bad copy, but then the ball is in the manufacturer's lap to respond and perform, or lose a customer for life. Well, in my case their lightning fast response and repair (even during the holiday weekend), showed me that they truly CARE about their reputation and, most importantly, their customers. As a parting comment,... I am already shopping for my next Kahr! :)