10/11 CM9 slide failure..UPDATE

[Darren94]

Last month i posted this thread http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=8813

So, after kahr had it for a month, they ended up replacing the entire slide and barrel/recoil spring assembly. I was told that there was a problem with the casting in the slide where the guide rod protrudes and it was out of spec and too big. I have not tested it yet but will very soon. Anyone that felt just widening the recoil spring would fix this, it might but this was caused by a manufacturing problem and Kahr says it will need a new slide to fix the problem.

[gb6491]

Thanks for the update and I'm interested in reading how the range test goes.
Regards,
Greg

[adamhgkb]

Hi new to the forum...found it because I had problem today at range......3rd time to range with gun had already put 170 or so rounds through it. Then today after about a dozen rounds or so the tip of the recoil spring popped through the opening! Leaving my gun useless until I could disassemble and fix. Then put back together put about another 30 or so through gun no more problems.......was this fluke? I have no idea but you spend good money on CCW weapon you want no "flukes"

[JFootin]

Welcome to the forum Adam! What model of Kahr gun do you have?

The owners manual says to orient the cut front end of the recoil spring up toward the barrel when reassembling. Try that. Others on this forum have taken a couple of pliers and slightly straitened that cut end so it will stay clear of the hole. Easy fix if the orientation of the spring end doesn't do it.

[JFootin]

Another good thing to read is the "Proper prep of a new Kahr" sticky in the Kahr-Tech section. Some other good stickies there, too, especially the Lube Chart.

[adamhgkb]

oh thanks for the help and it is a CM9

[JFootin]

I don't know of a prettier gun than a CM9!

http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee486/John_England/My%20Custom%20CM9/KahrCM9PolishedLSwMagandBullets.jpg

[adamhgkb]

well i just hope that i had put the spring in wrong and that problem never happens again.......kinda stinks that it is that touchy! but i am not exactly a gunsmith when it comes to cleaning etc

[Darren94]

Mine would do it every 2-3 rounds regardless of the orientation of the spring. IMHO, having the spring in a certain manner is ridiculous.... If it does not point and shoot reliably out of the box, there is no reason for me to own it. Adam, mine started doing it more and more and more.. If it does it again, send it back. I was directly told by Kahr that "there was a problem during the manufacturing process that caused defects in the casting of the slide and that those weapons need to be sent back for repair"

[adamhgkb]

Darren you have me thinking again.....I have shot easily 1000+ rounds out of semiauto pistols and never had a spring do that. You say IF it happens again! Well what if that next time is when I need it is in a CCW situation........not the quality I was expecting when I spent the extra money on a KAHR! A spring should not be able to jam a weapon like that in IMHO and to have read it happening to several other people is NO GOOD!

[Allen]

The more I read on this Forum the more I wonder how so many things can be wrong with a supposedly excellent gun right out of the box from a supposedly great company. Sure makes me wonder on the intelligence of paying $500-$700 for a gun that has a good chance of needing to be shipped back to its maker before it'll be useable.

Kahr must have the same attitude as most of the vehicle manufacturers out there: "Why spend a lot of time on quality control when the consumer will either keep it as is, or have it corrected by the dealer or manufacturer". And they've discovered they are saving money by letting the consumer be their testers, cause if the consumer accepts the deficiencies the manufacturer has won. And that must be the majority of cases.

[Darren94]

Just an update.. I took the gun to the range today for the first time since i got it back from Kahr. I cleaned and properly lubed the gun and then ran 50 rounds of Blazer, 50 of wolf, 50 of Federal and 50 of PDX-1 (my carry ammo) and it ran flawlessly. No nose dives, no failure to fire/extract/load, nothing. I wanted to try many brands from good to crappy to truly test the gun.

