MK9 VERY difficult to rack

[turtle3]

New MK9 has about 400 rounds thru it. Shoots, feeds, and ejects fine. It's very very very difficult to rack. I have a sig 29, glock 27, and a CZ75. All are easy to rack but I almost have to get the MK9 between my legs and holding the slide push down on the grip to lock or rack the slide. Is this the penalty of having a captured slide spring? I can't believe this will get reasonable with a few hundred more rounds.:

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

[Bawanna]

You'll find a few hundred rounds will make a big difference. It's a small tight snuggly fitted gun. As it mates up it will get smoother and smoother.

They can indeed be a bugger at first, I'll give you that without question.

[berettabone]

New MK9 has about 400 rounds thru it. Shoots, feeds, and ejects fine. It's very very very difficult to rack. I have a sig 29, glock 27, and a CZ75. All are easy to rack but I almost have to get the MK9 between my legs and holding the slide push down on the grip to lock or rack the slide. Is this the penalty of having a captured slide spring? I can't believe this will get reasonable with a few hundred more rounds.:

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
Mine has more, and is still hard to rack. Have patience, it will loosen up, eventually. In the mean time, just look at it as a grip development exercise.http://kahrtalk.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

[jocko]

New MK9 has about 400 rounds thru it. Shoots, feeds, and ejects fine. It's very very very difficult to rack. I have a sig 29, glock 27, and a CZ75. All are easy to rack but I almost have to get the MK9 between my legs and holding the slide push down on the grip to lock or rack the slide. Is this the penalty of having a captured slide spring? I can't believe this will get reasonable with a few hundred more rounds.:

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

there wego again cmparing utter guns to what ur gun is like. Kahrs are stout, they have the highest spring rate of any semo it out. It is whatit is. U will adapt, never honna be as easy as ur G27 and CZ which are also bigger guns to. Glocks recoil springs are also lighter. captive springs like what fglock has ar enot hard to hand rack but agai they are bigger to. It will loosen up alot i 200 rounds but don't expect i tto be a glock as far as ease goes. It ain't gonna happen. Most who complain like ur at alittle alter o come back and say all is well..

[RevRay]

^^^ I could have typed it better ... but probably not said it as good.

[jocko]

ur right on both counts..

[DavidR]

My CM9 has 400 rounds through it and is still difficult to rack. Better than when new but still very stiff. I do hope it loosens up some with another couple hundred rounds but it is what it is. I don't ever expect it to be easy.

I did file the sharp edges off the slide stop which makes it easier to lock the slide back.

[RevRay]

I have no idea how many rounds my MK9 has through it. I got it used and it's 12 years old; but it's pretty easy to rack now. But they're great guns and well worth the wait.

I just noticed this is my post 1,111 ... that's got to be worth a cigar or something!

[Barth]

My MK40 Elite has about 2000 rounds on the clock.
And it's still far and away the hardest to rack of any gun I've owned or rented.

I think that may be the penalty of a super reliable 3.0" barrel micro.
The K9 and P9 I rented seemed much easier to rack.

It did get a little easier over time.
But IMHO, with the MK guns, you're just going to have to get used to it.

[Rbodine]

My new mk40 has only 245 rounds thru it and I don't think it's all that difficult as some people are saying here, it was definitely a little stiff before but I don't see it any kind of problem, for a little .40


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[Barth]

My new mk40 has only 245 rounds thru it and I don't think it's all that difficult as some people are saying here, it was definitely a little stiff before but I don't see it any kind of problem, for a little .40


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I never said it's a problem.
It's a keeper.
I can rack it first time, every time, without issues.
Just requires more pressure to rack than any other guns I've owned or rented.
If it feels heavy? Get used to it.

[Ikeo74]

I have an MK9 with about 250 rounds through it and it's firm, but I can hand rack the first round to load it without using the slide lock/release, every time. I even "ride" the slide closed while loading. Love the gun.

You just need to "Man Up" when racking.:Amflag2:

Rack it like you stole it.

[FLBri]

I have an MK9 that is 'stout' but not too much a challenge. I like it that way .... keep my wife's hands off it ... LOL.

But I have a K40 with extra strength recoil spring ... Now that is a B!tch to rack. It doesn't help that it has a mirror polished finish.

You might consider leaving the last round out of the mag while it 'loosens' up. The mag spring tension against the stripper of the slide can have a huge effect on the first pull effort.

Eventually it will smooth out and be your favorite.

[SwampDude]

At least the slide serrations on our Kahrs are machined to provide a better grip surface than Glocks. That helps.

