slide/receiver fit problems? (pics)

[mickeyfinn]

Hi,

Bought an older, hardly used PM9 recently. The seller said he probably had fewer than 20 rds through it. Said he just didn't like it, so he cleaned it and put it away and it had sat in his cabinet since 2006 when it was made. I called Kahr and it was indeed made in 2006.

He let me bring it to a trusted gunsmith who verified it had not been shot much at all. We looked at it under magnification and he pointed out a lot of little "polymer hairs" running along the internals and said it was not even near to broken in yet. He said those hairs get rubbed away during the break-in period.

So I bought it.

I had it to the range today and put 150 rds through it. No failures of any kind and it is wonderfully accurate.

But when I got it home to clean it, I noticed two things that worry me and I'm wondering if it needs a trip to Massachusetts to visit Kahr.

1. One of the rails is a kind of chewed up.

2. Slide and receiver do not meet flush at the rear. The receiver overlaps the slide at the rear.

I am a new member, so I guess I can't post pics for some reason. How do I get permission? I took some great close-ups.

Thanks.

[AIRret]

Hi mickeyfinn, first off you can't post pictures until you have 100 posts. I can't post pictures because I don't have a camera and am computer illiterate!

The chunk out of the rail is suppose to be there, so don't worry.
and the back end of the gun isn't perfectly flush it's normal. Pretty soon another member will come along and post the site links explaining those things in more detail.

Soon Jocko will tell you not to worry, just shoot it like you stole it!

The pm9 is a great little reliable gun. Mine has well over 3,000 rounds through it and I trust it just as much as my 1986 Sig 226 which has only had one failure and that was a bad primer so it wasn't the guns fault.

However, I agree pictures would help confirm exactly what you are referring talking about.

[mickeyfinn]

AIRret,

Thanks for the reply. What you say makes sense but I just don't like the look of that rail. And you're right, the pictures would tell the story. I have only 88 more posts to go after this one until I will be allowed to post a picture.

So in the meantime, it's off to The High Road (a great gun forum with a lot of knowledgeable people) to find some Kahr owners and show them what I am talking about.

Thanks again, AIRret, you sound like a nice guy.

And you other Kahr Talk members who have 100 posts or more, have fun. And if you don't have 100 posts here too bad, I guess.

[DavidR]

If you have an account at a site like Photobucket you can upload your pics there and post a link here to the image.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bawanna]

It's actually only 30 post. You can do photobucket link or email them to me and I'll post them for you. I'm not wicked computer smart but I think I can do it. Others here can do it also if somebody smart wants to step up.

If it's the polymer rails chewed up, I'd go with that's normal, they don't do anything really but help align the steel rails during assembly.

The rear being flush I'll have to see.

[mickeyfinn]

Just got back from the other forum. I joined there in Oct. of 2003 and have 317 posts, or 0.08 posts per day.

At that rate, it looks as if I will have a while to go before I can post any pics here.

And thank you for the kind offers as to how to work around the mandatory post count to get those pics posted here on Kahr Talk.

But I just left the other forum and there were almost 300 members over there in the pistol forum. I'm sure some of them are Kahr guys. I know I'll have multiple answers before midnight.

I won't put up a link to the post, I don't want to anger anyone.

The post is complete with good, close-up photos. Currently it's right up close to the top of the "Handguns-Autoloaders Forum" and is titled, "Kahr owners, need some help, please." Take a look if you feel like it and have the time. As time goes on, it will be moving down. It's a busy forum.

Take care and thanks again.

[AIRret]

AIRret,

Thanks for the reply. What you say makes sense but I just don't like the look of that rail. And you're right, the pictures would tell the story. I have only 88 more posts to go after this one until I will be allowed to post a picture.

So in the meantime, it's off to The High Road (a great gun forum with a lot of knowledgeable people) to find some Kahr owners and show them what I am talking about.

Thanks again, AIRret, you sound like a nice guy.

And you other Kahr Talk members who have 100 posts or more, have fun. And if you don't have 100 posts here too bad, I guess.

Hey mickeyfinn, I'm not a guy, but then again I haven't posted any pictures of myself so how would you know. Unless my cyber hubby Bawanna gave up my secrets….that is.

[mickeyfinn]

Hey mickeyfinn, I'm not a guy, but then again I haven't posted any pictures of myself so how would you know. Unless my cyber hubby Bawanna gave up my secrets….that is.

AIRret,

You have my sincere apology. I know better. My wife is a LEO. Can we keep this our secret, please? :)

[AIRret]

You bet mickeyfinn and say hi to your wife for all of us.

