New Owner With Time Sensitive Reliability Issues

[duegatti]

Hi; I'm Joe, and I think this is my first post here. Last summer I got a 2015 K9, fired a few hundred rounds through it. Went pretty well. I encountered a couple of what I thought were failures to feed, and I just pulled back on the slide a bit to get going again - but more on this later.

Last month, I got a 2003 T9. This has horrible premature slide lock issues. I have the option to get a refund on this gun until next week, AND, the store has another, much newer T9 available. I test fired this newer gun - five rounds each through both magazines, and it functioned perfectly.

Yesterday, I talked to Kahr tech support about my gun. They seemed a bit terse and impatient. They insisted I inspect the contact between the slide lock lever and its spring with the slide on, so that I really couldn't see the contact, and discouraged me from removing the slide, which would allow me to see this easily. They had me order a new slide lock lever spring. It should arrive tomorrow.

After the unpleasant phone call, I removed the slide and saw that, yes, the spring is above the slide lock lever - but I think it was too far above it. At rest, it did not contact the slide lock lever - the lever could rattle up and down a bit. I was unable to bend the spring down. I have so far been unable to remove the existing spring - I could not pull it out of the frame, and I was afraid of breaking it off in the from. At this point, I'm confident that I've pretty much trashed that spring. Could anyone advise me on the removal and replacement of that spring?

In addition to these spring issues, I also noted that the top rounds in my magazines were being moved far forward. Simply chambering a round was enough to move the next round forward - it is not necessary to fire the gun. Same problems with two different FMJ "range" cartridges. The newer T9 at the store did not allow the top rounds to go forward. I was not able to inspect the slide lock lever spring on this newer gun.

Now I'm wondering if my K9 was really failing to fire, or if it was premature lock-back that I was fixing by pulling the slide back. I'm on my way back to the range today to shoot the K9. I understand that the K9 has a completely different slide lock lever and spring. But:

1). If my K9 is locking back prematurely, I'm inclined to get a refund on my T9, and walk away from Kahr.
2). If my K9 is not locking back prematurely, I'm inclined to get a refund on my T9, and buy the newer, functioning T9.

I guess what I'm saying is I'm afraid to get into a rabbit whole, trying to fix my current T9. I don't have confidence in either the trouble shooting/parts swapping tech support, and I don't have confidence that Kahr would get it right if I sent them the gun. I've done a bunch of reading about premature slide lock, and it sounds like some people achieve success, and some people don't.

I'd love to have both my guns run well - I really like them, and am fascinated by the feel of their operating systems. But I don't want to take on a new hobby of diagnosis and repair. As I implied earlier, I need to make my decisions quickly.

Sorry to dump a problem on everyone with my first post - but I could very much use anyone's help. What do you folks think?

[duegatti]

Just called Kahr again. Gunsmiths are not in today.

[DavidR]

The slide lock spring on my CM9 comes out by removing the screw that holds it in place with a T5 Torx screwdriver.

I’ve been having problems with my CM9 slide not locking back. Greg and Bawanna have been very helpful. There’s a recent thread with pictures on this issue. I haven’t tested mine yet to see if it’s fixed.

Hopefully they will chime in.

[duegatti]

I've taken out that screw. I'm subsequently unable to pull the spring away from the frame; to get it out of the seating hole in the frame.

[gb6491]

I've taken out that screw. I'm subsequently unable to pull the spring away from the frame; to get it out of the seating hole in the frame.
The Slide Release Lever Spring has a straight leg that goes into that hole. It should pull right out, but I suppose some grime or maybe thread locker could be impeding it. I'd try prying it lightly, maybe use a little WD40 on it. If that's a no go, take the grips off and hit the area with some heat (hair dryer should do the trick), then give it another try.
https://i.postimg.cc/MKFLKpmv/spring-copy.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
Regards,
Greg

[Bawanna]

As mentioned in the earlier mentioned thread one should never bend the slide lock spring but loosen the attaching screw and rotating it as needed.
Your rounds moving forward is quite common in almost all semi auto's and generally not an issue.

