slide melted and cerakoted my pm9

[apheod]

had a local shop, FTW motorsports do this for me, and i'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

next plans for it is a stipple job by another local person, then back to FTW after i decide what color i want the frame coated in, and probably doing the trigger in the same green as the slide. did a quick polish job on the barrel, its going to be nicely finished then.

after that, i'm in search of a good man to do a trigger job on it. i had planned on sending it to bill springfield, since i know how wonderful he does with HKs, and he says he can smooth it up and drop it to about 5# for $39. this sound reasonable?

i'm very open to criticism or suggestions. i'm thinking a real dark titanium grey for the frame.

http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo303/ftwmotorsports/Guns/IMG_1554.jpg

http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo303/ftwmotorsports/Guns/IMG_1553.jpg

http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo303/ftwmotorsports/Guns/IMG_1555.jpg

http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo303/ftwmotorsports/Guns/IMG_1557.jpg

http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo303/ftwmotorsports/Guns/IMG_1556.jpg

[apheod]

here are some examples of the work of the man i have stippling the grip next week.

http://www.yourtacticaledge.com/Photos.php

[jocko]

a waste of money on trigger work, there is nothing he can do to make it better. You can go to wolffs and buy their 5# striker spring, that is all that christenson will do. Everything else looks super. You will have a dandy. You can go to this forum and pull up Jocko's custom PM9 and see about what you will end up with.

The way a kahr trigger system works there is realy nothing to smooth up, that is also why about every person who buys a kahr comments how smooth the trigger is. If you are having the gun at christkenson for other work then for $35 I would let him to it for by the timeyou order a 5# striker spring from wolffs andpay postage you will eat up half of $35, but other wise your goann hav eto mail the gun tohim both ways and u can't sent it through regular U. S. mail so you will spend 50 bucks to and from in postage. I highly recommend the 5# wolffs striker spring, really changes the feell triger tavel doesnt change so the gun is still rock solid safe.

I hav emore n my custm owrk than I did in the original cost of the gun but I knew it was going to be my personal carry so I did not really care. I would let someone do a barrel crown also, just adds to the custom work and certainly doesnt hurt anything. Not sure what sights your g onna put on but look at my custom PM9 and you willsee the xs big dots, . They are super sights for the PM9.

I think I would also melt the slide lock lever and you can also have that slide lock lever pin on the right side that sticks out to me like a sore thumb. melted back enough to look like a normal frame pin..

Post your finished product when all done.

[DasFriek]

I always like finished pics instead of 1/2 done pics as other people cant see whats in your head and where your going, Except jocko maybe. He seems kinda odd enough to be able to do that. But his thread shows almost every mod that can be done too a Kahr and it came out very sweet and classy.

Two months ago i did a full rebuild from the pins and springs up with all high end parts that i hand fit on my 1911, Then i beveled and melted it and had it refinished in GunCoat over parkerization in a satin black.
I have three times the original cost wrapped up in that gun and love it to death. But i took pics as it progressed and gets scary and make you question whether your doing the right thing until you get to the end. Then you know you did the right thing as it came out perfect.

Definitely a tan frame with the trigger in the same green as the slide.
I may be new to Kahr's but not guns and ALL my guns get trigger jobs. But once i shot my MK9 i knew id never attempt to make it better except maybe a 5lb spring as i know i couldn't make it better. But if a pro will take a look and help it for $35 and it even gets slightly better it may be worth it. But i wouldn't expect much to be gained there.

This guys stipple job came out much better than id expect with a PM frame due to all the deep cuts originally.
http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=5426

Good luck and i look forward to pics as you progress, "I love it when a plan comes together"- A-Team

[Knuckler]

I had mine stippled by a local guy here in VA....check out my "I stippled my PM9" thread.
It came out nice and grippy, and the stippling on the both sides of the frame and under the trigger guard really add functional surfaces for my weak hand while shooting...

[apheod]

i'd seen both jockos and knucklers threads, i looked over a good portion of this forum before deciding on modifications.

i agree the pistol would look good with a tan frame, but i want to keep the gun pretty dark, the green is darker than it looks under that flash in my pics.

my trigger is smooth and nice, but there are 2 "clicky" spots in it, about 1/3 and 2/3 of the way through the pull. i could do without that mechanical resistance feeling. i think i'll try polishing the parts myself and adding the 5# spring.

knuckler, i loved your stipple job, but don't think i'd want something quite so extensive. the grip is exactly what i would want, but don't think i'd need the trigger guard or front of the weapon done.

as for the barrel crown, that is said to add a bit of accuracy, right? my biggest beef with this pistol is how much the slide moves when i pull the trigger. its like it nosedives a 1/16" or so, very visible and very annoying. it doesn't seem to affect accuracy at SD distances, but my other carry weapon is an HK so i'm not accustomed to these sort of shenanigans! is there anything that can be done to make the slide sit in the rails tighter?

[jocko]

apbeod: these stipply additions to the trigger guard and up front on the frame is just more cosmetic than functional. If you was going to have it done, you could stipulate just where u wanted it done etc.