Maybe your wife can give the rest of us some training tips.

[mickeyfinn]

You bet mickeyfinn and say hi to your wife for all of us.

Maybe your wife can give the rest of us some training tips.

I confessed! I told my wife of my faux pas, AIRret.

She gave you permission to spank me. I don't quite know what to think of that.

[Bawanna]

Are you putting moves on my girl there Mr. Finn. She's spoken for more than once.:mad:

I see she's flirting though too, maybe it's time to start seeing other people.

[Bawanna]

Again it's only 30 post required and it's helped immensely in controlling spammers and trolls around here.

Visit once in awhile and 30 post will pass like nothing, I should talk ya know or maybe better yet leave the computer and get a life.

[Bawanna]

Well I visited and found your post over there but since I'm not a member it wouldn't let me see the pics. Go figure. I think we're cursed.

[AIRret]

Are you putting moves on my girl there Mr. Finn. She's spoken for more than once.:mad:

I see she's flirting though too, maybe it's time to start seeing other people.

Hey Bawanna, no worries, your my one and only forever cyber hubby.

[mickeyfinn]

Well I visited and found your post over there but since I'm not a member it wouldn't let me see the pics. Go figure. I think we're cursed.

Bawanna,

I do wish you had been able to see those pics. Being a member over there is not a bad thing. Tons of pleasant, intelligent people who know firearms.

As far as AIRret goes, I didn't realize she was flirting and I didn't know I had any moves.

Either way, I'm sure she can handle herself just fine online and anywhere else for that matter.

And, even though you were unsuccessful, thanks for going over there to take a look at those pics.

[muggsy]

Micky, the plastic rails are only an aid to reassembling the gun. The slide runs on steel rails. A single edge razor blade is all that you need to clean up those plastic rails. Your gun does not require a trip back to the mothership. As Jocko would say, "Just shoot that fokker like you stole it."

[mickeyfinn]

Micky, the plastic rails are only an aid to reassembling the gun. The slide runs on steel rails. A single edge razor blade is all that you need to clean up those plastic rails. Your gun does not require a trip back to the mothership. As Jocko would say, "Just shoot that fokker like you stole it."

Thanks muggsy,

Did you happen to look at the pics I posted at the other forum?

[Bawanna]

Ok, I finally found another forum that allowed me to sign up, that makes two now.

The polymer getting chewed like that on the inside is a new thing to me, that by itself I'd probably just clean up with an exacto knife and see if it continues or is where it needs to be so it just stops.

The slide is sitting a little forward, more than I would like.

The definitive answer needs to come from Kahr. I would send those same photo's in an email to customer service and see what they say. They may want to get it back and take a look at it.
You bought it used but it was in like new condition with very few rounds through it so they just might take care of it if in fact it is a concern.

[mickeyfinn]

Ok, I finally found another forum that allowed me to sign up, that makes two now.

The polymer getting chewed like that on the inside is a new thing to me, that by itself I'd probably just clean up with an exacto knife and see if it continues or is where it needs to be so it just stops.

The slide is sitting a little forward, more than I would like.

The definitive answer needs to come from Kahr. I would send those same photo's in an email to customer service and see what they say. They may want to get it back and take a look at it.
You bought it used but it was in like new condition with very few rounds through it so they just might take care of it if in fact it is a concern.

Sound advice and thank you for it. I was going to call them Monday but I would not have thought of sending them the pics. I will do that first.

I bet they are inundated with calls on Monday from all the weekend buyers. Email will be better in this case, I think.

And thanks again

[Bawanna]

I think email allows them a chance to really look and ponder a bit. A phone call kind of puts them on the spot and in search of a quick answer.

I think it's more convenient for them and us.

Do let us know how you make out. I'm curious myself what they have to say.

[wyntrout]

Here are your pix:

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=197508&d=1397957421

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=197509&d=1397957440

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=197510&d=1397957474

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=197511&d=1397957492

Here are my polymer Kahrs. Most are pretty flush-fitting at the rear... the P380 slide seems a bit more forward than the others, and the P40 slide seems a tad to the rear, but not much.

http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m620/wyntrout/Kahr%20Polymer%20Family%20Photos/KahrPolymerFamily.jpg

Wynn

[wyntrout]

Mick, I right-clicked and copied the picture location of your photos over at THR and used the http://kahrtalk.com/images/editor/insertimage.gif at the top of the message window to post them here one at a time, inserting the link for each.

Welcome to the forum. 30 posts can go pretty quickly. I just made my first over at THR and I've been a member there for 5 years... at the end of this month. This forum is HOME, though.