You understandably seem to have lost confidence in this T9 and although I think it's fixable fairly easy, since your confidence is gone you might be more comfortable going after the second one.

Remember the T5 screw that holds the spring is screwing into polymer, so just snug, its easy to strip the threads out.

Keep us posted, here to help if we can.

[yqtszhj]

Hang in there, you outta be able to get it running without too much trouble or money. Most likely just that spring issue. As usual I think Greg nailed it above.

[duegatti]

Well, I put 150 rounds through my K9, and it ran like a Glock. Kahr did ship my springs today; so I should get them tomorrow. The woman who drives the FedEx Express truck is very attractive. The newer T9 has some grips that have beautiful vertical grain, but don't fit perfectly. I notice on the web store that they caution us that some fitting may be required, and longer screws are necessary. The grips did seem to make for a bigger overall grip. So are new T9 grips a crap shoot nowadays?

[duegatti]

The Slide Release Lever Spring has a straight leg that goes into that hole. It should pull right out, but I suppose some grime or maybe thread locker could be impeding it. I'd try prying it lightly, maybe use a little WD40 on it. If that's a no go, take the grips off and hit the area with some heat (hair dryer should do the trick), then give it another try.

Regards,
Greg

I was prying it, and that was what bent it, and made me worry that I might snap the straight leg off into the hole. I'll see if I have some fine needle nose pliers; see if I can grab that thing closer to the hole.

[duegatti]

As mentioned in the earlier mentioned thread one should never bend the slide lock spring but loosen the attaching screw and rotating it as needed.
Your rounds moving forward is quite common in almost all semi auto's and generally not an issue.

You understandably seem to have lost confidence in this T9 and although I think it's fixable fairly easy, since your confidence is gone you might be more comfortable going after the second one.

Remember the T5 screw that holds the spring is screwing into polymer, so just snug, its easy to strip the threads out.

Keep us posted, here to help if we can.

Wait; what? This is a metal T9. Don't tell me that screw goes into polymer!?

I'd like to make my gun work. The trigger is superb - it is lighter and smoother than my K9 - which is already a very nice trigger.

I'm also not wild about how the grips fit on the newer gun, and don't know if it is possible to source grips that fit as well as those on my gun.

Does the new rear dovetail give us more options for sights? Is that worth anything to me?

[Bawanna]

My seriously bad, not sure why I was thinking polymer especially since I've spent the last week intimate making some grips for my T9.
If your patient I can probably make your grips fit better, done so on several K's and MK's which are pretty much the same issue.
Send me a PM or an email if your interested.

Not sure where that polymer came from, I best reschedule my alhzeimers test I guess.

[BirdsThaWord]

“Does the new rear dovetail give us more options for sights? Is that worth anything to me?”
I’ve found that Dawson Precision can get you upgraded sights for just about anything. If you are unsure about what you need, you can push off your sights and send them in to them. They will make sure you get the correct fitting one’s. May need a few passes over sandpaper at the dovetail base, but the cut/shape of the dovetail will be correct. I got fiber optic sights for my k9 from them by doing just that. Cheers!

[duegatti]

Old spring had to be yanked and twisted out with needle nose. Similarly, new spring did not just drop into place. I used the screw to push it in and seat it. It is evident that the engagement end is much lower, and when I insert the slip lock lever without the slide on, it is evident that, at rest, the spring is in contact with the lever now.

The engagement end did seem to get pushed up a little after I put the slide lock lever in, because when I removed the slide lock lever again, the engagement end has move up so that it was no longer "resting" on part of the frame.

I'll take some pictures. Right now, I've got to get my taxes done. Later this afternoon, I'm going for a root canal and colonoscopy (that's a joke). I may just make it to the range for my third day in a row; if not, I'll certainly go tomorrow.

[DavidR]

Old spring had to be yanked and twisted out with needle nose. Similarly, new spring did not just drop into place. I used the screw to push it in and seat it. It is evident that the engagement end is much lower, and when I insert the slip lock lever without the slide on, it is evident that, at rest, the spring is in contact with the lever now.

