CW9 Light Strike and Failure To Fire

[Frank Ingram]

Purchased a new Cw9 and am having a terrible time with the firing pin not striking the primer hard enough to fire the cartridge. I have tried Blazer Brass Fmj, Remington green box jhp, sig sauer elite performance jhp and federal hydra shock ammo and all of them fail at random times with light primer strikes in this gun. I have a Glock 19 and have never had a primer failure. Is this common in this gun?

I bought this gun because i wanted a single stack 9mm and liked the way it fit my hand. Plus, i didn’t see too many issues on the interwebz with this partficular model. Did i just get a lemon? I hope Kahr fixes it. This dud is going back to the factory. I really like the trigger and it carries like a dream.

The dang thing doesn’t do me any good if it doesn’t go boom when i pull the trigger.

[Bawanna]

First thought is maybe junk in the striker channel. Don't see it much any more but in the past there was left over machining junk left behind.

You can take the slide off, hold down the drop safety on the bottom of the slide and push the striker back and forth and see if it moves freely. Should be able to hold the drop safety down shake it and have the striker rattle.

[yqtszhj]

First thought is maybe junk in the striker channel. Don't see it much any more but in the past there was left over machining junk left behind.

You can take the slide off, hold down the drop safety on the bottom of the slide and push the striker back and forth and see if it moves freely. Should be able to hold the drop safety down shake it and have the striker rattle.

Exactly what he said. The CW9 is an excellent pistol. You’ll get it straightened out.

Welcome me to the forum by the way.

[Frank Ingram]

Exactly what he said. The CW9 is an excellent pistol. You’ll get it straightened out.

Welcome me to the forum by the way.


thank you you for the welcome. where would the drop safety be? is it that small button near the firing pin channel?

[Bawanna]

Yes, I wish I could post pictures and diagrams like Greg here does. It's on the bottom of the slide near the back. It's spring loaded. Easily depressed. This clears the way so the striker can go through its full travel.
Many use brake cleaner to flush out the striker channel and doing this same thing while doing this should help too.
Mine don't seem to accumulate junk and they were clean when I got them new but some have found junk in there.
I'll see if I can find a picture, I know there are some here.

[sharpetop]

Cleaning out the striker channel is a good starting point. If that doesn't work contact Kahr and describe the issue and that you would like a new recoil spring. They'll send you one free of charge. Same thing happened to my CW9 and a new recoil spring solved the problem.

[dustnchips]

Check to make sure the slide is all of the way forward. Just a bit back could keep the striker from hitting hard enough. Sharpetop above mentioned recoil springs as a cure, and that could be a reason for the slide not going all the way forward. If its not a dirty striker channel or weak recoil springs the next thing would be to check for a tight chamber with a "plunk test"

[markman]

I'd also check the extractor tension, too much tension can give the symptoms of a weak recoil spring.

[Frank Ingram]

Yes, I wish I could post pictures and diagrams like Greg here does. It's on the bottom of the slide near the back. It's spring loaded. Easily depressed. This clears the way so the striker can go through its full travel.
Many use brake cleaner to flush out the striker channel and doing this same thing while doing this should help too.
Mine don't seem to accumulate junk and they were clean when I got them new but some have found junk in there.
I'll see if I can find a picture, I know there are some here.



Thank you you for the wealth of information guys. Since this is a brand new pistol I am going to give Kahr the chance to make it right before I attempt any tinkering. I’m hopeful because I want this pistol to be my concealed carry. I’ll update my journey.

So far I have put 400ish rounds through it with one failure to extract (stove pipe) which happened during the 200 round break in period so i take that with a grain of salt. And, twenty or so light primer strikes mostly after the 200 round beak in. I only had one light primer strike during the 1st 200 rounds with the rest coming between rounds 200-400.

[Far East Person]

I had my CW9 for almost 3 years and never had a light strike. Something is wrong with your gun, it is not normal.

[Ikeo74]

Do not oil the striker channel. If you oiled it then that is most likely the problem. If you didn't oil it then powder residue from the first 200 rounds may have got into is and is preventing full movement toward the primer. Other causes may be the ammo you are shooting is slightly out of spec. Are you shooting factory or reloads?

