CW9 Misfire - No Primer Strike

[kldonegan]

I'm about 500 rounds in to my Kahr CW9, and have experienced two misfires. One was during the first 200 rounds, so I didn't give it much thought. The second happened today, about 120 rounds in to my time at the range.

Both misfires were exactly the same: RWS 124 grain practice ammo (what the LGS carries...) with the same magazine. Both happened toward the end of my shooting session. Both were midway through the magazine and the gun appears to have been in full battery. Both times the rounds showed no indentions on the primer and both fired on the second try.

I cleaned the striker channel (using the excellent guide found here) before this range outing, so I know that it was free of both oil and debris when the range session started. It hasn't happened with any other ammo or with my primary magazine. What could be causing this? Any input?

[kldonegan]

Can a Kahr be slightly out of battery and not fire? I had a definite click, but no strike.

[Bawanna]

If you gun is slightly out of battery your correct it won't fire. If you had a click it was either in battery or so close it thought it was. If there was no primer strike the striker apparently wasn't reset from the previous shot or it might have been right on the border line of lockup and just not close enough to hit.

The second instance after 120 rounds could have been a combination of ammo, shooter fatique, maybe a less than solid grip. I don't see a magazine related issue.

I'd not be too terribly concerned yet. 2 misfires with practice ammo in 500 rounds isn't catastrophic in my book. I'd keep shooting it. If you have this happen with your carry ammo early in a shooting session then I would become much more concerned.

[kldonegan]

I'm going to keep shooting it, for sure. It very well could be shooter related. It's my carry pistol, so I'll likely practice with it more than anything else. The striker and striker block appear to be functioning fine... I checked them out according to the manual while I was cleaning the gun. What would cause the striker to not reset?

[Bawanna]

Since you got a noteable click I'd say it reset. A weak round combined with a I hate the term but limp wrist, nothing solid for the recoil to hit against would slow things down enough to not reset.
If this was more often and with different ammo I'd say there was a trigger bar or trigger bar spring issue but not with just a couple.
You'd also have a completely dead trigger if it didn't reset. I think you would have noticed that part for sure.
Keep shooting.

[kldonegan]

There is a point at which the gun is out of battery but will still produce a "click." The firing pin, however, will not protrude. I've been messing with it all afternoon and am reasonable certain that it was just out of battery enough to produce a click but no bang. A good thing, if you think about it. If it had fired, I may have been in a world of hurt. Since it has only happened with one type of ammo, I'll take it and put it through a torture test with the ammunition it has been reliable with... which happens to be everything I've run through it BUT the RWS.

I'll report back after my next range visit.

[jocko]

I'm about 500 rounds in to my Kahr CW9, and have experienced two misfires. One was during the first 200 rounds, so I didn't give it much thought. The second happened today, about 120 rounds in to my time at the range.

Both misfires were exactly the same: RWS 124 grain practice ammo (what the LGS carries...) with the same magazine. Both happened toward the end of my shooting session. Both were midway through the magazine and the gun appears to have been in full battery. Both times the rounds showed no indentions on the primer and both fired on the second try.

I cleaned the striker channel (using the excellent guide found here) before this range outing, so I know that it was free of both oil and debris when the range session started. It hasn't happened with any other ammo or with my primary magazine. What could be causing this? Any input?

we tend to not let the trigger take its prescribed reset and then whyat u stated will happen. Ihave to side with bawanna, 2 in that many rounds is not inducive to a bad part, I don't want to say possable shooter error but it is also possable.:ohmy:

[Tilos]

Kldonegun:
See my response @ THR
Tilos

[kldonegan]

we tend to not let the trigger take its prescribed reset and then whyat u stated will happen. Ihave to side with bawanna, 2 in that many rounds is not inducive to a bad part, I don't want to say possable shooter error but it is also possable.:ohmy:

Entirely possible! This is my first semi-auto, so I'm learning as I go.

Think we've whittled it down to a poorly seated cartridge or user error (or both!), neither of which count against the gun in my mind.

[sharpetop]

I had quite a few light primer strikes early on with my CW9. I eventually e-mailed Kahr and they responded with "It's the ammo you are using." I e-mailed them back and called B.S. to that theory, because I had used five or six differentg brands and weights of ammo. Yes, some brands have very hard primers, especially ammo from other countries.
Eventially they sent me a new recoil spring and striker spring. The new recoil spring was longer and alot harder to compress than the original. Moral of the story is that the slide wasn't going completely back into battery, causing the light strikes. With the new, stronger recoil spring, the light strikes have gone away.

E-mail Kahr service and describe your issue and request a new recoil spring [and striker spring while you're at it]. Mine didn't cost me a dime and now my CW9 works great!

[jocko]

what sharpetop said is dead accurate. ifu get light strikes give the back of the slide a tap and seeif goes forward a tad. If so, the gun is not goinginto complete battery and u willget light strikes every time. Basically it is out of time. Normaly a new recoulo spring takes care of that issue to. What looks like a complete slide closing is indeed just a tad not and that is enough. This is not always the case as a out of spec trigger bar seems to rear up its head alot to. Something that we cannot fix in home, .. I hate that whenkahr tells a customer that it is the ammo, that is copout every damn time and they know better to. I have a hard time thinking our american ammo makers use anyt tyupe of hard primers, makes zero sense. as to WHY. If u buy foreigh ammo, then travel/shoot at ur own risk, but not so with Amiercan brand ammo. U can take 6 different primer makers and from one to six one is going to test out the softest and one the hardest BUT that does not mean the hardest primer is no good, For gun reasons shouldn't hold water IMO. Anytime you have 6 items they are going toscale 1 to 6, just the nature of the beast. Just my 2 cents.