New TP45 - QC?

[pcbkahr]

Just purchased a new TP45 at the local gun show this past weekend. Also have a CW40 purchased from same vendor at previous show (no problems other than usual Kahr stuff)
Once I got home & was able to break it down I could not believe how filthy it was. I have bought several firearms, new & used, but never experienced anything quite like this. There was also a small burr on the barrel lug. (Full inspection is not usually an option @ the shows due to the 'ZipTie' thrugh the barrel/slide. You can bet I will be cutting the next ziptie & field striping the next gunshow purchase - before $$). Had I been able to fully inspect this weapon it is not likely that I would have made the purchase.
I contacted Kahr & after some correspondence Jay agreed to send a shipping label out but said it would be a week or two turn around. He said all weapons are test fired & left uncleaned to show they had been fired...
That is all well and understandable. However this weapon looked like it had a couple hundred rounds or so through it with no cleaning or lube...
(FYI-the vendor I purchased both weapons from does not have a range or a rental program so this one came from Kahr like this)

Well given the prospect of a two week turn around & being like everyone else on here I surely didn't want to give up my brand new gun without taking it out on the 1st date. After all, Jay had indicated there was nothing unsafe about the weapon after viewing the photos I sent.
So I enlisted the help of my ex armory friend & we completed the job of removing the burr & trying to bring the weapon up to the condition every new weapon should leave Kahr in.
So today I hit the range with a couple hundred 45acp rounds. Winchester 230g FMJ, Federal 230g FMJ, Remington UMC 230g JHP. The ball ammo went fine, only had to tap the slide a couple of times to get to battery & this was after the weapon was pretty warm... The Remington JHP did not want to go into battery & once a live round lodged the slide partially open. I had to get range personnel to remove it in their shop. This problem sounds similar to the Hornady ammo problem & the small Kahr 45acp chambering.
I have included some pics below. The other gun is my Kahr CW40 with 500-1000 rounds through it for condition comparrison...

I like Kahr & being a Veteran I pride myself in trying hard to buy USA. That being said these are NOT $200 guns & as a customers I believe we deserve more in a 'finished' product.

[jocko]

If jay offered to sende a repair tag pickup, send the gun back document what you want them to examine also, the inside of that barrel I can't tell much other than it doesn't look right but it also could use a good damn cleaning to. yoiu should ask them (kahr) when this gun was made this can also give you some insight as to how old the gun is and possably if it has been in someone elses hands before yours. Looks like it has had more than a factory magazine test out of it to. That should be really a nice shooting 45 for you, but if they want to take it right then let then have a shot at it. two weeks is better (and it won't be that long) than complaining and worrying about what you bought also.. Personally for me I would jot care if kahr shot my new PM9 200 rudns before shipping it. they don't clean after test firing, most all companies don't do that. Proof tha tthey did and also an added cost andtime that they are not going to do either.

[CJB]

Your pictures dont show me a barrel with "several hundred" rounds. I have more finish "wear" on my PM45 just from pre-break in racking.

Go shoot the gun. Dont worry about the burr...

[kpm9]

Maybe you should have cleaned it and and inspected it when you got home. If it didn't look good then send it back to Kahr or where you purchased it from.

Now it's used and the dealer you purchased from doesn't have to refund your money unless it's severely broke.

Ever buy a Sig and see what condition it is sent from the factory?

[jocko]

these guys are right. kahr puts a dull asscoating on their barrles that wear right ouff. it is over their nickel plating, so IMO it needs not to be there. My PM9 barrel I took a dremel and polished the entire outside barrel to bring up the nickel finish. It now staqys that way and shows no wear. I periodically take a fine 600+ grip auto paper and just rub the outside of my barrel with it, keeps it shinnny and where I have it ported, it will over time get a dark mark around the port hyoles (like burn marks) and I just rub it right off withthe auto paper.. I am a person who takes care of his guns as most ofyou guys also do and I can tellyou my PM9 with literally thousands of rounds through it shows zero signs of aqny wedar and you would be hard pressed to doubt if I told you it only have 200 rounds through it. gun companies do not clean guns after they test them, and we have found out also that they don't do as good a job of cleaning some of them after their maching and finishing process either, so some real craola comes out of that striker channel on some guns and it ain't from firing it. todays ammois very clean, and it would take alot of rounds and messy ones at that to now jam up a good cleaned striker channel.

If you know the dealer you bought it from he sure cuold be the liason person between you and kahr and he could send it back for penny's on the dollar to. He should want to work with you being you have bought a couple of guns from him.

