More melt - PM45 pics (and PM9 before/after pics)

[CJB]

I thought that two areas of the slide on my new (used) PM45 could use some TLC... by way of Mr. Dremel.

The first - that sharp spot where the three machining operations come together on the ejection port. The front of the port is downright sharp... painfully so on some. Like a knife edge. So I smoothed it out
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/P9170098.jpg
Here's another shot from behind... shows it from a different perspective. The smoothing does not touch the locking area at all, only widens and smooths the knife edge thats usually left in that area.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/P9170100.jpg

Next, the back of the port, above the extractor. Thats the spot that many 1911's have a "national match" cut, which serves to not dent brass when low power target loads are used. I didn't want that. Just wanted to smooth it out a bit, make it easier on my pocket (where the pistol rides)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/P9170096.jpg

I went on to polish both areas a little better... for now at least, I'll leave them as is. Contemplating doing a K-Kote on the slide, so... I might end ground glass blasting and making everything black.

And... I'll also do the slide stop, its forward edge needs smoothing (they all do). More on that as it happens.

[Bill K]

Nice work! You got me to look if those edges also exist on my PM9. They do but I don't think it'd ever bother me enough to do what you did.

[Zippo Guy]

For those of us that lack the ability to do this type of work, Mike at Accurate-Iron does a great melt job on the Kahr pistols. He has just sent back my CW 9 and it is beautiful. He now has my P 380 to do the ejection port that is razor sharp. I think you did a great job, congrats!

[Cornhusker]

Any pics of your CW9?

[Bill K]

Any pics of your CW9?

+1 Please...

[jocko]

For those of us that lack the ability to do this type of work, Mike at Accurate-Iron does a great melt job on the Kahr pistols. He has just sent back my CW 9 and it is beautiful. He now has my P 380 to do the ejection port that is razor sharp. I think you did a great job, congrats!

Mike melted and stippled my PM9, super job. reasonable and not 6 months to do it either. He did a tune job, and stipple job on my
g19 and installed Dawson fiber op-tic adjustable sights, Most accurate handgun Ihave ever shot..

[OldLincoln]

I like the black slide on my PM9, but if I knew then what I do now I would have gotten a SS slide and smoothed the sharp edges then had it coated. I am used to them now but when a thread like this comes along I take it out and remember just how sharp they are.

The ejector port roughed up my Silent Thunder at first, but under Ron Garrett's counsel I reshaped it just right. He modified the mold so newer holsters should be okay.

[CJB]

Well stick around, I've done good on a home project for the gal pal this weekend, so next I will probably be making parts black.... via K-Kote.

I like that stuff... once its on, you pretty much gotta sand it off to make it go away.

[CJB]

I liked how the PM45 came out, so decided to do the PM9 today... and take some pics before and during, just so folks could see.

Before:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/P9180105.jpg
PM9 has even a sharper edge than the PM45, on account of the smaller/narrower barrel which leaves more slide edge exposed at the back of the port.

Rough shaping:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/P9180106.jpg
Yah, I did it with the slide assembled. Reason being, its coming apart for cleaning anyway, and maybe less grunge will get into places if the parts are there stopping up the holes.... like the striker and extractor. I did this with a sanding drum on the Dremel, at low speed with a 120 grit drum.

Beginning to polish:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/P9180107.jpg
Have a look at the angle. Its not 45 degrees, but more like 60 degrees or so. At 45 degrees, the edge still feels "rough". Blended back a bit more at the greater angle, there is a real smoothness to the edge. I worked the area with a grey 400 grit rubber wheel. I could have used one of the yellow or red wheels (120 grit or 180 grit) but I wanted to go slow, and work the area - and - protect in case of a slip. The finer wheel would have done less damage (although a re-blast still would have been required to make the slide look better).

The front "knife edge" was also smoothed out
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/P9180108.jpg
At this point, I've used a felt wheel of 1" diameter at medium speed with some white compound (which immediately turns black on use). You can see the grunge build up too.

Mostly cleaned:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/P9180111.jpg
And here ya go. The slide and parts have been put thru solvent, hot soapy water and brushing, and blown dry. Then taken all apart, detail cleaned again - including all the channels and holes. Then re-assembled with lube (TW25b).

Next up... the slide stop before and after, on the PM45.

[CJB]

And here's that slide stop. If you look at a 1911 slide stop, vs the Kahr slide stop... the Kahr sticks out a bunch more at the pivot point. Different design. Thats ok, its smooth-able.

