Kahr CW45 very picky with ammo!

[helz_mcfugly]

I got a new Kahr CW-45 about a month ago. I shot it a few times and it would fire about every 10th to 12th round. I used 4 different kids of ammo. rem 185 fjm, some hand reloads, Fed hydroshock, some hornady jhp, and a few others. They all did the same thing. sometimes it wouldnt go all they way into full battery and sometimes it would but it would fail to fire, it wold dent the primer but would not fire, and the slide was hell to pull back as if the throte of the barrel was to tight for the bullet. SO
I sent it back to kahr and they replace the whole upper slide and bbl.
its still doing the same thing. I called amd they said it needs to be broke in with about 200 rounds of what ever I want to shoot through it.
anyone else have this problem with the kahr-CW45?
I have a friend that has a CW9 and did not ahve this prob. also someone who had a pm9 with no prob.

 

[greenjeans]

My CW45 was bought used, so I have no idea how many rounds before I bought it. It has never failed with any ammo. My CW9 has also been dependable. Can't imagine what would make one fail that often. I know this doesn't help your problem, but just my experience.

 

[tincanhunter]

I bought a CW45 new. The only problem I had was with 200gr SWC hand loads which it had trouble feeding. Other than that I didn't have any issues.

 

[bdb benzino]

I have a CW9 & CW45 and both have been flawless out of the box!! Kakr should make it right if it does not buff out after the break in. P.S. Kahr recomends no reloads, so if you do send it back, you may want to leave that out. Good luck, I hope you will enjoy yours as much as I do both of mine.

 

[9mmepiphany]

follow the manual and put the 200 rounds through it before you start fretting over the little things...that's why they put it in there

 

[usp9]

With which brand in particular was your Kahr picky... surely not all of them?

 

[CDW4ME]

I have a PM45. In the first box of ammo through the gun (Federal 185 JHP) I had three feeding issues; that was reduced to one issue in the 2nd box of ammo. After cleaning, I switched and shot some Hydra-Shok and Remington JHP without a problem. Went back to the Federal JHP and it worked fine. I now had a little over 200 rounds through it.I kept the gun loaded with Hydra-Shock since I experience no issues when shooting it. That was last year.

The other day, I tried Winchester Ranger. When chambering the first round, the slide did not go fully forward; a little push on the rear of the slide and it closed. Another magazine of ammo and the same problem happened again when loading the first round (pull side to rear and relaese, not using slide stop). I shot some Remington JHP and the pistol had no trouble feeding the first round from the magazine. After cleaning the PM45 I loaded it with the Remington JHP. The Remington loads have fed fine every time I've shot them.

Put 200 rounds through the gun. Get it cleaned up then see what it likes. Yea, maybe mine SHOULD feed anything without a problem (like a GLock), but it's thinner and fills a nitch. It's reliable with the ammo that's in it.

 

[9mmepiphany]

(pull side to rear and relaese, not using slide stop)

you know the manual specifically says to release the slide with the slide stop when loading the first round from a mag...there is a reason for it and you obviously fall into that demographic.

my CW9 has been able to load the first round either way since i completed the 200 round break-in period, but the 9mm has different feeding characteristics than the .45 ACP

 

[Girodin]

My K9 is more picky with ammo than any other handgun I have. It is the only thing that keeps it from being one of if not my favorite handgun.

 

[CDW4ME]

you know the manual specifically says to release the slide with the slide stop when loading the first round from a mag...there is a reason for it and you obviously fall into that demographic.

If one JHP load is a little more forgiving when it comes to feeding reliability then I prefer that load over one that's touchy. I commend your attention to detail and knowledge of the manual, but I'm more confident if the load feeds smootly either way.

 

[JDGray]

Call Kahr, and ask them what ammo they tested your supposed fixed gun on. Sounds like BS with the break in and all. The gun should fire any 45ACP ammo you can buy, maybe with a hickup now and then, but the rounds should chamber.

