Slide release tight

[onemule]

Even with a fully loaded mag inserted, the slide release on my CM40 is so tight I can barely work it with one thumb and sometimes have to press hard with both thumbs. I have pretty strong hands, so I think the average person wouldn't even be able to make it work with both thumbs. I realize the release is intended to be difficult with an empty mag, but mine is ridiculously difficult all the time. How should the slide release feel normally on a CM40, and do you have any suggestions of how to correct the problem?

[wyntrout]

Make sure the right side, free end of the slide lock spring is on top of the ledge on the frame-side of the slide lock. If it's under the actuator, it's contributing to the UPWARD force on the slide lock lever, instead of the downward force. In the following picture the SL spring is bent on both sides.

http://www.kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7832&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1362243050

At 4:29 in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G2cZgVg_SwA

Pictures and info:

http://www.kahrtalk.com/showpost.php?p=226704&postcount=8

Wynn:)

[jocko]

Even with a fully loaded mag inserted, the slide release on my CM40 is so tight I can barely work it with one thumb and sometimes have to press hard with both thumbs. I have pretty strong hands, so I think the average person wouldn't even be able to make it work with both thumbs. I realize the release is intended to be difficult with an empty mag, but mine is ridiculously difficult all the time. How should the slide release feel normally on a CM40, and do you have any suggestions of how to correct the problem?

and you will get better with more rounds down range..:amflag:

[onemule]

Make sure the right side, free end of the slide lock spring is on top of the ledge on the frame-side of the slide lock.

OK, I just checked that again, but the spring end is on top where it's supposed to be, so that's not the problem. I have been careful about following the directions when reinserting the slide lock, so I don't think I've gotten the slide lock above that spring yet. The slide lock lever is still just as hard to press as ever. Any other thoughts on what could be causing this problem?

[Bawanna]

Is this a brand new gun.

Mine all take effort to release the slide, a good one thumb effort and sometimes both.
Might look at the contact point between the slide lock and the slide and see if it's rough or could benefit from a little polishing.

I suspect it will get somewhat better after some shooting. I'd also try some sling shotting and see if that works. All will work with proper technique but some have little tolerance for slide riding during the process.

[onemule]

Is this a brand new gun.

Mine all take effort to release the slide, a good one thumb effort and sometimes both.
Might look at the contact point between the slide lock and the slide and see if it's rough or could benefit from a little polishing.

I suspect it will get somewhat better after some shooting. I'd also try some sling shotting and see if that works. All will work with proper technique but some have little tolerance for slide riding during the process.

Yes, this one is brand new. I've prepped it and run around 30 rounds through it so far. I've had a lot going on and little time to shoot, but I hope to put several hundred rounds through it before the end of the month.

I'll check that contact point. Thanks for the suggestion.

Actually, slingshotting works best for me. I tried it on this gun mostly out of frustration. I slam the slide fast and hard to the end and let go totally on impact. I haven't had a problem with slingshotting, just when trying to follow the manual by releasing the slide lock, which is a royal pain. In a defense situation, I'd rather do it by slingshotting anyway, since it should take less fine motor control than releasing the slide lock, and there should be plenty of adrenaline for slamming the slide back. That assumes, of course, that both hands and arms are still functional, which might not be the case midway through a gun fight when having to change mags. I'd really want to be able to do that one-handed if needed. Do you guys practice one-handed mag changes?

I'll admit that with slingshotting, there's often a little niggle of concern at the back of my mind. I've heard of pistols that occasionally fire without trigger pull when slingshotting. So, I'm always extra careful to be sure the gun is pointed in a very safe direction when I chamber that first round, whether slingshotting or just using the slide release. Just in case..

[jocko]

one mule, u will get the hang of it andif u can hand rack it, then just do so until the gun loosens up a tad. It may never get as easy as u want either. The lever is desiged to be a tad hard to release with an empty magazine but with a loaded magazine, then the magazine plays no part of anything with that lever, so it is now just the thumb strength needed to release that lever.

[wyntrout]

Maybe a burr on the notch on the slide that engages the slide lock? Something may be out of spec., too.

Wynn:)

[Bawanna]

If it sling shots for you I'd say your golden. It will loosen up some with shooting.
I frequently pull the slide a bit and hit the release when I want to do it slow either loading or just letting it down empty.