In a thread a while back I did the PM9 slidestop. That one got the front rounded, but I also rounded off the leading edge of the serrated part, and lowered it a little. The bottom and rear edges got rounded too, since it was an older "squareback" type. The PM45 has the bevel on the rear edge already, so I just did the front area.

Before
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/P9180112.jpg

Rough shape
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/P9180113.jpg

Smoothing
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/P9180117.jpg

Polished
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/P9180114.jpg

Finished
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/P9180118.jpg

Same tools used in this as the slide, except when I get my compressor back home (its installing baseboard this weekend....), I'll bead blast it to match the finish to the slide.

I hope this little diversion was both enjoyable and educational.

One other quick point... I previously commented that I thought there was a sprue mark under the slide stop on the PM9. Obviously, I was wrong, and it wasn't a sprue mark, but the end of a blind pin hole, used in the attachment of the lever to the pin. This explains a lot. Like, why the pins rotate as they do. I still think the lever is not a fully machined part, but machined from an investment casting, as there are spots on the lever that that suggest it. Anyway, thought I'd fess up and admit my error.

[jocko]

myPM9 does not have ap;in through it, I can spin the lever like a top. I like that feature also, I see that pin hole, might be a change for some reason. I have ocntouredmy slide stop lever alot ore than u did kand if there was apin hole there it wold have showed up in the dremeling it down..

[CJB]

makes ya go hmmmm... I'll have to check the black PM45 for that.

The silver PM45 is 2009/10 production, the black PM45 is 2010/11 production.

The PM9... about... 5 years old, more or less.

[jocko]

makes ya go hmmmm... I'll have to check the black PM45 for that.

The silver PM45 is 2009/10 production, the black PM45 is 2010/11 production.

The PM9... about... 5 years old, more or less.

have another pM9 slide stop lever that I have heavly contoured that might be 2.5 years old and it has no in hole either. spins like a top. I like that as i stated for the magazine follower now only has to work the actual lever and not any part of the pin that goes through the barrel lug. yours is the first that I have seen with the pin hole in the lever itself. Maybe some of u other owners can chim on on this and tell us if yours has the keeper hole like CJB photos shows so well. U did a nice job of melting CJB, I think I would have moded the slide lever even more, if u look at JOCKO'S CUSTOM PM9 u wills ee I countoured the hell out of mine and then polished it to a shinny stainless finish..

Is there any chgance that maybe u got one of the MIM slide stop levers????

[CJB]

Two of em being MIM?? One on a PM45 from last year, and one on a PM9 from a while ago? The PM9 is a VA7xxx (June to Nov of '03), so thats actually more than five years... closer to eight years ago. The PM45 is a SV2xxx amd I got an SV3xxx in March of '11, was replaced with SV4xxx (400 numbers off, exactly) in June '11. So I'm guessing the PM45 was '09/10 production, being 600-odd numbers previous to the SV3xxx of a known date.

Any chance of Jocko getting out the see-more's (ie eyeloup) and checking for a faint sign of a pin? If my PM9 was ground and polished there... the pin hole would be damn near invisible. I only saw the "hole" on the 45 since the pin didn't fit all that well at the edge of the hole.

[Michael W.]

Dang Charlie, that looks sweet! Now I wish I'd just let you tweak my PM45
instead of selling it to you!:)

Nice work!

Michael-

[jocko]

I have checked and rechecked both of my slide stops and I have ground far more away from my two slide stops than u even did, It ain't there and if that pin was in there there would be no way for my slide stop lever to spin like a top. It would have been easy to see in new untouched condition...Seems like a lot of trouble for kahr to go through.The P380 has the forged slide stop in it and with my **** TRACY magnifying glass, I cannot see any indication ast qall of a pin.

Your point is valid to but how is that pin held in the slide lock flat peace. Is it just pressed in somehow, but if so onje would think if it spins free like a top then why would the pin just not fall out???

[CJB]

I imagine the slide stop pin has a groove cut in it, into which the little pin transects. Iow, the little pin does not go through the big pin. It only acts as a keeper.

[jocko]

I imagine the slide stop pin has a groove cut in it, into which the little pin transects. Iow, the little pin does not go through the big pin. It only acts as a keeper.

but that is such a small area to be squeezing all that stuff in. I. e. like the polymer trigger pin keeper does... I forgot and just glass checked my K9 kwhich is aobut 6+ years old, no pin mark on that slide at all. One would have to see that pin circle if it was there.

Heh forum guys look at your slide stops on the P, PM,K. T series and see if u have that pin visible like CJB. CJB, trust me I am not arguing with you, yours is very evident to see, mine if they are there are impossable to see in any way, and I dremeled the piss outta my PM9 slide stop levers (2) If it is there then kahr done a super job of installing this pin where we cannot see it at all. Course I would be very surprised even if kahr even makes the slide stop lever.

