Slide Release Failure

[coachjpg]

I coach a Scholastic Steel Challenge team, so I spend a lot of time at the active shooter's left elbow. This month I had 2 slide release levers fail, one in a Kahr E9, and one in an IMI Jericho. They both failed in the same way, the pin that passes through the slide broke. I attached a photo of the Kahr part. The Jericho part broke more in the middle of the pin.

We shoot factory Winchester ball, nothing hot and no reloads. We go through a lot of ammo, about 1000 rounds of 9mm per week, but that's spread among several guns. I'm generous with the lube, and lube per the instructions on this site.

Is this a common failure? Should I stock up on spare slide releases? Is there something special or different I should be doing to avoid this problem? It's a little embarrassing to have your gun break while someone is shooting it. At least these failures are not dangerous...

Thanks,
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[Bawanna]

I've never heard of one breaking. Hard to tell from the picture but I'd guess it was just bad material. It doesn't look like it sheared off clean more like metal failure.

Strange that you broke two on two different guns. Short of just ordering a replacement and trying it again, I don't know what to tell you. It certainly isn't a common thing.

[coachjpg]

Thanks. Twice in one month made me start to wonder...

The ends of the breaks look crystalline in structure. It looks like the steel wasn't cooled properly.

These guns are well over a decade old. Hopefully the new parts won't have the same problem.

Thanks again,
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[jocko]

two different gun makers, u had an anamoly for sure. NO they don't break. I have never heard of the pin actually breaking. Ihave seen a couple where it broke at the slide lock lever itself but never in the pin. U just got a bad slide lock lever. I would not stock up on them, kahr will send u a replacement. Ur E9 has some age on it, not that it should matter ..

Not sure kahr will give u a new replacement but you can ask, for sure tell them it is an E98 model, in case there is any difference. that will alert them that it is an old model so they probably will not send u a freebie but if u don't tell them what u have, there just ight be a different part that won't fit.

[coachjpg]

I called Kahr customer service and ordered 2 new parts. I had the model and serial numbers handy, but they didn't need the serial numbers. They did note that the E9 is a discontinued model, and Kahr transferred me to their Desert Eagle folks for the Jericho part. Both customer service folks were pleasant, professional, helpful, and they did have my parts in stock. It was all you can hope for in a customer service experience.

These are old guns, so I had no thought that they might ship me parts for free. Interestingly, the Kahr part was $24, and they shipped it "for free". The IMI part was $18 plus $6 shipping.

I presume these parts shouldn't require hand fitting from a gunsmith, right? I'm an old 1911 guy, and I've never seen slide release failures before. I guess that toggle in the 1911 makes recoil easier on the parts.

Thanks guys,
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[jocko]

should drop right in, u can't beat the freebie from kahr, nice of them, as I would have expected them to say $24 sir, but again this is not a common part failure, so they did you right in sending u one for free. The jerico part, I have no idea on how or why they charged u but it looks like ur gonna be up and running soon. being they just recenbtly bought desert eagel maybe they don;'t feel responsible on an old model..

[CJB]

Judging from the amount of finish on that part, it doesn't appear to have been used all that much. Did the E9 have a M.I.M. part?

I've played with all sorts of pistols since the late 70's... during the mid 80's to late 90's I did it for pay, and did very well with it. Never, ever, saw a pin snap like that. The 1911's take abuse on locking, and I've seen barrels develop problems (mushy metal), but not pins. Also saw two different, close to new Browning Hi-Power's shear off the bottom lug on the barrel (the foot part), but pins held solid.

My guess: Just an unhappy co-incidence that you saw two failures. If those parts were failing, the forums on the net would be full of all sorts of direct and indirect "evidence" and anecdotes. There's very little out there in that regard.

[coachjpg]

Kahr & IMI replacements are installed and seem to fit fine. I'll test-fire this weekend.

I don't know how to tell if a part is MIM. There did seem to be crystalline structure to the broken ends of the steel, which I thought indicated improper heat treating. Maybe it means MIM?

Fingers crossed that the new parts are made better than the old ones.

I've never seen this failure on a gun with a browning-style toggle link between the barrel and the slide release pin. It makes me wonder...

[jocko]

coachpig. It just happens sometime. I would not worry about it, as two different guns did it, Just a bad part, would be not different with a forged part, sh-t happens, not nice when it is u but for me I think we tend to down grade MIM and we have alot of MIM parts oncars that never fault. Just shoot um both like u stole it and u will soon put that all behind u..

If the part broke on a cw series, then that slide stop was a MIM, other than that to my knowledge all other kahrs have forged slide stop levers.