Disappointed with Kahr

[Peacemaker]

Recently I've been doing a lot searching for a ccw weapon. After much reading on THR I've finally decided to purchase a Kahr MK9. I found one w/ Night Sights on Bud's Online.

After much anticipation, I went to pick it up from my local gun shop when it arrived. Upon inspection, I noticed that the front sight looked a little unusual-the night sight was actually installed backwards.

My local guy suggested that it was a simple fix to just pop out the sight and reinstall it but I read somewhere that sight installtion was very tough on these particular slides. The saleperson from Bud's suggested that I should have sent it back to them before I took possesion of the pistol. He also confirmed that it's very difficult to reinstall and Kahr actually has a hydraulic press just for this.

Anyway, I telephoned Kahr and had to leave a message for the customer service department to call me back. I will keep everyone posted.

Also, I haven't taken the gun to the range yet. But I was just working the pistol through it actions and noticed several times the slide does not return to full battery when manually releasing it. Is this normal for this gun? Thanks for any responses.

 

[.cheese.]

that's odd.

Although, I don't believe it's a hydraulic press. I believe it's a standard sight tool like the one Glock sights use.

The MK's come with Mepro's right?

Fortunately, Kahr customer service seems to be fairly decent. They WILL call you back and they WILL fix it no questions asked.

The problem with Kahr, and why I was dissapointed in them myself is that I bought a PM9 and it was perfect at first, but after it started having issues and I sent it in, they started modding it and after 3 trips it was so modified that it just was in bad shape. So I got rid of it. But I was really thinking about an MK40 at some point.

Tell Kahr JUST to fix the sight and nothing else (no feed-ramp modification, no ejection port modification, nothing you didn't ask for).

Keep us updated.

 

[dfariswheel]

Something doesn't add up here.

The first thing I'd do is ask Kahr if the gun shipped from the factory with night sights.

The reason to ask is, installing a night sight backward is not something Kahr is likely to do.
I'd suspect the sights were added post-factory, and the gun is NOT in factory original, factory new shape.

 

[Peacemaker]

Thanks .cheese.

I've also heard that Kahr's customer service is decent. The sights are Meps-I also have them on my CZ PO-1

I'll be sure to keep everyone posted.

 

[Peacemaker]

dfariswheel,

I believe they were factory installed-the gun was full of cosmoline and all the packaging on the case stated the correct model # for the MK9 w/ night sights.

Before my purchase I emailed Kajr to find out what type of sights they use-Meprolights.

I too find it hard to believe a mistake like this would leave the factory-where's the quality control. I thought Nightsights were suppose to help the shooter not the bad guy!

 

[CPshooter]

Something doesn't add up here.

The first thing I'd do is ask Kahr if the gun shipped from the factory with night sights.

The reason to ask is, installing a night sight backward is not something Kahr is likely to do.
I'd suspect the sights were added post-factory, and the gun is NOT in factory original, factory new shape.

actually, Kahr does have pretty crappy customer service...even with installing sights. My first Kahr was a pm9 and it had problems. I sent it back in and told them to install night sights while it was there for repair. They sent it back with no night sights. I was pretty mad at this point. I had to send it in again for the night sights and they paid for the shipping this time around. I eventually sold the stupid thing anyways so I shouldn't have wasted all that money and time on the sights, but oh well..

I still think Kahr is getting better as far as quality goes, and I've been looking at either another pm9 or a P45 as a carry gun because these Kahr pistols are just too darn perfect for carry purposes to ignore. I'll give it a second go in the future, but they are still lacking in the CS department.

