CW9 failure to fire problems

[Ironhawk]

Well I finally got my new CW9. I've run about 175 rounds through it and am now getting quite a few failures to fire. I'm using various factory ball ammo and an assortment of the premium stuff. I've taken it down and given it a pretty thorough cleaning including spraying the heck out of the striker channel with break free cleaner. I've been reading how there's been a lot of folks having the same problem. Does Wolff springs make a replacement recoil spring for the CW9? First I guess I'll give Kahr a call and see what they suggest. Anybody here had the same problem, and if so what did you do to correct it? Thanks in advance.

[Ed M]

If you are referring to Break Free CLP - that's a lubricant too. Lubricants in the striker channel can cause problems. Best to use a cleaner that leaves no residue at all.

Birchwood Casey makes a product called Gun Scrubber. There's two formulations of it. The one you want is the synthetic safe formula. Works great, but it's expensive. There's a MUCH cheaper alternative. Go to Walmart and get a can of CRC non-chlorinated brake cleaner. It's the one in the green can (50 state formula). It won't harm plastics. My local Walmart sells it for $3 per can. That's about 1/5 the price of the Birchwood Casey stuff. Don't use Break Free Powder Blaster, regular Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber, or CRC brake cleaner in the red can - they all harm plastics.

Look in the new member section for the post about prepping a new Kahr - specifically look for the lube diagram. Follow it, and don't get any lubricant in the striker channel.

If you still have FTFs, you may want to detail strip the slide. Sometimes there is bits of metal shavings left in there from the manufacturing process that can't be easily removed by just spraying it with cleaner. There's videos on youtube that show how to do this as well.

http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?14746-How-To-quot-Detail-Strip-quot-the-Kahr-s-Upper!

All this is really simple to do, and may save you from being without your gun for a while if you send it back to Kahr.......


http://www.kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=14736&stc=1

[Ironhawk]

Thanks for the tips. My mistake, I was using the synthetic safe Birchwood Casey spray. I'll try it again and hit those lube points. I've read that a possible weak recoil spring might cause a failure to fire by not providing a solid lock up. Any thoughts on that?

[Bawanna]

Being new I doubt the recoil spring is the issue but one never knows.
Kahr uses Wolff springs so no harm in trying one and it never hurts to have a spare if you find the issue is something else.
Is it going into full battery during these misfires, or stopping just short of full lock up?

[yqtszhj]

All the above advice is on target. Take it out shooting again to see how it goes since you cleaned out the striker channel.

Welcome by the way.

[gb6491]

Welcome to the forum Ironhawk :)

That's some good advice you've received above. I'm with yqtszhi "Take it out shooting again to see how it goes since you cleaned out the striker channel."
Please let us know how that goes.

Make yourself a "Ripley Tool" to aid in disassembly of the slide:
http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?28383-Removing-the-380-slide-slide-back-plate-How-do-you-do-it-Here-is-how-I-do-it&p=361781#post361781
http://i64.tinypic.com/ofmtzk.jpg
Regards,
Greg

[yqtszhj]

The tool Greg just posted works well. Here's one with a "handle".

http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o706/yqtszhj/IMG_20150516_091116177_zpsvdxm7ryx.jpg

[Ironhawk]

That looks like a very handy tool to aid in take down. Called Kahr today and explained the problems.another little thing the cw9 was doing was way off center primer strikes. With that and the soft strikes(fail to fire) they wanted me to send it back to them. So it left today. I'll keep you posted on the repairs and progress in a couple of weeks. Thanks for all the help. Ironhawk

[Bawanna]

The off center primer strikes are probably actually primer smear I call it.
The striker kind of drags off the primer as the ejection process begins. A lot happening in a small package.
Be curious what they say about it. Hope it comes back ready to run for you.

[Ironhawk]

the off center striker hits are on the unfired rounds. if you were to look at the primer, the strike would be like 6 o'clock on a watch dial, or 12 o'clock depending on how it was held. point being it's right on the edge of the primer. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what Kahr says. Interesting though........

[unclenunzie]

Off center can be a few things - obviously it's off to Kahr so they will fix it. But I'll speculate that it is not quite getting full in battery, with the primer hit so off center. Could be extractor, chamber too tight, barrel/slide fit, etc.

[wmatkinson]

Did the OP ever hear back from Kahr on this curious FTF/off-center firing pip strike issue?