[Frank Ingram]

Do not oil the striker channel. If you oiled it then that is most likely the problem. If you didn't oil it then powder residue from the first 200 rounds may have got into is and is preventing full movement toward the primer. Other causes may be the ammo you are shooting is slightly out of spec. Are you shooting factory or reloads?

Straight factory loads. I don't do any reloading. Blazer brass, federal hst, remington green and white box, and sig sauer elite performance. All of them malfunction at random intervals and all but one of the malfunctions have come past the 200 round break in period.

Did not oil anywhere near the striker channel. I'm very conservative on lubrication. I have RMA'd the pistol back to Kahr. I am giving them a chance to fix it before I move on to a different pistol for my edc.

Customer service to this point has been good. I'll see what the pistol does when I get it back.

I have to be honest though, I don't trust this pistol at this point. There are way too many highly reliable pistols out there and I'm not going to trust my life to something that doesn't go boom when I pull the trigger.

I will put several hundred rounds downrange when I get it back. Hopefully this is a one off quirk and Kahr fixes it right the first time. Until then, I'm back to carrying my Glock 19. Its a brick and it's not light and it pulls my britches down a bit but it also goes boom everytime I pull the trigger.

[bstep]

Straight factory loads. I don't do any reloading. Blazer brass, federal hst, remington green and white box, and sig sauer elite performance. All of them malfunction at random intervals and all but one of the malfunctions have come past the 200 round break in period.

Did not oil anywhere near the striker channel. I'm very conservative on lubrication. I have RMA'd the pistol back to Kahr. I am giving them a chance to fix it before I move on to a different pistol for my edc.



Customer service to this point has been good. I'll see what the pistol does when I get it back.

I have to be honest though, I don't trust this pistol at this point. There are way too many highly reliable pistols out there and I'm not going to trust my life to something that doesn't go boom when I pull the trigger.

I will put several hundred rounds downrange when I get it back. Hopefully this is a one off quirk and Kahr fixes it right the first time. Until then, I'm back to carrying my Glock 19. Its a brick and it's not light and it pulls my britches down a bit but it also goes boom everytime I pull the trigger.

Im in the same boat with my P9! Its at the factor right now getting repaired for the 2nd time. I don't trust this gun anymore!!

[dustnchips]

The light strikes sure sound like a bit of manufacturing junk in the striker channel with powder residue from the first 200 rounds added in. When you get the gun back and start shooting it again make sure to spray cleaner through the hole in the bottom of the striker channel to keep it clean. I've put 200+ rounds through my CW380 in a session without a problem but I did clean the striker channel when new. Good luck, you'll love the gun when you get it shooting.

[Frank Ingram]

The light strikes sure sound like a bit of manufacturing junk in the striker channel with powder residue from the first 200 rounds added in. When you get the gun back and start shooting it again make sure to spray cleaner through the hole in the bottom of the striker channel to keep it clean. I've put 200+ rounds through my CW380 in a session without a problem but I did clean the striker channel when new. Good luck, you'll love the gun when you get it shooting.

Thank you for the words of wisdom. I really want to like this pistol. When I get it back I'm planning on shooting the darned thing a ton to see if I can trust it with my life.

[Gebe]

Just wondering, have you field stripped it just to have a look inside? I think dustnchips may be on the right track.

I bought a new CW9 awhile back and when I stripped it like I do to all my new pistols to check things out, there were tiny bits of plastic flashing from the manufacturing process everywhere. Took me over 3 hours to get all the crud out. Ran perfectly after that.

[Frank Ingram]

Just wondering, have you field stripped it just to have a look inside? I think dustnchips may be on the right track.

I bought a new CW9 awhile back and when I stripped it like I do to all my new pistols to check things out, there were tiny bits of plastic flashing from the manufacturing process everywhere. Took me over 3 hours to get all the crud out. Ran perfectly after that.


I did a basic strip and clean. I didn’t remove the firing pin or anything more than taking off the slide and cleaning the barrel/spring/rod/ and the surface innards of the gun.

Kahr has it in their factory right now. I’m looking forward to getting it back and shooting it again.

[RustyIron]

I am going to give Kahr the chance to make it right before I attempt any tinkering.