 

[bannockburn]

Quality control seems to be a problem area for most manufacturers, both foreign and domestic. I purchased a Kahr CW40 last year and noticed once I got it home that the internals were very rough, as though there was no polishing done to the barrel or the slide. And like Peacemaker's gun, I had the same problem of the slide not going into battery, as well as being very difficult to rack the slide itself. I attributed this to the roughness of the slide assembly and the powerful, yet compact recoil springs necessary to work the action. So after careful sanding and polishing of the barrel and the slide, everything was up and running. For a little while at least. After close to 200 rounds through it, the slide stop would lock back after every shot. Upon disassembly I found that a piece of the polymer frame had come off and lodged itself into the area of the slide stop hole. At this point, I decided the gun was; not finished any where near where it should have been to work right out of the box; required way too much maintenance in such a brief period of time; and was possibly built using sub-standard materials, like the polymer frame. I sold it a short time later, which is the really disappointing part because I really wanted this gun to work.

 

[Glockman17366]

I've never had any problems with my MK9.
I'm wondering if this particular one was used and abused. That sight installed backwards doesn't sound like it came from the factory. And not returning to battery doesn't sound like a new gun either.
If you don't mind me asking...how much did you pay Bud's Online for this gun?
PM me if you prefer not to answer here.

 

[71Commander]

I believe they were factory installed-the gun was full of cosmoline

Really? Was it able to shoot before cleaning?

 

[D-Man]

Also, I haven't taken the gun to the range yet. But I was just working the pistol through it actions and noticed several times the slide does not return to full battery when manually releasing it. Is this normal for this gun? Thanks for any responses.

The new MK9 that I purchased about 2 months ago was the same way. Seems like people said that it had to do with a 'tight' gun, and that would eventually get better after breaking it in.

I've shot 150 rounds so far, and not a hitch. So don't be concerned about this unless it fails you on the range. Also, it's recommended to use the slide release, so try doing that too.

 

[GunTech]

I'd be surprised if there was cosmoline in the gun. It hasn't been used by manufacturers in the US for years, and was primarily used by the military for long term storage.

 

[glennv]

I think you've missed something here. Since Kahr is a MA based operation they are just complying with the latest MA anti-gun laws. It requires that night sights be installed backwards so the bad guys (MA bad guy = victim of society) knows you're about to defend yourself and he has time to get away or do you in

No really, Kahr has incredible customer service. They won't let you down.

 

[mightyike]

Yes, you are correct. Hydraulics. I had some problems that took a couple of sends and they fixed them....ruptured tritium on XS sights installed by Kahr, failure of polymer frame model to go into battery, sights fell off..

Do not let Kahr install any night sights....XS installed for free (Kahr sent me second set)..

Dottie will take care of you if she still works there.

My Steel K40, covert, MK40, MK duotone....never ever ever a FTF or jam....
real reliable back up.

 

[RNB65]

failure of polymer frame model to go into battery

That's so common with Kahr's I think it should be listed as a feature. My P9 has been to Kahr for repair and it still won't go into battery about 1/3 of the time when I drop the slide on a full mag. Before I bought mine, I rented two Kahr's at a local range to test drive and both of them had trouble going into battery on the first round. I just make it a habit to give the back of the slide a good love tap with my hand when I load the first round to make sure it goes into battery.

Kahr = crappiest gun I've ever owned. But it's compact and cycles reliably once the first round is chambered, so I still use it as my primary CCW.

 

[Omaney]

Not fond of their products but the customer service is great. They sent me a new recoil spring no questions asked. Didn't fix the problem but they tried very hard. Kahr is one of those polarizing products in that most opinions I've heard are on either side of the love/hate spectrum. Good luck with yours, the Kahr will someday be a great little pistol. I will probably try one again someday.

 

[D-Man]

One thing to mention that it seems like many of the bad comments about Kahr are regarding their polymer line and specifically the PM9.

 

[h0ss]

Peacemaker, I own a pm9 which i've had since August of 2005, so i've been there as far as sending my gun back and Kahr's customer service goes. My pm9 had the typical issues, plus 1. It didnt go all the way into battery when shooting at first, even after the 200 round break-in period, then the 7 round mag would pop out after each shot (but not the six round mag for some reason) and eventually barrel peening started happening. The pm9 was fairly new at the time, so i figured they were still working out some unexpected bugs so i gave it a chance and sent it back.

