P380 - Light primer strike

[Flint Ridge]

Well, after a couple hundred rounds of sweetness. I went to the range today. Had WWB that had been in the gun probably 3 weeks. First round, "click". Light primer strike.

What are the common causes?

I was really liking this one, but this has me rethinking things?

Are there common issues with WWB?

[500KV]

FR, I went through a frustrating episode of light primer strikes with my CW45.
I replaced the striker and striker spring first off with no improvement...Then back to Kahr twice.
The first trip, a barrel replacement, which didn't cure the problem. Second trip they replaced the frame (so basically a new gun) and the gun has been 100% now for ~500 rounds.

The first step would be to detail strip the slide, clean out the striker channel if any dirt, shavings, etc. are present, and inspect the striker and spring.
If all looks good and you're still having light strikes I'd call Kahr, get a return authorization (on their dime) and let them work their magic.

If you haven't detail stripped the slide, this link has the how-to.
http://kahrtalk.com/kahr-tech/197-how-detail-strip-kahrs-upper.html

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Phillip Dean]

Was the strike in the center of the primer? If it was off center you may have been slightly out of battery.

[jocko]

exactly what 500KV stated. clean the striker channel, normally I would not say to dissasemble the slide but in this case we need to look as that striker. It could be broekn at the tip and only dissasembly will show that. While it is out of the slide spray clean that striker channel good. NO OIL PLEASE. If the striker is OK, it is not your striker spring either. You either have a bad out of spec trgger bar that is just now starting to show up , or your slide/barrel assembly is out of battery. It might look like it is locking up OK buyt if it is out the sligthest, you willget light strikes. elimnate the possble by doing what 500 KV is stating, then if that fails call kahr and have them pick it up.

I can tell you it is strange sometimes. My P380 was doing super, and with over 1200 good rounds through it, I was happy as a pig in a corn lot. but then it stopped lockig open on the last round. I did virtuallyeverything. new followers, new mag springs,new slide lock lever and slide lock spring, new magazine catch, nothing solved that issue. so back it went. When I got it back they replaced the slide and barrel and the issues seems perfectly solved now. So who would figure that was causing failure to lock open on the last round.

Don't loose faith, it is a great gun but yours is not "yet". If it ain't right let kahr have it back, document everything in your letter to what you have done and what it is doing so the techs no what to look for. I have no idea what they will replace either. Sometimes I also think they replace parts until it works and then for them it is good to go.

It is a dandy little gun but if it ain't right, it ain't right and u can't trust what is not right...

[wyntrout]

For stripping the slide here are some pictures of the components laid out in order:
<<This is good for seeing the order of parts and what the heck's in there.>>
http://kahrtalk.com/pm-series-pistols/2077-wynns-gunshow-pm45-p380-followup-range-report-2.html#post22349

And here's a repeat of some of the procedures I used:
I took my P380 and PM45 slides apart last night for the first time. It's easy with the instructions on this forum and there's a link to a pdf file on GlockTalk. Make the "C" clamp out of a coat hanger and put the long arm in front of the striker hole/breech face while compressing the striker spring and guide with a screwdriver, then slip the small end of the clamp over the guide's head to hold the assembly in while getting the back plate off. Use a small jeweler screw driver to push the back plate pin for removal. It takes something stout. Just watch those little parts -- the striker spring and guide, AND the extractor parts -- there are four parts to the extractor assembly, including the pin in the back that holds the back plate on, after that, moving forward in the extractor "tunnel", is the spring, then the tension pin with different ends that presses against the ejector. Check out the diagram and see how those things go together. The ejector rotates in and forward for removal. The other three parts are put in from the rear hole with the slant cut on the extractors pin against the extractor. The striker safety block has to be in place before sticking those extractor parts back in. There's a cutout or notch on the outside of the safety block for the extractor parts to get by the block.
This is probably more than you wanted for now, but I just did this and had a bit of fun thinking I had vacuumed some of the ejector parts up while using it to suck the debris from the slide -- not a good idea. The extractor fell and I heard it and found it using an extension magnet pickup tool, but I thought the other stuff was in the vacuum, so I cut open the bag and went through it carefully with strong magnets, without success, so I checked the slide and the rear three parts were still inside the channel or tunnel. I straightened a large paperclip and used that to poke those out from the front to the rear. Assemble those three parts from the rear, after the extractor is in place and the striker safety block is in place, with the slanted end of the pin inward to rest on the extractor correctly.
I used 400-grit sandpaper -- the finest I had on hand -- to lightly go over the striker and check for any burrs or sharp edges, and then polished them with a Dremel-Like Tool (DLT).
Once you've done this successfully it's no longer a scary operation... with regard to the little parts. I thought that I would never do that, but I was having problems with possible light strikes in the PM45. It could have been the ammo, though. But I removed suspicions by checking those striker parts and it's housing carefully for debris or burrs.

Wynn:)

[Flint Ridge]

I will have to go through it and tidy it up. Just took it back out to the range. Recall yesterday first round was a light strike and about 50 more ok. Tonight poured 50 down it pretty fast no issues what so ever. Do not recall the placement of the light primer stike, centered or not. I wondered too if it may not have been fully in battery. I am pretty good about closing via the slide stop, but occassionally I forget, could have been the issue.

Will clean it up (trying above steps as well) and keep at it, not going to be calling Kahr at the moment, could have been an ammo issue etc. I do love this Kahr.