When empty I generally don't let the slide slam home. It won't hurt anything on a Kahr but it's just a habit with me, I don't slam the cylinder on revolver home and didn't even slam the screen door on the back porch on our old farm house.

I treat some gentle like.

I think your issue will cure itself. Love it, be patient with it and all will be well.

[onemule]

didn't even slam the screen door on the back porch on our old farm house.

:) My grandmother cured me of that when I was about five years old. Fifty repetitions of going out and coming in the screen door without slamming it made a lasting impression on me. Forgot about that experience until you mentioned it, but I still don't slam any screen door. Praise God for grandmothers!

[onemule]

Maybe a burr on the notch on the slide that engages the slide lock? Something may be out of spec., too.

Wynn:)

I hope it's something like that so it can be cured, and it's not just the way it's supposed to be. I was thinking about recommending a CM9 to my daughter, but if my CM40 is representative of the normal force required to release a Kahr slide, I'll recommend something else to her. I wouldn't want her to get shot while fighting to release an ornery slide. Thanks for your input, especially that great photo.

[jocko]

IMO unless ur daughter is one realsports/gunperson the cm9 would not make her a good gun. Kahrs arehard to hand rack and they willbaqsically stay thatway They have a very stout recoil sprig, actully the same poundage in the cm9 as in ur cm40. She would probably even have a hard time lockingopent he slide manually....

[onemule]

IMO unless ur daughter is one realsports/gunperson the cm9 would not make her a good gun. Kahrs arehard to hand rack and they willbaqsically stay thatway They have a very stout recoil sprig, actully the same poundage in the cm9 as in ur cm40. She would probably even have a hard time lockingopent he slide manually....

Thanks for the warning. My daughter has got grit and is physically strong for her size, but she is on the small side, not tiny, but very trim. Can you suggest any small 9mm autos to consider that would be compatible with a lady's strength?

[CB3]

Slingshot method or not, new gun or old, a slide stop/release should work easily with one thumb. It's a simple fix, as mentioned before. Remove the part, polish the mating surfaces on the stop and the slide just a little with 800 grit wet/dry sandpaper, reassemble and test. Repeat until the desired ease is accomplished. A dab of grease on these surfaces will help also.

You may have to apply the reverse procedure in the future, as a slide stop that is used often to release the slide will continue to polish the surfaces and they may become too slick. Take 400 grit paper and rough up the mating surfaces.

I adjust my slide stops so they release the slide when I slam a loaded mag in the grip. Saves an unnecessary step. If the slide doesn't close, I sling shot it.

[onemule]

Thanks, guys! When I checked the contact surfaces of the slide lock and the slide, they did not seem all that rough to my thumb nail, but I took a medium Eze-Lap Diamond hone & stone to them and followed up with a super fine. (The fine grade was not at hand.)

Now the slide lock releases the way I would expect it should. With an empty mag, it releases but only with pretty substantial one thumb effort. With a mag containing rounds, it releases appropriately (to my mind) with a modest one thumb effort that I think the average person could manage, including women. However, it does not seem to be in danger of releasing prematurely, that is, without the lock's being pressed.

I tested the change by loading a round from a full six round mag and then putting in an empty mag so it would lock back after I fired. I alternated mags like that through firing all six rounds, and everything seemed to work well. I will keep an eye on it, and if it starts showing signs of getting too slick, I will take your tip of roughing the contacts up a tad.

I put 46 rounds through the gun this afternoon, which brings the total fired through it so far to 74. That's all I had time for after shooting my Glock 23, which so far I enjoy a lot more than shooting this CM40. I'm breaking in both guns, but so far the Glock has shown no signs of needing to be broken in. It just works and works well with whatever I feed it, from Wolf and MBI to Gold Dots and Buffalo Bore. I've fed the CM40 mainly PMC 180 gr FMJ. I tried a few Gold Dots through it too just to see whether it could handle them, but they had feed problems. So, I'll hold off on those until after the break-in period.

Originally, I thought I would dislike the snappy recoil of the .40, which I found irritating before on the two occasions when I tried it. But I have taken the suggestion of someone on this forum and worked on improving my grip, so now the recoil seems fine. I'm sure I still need work on the grip, but it's definitely improved, and I can enjoy shooting these guns as much I did my .44 mag.