That's probably the wisest decision, since the problem existed right out of the box. But eventually you'll need to learn to yank the striker and clean up the channel. Lubricant, powder fouling, and other scrunge will find it's way in there, potentially diminishing reliability. You don't want the first indication of "too much dirt" to be the day when you REALLY NEED the gun to function.

[Frank Ingram]

That's probably the wisest decision, since the problem existed right out of the box. But eventually you'll need to learn to yank the striker and clean up the channel. Lubricant, powder fouling, and other scrunge will find it's way in there, potentially diminishing reliability. You don't want the first indication of "too much dirt" to be the day when you REALLY NEED the gun to function.


i agree with what you are saying. however, my edc won’t be a finicky ammo sensitive gun. i’m not saying this gun is...yet. i believe in proper cleaning and maintenance but if it gets to the point that i have to detail strip this gun after every 200 rounds just to get it to go bang, it will no longer be my gun. 😄

[Bawanna]

You certainly won't have too. Usually if there's junk its from the start. I take mine apart very rarely and usually find that it wasn't necessary at all.
It's easy to flush it out without disassembly so really no concern once they get it sorted out.

[dustnchips]

I flush through the small hole in the bottom of the slide when I clean the gun and have over 1500 trouble free rounds since I pulled the striker and cleaned the channel on my CW380. ammo finnicky? Who cares as long as it works perfectly with a good defense ammo. I have shot half a dozen or more brands of range ammo with no problem and both of the defense rounds I tried worked perfectly to. If I run into a brand that doesn't work I will just not buy it anymore.

[Bawanna]

Just out of curiosity and since I've not taken it apart since it was new when I took it apart to see if there was any machining stuff left behind (there was none) I took mine apart this morning, a PM45 but same principal, I never flush it out, just not convenient to go outside to spray it.
There was enough to make a q tip dirty but certainly not enough to cause the slightest concern.
I was surprised I got it apart so easily, seems I struggled just a bit before. They can be a little more difficult the first time, things can be tight.

I feel good now knowing it's all good.

[RustyIron]

i agree with what you are saying. however, my edc won’t be a finicky ammo sensitive gun. i’m not saying this gun is...yet. i believe in proper cleaning and maintenance but if it gets to the point that i have to detail strip this gun after every 200 rounds just to get it to go bang, it will no longer be my gun.

I totally agree. My first striker fired gun was an 80's vintage Glock. I didn't know anything about striker fired guns when I bought it, so I gave it no special treatment and it ran flawlessly. My next striker fired gun was a Kimber, and it was a finicky ***** right out of the box. On one of the trips back to the manufacturer, they proclaimed that the striker channel was contaminated with oil. WTF? My Glock could be black with scrunge and it would run flawlessly! Before you think that I'm a moron (I probably am, but for different reasons), on a subsequent trip back for warranty repair, they conceded that my gun was a POS, melted it down, gave me something else, and discontinued that model. After that experience, I generally remove firing pins or strikers periodically. Perhaps it's a little OCD, but it makes me happy.

[Frank Ingram]

I flush through the small hole in the bottom of the slide when I clean the gun and have over 1500 trouble free rounds since I pulled the striker and cleaned the channel on my CW380. ammo finnicky? Who cares as long as it works perfectly with a good defense ammo. I have shot half a dozen or more brands of range ammo with no problem and both of the defense rounds I tried worked perfectly to. If I run into a brand that doesn't work I will just not buy it anymore.


Who cares? I care! I don’t want a gun that is a delicate flower that won’t go boom when my life is on the line.

My glock goes boom. each. and. every. time. Defensive rounds, range rounds, tulammo, wolf, etc...

It matters to me and it always will. Kahr has this one chance to make it right. If they don’t then I will by dumping the gun for something that is more reliable.

I like Paul Harrel’s take on defensive ammo. I’m not willing to spend upwards of 1.00 plus per round because i won’t pracitce with it. cost is an issue for me and i am not going to not shoot my ticonderoga preciouses.

🤪

[Frank Ingram]

Purchased a new Cw9 and am having a terrible time with the firing pin not striking the primer hard enough to fire the cartridge. I have tried Blazer Brass Fmj, Remington green box jhp, sig sauer elite performance jhp and federal hydra shock ammo and all of them fail at random times with light primer strikes in this gun. I have a Glock 19 and have never had a primer failure. Is this common in this gun?