Kahr was EXTREMELY busy awhile back with LOTS of these types of repairs, especially FTB and barrel peening. I dont know if it is true about Kahr having a hydraulic press for the sights, but that would explain my slightly damaged front sight when i sent my slide and barrel back in for peening. However, after a photo and an email to Dottie (customer service rep.), i sent the slide back and had brand new Mepro's installed for free.

As i also understand, at that time besides being very busy, for some reason they weren't keeping any help, lots of people left which multiplied the burden for those still left working there. I would attribute any lack of, or substandard customer service to that. I don't know how they are doing now, but Kahr DOES try to please the customer. I had to send my slide back twice because of the crappy new barrel that was just blindly thrown into my slide (they explained it was a new hire and probably very busy just didn't bother looking) and the damaged sights. But like i said, free brand new Mepro's installed, and now 300 rounds after the repair, my pm9 runs flawlessly.

Kahr's are made with tight tolerances, and yes the actions do feel tight when new. I am a little surprised about the slide not going into battery because it is an all steel model, but at the same time, if it is supposedly brand new, thats why there is a 200 round recommended break-in period. Not all of kahr's guns need a break-in period, not even the polymer ones sometimes. Some are really great out of the box, but most do need to be broken in at least a little bit.

I say "supposedly brand new" because the fact you said the gun was full of cosmoline. Now i admit i have never actually seen what cosmoline looks like, but i am pretty sure that was not put in there by Kahr at the factory. My pm9 came brand new in box and was completely dry. I too, question the source where you bought this pistol from. I also do not believe that Kahr installed that sight like that. Contact Kahr, tell them where you got this MK9 from, and about the sight, im sure they will fix it. Lastly, don't worry about telling Kahr to only fix the sights and nothing else, from my experience, they do what they have to do to your gun, and nothing else. They are usually pretty busy and like to get 'em in, and get 'em out.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

It's rare to have a problem with steel-framed Kahrs, except perhaps the CW Series (about which I have NO experience). But the T9 & K40 I've owned operated FLAWLESSLY since brand-new. IMHO, the BEST Customer Service is the one that I NEVER have to deal with!

 

[mustachio]

I will never own another Kahr-won't take it even if you gave it to me. Here is why.
Several years ago, I went to a gun show and bought a NIB K9. I paid the going price and took it home. Here in Florida we can carry concealed and after break in, it became my carry gun. I took the family to Disney and carried the K9 in my belly pouch. I notice when we got home the gun had a light rusty patina on it. I was shocked that it had rusted and was not even touching my skin. I decided to send it back to Kahr for refinishing and then Lo and behold I noticed something on the original box. It said that the K9 was supposed to be a Nickel finished gun, mine was blue, and the serial numbers matched. I contacted Kahr and asked if I could send it to them for the proper refinishing in Nickel. I presumed it had been missed by QC. Their response was simply this, " We made a typo error on the label, sorry it is your problem. If you want it nickeled, you will have to pay for it." I went to the next gun show, traded for a Smith and never looked back. Kahr sure wants our money, but not willing to own up to a mistake on their part. They would have had a loyal patron on my part had they fixed their error. Their loss...besides that, they are over priced.

 

[ABBOBERG]

Hydraulics to install/remove sights? So that is their secret! I tried removing a front sight on a PM9 and on an XD9 using a two-ton arbor press - no luck.
I ended up tapping them out with a hammer.

 

[arthurcw]

Kahr's service is good but can be a tad on the slow side. If Dottie is still there, try to get through to her.

The MK9 is a very tight gun and likes to be chambered by either releasing the slide lock OR drawing the slide back and releasing it REALLY FAST. Try pulling the slide back and slapping yourself in the chest as you release it. There has to be no hesitation in letting the slide go back to battery. This will lessen with break in. Mine chambers pretty easy now but still takes a bit more energy than say my P-3at or any Glocks I've used.

All in all, I’ve really liked mine. My trip through CS land was due to an extractor that broke (looking back, I think I weakened it as a dumb noob) and while it was there I had them put in night sites.

