pm9 1st reassemble had issue need advice

[apdturbo]

I just purchased a brand new Kahr PM9. After reading the manual I field stripped the pistol cleaned and lubed it a little, upon reassembly i noticed the slide would not push onto the frame completely i clearly read in the manual not to force it in this situation but to recheck everything and align correctly and retry, it still would not go.... In process i pushed in the mag release button and the slide went right on. Everything appears to be ok however i have not fired the pistol yet and am concerned something is damaged. *Did another field strip and firing pin is resessed with barrel removed like says is normal in manual and upon reassembly the slide now goes on fine and normal in my opinion. Also cycles hollow point ammo manually just fine. Why did pushing the mag release button on 1st ever reassembly allow the slide to then slide into place? Did something get damaged in process?

P.S. this is my first ever post, thanks for having me

[wyntrout]

Without ammo, try dry firing the pistol. Also c0ck the pistol and point it upward with a pencil in the barrel... eraser down... and fire to check the firing pin is working. If this all works, the gun should be fine. Sometimes just a couple of light attempts will get the slide back on, other times very slightly pulling the trigger or pushing down on the ejector will allow the slide to be fully assembled. I think the manual addresses this, too.

If you think you are having a problem, adding ammo to the equation, especially at home... or not where the weapon can be safely fired, isn't the best thing to do. Snap caps would be safer. We've had guys load live rounds and then really have bad partial-assembly problems!:eek:

Oh, welcome to the forum. There is a lot of expertise and help here.

Wynn:)

[apdturbo]

did the pencil trick and the firing pin definately strikes, also noticed after firing that the firing pin sticks out while manually racking the slide back but upon releasing the slide as it slides forward the firing pin retracts. i'm thinking my pistol is fine and i dont see any harm done to any of the see-able surfaces and parts.

i def should have been using snap caps rather than live rounds, i thought about that later, if the pistol would have been damaged could have been a very dangerous situation.

[Bear549]

I have had this problem with my CM9 to where the slide stops about 3 qtrs from going on the frame. It is caused by the guide rod not being properly lined up with the slide and it does not go through the hole in the slide. I just have to jiggle the slide some or bump the guide rod tip so it lines up. There has been one or two times that the end of the spring gets pinched and I have to reinstall the guide rod.

[apdturbo]

after trying to replicate the problem i think it was my guide rod spring assembly not lined up right hitting the frame and me pushing the mag release button and the slide then going on was just a coincidence and by doing so it freed up enough to push on

[wyntrout]

It's not usually the guide rod, though that could be a problem. I twirl the guide rod/spring as I insert the loose end, so it catches inside its receptacle and doesn't hang out the front of the slide. That's something to watch for when inserting the recoil assembly.
There are several things that can impede the slide going all the way on... the ejector could be higher than it's supposed to be, the cam assembly or trigger bar/assembly could be slightly out of position and momentarily impeded full rearward travel of the slide. A slight pressure on the trigger can move things enough to allow the slide to move freely backward, or the next attempt to move the slide may be unimpeded. You just don't want to slam that slide to the rear... it doesn't always go on that easy and you might put too much pressure on something that is slightly out of alignment, breaking something or jamming the gun very badly.

And there have been incidents where the slide lock has been inserted forward of the peanut-shaped lug hole where it should go, locking the gun up... and sometimes requiring a trip back to the mothership for proper assembly!:eek:

Wynn:)

[apdturbo]

guys thanks for the replies!
took it to the range with 200 rounds of winchester white box 115gr
only two failures both on the 7rnd extended mag both cases the slug tip was too far forward rubbing the inside if the mag itself, could have been caused by me not pushing the round fully in while loading the mag.
otherwise the pistol functioned flawless.

[jocko]

I just purchased a brand new Kahr PM9. After reading the manual I field stripped the pistol cleaned and lubed it a little, upon reassembly i noticed the slide would not push onto the frame completely i clearly read in the manual not to force it in this situation but to recheck everything and align correctly and retry, it still would not go.... In process i pushed in the mag release button and the slide went right on. Everything appears to be ok however i have not fired the pistol yet and am concerned something is damaged. *Did another field strip and firing pin is resessed with barrel removed like says is normal in manual and upon reassembly the slide now goes on fine and normal in my opinion. Also cycles hollow point ammo manually just fine. Why did pushing the mag release button on 1st ever reassembly allow the slide to then slide into place? Did something get damaged in process?

P.S. this is my first ever post, thanks for having me

at a loss over this mag release button making the slide go in easier. as the mag release button has zero to do with anything concerning the slide PERIOD. My bet is that it was going to go on at that particular time and whenyou hit that button u might have thought that helped it on,which IMO it just cannot help or hinder slide activity.

alot of times the slide gets stubbornj towards 3/4 insertion, as it might be hitting the ejector a tad in coming backward, and the cocking cam needs to be released to let it slide over ore easily..Watch that ejector, as that is normally where the hang up is and just jacking the slide a few times it will ride over that ejector.

[MikeG]

guys thanks for the replies!
took it to the range with 200 rounds of winchester white box 115gr
only two failures both on the 7rnd extended mag both cases the slug tip was too far forward rubbing the inside if the mag itself, could have been caused by me not pushing the round fully in while loading the mag.
otherwise the pistol functioned flawless.

Sounds almost exactly like my first range trip except it only happened once. I also met a little resistance the first time I put the slide back on but overcame it so quick I didn't see what caused it. No problems whatsoever since then tho. Just break it in and enjoy your new toy!

[Chogers]

I had the same problem and figured out I had the spring on backwards. The open end of the spring needs to be facing out not in. Oops. After I switched it slide went on fine. Duh! HAHA!