PM40 FTF and Broken Follower

[Phanes]

So I got a new PM 40 and every mag had a FTF and after 3 mags the follower broke. I called up Kahr and sent it back in. I got it back after about 2 weeks and took it to the range.

What happened at the range was UMC would FTF every round, Tulla would shoot just fine, all the hollow points I tried shot fine, and American Eagle FTF every round. After about 6 mags it broke the follower on one of my mags.

So I followed the advice on another thread and put some nail polish on the follower and started working on it with the dremel. When I finally got it to the point where they no longer made contact I hand cycled UMC and American Eagle. They all hand cycled just fine but sometimes the final round would FTE but that does not bother me because the round is still intact therefore harder to eject.

I will tell you guys how it goes at the range this weekend.

The PM45 I got as well works great. Almost 300 rounds through it with no problems.

[berettabone]

Magazines aren't their strong point....................keep it wet, and shoot the @#^%* out of it. You might try some Fiocchi ammo, a bit snappier.

[Phanes]

Well I took it to the range today and put 200 rounds through it. None of the mags broke so I am good to go there. Fiocchi and Tulla shot just fine but UMC and AE still FTF every single round. I brought it home and manually pushed them into the barrel and what I found is where the actual bullet meets the case there is a slight lip there. That lip is hitting the top of the barrel and catches. When I pushed a Tulla or Fiocchi in there they just slide right in. So I smoothed out that area of the barrel a bit as well and the AE and UMC started sliding in a lot easier. I will take it back on Friday and see if it made a difference.

[Phanes]

On a side note I am thinking about just buying a new barrel. Are the barrels a new generation by any chance where maybe they have changed them a bit?

[scosgt]

The only ammo my CM40 won't feed is Fiocchi 165 GR BEWB or some such.Everything else works great.
I did polish the hell out of the barrel before a ever shot it. Polished feed ramp never hurts.

[Phanes]

Yeah before I shot it I did the dremel/jeweler rogue and fitz. The ramp was like a mirror before I took it out. Basically it is not the ramp but the lip between the bullet and the casing hits the top of the ramp/barrel area and gets stuck. Maybe it needs a stouter or new spring to push it? The PM45 I have shoots everything. I may just sell the PM40 and call it a day.

[garyb]

Interesting. I am curious if you remove the barrel, is there a difference how it feels that each manufacturer's ammo fits in the barrel chamber? The reason I am asking is because I found that the barrel on the PM40 is very tight compared to my other 40's. I had the same FTF problem with certain reloads. Ultimately I discovered that brass casings from unsupported Glock barrels, would not fit into my PM40 barrel because the Glock unsupported barrel caused the brass to bulge when fired from the Glock. When I reloaded the Glock ammo for my PM40, they simply would not fit properly in the PM40 barrel. Now when I reload for my PM, I reload brass that has not been fired out of an unsupported Glock. Believe it or not, I can tell by looking at it. I also tend to use brass that I've shot through the PM. I also test fit each round I load in the PM barrel (removed from the gun). It may seem like a pain in the @$$, but it saves me from dealing with FTF at the range and is worth the extra step. Reloading is a hobby anyway, so I enjoy the quiet time.

Perhaps there are certain ammo manufacturers with loaded brass casings which do not fit properly in your PM40 barrel. If they are too tight you will get the FTF. I may be WAY OFF, but this is something to try. If it is a certain brand of ammo, don't use it....or get rid of that PM if you don't like the situation. Just trying to be helpful with the suggestion. Let us know what you find. Thanks.

[xsailer]

May be suggesting something you know but my experience working with CNC and other shop machines is you may be seeing a very slight burr left over from machining? Maybe this is one reason why a couple hundred rds. need to run thru gun. Knocks the burrs and edges down. Sounds like your being very patient. Hard to do when you buy something new and it doesn't work...Damn thing.

bob

[Phanes]

May be suggesting something you know but my experience working with CNC and other shop machines is you may be seeing a very slight burr left over from machining? Maybe this is one reason why a couple hundred rds. need to run thru gun. Knocks the burrs and edges down. Sounds like your being very patient. Hard to do when you buy something new and it doesn't work...Damn thing.

bob

Yeah I like tinkering and fixing things. I may order the wolf spring upgrade they have a 20.5 spring to help push in the round.

[Phanes]

So I took it back out after I bored out the barrel a bit more. Now it feeds the rounds and looks like it is closed but the trigger is not reset. When I look at the guide rod I can see it did not seat 100% a slight tap and it seats and fires. Before when they jammed the weapon was stuck with the breach open. So it definitely made a difference. I worked on it some more today and I am going to go back to the range tomorrow and try it again.

[Phanes]

After taking it back out it ran smooth as a whistle. I had to FTFs but the ammo was a little chewed up before putting it in so it did not surprise me. I ordered the higher power springs as an added bonus.