The slide movement that your referring to, is simply nothing to worry abot, It won't effect your accuracy enough to matter. Not sure the barrel crown will increase accuracy of your kahr either, I did it because while it was in the hands of the fella doing my work I just did it, It can protect the barrel somewhat, possably if it is dropped etc, but again this is a more cosmetic thing that actual functional in such a small ass pistol anyway.

If you pulled up JOCKO'S CUSTOM PM9, it might give you some insights into what you might want and what you might not want.. When one gets into some of this custom stuff on guns, it is basicallya personal thing more than sometimes functional. I personally lke a fully stippled gun. They won't win any beauty contests but I have not seen a shi-ty stippling job. Seen some I would not have had done that way but never shi-ty looking. I melted my blunt nose PM9 slide and really it was not necessary either, just something I wanted done. Slide melting is really not alot of slide melting when you think about it,,, just taking off some of the squared corners. Slide finishing, well there are just to many processes to discuss, they are all good, so I make no preferences on that either.

Something to check on those two clicky things. while doing that the next time push in on that back right side side plate and see if that eliminates that clicky stuff. Not alot to get kahrs triggers clicky but another place to look and "grease" is inside on the right side of the grip that trigger bar is being held in position by a spring that slides along the trigger bar when being pulled. It just might have a slight ass ruff place there. I would not recommend taking that side plate off to smooth that area up, just get a "Q" tip and put some good gun grease on it and dab it right on the bottom of that trigger bar where that little spring hooks under the trigger bar, In time that will soon go away with more rounds down range. If your gonna do the 5# striker spring, then that is the time when that back plate is off to pull the striker all the way out and polsih the dog turd out of it. It is nickel smooth but one never knows what a good polishing can do. U certainly will not hurt a darn thing. That top part of the cocking cam can take a nice polishing also, with no harm, no foul either. My bet ur clicky thing is in that trigger bar and spring area..

enjoy and just take ur time and u can do all this while the Packers are clubbing the dog crapola out of the Steelers..

[DasFriek]

If you slide is moving while pulling the trigger you may have something rubbing that shouldn't. After you inspect for that id say it could be a weakened and worn out recoil spring thats fighting against the striker spring.
A 5lb striker spring will make it happen less, But id still replace the recoil spring with a factory spec one or one thats a step higher in weight as that will surely hold the slide in place.
IMO it can affect accuracy, As if it moves just from trigger movement its not staying locked long enough for the bullet to fully exit the barrel before slide movement starts backwards.
Thats just a few thoughts i have, But it very well could affect nothing also.

[apheod]

i think i'm going to just stipple the sides at first, i may end up just leaving the checkering front and back depending on how it feels in the hand. i think the cerakote will help smooth out some of the sharpness of the checkering also, and dont want to modify it more than necessary to get it to stick well in the hand. i'm sure he can add on a full wrap around job to that if i change my mind later, but you can't really undo it once its done.

for the color on the frame, i'm thinking either sniper grey with a little black added to make it darker, or the OD green. the slide is currently mil spec green. theres a "virtual gun coater" at this link. http://nicindustries.com/guncoater.php

i do like the xs big dots, although i haven't tried them. i'm a little hesitant to change the sights on it after having coated over the top of the stock meprolights. i'm used to the 3 dot sights and shoot them well.

i've read up some on how to smooth out a kahrs trigger, and i'm certainly capable of polishing some parts up, but i'm worried about stripping the polymer threads out putting that screw for the side plate back in. i would rather leave that to a professional. if they strip it, they can replace it!

my recoil spring should have plenty of life left in it, i bought it NIB and have only put about 500 rounds through it.

[jocko]

Das Friek is correct: y PM9, I canpush the front slide down but it pops right back up to where it was and pulling the trigger back makes zero difference. Now I do have the 5# striker spring in the gun and that indeed could help but movement a 1/16 seems alittle like alot. even at that if it does it all the time you never know that you are really adjusting to it also. As the striker is being pulled backwards by the cocking cam, one could imagine some downward pressure at the rear of the slide but good reoil springs should offset any movement. I also have the 20.5# wolffs recoil spring sin my PM9 . that combination produces zero slide movement.

[Knuckler]

apbeod: these stipply additions to the trigger guard and up front on the frame is just more cosmetic than functional.

Actually, they are not cosmetic. I grip the pistol more with my weak hand, and the stippling on the left side of the frame allows my thumb to grip it, without slipping off during recoil. The stippling under the trigger guard allows for my weak hand index finger to get more traction...it really locks the gun into my hand.

The little "K" on the right side of the frame is so my wife will remember to keep her finger off the trigger until it is time to shoot....so, cosmetic for me, not so much for the wife.

[eastenn]

That turned out really nice. I like the idea of a melted slide. Before I got my K40 I was actually wanting a Sig SAS (sig anti snag, their melt).

I was looking at the slide's of the CW series, and I think they would make a great candidate for a melt job. They don't have the extra line (now faint on yours) running across the top side of the slide, nor do they have that little drilled in semi-sphere at the front of the slide bottom of bevel. And if bud's still has the CW9's for $366 one could have a melted slide finished in a nice black and have a sweet little gun.