The engagement end did seem to get pushed up a little after I put the slide lock lever in, because when I removed the slide lock lever again, the engagement end has move up so that it was no longer "resting" on part of the frame.

I'll take some pictures. Right now, I've got to get my taxes done. Later this afternoon, I'm going for a root canal and colonoscopy (that's a joke). I may just make it to the range for my third day in a row; if not, I'll certainly go tomorrow.

Sounds like you're making progress. Keep us posted.

[Bawanna]

I sent you a PM duegatti.

[duegatti]

1). The new spring that I forcefully seated with the screw was easily removed with needle nose from the hole through the frame. It appeared to have opened up slightly from the handling that it went through, which included inserting and removing the slide lock lever without the slide on.

2). I ensured the hole was clear by reaming it out with a syringe needle.

3). I put oil on top of the hole and on the end of another new spring. This I would say did "drop in". It did require a push open for the other, open end - the piece that contacts the slide lock lever - to clear the little ledge in the side of the frame. At this point, it was flat against the frame, and as low as it could go, resting on the ledge. The screw held the horizontal bottom portion, and maybe even the last third of the spring, the part after the vertical run which retains the slide lock lever.

4) I began to wonder if it is bad practice to insert and remove the slide lock lever with the slide off. I began to wonder if the slide contributes to the retention of the spring, such that the spring will not be pulled away from the frame when you remove the slide lock lever, and will not be deformed or opened up. I haven't got that answer yet - it didn't really look like it when I put the gun back together. I still don't see how you're supposed to see the contact between the slide lock lever and its spring when the gun is assembled.

5). Ran back to the range for the third day in a row (I don't understand how anybody gets anything done before they retire), and had 200 rounds of Glock-like perfection. The problem is solved.

Technically, I still have a few days to get my money back on this gun, and put it toward the other, more expensive, much more recent used T9 that they have - the one with the ill-fitting grips and new rear dovetail. My gun's got a nicer trigger right now. Both guns have spent Trijicons.

So my only remaining question would be - what is the value of the new rear sight dovetail? Would it get me into an interesting aftermarket sight that the old dovetail cannot?

[gb6491]

1). .....
So my only remaining question would be - what is the value of the new rear sight dovetail? Would it get me into an interesting aftermarket sight that the old dovetail cannot?
"New style" dovetail only:
HiViz fiber optic sights (Kahr has them (https://shopkahrfirearmsgroup.com/parts-accessories/kahr-arms/sights/?sort=featured&page=1))
Meprolight FT Bullseye Fiber & Tritium Night sight (Kahr has them)
TruGlo Tritium Pro and TFX PRO Tritium Night Sights (I like Lakeline LLC for these (https://lakelinellc.com/product-category/kahr-pistol-accessories/kahr-sights/))
Williams Firesights (green or red) (Kahr has them)

Both dovetail styles are listed at Dawson Precision (https://dawsonprecision.com/sights/kahr-arms/), Kahr (Trijicon), and XS sights (https://www.xssights.com/Products.aspx?CAT=12453)

Regards,
Greg

[duegatti]

Oooh . . . . that is super to know. And I'm really cool to any kind of three dot; I pretty much like a plain black rear. So of those exclusively new style sights, only the Meprolights could be of interest. I think I'd be perfectly happy with the three options for the old slide cut. I actually did some serious work with Ashley small dots on a Glock 17 - even though people like to crap all over express sights. A Dawson black back/fiber optic front would be similar to what I've got on my 9mm 1911, which is the gun that my Kahrs are relieving. I could see putting small dots on my K9, but I think it makes more sense to have similar or identical sights on both Kahrs.

Any other reason to go for the newer gun? Right now I'm set to be happy keeping the T9 that I have, with its sublime trigger.

[duegatti]

And while I wouldn't necessarily want to shut down this thread - thanks to everyone for all the help.