Racking technique also makes a big difference. Holding the serrations with the weak hand and letting the strong side power the frame forward makes for the most effective method. Using the weak hand/arm to rack, as I see many at the range do, doesn't work well, especially on our Kahrs.

[jocko]

I have an MK9 that is 'stout' but not too much a challenge. I like it that way .... keep my wife's hands off it ... LOL.

But I have a K40 with extra strength recoil spring ... Now that is a B!tch to rack. It doesn't help that it has a mirror polished finish.

You might consider leaving the last round out of the mag while it 'loosens' up. The mag spring tension against the stripper of the slide can have a huge effect on the first pull effort.

Eventually it will smooth out and be your favorite.

goodidea on the last rund thing. I never load my PMJ9 fully when at the range, just to hard to shove that last couple rounds in the mag and WHY FOKK WITH IT for range use. It does make it easier to had rack to.

Good idea their tonto:amflag::amflag:

[Brickkicker]

...just look at it as a grip development exercise.http://kahrtalk.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Yep, my wrist and fingers are sore every time I take mine to the range.
They get a workout for sure.

[berettabone]

Yep, my wrist and fingers are sore every time I take mine to the range.
They get a workout for sure.
Get yourself a Maglula, and save your fingers.............http://kahrtalk.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

[leftysixty]

So empty pistol, slide not locked back.

Insert empty mag. Rack slide, slide will lock back, drop mag, insert FULL mag, use mag release. Problem solved.

If desired, remove mag and top off, reinsert mag.

Dinking around trying to lock slide back using weak, screwed up, arthritic hands just don't get fun. :mad:

I am living proof that it can be done. :D

Just say'n :amflag:

[muggsy]

goodidea on the last rund thing. I never load my PMJ9 fully when at the range, just to hard to shove that last couple rounds in the mag and WHY FOKK WITH IT for range use. It does make it easier to had rack to.

Good idea their tonto:amflag::amflag:

Wimp! :)

[downtownv]

Wimp! :)

Limp wristed?:p

[muggsy]

Are you using the proper technique? Place the heal of your left hand on the left side of the slide and wrap your fingers over the top of the slide and grip the right side with all four your fingers. With your right hand on the grip, push with the right hand and pull with the left hand. Make sure that the gun is pointed in a safe direction at all times. It so easy even an old arthritic fart like me can do it. :)

Method #2 - Give the gun to your wife and let her rack it for you. It's a great breast enhancement exercise.

[jocko]

Limp wristed?:p

never cut an ol man any slack at all. that is not the only thing that is "limp" Just sayin:amflag: Moniuca calls it her LITTLE SLURRPY:D:D:D

[jocko]

wolffs also offers the reduced power 18.5# recoil springs for the MK9. Ur factory is 20#. It might help somewhat to. certainly wolffs has tested it out so it should be OK to do also. No harm no foul. Just sayin

[cohoskip]

My MK9 is so stiff that I cannot release the slide with the slide release, I have to "help" it by pushing the slide back with my hand. It has 400 rounds thru it...
:(

[DavidS]

My MK9 is so stiff that I cannot release the slide with the slide release, I have to "help" it by pushing the slide back with my hand. It has 400 rounds thru it...
:(

Could this be the a factor?

"NOTE REGARDING SLIDE RELEASE OPERATION: When the slide is held open on an empty magazine, the slide release is very hard to depress. This warns the shooter that the magazine is empty.

To easily release the slide, either remove the empty mazazine or replace it with a loaded magazine. Depressing the slide release will them be much easier."

[jocko]

DAVID s IS CORECT,

[cohoskip]

Even with a loaded mag it is the same...

[DavidS]

Even with a loaded mag it is the same...

For me, there is a tremendous difference between an empty mag and no mag. I cannot release the slide with my thumb if the magazine is empty. I can release the slide with my thumb without much difficulty if the magazine is removed.

I will have to check with a full magazine. My MK40 is less than a week olk and all I have done is read the manual and do an initial cleaning (probably why I could still remember the part about the slide release). Right now I am just carrying it around, getting used to the feel of it, and racking it by hand once in a while. When I take it down to the pond and load it up, I will check the full mag and report back here. Probably in the next few days, weather permitting.

[FLBri]

Even with a loaded mag it is the same...

If this is correct, than I would suggest that your slide lock spring is not tensioned correctly, or possibly not installed correctly.

[DavidS]

Even with a loaded mag it is the same...

I went to the range today. Not much difference with a loaded mag or no mag. It is a little stiff but doable with one thumb but I found it easy to just give a little assist with my off hand thumb. Empty mag is nearly impossible to release.