[johnh]

There is a local dealer that some shooters here are huge fans of who has been caught more than once selling a used gun or accessory to customers as new. I know, the TP probably was new, but I am just saying some dealers do stuff like that.

[pcbkahr]

The weapon was cleaned & inspected when I got it home. That's when the problems were noticed. I realize the selling vendor does not have to take the weapon back but given that Kahr had stated the weapon was safe to operate, my sentiments are with CJB.. go shoot the gun, don' worry about the burr.

My issue is: The more I read these forums I realize we have come to condition ourselves as customers to expect as the norm to have to 'refinish a finished product' ourselves upon purchase or send it directly back to the factory (without passing go or shooting) for 'refinishing'. I don't believe the guy/girl who purchases a weapon should consider themselves lucky if they get one that performs as advertised out of the box. That just seems to be the norm....
It would be like buying a brand new car and expecting to take it directly to the dealer service bay & leaving it for two weeks without ever test driving it or taking it home. Not to mention hoping it is correct when you pick it up.
I, like many of you, have had my share of car dealers and no, the transactions are not perfect.. However, we do expect to be able to use the car 'out of the box' without having to correct any immediate defects. I'm sure this could be argued in a few cases but not as the norm which is what I see in alot of these forums...

Maybe my sights are set too high....:rolleyes:

[pcbkahr]

BTW
The vendor log shows they received the weapon from Interstate Arms as new August 3, 2009.
Called them again today to verify & they gave me the info from their log. I'll try to call Interstate Arms tomorrow.

Kahr, when given the same SN, says it was manufactured December 2010.
I sent Kahr the SN via email as well as a photo of the SN on the weapon...
:cool:

Don't think the vendor would have any positive reason to tell me the weapon is older than it is. That would not work to their benefit....

[jocko]

I don't think anyone is doubting anyone, we are just trying to help eliminate some possables. Looks to me like the gun needs to be looked at by Kahr.

It is not the norm here for kahr owners to buy a gun fully expecting to hav eto send it back either . Ur only eading of those who have issues and not of those who are happy as a lark with their guns, be it a kahr, smith, glock or what ever. Ur always gonna read of complaints first on any gun forum and this one is no dfferent. 95% of all gun owners don't even know of this forum or could actually give a rats ass even. They didn't buy a akhr to get onto this forum, but oh boy when issues arise they come out of the wood work. But thats OK, it brings in new ideas. This forum has helped many owners with piddly things. Sometimes though it just has to go back to the moter ship to get right..

[pcbkahr]

I wasn't trying to specifically single out Kahr. My comment was a general industry one. I am not a long term handgun user/owner for sure. I do read/research alot.
I agree you do see the complaints first & am well aware of this.

My objective is to always to be as informed as possible & try to do the same for others.

I really like the fit/finish of Kahrs when functioning properly.
As stated previously, I try to buy USA when possible.
My present success ratio without my or the factory's intervention is 50% since I have only two.
One good, one not so good.

Just my personal experience so far.. Good or Bad.

Thank you everyone for your feedback.

[jocko]

not alibing for kahr here eihter. smetimes they turn out a real pos gun. IMO no excuse for it but I see where high dollar kimbers have the same pos issues at times. Price it seems doesn't always signify total reliablity and beauty. IMO ur gun needs to be looked at, for what that is worth anyhow. This forum like most forums can only trouble shoot u so far and then when all else fails it is time to let the makers have it to make it right. Sometmes these guns just need a tweeking that can be done at home instead of sending it back. "We have guys here good at some piddly fixes that maybe should not be , but they are. and then there are issues that only kahr with their immense parts that they can just inter change until it gets right. We don't have that priveldge as u well know...Stick with it, it willget irght. If u love the gun, then IMO give kahr this one chance to make u happy, after that no one will blame you for going to another product.

Guns are not like cars. can u imagine if Ford had 5% of their trucks that the front end fell off after 1000 miles. They would be out of business. It seems like the gun industry accepts even a higher percentage of faults in their products and that just does not seem right. Some say well glocks don't give issues. INDEED THEY DO.

[CJB]

Someplace back about six weeks ago, I started a thread about my PM45 and the burr. Oh no...!

It got just a little worse, and then no worse, and then I filed the burr down with a very sharp little Grobet equaling file. Burr be gone.

As an aside - those little Grobet files are about $35 EACH, are sharper than any other I've ever used, last forever, and cut the best. Worth every penny if you do any serious gun work.

The burr is just some wear in where the slide and barrel edge contact... its no big deal. We're talking duty/carry guns, not bullseye guns. Dont sweat it. The barrel will "brighten" where parts rub, thats normal.

Go and shoot the socks off that pistol!