 

[jfrey]

I have a friend whose CW45 did the exact same thing. He shortened the OAL of his reloads and most of the problems went away. Sounds to me like it could be a short chamber problem in the barrel. The chambers on the .45 barrels may be cut slightly short and any difference in brass length could cause a problem. Just a guess but it be.

 

[helz_mcfugly]

I took it to the range today with a box of fed 230gr FMJs and a box a winchester 230 gr FMJ. first mag I loaded into the gun was 5 feds and used the slide stop to chamber the round and "click" failed to fire. pulled the slide back just enough to catch the firing pin back and it fired. second round same thing only it took about 3 times to get it to fire, i kept this up through the whole box of Feds. it started firing about 2 or 3 at a time. so onto the winchesters. same thing, I never got it to fire more then 3 in a row after 100 rounds. I put the last 6 hydroshocks I had into it as well, same thing. its like the firing pin isnt hitting the primer hard enough. I looked at some of the dents my 1911 and Glock 21 were putting on the primers and they were way bigger then the tiny dent the kahr was leaving on the primers that fired. Im sending it back again tomorrow with some of the spent cases. I even kept a couple of the bullets that didnt fire that have dents on the primers and unloaded them so they can see the small dent it made on the primer. Ill repost when i get it back and try again.
I did not know this gun had a "200 round break in" in wrighting or I would have never ever looked at them. If I buy a gun for my primary carry I want it to fire every time, right out of the box. I can undserstand a gun having a couple of hickups when they are new but not like this. I always shoot a few hundred rounds out of any gun I plan on carrying just to get use to it anyways. but it shouldnt be something that MUST be done to do to get the gun to work. I wouldnt trust my life to a fire arm like that. Ill just continue to carry my colt commander unless they fix the problem and it shoots without malfunction from the start. otherwise its getting replaced with a kimber untra carry

I have a friend whose CW45 did the exact same thing. He shortened the OAL of his reloads and most of the problems went away.

yea my reloads were to long for this guns bbl, they would not let the gun go into full battery, i would have to shorten them to make them work with the kahr, which I think is aslo a$$.

 

[nerfsrule2]

Call Kahr, and ask them what ammo they tested your supposed fixed gun on. Sounds like BS with the break in and all. The gun should fire any 45ACP ammo you can buy, maybe with a hickup now and then, but the rounds should chamber.

I spoke with Kahr concerning a similar problem with my MK 9..I asked which Ammo they used at the factory to test fire the pistol.. they would not provide me with the brand.. Only saying that it will fire any modern manufactured factory ammo...well my MK 9 did not like the 112g Federal sold at wally world.. I moved up to the 124 g Swiss Mfg that they just got in and it works great...My gun did not like the lighter weight bullets of any Mfg..

 

[nerfsrule2]

A friend of mine picked up A Kahr K 9.. so we decided to break it in...we fired federal..WWB..Swiss..Remington..Black talon. and reloads through it..It would not cycle the reloads at first..but after shooting 300 rounds through the pipe everything worked fine. There is definitely a break in period.. This pistol liked all of the bullet weights that we fed through it..(unlike my MK 9, which does not like light weight stuff)

 

[bdb benzino]

Kimbers require a break-in as well!! LOL!

 

[Full Metal Jacket]

kahrs are picky with ammo?

 

[JDGray]

Light primer hits will not break in. A match built pistol with super tight clearances, I agree needs some wear in, but not a SD weapon.

 

[helz_mcfugly]

Kimbers require a break-in as well!! LOL!

HA ya I know, but its because they build them so tight, I trust the 1911 platform. And they arent picky with ammo. I really didnt expect this out of Kahr.

 

[tincanhunter]

Wonder if it's an issue with the striker block, striker spacer and firing pin clearances?

 

[helz_mcfugly]

Wonder if it's an issue with the striker block, striker spacer and firing pin clearances?

they said they replaced the slide and bbl the first time i sent it in. wouldnt that have solved the light stikes if it where the striker block or spacer. im hoping they jsut send me a whole new gun or at liest the entire slide with everything in it. Imnot sure if they did that last time. it may have still had the same firing pin and mechanisims.
Its kinda hard to break in a gun if it wont fire. Har!