CW9 Misfire - No dent in primer

[kldonegan]

I'm about 500 rounds in to my Kahr CW9, and have experienced two misfires. One was during the first 200 rounds, so I didn't give it much thought. The second happened today, about 120 rounds in to my time at the range.

Both misfires were exactly the same: RWS 124 grain practice ammo (what the LGS carries...) with the same magazine. Both happened toward the end of my shooting session. Both were midway through the magazine and the gun appears to have been in full battery. Both times the rounds showed no indentions on the primer and both fired on the second try.

I cleaned the striker channel before this range outing, so I know that it was free of both oil and debris when the range session started. It hasn't happened with any other ammo or with my primary magazine. What could be causing this? Any input?

 

[Guillermo]

I cleaned the striker channel before this range outing, so I know that it was free of both oil and debris when the range session started.

that was going to be my guess.

did the trigger pull feel normal (as in the striker was cocked)?

 

[kldonegan]

Yes. I got a click, but no bang. Can a gun be just enough out of battery that it appears normal but still won't fire?

 

[mfcmb]

In thousands of rounds with my CW9 I've never had no indentation on a primer, so this is odd.

I suggest you field strip it and with a (strong) fingernail pull the slider back manually and see how it behaves. Then push down the striker block and see if it moves freely. Then push it down and let the striker slide forward and see if it protrudes (about 1/16"?) out of its hole.

If all that is working right, then there might be an issue with the cams that release the striker and the striker block. With the gun field stripped, pull the trigger and see if the cams are rotating.

Good luck.

 

[catnphx]

I'm 350 rounds into my CW9 and I've not experienced that ... it really is odd. The comments from others in this thread are valid and worth checking.

You are 100% sure that a round was chambered?

 

[Tilos]

Kldonegan asked, "Can a gun be just enough out of battery that it appears normal but still won't fire?"
Yes
If you get another round that does that, save it to test fit the barrel at home, when you have the gun apart.
Me thinks it's the ammo.
I give the striker channel a hit of CRC silicone spray after flushing, but that's just me.
YMMV

 

[Guillermo]

can a gun be just enough out of battery that it appears normal but still won't fire?

yes...but it would be a fair amount of gunk...I am sure you would have noticed that

 

[kldonegan]

Okay,

Cams are rotating like normal and the striker and striker block check out fine using the guidelines in the manual. After the misfire, I fired the rest of my ammunition (including the unspent round) without a mishap. Seems like all the components are functioning properly.

The feed ramp and barrel were very caked with residue, so I wonder if it could be that the cartridge wasn't seated well. Could a casing sticking too far out cause the slide to be out of battery? I think that's what Tilos was saying...

This is my first semi-auto and I appreciate the help!

 

[Guillermo]

Could a casing sticking too far out cause the slide to be out of battery?

we are looking in the wrong area...since it went "click" the striker went forward...but not far enough.

That is where you should look

 

[wally]

This is why we practice tap-rack-bang drills!

Once every 120 rounds is going to be tough to trouble shoot! I'd save the non-struck round and check for chamber fit afterwards with the gun apart.

I had a bunch of reloads with poor primer seating during the last days of my Hornaday Pro-7 (since replaced by a Dillon) that did this, would usually go on the second try, but not always. They were fine in my other, larger, pistols. Could be something about this ammo.

 

[mfcmb]

When my CW9 was new I had problems with the cartridge not chambering properly when the feed ramp was dirty, but then the slide wouldn't go into battery...

 

[kldonegan]

I'm going to call Kahr customer service and see what they have to say about it. I'm inclined to nail it down to an ammo problem or user error... I can't find a thing wrong with the gun itself. At any rate, I'll keep shooting it and see if I can make it happen again. If I can, I'll save the cartridge and test it out at home.

I'll let you all know if I discover anything new.

Thans again for all the help and thoughtful responses.

 

[Guillermo]

ammo problem

no dent means that it is NOT an ammo problem

let us know what happens and good luck

 

[usp9]

I'm thinking you were out of battery just enough that the cam was unable to depress the striker safety down far enough for the striker to fully move, but enough to retract and release the striker...hence the click but no dimple. The safety did it's job and caught the striker.

Why the gun didn't completely cycle through to fully closed is the question.

Could be a worn recoil spring but that shouldn't happen in only a few hundred rounds.

Could be dirty, but I doubt it. The gun has to be really dirty not to work, ie; thousands of rounds.

I'm guessing a round with a poorly seated bullet, (too long over all length), is the problem. Kahrs have short throats and are sensitive to ammo that may be out of spec.

 

[kldonegan]

That's what I'm thinking as well, though I didn't word it quite as clearly. I'll shoot a bunch of WWB through it and see if it acts up.

 

[mfcmb]

FYI, I just read a post on another forum from a couple of years ago where a person had light primer strikes, sent it back to Kahr, they replaced the recoil spring, then it worked fine.

You might go to the Kahr web store order a recoil spring, and replace the one that came with the gun.

Shouldn't cost much to try.