 

[h0ss]

Thats one thing i forget to mention about Kahr's. Kahr recommends to lock the slide back before chambering and only release the slide with the slide stop lever. BUT, a good Kahr pistol that is properly broken in shouldn't require this. Even after the problems with FTB and barrel peening with my pm9, since now it runs great, i can always chamber it like i would traditionally chamber any other semi-auto: by pulling the slide back with my thumb and the side of my pointer finger and letting it go. Just like the recommended 200 round break-in period, i think Kahr only says to use this method so save themselves the hassle of talking to a million confused customers. "Call back after you put 200 rounds through the gun" or "you have to use the slide stop lever to release the slide". That takes care of 95% of any problems people mght have. Anything after that they usually recognize as a true issue.

So i say after you get that front sight fixed, run a couple hundred rounds through it. You can also speed up the process by polishing the feed ramp yourself. Some people also like to polish the outside of the barrel too, but i didn't bother with that. Your mk9 should loosen up and be fine.

 

[DAdams]

PM9

CPshooter

I still think Kahr is getting better as far as quality goes, and I've been looking at either another pm9 or a P45 as a carry gun because these Kahr pistols are just too darn perfect for carry purposes to ignore.

I will agree with that comment whole heartedly.

I know there are many of you out there that have had 100% P and PM success stories. Lucky devils.

I purchased a new PM9 from my LGS back in Feb. VC73XX. The more rounds I put through it the worse it got. I documented every round with each respective magazine (3) and kept meticulous records during operation. After about 450 rounds, I went to the range to continue the "break-in" and about 50% of the rounds were light strikes and way off to one side.

Sent it in on a Kahr return authorization (still find it disconcerting they won't pay the freight both ways on a warranty related item).
They repaired it promptly and I had it back in under 10 days. Dottie was still around at that time, although she (bless her) was having some health issues.
They were very communicative and answered all my questions. They replaced the barrel, recoil spring, polished extractor, stiker and tested it OK.

I have put 50 rounds of FMJ (ball ammo) through it since its return and so far it's 100 percent. I can't say that when it was new, since in 50 rounds there were FTB (had to smack it) and some fail to ejects.

I really do like the PM9 format, it is perfect ergonomically for me and it shoots nicely, and I am profficient with it. If I get another 200 rounds through it flawlessly I will pocket carry it. If not I will send it back for one more repair and put it on the block.

The ultimate irony and the reason I guess I am a bit more patient than others.

The story goes on....

I purchased a NIB S&W 642 Centennial to carry while the Kahr was being repaired and until I could get some rounds through it reliably....I was dry firing the 642 and after a couple hundred pulls and 75 rounds at the range the sear failed. So much for what I thought was the panacea for autos, a revolver. :banghead: Sent it to S&W, they paid shipping both ways (the way it should be, is anyone listening?) and I had it back in under two weeks. It has been fine ever since with over 500 rounds through it.

Now I know they all break, some sooner than later regardless of the technology or manufacturer. Hence my patience.

May try a Rohrbaugh R9s if the Kahr acts up again.
Still seeking the ultimate auto pocket 9mm.

Sure is purdy though ain't she?

 

[Muddflap]

Thats one thing i forget to mention about Kahr's. Kahr recommends to lock the slide back before chambering and only release the slide with the slide stop lever. BUT, a good Kahr pistol that is properly broken in shouldn't require this.

That's exactly right. Says so in the manual, and everyone seems to miss it. I have a PM9 that I had to do this way a few times. It now has about 500 rounds through it, and it has been perfect.

 

[sansone]

this is remotely related but: I transfered a VERY expensive HK .40 compact for an airline pilot. he says HK had a special offering directly to pilots for cockpit-carry. the gun had more plastic parts than mattel. Awful trigger, I asked him politely if he had much handgun experience and he said no, but he was taking a class. the only good thing about the sale was the stiff DAO trigger being safer(maybe) for a beginner.