[jocko]

CJB, HEAVENS TO BETSY. I again rechecked my P380 and sure in hell it has the pin. U might indeed be dead right but I for the life of me cannot see it in my K, PM slide stops but that sucker is sure there in the P380..

[CJB]

CJB, HEAVENS TO BETSY. I again rechecked my P380 and sure in hell it has the pin. U might indeed be dead right but I for the life of me cannot see it in my K, PM slide stops but that sucker is sure there in the P380..

I never thought you was arguing with me... its just that we had a mystery goin' on, and no way to get to the bottom of it.

My initial take on the slide stop, was that Kahr took a ground pin, and a lever - and press fit them. I thought maybe there was a hidden "flat" or they upset the end of the pin - which could have been annealed. They got it on there somehow, dunno how. Thats because all I saw was my PM45 (black) where the pin doesn't rotate.

After the PM9 and PM45 - both silver - I see it differently... but since yours has no pin... I dunno, still a mystery. I gotta take the eye loupe and have a looksee at the black PM45's lever. I never bothered to look closely at it. Wont be back to my place for another two hours... so.... I spose we can wait it out.

I agree with you that Kahr probably doesn't make the lever itself. They probably just finish machine it.

[jocko]

I can't see why the pins would e any different, so more than likely ur righton target, there is a keeper pin holding the main pin. jsut that Icannot see it at all. I don't think there is a finish over their slide stop lever either but if they beat blast the slide stop lever, then maybe they can blast it i such a way that the pin is never seen,.

that rtemains a total mystery on my well contoured PM9 slide stops. I know from ur photo and my P380 also exactly where that pin should be on that lever and for the life of me I cannot see it at all, but I now think it just has to be there for main pin to spin like a top with no restriction what so ever. Actually in a way makes me feel betterabout y slide stop now as I thought that maybe that main pin was pressed somehow intothe lever itself and now that it was free and turning, it might just fall out someday. I know now that is just not gonna happen. UntilI can somehow see that mark where the pin goes intothe lever,on my K and PM9 gun, I willsay it ain't there, WHEN I FULLY NOW KNOW IT IS PROBABLY THERE.

I did notice on the inside of my two PM9 slide stops stamped into part of the slide stop is P9

[jocko]

I agree with you that Kahr probably doesn't make the lever itself. They probably just finish machine it.

If even that!!!
__________________

[CJB]

Just checked... you need a 10x loupe to see it, but its there on my recent production PM45, but the pin wont spin on that one.

[OldLincoln]

Last cleaning I put a little umph to spin the slide lock pin and it started spinning. It was tight at first but loosened up a bit. I would have said before then that mine just did not spin. I hope I didn't mess up anything but it looks and feels okay.

[wyntrout]

All of mine are "spinners", but Kahr sent me two SS slide locks that were solid... along with two sets of the screws, washers, and slide lock springs when my PM45's spring was really bent all kinds of ways. My PM45 is DLC and the old one seemed okay, so I returned the two slide locks.

They spent a lot of time on THAT pistol and I was trying to save them a few bucks. I even stuck my P380 in the same box and returned it along with my PM45 on the bad-slide-replacement return... return 3 and 2 for the P380.

Wynn:)

[kahr47]

but that is such a small area to be squeezing all that stuff in. I. e. like the polymer trigger pin keeper does... I forgot and just glass checked my K9 kwhich is aobut 6+ years old, no pin mark on that slide at all. One would have to see that pin circle if it was there.

Heh forum guys look at your slide stops on the P, PM,K. T series and see if u have that pin visible like CJB. CJB, trust me I am not arguing with you, yours is very evident to see, mine if they are there are impossable to see in any way, and I dremeled the piss outta my PM9 slide stop levers (2) If it is there then kahr done a super job of installing this pin where we cannot see it at all. Course I would be very surprised even if kahr even makes the slide stop lever.

=============================================
Hello Jocko,

I have one of the new style PM9s (new in May) and it is staked thru the slide stop lever but pin does not go all the way thru. Mine appears to be solid and will not spin as you indicate yours will. Maybe it will in time but I'm not ready to put any undue torque on it to see :)
It also is stamped P9.

I was always reading about how sharp these releases are and that some file them down to smooth the edges. Mine appears to have come from the factory already beveled with smooth edges. I've attached a pic for comparison.

Steve

[jocko]

sure in hell is and for a few years kahrs has startred to bevel the leading edge of the release like yours. ...