Also, i normally wont carry a new gun until it has 500+ reliable rounds down the pipe and this slide/recoil spring had me very nervous and questioning if i had made a bad purchase decision. But, it seems as if Kahr straightened mine out and i will continue to keep a close eye on its performance. But, i am carrying it now :)

[crinko]

my guiderod spring in my CM9 was working its way out of the front of my slide I didnt waste no time it was sent back and they replaced my barrel. I ran 200 rounds through it so far since getting it back and had no problems :D

[donnyboy108]

I don't know of a prettier gun than a CM9!

http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee486/John_England/My%20Custom%20CM9/KahrCM9PolishedLSwMagandBullets.jpg
WOW.. shes a beauty! Who did the polishing?

[JFootin]

WOW.. shes a beauty! Who did the polishing?

I'm not sure. Bought it that way. He said it was professionally done, but I don't know by whom. Here is a place with a good rep that does polishing work: http://www.customizedcreationz.com/services/polishing.html

[TriggerMan]

I don't know of a prettier gun than a CM9!

http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee486/John_England/My%20Custom%20CM9/KahrCM9PolishedLSwMagandBullets.jpgDang, that's shiney. It could double as a signal mirror if you ever need to call in air support. How much do you baby it to keep it looking so good?

[JFootin]

Dang, that's shiney. It could double as a signal mirror if you ever need to call in air support. How much do you baby it to keep it looking so good?

I don't baby it. I wipe it with a soft cloth a lot and use a silicone impregnated cloth to slick it up. But I have some Flitz polish that I will use periodically to knock the tiny scratches off.

When I am just carrying it daily, it stays in my holster and I don't touch the metal, so it stays shiny.

[PCollen]

Last month i posted this thread http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=8813

So, after kahr had it for a month, they ended up replacing the entire slide and barrel/recoil spring assembly. I was told that there was a problem with the casting in the slide where the guide rod protrudes and it was out of spec and too big. I have not tested it yet but will very soon. Anyone that felt just widening the recoil spring would fix this, it might but this was caused by a manufacturing problem and Kahr says it will need a new slide to fix the problem.

Kahr should re-design their recoil spings to be more like Glock or XD, with the 'north' end being captive just like the 'south' end. Having the raw end of the spring hanging out there in space is a cheap design, IMO. I know they could do better , and the way it is does nothing to support the advertised quality of their guns.

[donnyboy108]

Kahr should re-design their recoil spings to be more like Glock or XD, with the 'north' end being captive just like the 'south' end. Having the raw end of the spring hanging out there in space is a cheap design, IMO. I know they could do better , and the way it is does nothing to support the advertised quality of their guns.

I think you are right. BUT, it seems as though alot of parts on the Kahr are "adjustable" for some reason?
I wish I knew why, the recoil spring needs to be trimmed for each individual gun? You would think, they would be interchangeable. If they made a captured spring, it would not be "adjustable" ;)

[O'Dell]

The more I read on this Forum the more I wonder how so many things can be wrong with a supposedly excellent gun right out of the box from a supposedly great company. Sure makes me wonder on the intelligence of paying $500-$700 for a gun that has a good chance of needing to be shipped back to its maker before it'll be useable.

Kahr must have the same attitude as most of the vehicle manufacturers out there: "Why spend a lot of time on quality control when the consumer will either keep it as is, or have it corrected by the dealer or manufacturer". And they've discovered they are saving money by letting the consumer be their testers, cause if the consumer accepts the deficiencies the manufacturer has won. And that must be the majority of cases.

Just for the record, Allen, I've had five Kahrs in the last five years, with nary a problem. Also, I haven't had a car problem in the last twenty. I wonder if preparation and maintenance have anything to do with it.

[jocko]

Kahr should re-design their recoil spings to be more like Glock or XD, with the 'north' end being captive just like the 'south' end. Having the raw end of the spring hanging out there in space is a cheap design, IMO. I know they could do better , and the way it is does nothing to support the advertised quality of their guns.

it workis pretty nicely the way it is. alot cheaper to just replace the outter spring on the kahr dual spring system over replacing the entire captive system. I don't consider it a cheap set up..