CT45 with Stainless Steel Guide Rod

[Cartero391]

I picked up a SS guide rod last week from ssguiderods.com for my CT45. This add-on was not necessary, nor did it improve the function of the pistol, but it sure looks good! :o After a call to technical support at KAHR and measuring the length of my guide rod, I confirmed that the factory CT45 guide rod is the same part as the factory TP45 guide rod. KAHR Part: 006CT45 (006TP45) - recoil guide rod. ssguiderods.com offers a SS guide rod for the TP45 so I placed an order for their SS guide rod based on my research. Their SS guide rod arrived with a 90 degree edge on the end that protrudes through the spring and slide. Installation required beveling the end of the guide rod with a fine metal file so it would not catch or bind on the recoil spring while being inserted into the hole in the slide. The procedure took about 10 minutes to complete. I am very please with the stainless steel look.

[Duhbob]

PICTURE please, gotta see the new look, and how much $$ please

[warbird1]

I'm interested also.

[Cartero391]

$23.95 - here is the link: http://ssguiderods.com/shop/kahr-tp45-stainless-steel-guide-rod/. I will try and post after install pictures later today.

[Cartero391]

Whoops, try this link: http://ssguiderods.com/shop/kahr-tp45-stainless-steel-guide-rod/

[wb4tjh]

Just a question....Why would you worry about "looks" of a guide rod which is totally hidden inside the gun? Since Kahr furnishes a proper steel guide rod to start with, how could that improve anything? If you keep the guide rod/spring lubed like it should be, there won't ever be a rust problem anyway, so why incur the added expense of a stainless steel one?

[b4uqzme]

Good question. But looks are important. One of our members, IIRC, checkered the tip of his guide rod. Now that was a looker! ;)

[Old No7]

Good question. But looks are important. One of our members, IIRC, checkered the tip of his guide rod. Now that was a looker! ;)
Agreed -- Look ARE important!

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/Kahr_CW380_03_Small_.JPG

Plus, I wanted to see if I could do it (first time doing one of those).

Old No7

[b4uqzme]

^^^^ yep! that's hot!

[Ray]

How'd you do that?
Agreed -- Look ARE important!

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/Kahr_CW380_03_Small_.JPG

Plus, I wanted to see if I could do it (first time doing one of those).

Old No7

[Old No7]

How'd you do that?

With a fine triangular Swiss needle file, magnifying glasses -- and a STEADY hand!

Once I got the first line cut fairly deep, then I'd start the 2nd one, then another, until all the lines were parallel in that one direction (cutting them 1/2 as deep as shown above). Then I started on the 2nd set of lines cut at the angle shown (note that I didn't want right angles which would create "square" areas between the lines). Once the 2nd set of lines was cut 1/2 deep, then I finished all lines to the final depth shown, which "pointed" up the diamonds in the pattern.

It didn't take that long, and as the song says "The first cut is the deepest..." -- actually, the toughest too, cause once you make that one, there's no going back. Just go slow and steady, and check your work closely, because as my late father used to say: "The taking metal off tools work a lot better than the putting metal back on ones do..."

I was quite pleased with how it came up, but have done a lot of work with files before, but never something like that.

Good luck.

Old No7