What might cause this...

[Kahrcarrier]

I just picked up a NIB PM40. I took it to the range the other day and ran 150 rounds through it with no problems at all. However, I did notice that every time I tried to manually charge the firearm, the slide would not chamber the round and it appeared to nosedive against the feed ramp. It only did it with the extended mag and not the standard flush mag, that one worked perfectly. If I took one round out of the extended mag it then seemed to charge just fine.

My question is; has anyone else had this experience and if so, does it work itself out, what did you do to fix it, or do I have a bad mag?

Any advise is much appreciated.

[ripley16]

Welcome to the forum. The manual instructs users to use the slide release to chamber a round. If you manually rack the slide you must do it very aggressively... with gusto, without riding the slide in the least.

[jocko]

#1: Please read the onwers manual. #2 exactly what ripley 16 stated.

PM sent:

[jocko]

I would not trust my life with kahrs extended magazines, especiallyin the short ass grip well of the PM series. Mine worke dok inmy PM9 when i got it but Ihav enot used it in 4 years, I don't intend to carry witht hat magazine,so I tend topractice the way I carry. I do trust my flush fit mags. Ur probalby right about the hand pressure stuff to but again, if u want to play with it for range use, that is OK as issues can't killyou there but I just can't trust that magazine. One should not have to worry aobut whether he has proper hand pressure or not in a defense situation. Also I think that kahr extended magazine has to be the most butt ugly extended magazine that I have ever seen. Looks like they ranout of polymer????

[mudfish]

$1 says you're riding the slide forward.

[Kahrcarrier]

Some people have complained about reliable chambering from the extended magazines. Could it be that your hand is applying pressure to the extended base and causing the issue?

I had some with my PM9, P9 and K9 for a short time, but rid of them. I can't recall if I ever had any issues with them. They were KAHR magazines though. Are yours by any chance from PROMAG or other after market manufacturer?

Good point, I can feel some play from left to right between the mag and the mag well when it's inserted, but nothing forward to rear, it seems pretty tight in that respect. I just thought it was kinda odd that if I remove one round from the mag in question I can easily charge the firearm like I have always done with my auto loaders. Hum, maybe jocko is right about just getting a couple of the flush mags instead of dealing with this one. And I agree, the floorplate on the extended mags is hideous, but it did offer one additional round.

Anyway, thanks for information guys, great site and loads of info for a new Kahr owner................:)

[Kahrcarrier]

$1 says you're riding the slide forward.

You put some zero's behind that one and I'll make a video showing ya that that's not the cause.....:p

Respectfully, been running autos for well over twenty years and I've never had this issue. Not saying it's not possible, but my money is it's mag related. Like I said in my original post. "I can charge the firearm perfectly with the flush mag and even when I remove one round from the extended mag".. I'm thinking that the additional round somehow changes the angle for the sixth round (somehow)....

Anyway, thanks for the advice.. Take care!

[jocko]

if and if it works with the extended magazine fully loaded using the slide release but not when hand racking, then you answered your own question. If it does not work using the slide lock lever, then one has to assume it is magazine related. So so easy to test that out. One is the culprit...One needs to eliminate the posasbles before going on to the next step.

I can't tell you how much I hate the looks of those kahr extended magazines. It probably is just me but when we buy these PM series kahrs we are after ultra concealment etc, so why not just give us an extra flush magazine instead of that butt ugly one that sometiems works and sometimes doesn't. . doesn't matter to me if the magazine is the issue or whether is a person grip on the grip and magazine. It doesn't happenw with the flush mags??????

[garyb]

I always charge using the slide release (as Ripley and Jocko stated in accordance with the owner's manual) with all of my mags. I have never experienced a single failure of any kind. I admit that once my PM was broken in, I have tried it using the sling shot method to charge at the shooting range and this also worked fine, with no failures.

However, when I charge for carry, I use the slide release. I want to be certain it will work, as I have read complaints like Kahrcarrier's in other threads. I have 4 extended mags and one flush. All work properly, no failures of any kind and I am confident with each of them. All mags fall free when using the mag release.

I removed the springs in all my mags, waxed all parts (a couple of times) using a good hard paste floor wax (Johnson), buffed everything carefully and assured that the springs were installed properly. I do this on my wood working equipment to keep the metal to wood sliding freely. I often wonder if the plastic is the problem hanging up inside. Wax keeps things sliding well. Silicone may have the same effect within the mag, but I am not certain. Also, when I load my mags, I am very careful to ensure that the casings of the bullets are seated back against the mag properly, by using a couple of firm raps agains my hand. You can hear and feel them seat. I also pull up on the nose of the second bullet to ensure that it is facing up slightly - although I don't know that this really does anything for me. Just some input.

[Kahrcarrier]

An update to my own question..... I ask if this would work itself out, or if I had a bad mag..... My conclusion after a couple of range trips and a few hundred rounds down range is, YES, apparently all the mag and shooter needed was some range time together and problem solved.

I can now easily manually charge the pistol using the extended mag without any problems what so ever. I can also recharge the pistol after a reload without using the slide stop and it works every time. I can see the need for practice using the slide stop in the event your weak hand is hurt, but for range time and overall use I prefer the overhand method.

Anyway, just thought I'd pass the information along incase anyone else needed to see at least one case where neither the mag nor pistol needed to be replaced to run at 100%. My advise for a nose diving round with any Kahr mag. Work the mag out with a couple hundred or so rounds and try it then. The manual calls for a two hundred round break-in, so I guess it pertains to components for the pistol as well. :D

Cheers!

[ripley16]

Glad it worked out for you. Enjoy your new Kahr.

[jocko]

the nice thing about this report is tha the came back to the forum and explained what he did to master the racking thing, instead of leaving us with a feeling that maybe he got bad magazines or that something could be wrong with the gun.

A gun and a shooter hav eto mate up to be reliable kand that means mastering the quirks of hand racking kahrs. I do think when kahr states 200 rounds down range their intentions from all of this ,,, is the gun working some kinks out and also the shooter working some kinds out.

Nice report kahrcarrier..

[Kahrcarrier]

Thanks Jocko, my pleasure.

That was my intent, just as you stated. I wanted to make sure anyone experiencing the same malfunction could better evaluate their new Kahr through my experience and the solution while maintaining confidence in their weapon of choice.

Cheers!

[jocko]

I can remember talking to a kel tec inside technician and he told me that over 50% of their kt's that are sent back that NOTHING IS WRONG with them. That might be alittle high but I can certainly understand that to, as these guns, kahrs, kt. lcp, taurus are just small ass lightweight guns that for some are difficult to handle to be reliable. certainly they will blame the gun, for as u know my G17 or Big sig never gave me one issue and I have been shooting for 30 years, yadda yadda yadda. Also in defense of the owner, it is hard to tell if it is the shooter or the gun and that is why I always recommend letting another good shooter try it before panicking.