I bought this gun because i wanted a single stack 9mm and liked the way it fit my hand. Plus, i didn’t see too many issues on the interwebz with this partficular model. Did i just get a lemon? I hope Kahr fixes it. This dud is going back to the factory. I really like the trigger and it carries like a dream.

The dang thing doesn’t do me any good if it doesn’t go boom when i pull the trigger.


Got the gun back from the factory on 1/11/2019 and this is listed verbatim on what they said was done:

REPLACED STRIKER SPRING, REPLACED EXTRACTOR SPRING, REPLACED SLIDE, TESTFIRED OK (AMERICAN EAGLE 115 GR FMJ, REMINGTON 115 GR JHP) - #3

I took the gun to the range today, loaded up a magazine with 115 gr Remington Green and White Box jhp, boom, boom, boom, click..... :mad:

I loaded a magazine up with 115 gr Blazer Brass FMJ, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, click..... :mad:

Two lite strikes in ten rounds in unacceptable. Especially for a gun they were supposed to have "fixed".

I'm done with this handgun. There is nothing and I mean absolutely nothing that Kahr Arms could do at this point that would ever let me trust this gun.

I'm trying to think of an ethical way in which to recoup my 350 dollars I paid for this gun. Does Kahr Arms do buybacks? lol.

I know I'll never recoup the range fees, ammo cost, money for an extra magazine, and holster for this gun.

Sorry guys, this has been my experience with Kahr Arms. I really wanted this gun to work. I love the feel. I love how it carries. I love the look of it. I even love the trigger. But it won't do what a gun should do every time the trigger is pulled. If it can't perform such a basic function I could never trust my life with it.

Thank you for your hospitality on this site.

[DavidR]

Sorry to hear this.

I understand your frustration as I had a CW380 that went back to Kahr for repair and was returned with the problem not fixed. I’m a Kahr fan but it’s hard to see how they send back a pistol with the same problem.

[markman]

Light primer strikes can (not always) be caused by the pistol not returning fully into battery. I mean fraction of an inch not returning into battery, where it's possible you couldn't even see it. Being how Kahrs are notorious for extreme extractor tension, including the last 3 I bought, I would check that first. It isn't that hard to do, and you can do it with a 1/4" bolt and a postal scale. I have and would personally check any Kahr pistol I bought before I even fired it. I was actually told by a very well respected gunsmith that the current Kahr really doesn't know how to fix their own pistols, they are just a bunch of parts changers. They had some people in he past that were very good, unfortunately they are no longer there. That is really a shame.

[gb6491]

Light primer strikes can (not always) be caused by the pistol not returning fully into battery. I mean fraction of an inch not returning into battery, where it's possible you couldn't even see it. Being how Kahrs are notorious for extreme extractor tension, including the last 3 I bought, I would check that first. It isn't that hard to do, and you can do it with a 1/4" bolt and a postal scale. I have and would personally check any Kahr pistol I bought before I even fired it. I was actually told by a very well respected gunsmith that the current Kahr really doesn't know how to fix their own pistols, they are just a bunch of parts changers. They had some people in he past that were very good, unfortunately they are no longer there. That is really a shame.
Any idea where the "very well respected gunsmith" came up with that tidbit?

[markman]

This "very well respected gunsmith" apparently had repaired numerous pistols that had been returned to the customers by Kahr that still had the same problems they had sent them in for. It is not that hard for me to believe, there are 2 people in this very thread it has happened to and many more on this site. He also told me he had contacted Kahr on numerous occasions, but they weren't really interested in listening to him.


Any idea where the "very well respected gunsmith" came up with that tidbit?

[gb6491]

This "very well respected gunsmith" apparently had repaired numerous pistols that had been returned to the customers by Kahr that still had the same problems they had sent them in for. It is not that hard for me to believe, there are 2 people in this very thread it has happened to and many more on this site. He also told me he had contacted Kahr on numerous occasions, but they weren't really interested in listening to him.
OK, so it's his opinion. I'm glad he explained to you how he formed it. I was just wondering if he had some first hand knowledge of Kahr's repair service or an inside source at Kahr.

[markman]

Absolutely his opinion, aren't most things on these boards opinions?

[gb6491]

Absolutely