Here's some links and info:

Welcome to the Kahrtalk forum supported by K a h r Arms.
Here are a few essential links and things to do BEFORE you take your new pistol to the range, and ESPECIALLY BEFORE taking it apart and trying to re-assemble it! The Kahr is a different design… 6-7 unique patents cover the Kahrs. I’m not trying to imply that you don’t know anything about guns, but many don’t know anything about the Kahrs and some of the things you can do to damage or cause malfunctions of your new, or new-to-you Kahr pistol.

First, if you don’t have a manual, yet, or one didn’t come with your pistol, you can view it and/or download the pdf file here:
http://www.kahr.com/PDF/kahrmanual.pdf

Please watch one of these videos FIRST! These videos can point out possible problem areas and emphasize correct procedures!
Take down and re-assembly videos:
T, TP, CW, P, & PM/CM Series:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=G2cZgVg_SwA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G2cZgVg_SwA)
MK series:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...mSCnIOaUk#t=0s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zXmSCnIOaUk#t=0s)
K series:
http://www.kahr.com/Pistols/Kahr-K9-Elite.asp

There are many links on fixing problems listed in several places… under the New Member or Kahr Tech sub-forums. To start, a very good one:

Proper Prepping of a new Kahr:

http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14748

A very handy one is the Kahr Lubrication Diagram:
http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14750

Many of your questions can be answered in these areas and you can learn how your Kahr works and not damage it with improper handling.

Another great resource for information on Kahrs... Archives of Magazine and Internet Reviews for Kahr pistols by industry experts. They test these pistols and report on their views and the ammo they tested in it. This is a good way to find ammo that might fit your needs along with accuracy and feeding in the pistol... usually from a rest with velocity and energy, as well as penetration and expansion sometimes... very informational.

http://www.kahr.com/product-reviews.asp

Frequently asked questions: http://www.kahr.com/faq.asp?

One very important bit of advice: Hold the Kahr pistol firmly when firing OR CHAMBERING a round. These compact pistols need all of the force they can get from the slide to get a round into the chamber successfully. If you don't hold the pistol firmly, part of the needed momentum is transferred to MOVING THE PISTOL and the top round will DIVE and jam into the right side of the feed ramp. The weak hand, over hand rack method gives the best grip and a firm rack will give you the best chance at chambering a round.

Use the weak hand fingers over the slide(clear of the ejection port), thumb along the slide and pointing to the rear. Use the gun hand to simultaneously firmly push the gun as you give a vigorous rack with the weak hand and cleanly release the slide as it reaches the rear limit and is "snatched" from the weak hand. This approximates a real rack from firing and beats the slide release method WHEN executed properly. Much more strength can be exerted when this is done closer to the body.

Here's a video on that. The first part is what I'm talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=hjLbFOw8sow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=hjLbFOw8sow)

There are many helpful members here most of the time who might be able to help you, but as anywhere, there are many opinions and not all are correct. Be mindful of this before doing anything drastic to modify your pistol!


For the .45 Kahrs, here's some more info:

http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14749


Wynn:)
Aka wyntrout

PS: I keep thinking of stuff to add and help new members... and am trying to cover most of the popular subjects. Yes, it's repetitious to many, but possibly not to all new members. This approach is easier than having to look up every tidbit for each new member or question that arises. :)

[mickeyfinn]

Thanks for all that. I don't think your picture transfer worked. I can't see them in your post.

Did you look at the pictures on the other forum? What is your opinion?

The pistol did come with a manual as did my CM9. I read both manuals before doing anything. I have been shooting for more than 40 years. I know how to handle firearms and hot to treat them.

I keep comparing the CM9 to the PM9 and the CM9 fits flush and there is no wear on the polymer rails anything like what is in that PM9. And that wear that is there now was not there before I shot it.

I don't know what to think. I'll let you folks know what the Kahr people say.

And thanks again.

[wyntrout]

To me the posts I made of your pix are exactly as yours appear on THR.

The plastic rails get rubbed by the metal slide and the amount of wear varies. Some look pretty bad, but unless the tags or buildup gets in the way of operation, cosmetic only. I had to remove a bunch of material from the rear area of the steel rails because it was building up there and I was worried about it hampering the slide's travel.

The slide to frame fit in the rear can vary on polymers... on some the slide can be a bit more forward or aft with respect to the rear of the frame... not as exact as an all-steel model.

Some members have checked for sharp burrs on the slides rails and smoothed with light sanding to cut down on the contact damage.

Wynn:)

[mickeyfinn]

I emailed those pics to Kahr this afternoon. I will let you know what they have to say.