There was only one failure to feed in the CM40 today, which was on the fourth round of a six round mag. The bullet was hung against the front of the barrel's feed ramp. I tried hitting the bottom of the mag sharply, but that accomplished nothing, so I racked the slide hard, and that caused the bullet to feed properly. So far, hand racking this baby seems the most reliable way of feeding rounds, but I had no failures of any kind in the six rounds I shot to test the slide lock polish job. Those were the last rounds I shot today, and I polished the slide lock just before testing.

So, thanks again for the suggestions. I think I will try polishing the barrel's feed ramp next and see if that stops the occasional bullet from locking on it. Then I'll check out the mag mods suggested to me in some of my threads.

I'm starting to feel a lot better about the gun now that the slide lock works decently. The simple and successful mod makes me hope the other problems can be cured as well and the gun brought to a level of reliability suitable for carry. There have been so many problems with the gun that I was starting to think of it as the gun from hell. I was frustrated enough to consider throwing it in the garbage, but my rational side said to work through the problems. So, I still have it, thanks in part to you guys on this forum.

The trigger still screeches like a chilly cricket and the rough pull makes trigger control that much more challenging. But I'm getting reasonable groups with it out to twenty yards. The first six round group out of the gun, at ten yards, had a measurement of 1 5/8" inches between centers of the farthest rounds and was well centered. I realize 16.25 moa is nothing to write home about, but it makes me feel as if the gun should be plenty accurate for what it's made for, given the right ammunition and a shooter trained better than I am.

So, in short, I'm starting to have hope again for this gun. I sure like the size of it overall, although I wish the grips were thicker from front to back. The grip width seems fine. Thanks again so much for all your help guys!

[CB3]

Since you are not timid about polishing, go after the striker firing system. Trigger pull will become smooooth.

There is a way to make it a little lighter too while retaining reliability. Can't shorten it though.

[gmcjetpilot]

Thanks for the warning. My daughter has got grit and is physically strong for her size, but she is on the small side, not tiny, but very trim. Can you suggest any small 9mm autos to consider that would be compatible with a lady's strength?
Sounds pretty, PM me her name, Pic and phone number....:D

Yep my CM9 has stiff slide release lever action. It is a function of the slide
spring. That is a tough spring. I have 250 rounds and I think it is getting
better. I don't see a problem with the gun for a lady, but then you would
want to have her try it.

Frankly a small air-weight revolver is an awesome choice. All pistols do
take more effort to handle, pushing bullets in magazines, racking slides,
pushing down on slide release... etc. Revolver, drop some bullets in the
cylinder, close, pull trigger.

For woman, with a revolver put hand in purse on gun, still concealed,
you can fire through purse without fouling, like a pistol would. Nice thing.

I can get my slide release with one thumb now, but I still takes a lot of
effort. I still sometimes put the second helper thumb on it. No big deal. An
alternative, as you push down with thumb, lightly pull back on slide. It will
release, and the slide will snap out of your fingers.

[gmcjetpilot]

There is a way to make it a little lighter too while retaining reliability. Can't shorten it though.Lighter how? Do you really want drill holes in slide, trigger? You could and it
would be strong enough, might save a few grams or so. Weight is really a
good thing in that it tames recoil. Also having holes in slide would allow dirt
to get into the action.

A gun is like a hammer. Do you want a light hammer? Sure but it won't drive
nails well.

I only load six rounds, one in the pipe and 5 in magazine. I don't bother
doing 6+1. That saves the weight of one bullet.

[CB3]

Lighter how? Do you really want drill holes in slide, trigger?

Lighter trigger pull.

[gmcjetpilot]

Lighter trigger pull.

As Emily Litella says "Oh, Never Mind."

[garyb]

IMO unless ur daughter is one realsports/gunperson the cm9 would not make her a good gun. Kahrs arehard to hand rack and they willbaqsically stay thatway They have a very stout recoil sprig, actully the same poundage in the cm9 as in ur cm40. She would probably even have a hard time lockingopent he slide manually....

For sure. When we shopped for my wife, she could not work a 40 or a 9. I started to think revolver until she tried the BG380 and fell in love with it. Just softer to work and tiny for her hands.

Onemule, let us know how that slide issue works out for you. Best.

Never mind . I read through the rest of the thread and saw what you did to correct the issue. Sorry...thanks.