P40 part 1.75

[knkali]

Cleaned my p40 after the first 300 rnds and took it back to the range. Ran through another 200 rnds. Had some hiccups still. Slide not going all the way forward(did not experience this with the first 300 rnds or maybe I wasnt looking either.). No trigger on a round so I slap and rack and out pops a round indicating a rnd was in the chamber and the next one fires oK. Mag comes out during use. I think some, if not all, is shooter error. Maybe my grip is not tight enough. My hands are tired after 500 rnd in 2 days (got blisters to show for it), they were sweaty on a hot day too. Went to a shooting glove and the frequency of mishaps seemed almost gone but a few to make me still wonder(still could have limp wristed). Ordered Agrips and the pinky finger extention for my mag. Hopefully with a better grip, and healed hands, things will be good in the neighborhood.

[TucsonMTB]

Cleaned my p40 after the first 300 rnds and took it back to the range. Ran through another 200 rnds. Had some hiccups still. Slide not going all the way forward(did not experience this with the first 300 rnds or maybe I wasnt looking either.). No trigger on a round so I slap and rack and out pops a round indicating a rnd was in the chamber and the next one fires oK. Mag comes out during use. I think some, if not all, is shooter error. Maybe my grip is not tight enough. My hands are tired after 500 rnd in 2 days (got blisters to show for it), they were sweaty on a hot day too. Went to a shooting glove and the frequency of mishaps seemed almost gone but a few to make me still wonder(still could have limp wristed). Ordered Agrips and the pinky finger extention for my mag. Hopefully with a better grip, and healed hands, things will be good in the neighborhood.
Hey Mr. KnKali!

I am going to comment as if you know very little about firearms. If that is not the case, please do not be offended. Many others who read this will not be experienced shooters.

It sounds like you are currently experiencing "Failures to Return to Battery", FTRB for short. You are not likely to have been able to overlook any that might have occurred during your first 300 rounds since a FTRB effectively prevents the pistol from firing. Note: As a safety issue, most pistols will not fire when slide is not fully closed or "in battery". Usually the trigger just goes limp. Whacking the back of the slide to close it will often allow you to fire the current round.

Since you did not have the problem during your first session, it should be useful to understand what changed between your first and second sessions, such as: Different ammo. Less lubrication or a less effective lubricant. Recoil spring in backwards (the open end goes to the front). And, yes, if you are too fatigued to hold the pistol firmly, that can contribute.

Cleaning can also be an issue. Pay close attention to the breach face and extractor areas. You might even polish the breach face a bit with 600 grit sandpaper wrapped around something like a Popsicle stick or a small file (think jewelers flat file). If the edge of the stick polishes the inside of your extractor claw, so much the better. When you are done, blast with brake cleaner (such as you use to clean the striker channel) and re-lubricate the slide parts (except the striker channel). When polishing, be sure to limit you back and forth motions to the same direction the rounds will follow while sliding up the breach face, that is vertically.

My PM40 experienced consistent FTRB with specific ammo, but was fine with others. Because the ammo that did not work was my chosen carry ammo, it went back to Kahr, on their dime, for warranty work.

It came back with a much stronger recoil spring (hence my comment about yours being properly assembled) that almost fixed the problem. I noticed some horizontal machining marks in the breach face, so I polished the heck out of it to reduce their effect. It will now eat anything I feed it. Hopefully, you will not have quite as convoluted a path to success as I, but remember that Kahr customer service will do their best to solve any issues, so long as they are not shooter related, and will even send a cost free label to ship it back, if you ask politely and firmly, and they are certain there is a real problem for them to fix.

Best of luck . . . sorry for being so long winded. :)

[knkali]

Thanks TucsonMTB!

No offense taken. I appreciate all input. I had one incident today where there was no trigger, I checked the slide and it looked like it was in battery. I did not think to push on the back of the slide though and retry. Could a mm be enough to cause a FTRB or perhaps the rnd was not 100% in position?? When I racked it, a round ejected. I put it back in the mag and it fired.

I think it was a limp wrist since it only happened once. If it happens again, I will polish it. However, I looked at the breach face and the firing pin looks like it is protruding slightly. Should I/ can I press that back it to polish?

[TucsonMTB]

Thanks TucsonMTB!

No offense taken. I appreciate all input. I had one incident today where there was no trigger, I checked the slide and it looked like it was in battery. I did not think to push on the back of the slide though and retry. Could a mm be enough to cause a FTRB or perhaps the rnd was not 100% in position?? When I racked it, a round ejected. I put it back in the mag and it fired.

I think it was a limp wrist since it only happened once. If it happens again, I will polish it. However, I looked at the breach face and the firing pin looks like it is protruding slightly. Should I/ can I press that back it to polish?
Yep! A silly millimeter would be enough. If the gun is properly timed, any distance out of battery will stop it cold.

The firing pin usually protrudes while the gun is fully assembled and has been dry fired, which releases the striker.

If you decide to polish, you will have the slide off the frame and the firing pin is not likely to protrude. It is does, you can easily push it out of the way, and should.

In my limited experience, my Kahrs have become less sensitive to being held firmly during break in. With less friction generated by the various parts that have polished themselves smooth during the break in process, the slide has a little more energy to waste if needed. While so many things are still a little rough, there's no recoil energy to spare and a soft hold can hurt.

It sounds to me like you are well on your way to success. Here's hoping that's true. :D

[knkali]

Thanks amigo. I am calling Kahr and getting a new recoil spring though. I had a hell of a time getting it back together and the shop that helped me do so pulled on the spring a bit and lengthened it. I dont know why but he did it so fast and I being so new to Kahr, I didnt say anything. If anything, he added a bit of spring energy but they are cheap enough so I might as well replace it. I am glad to hear that the grip is not as sensitive to the gun's operation because I have a hell of a combat grip going on there. Gritted teeth and lots of focus. I even wore a shooting glove to help matters. I was thinking that I will need to stop any attack to my person while I put on my glove for a better grip before I deploy her

[knkali]

new spring and guide rod ordered. Based on the Tucson's statement that the spring has all its energy overcoming the breakin process, I will swap it out now. Cant hurt.