Kahr CW45

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SgtMeatballs

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Hello everyone, I'm obviously new to this forum but I have done a bit of searching to see if anybody else has had the same issue as I. I have recently purchased a Kahr CW45; To me it seemed to be the perfect combination of concealability, caliber, pointability, and price. After carefully reading the instruction manual, I went out for the next week and fired the recommended 200rds for the break in period.

My issue is this: Every time I fire the pistol, the slide stop pops out a bit...the pistol then becomes 50%-75% reliable, and when the magazine is empty, the chamber does not stay open as designed. I called Kahr and they informed me that I probably bent the slide stop spring and they're sending me another one. How could I have done this if I followed the instructions to a T...is this a sign of things to expect from this pistol? Has anyone else had this issue?

Just to clarify my position on this, the firearm, when firing, was surprising accurate and the recoil was MUCH less that I expected. It seems as this would be the perfect CW besides the biggest issue...reliability.
 
I don't think it is a problem, because I've never heard of it and I know several folks who carry and shoot Kahrs.

Since you spoke to someone on the phone who did not have a chance to examine your pistol, I would take their pronouncement of a "bent slide stop spring" is just an educated guess...because it is the tension of that spring is what holds the slide stop in place.

Isn't it better to work toward a solution to a problem than to attribute/accpet blame?

If replacing the spring doesn't solve your issues, I would think their next step would be to ask you to send the gun in so that they can investigate further. If it doesn't work, just give them another call, if it does just enjoy the gun.
 
Just call Kahr at http://www.kahr.com/. The slide stop on a CW series is a MIM, (Metal Injected Molding) part and sometimes a poor spring fit is possible. In any even Kahr will make it right one way or another.
 
The slide stop on my CW45 was always very easy to remove from the pistol; so much so, that if a round nose dived enough while feeding it could pop the stop out from the frame. My first fix for this was to remove some material from the stop where a nose diving round would impact it. This did fix the issue, but please read on. I also had intermittent problems with the slide locking back with rounds still in the magazine. I removed some material from the stop lever to make it smaller and reduce the chances that I was inadvertently hitting it when the gun recoiled. I also removed some material from the stop where rounds might contact it when feeding from the magazine. These actions also seemed to have the desired effect in regards to the slide locking back early.

However, I now believe that the slide stop spring may have played a greater role in both issues than the stop itself. I had an extra slide stop spring and decided to install it to see if it made any difference in how easy my stop was to remove. A note here: when replacing the spring, don't remove the screw holding the spring and washer in place completely out of the frame; just loosen it enough to remove the spring. This will greatly reduce the chances of stripping the threads in the polymer frame.
Upon removing the spring, I compared the old and new: finding that that old had some wear marks on it where the stop contacted it, but otherwise they were identical. Now, here is where things get interesting. I had read on "Kahr Talk" that Kahr CS recommends tightening the spring screw until it was just snug. I did this when installing the new spring. Upon reassembling and testing the pistol, I found the stop was very hard to remove. I also noted the slide didn't return to battery as easily as it had prior to the change. I checked the slide stop spring and found, that with the screw snug, the spring seems to operate as two distinct springs, where before, the whole spring seemed to move easily as one. I loosened the screw until the spring would move freely as it had done before; this resulted in the stop being as easily removed at it previously had been (the slide again went easily into battery). Next, I tightened the spring back snug, then loosened it a slight amount (1/4-1/2 turn). This resulted in the stop being slightly less difficult to remove compared to when the screw is snug and the slide going into battery without hesitation. I played with how snug the screw was until I found a median that I liked; leaving it snug enough that I need to use something to start the stop out of the frame (though I can do it by hand if need be). My CW45 functions perfectly with the spring adjusted this way. You might want to give it a try.:)

BTW, here's a shot of my CW45:
a3gzdl.gif
Regards,
Greg
 
gb6491 said:
The slide stop on my CW45 was always very easy to remove from the pistol; so much so, that if a round nose dived enough while feeding it could pop the stop out from the frame. My first fix for this was to remove some material from the stop where a nose diving round would impact it. This did fix the issue, but please read on. I also had intermittent problems with the slide locking back with rounds still in the magazine. I removed some material from the stop lever to make it smaller and reduce the chances that I was inadvertently hitting it when the gun recoiled. I also removed some material from the stop where rounds might contact it when feeding from the magazine. These actions also seemed to have the desired effect in regards to the slide locking back early.

However, I now believe that the slide stop spring may have played a greater role in both issues than the stop itself. I had an extra slide stop spring and decided to install it to see if it made any difference in how easy my stop was to remove. A note here: when replacing the spring, don't remove the screw holding the spring and washer in place completely out of the frame; just loosen it enough to remove the spring. This will greatly reduce the chances of stripping the threads in the polymer frame.
Upon removing the spring, I compared the old and new: finding that that old had some wear marks on it where the stop contacted it, but otherwise they were identical. Now, here is where things get interesting. I had read on "Kahr Talk" that Kahr CS recommends tightening the spring screw until it was just snug. I did this when installing the new spring. Upon reassembling and testing the pistol, I found the stop was very hard to remove. I also noted the slide didn't return to battery as easily as it had prior to the change. I checked the slide stop spring and found, that with the screw snug, the spring seems to operate as two distinct springs, where before, the whole spring seemed to move easily as one. I loosened the screw until the spring would move freely as it had done before; this resulted in the stop being as easily removed at it previously had been (the slide again went easily into battery). Next, I tightened the spring back snug, then loosened it a slight amount (1/4-1/2 turn). This resulted in the stop being slightly less difficult to remove compared to when the screw is snug and the slide going into battery without hesitation. I played with how snug the screw was until I found a median that I liked; leaving it snug enough that I need to use something to start the stop out of the frame (though I can do it by hand if need be). My CW45 functions perfectly with the spring adjusted this way. You might want to give it a try.:)

BTW, here's a shot of my CW45:
a3gzdl.gif
Regards,
Greg
Click to expand...
That gun is showing a milled slide stop like in the P series and not the MIM slide stop that is in the CW series.

http://www.kahr.com/dtlimg_cw4043.html I wonder when they started doing that!
 
That gun is showing a milled slide stop like in the P series and not the MIM slide stop that is in the CW series.
Click to expand...
DonRon,
I bought that slide stop from the Kahr shop. The CW series still come with MIM stops.
Regards,
Greg
 
Sure had me doing a double take! I also replaced the MIM slide stop with a machined one on my CW 40. That's what zeroed me in on it.
 
Thanks for the advice, and after really observing the slide stop spring/slide stop/malfunction over and over again I agree that it must have something to do with the screw/spring combination as my spring is almost on a free spin. All I need now is whatever type of screw driver head this thing takes and I may be able to fix this issue myself.
 
All I need now is whatever type of screw driver head this thing takes and I may be able to fix this issue myself.
Click to expand...
You need a #6 Torx driver (T6) for that screw.
Be careful not to strip out that hole in the polymer
Regards,
Greg
 
As I stare at the head of the screw I see that the black on the screw head and washer is worn down, it is no longer black and the metal is exposed. This is only on the top half of both of these components. Does this shed light on a different problem, support the issue/fix I will be performing, or is this a normal occurance.
 
As I stare at the head of the screw I see that the black on the screw head and washer is worn down, it is no longer black and the metal is exposed. This is only on the top half of both of these components.
Click to expand...
Mine has some wear there, but my screw was (IMO) not tight enough. It looks to have enough clearance now that wear there would seem unlikely. I'll have to dig out my other slide stop to see what kind of clearance it has. All that said, I would not be concerned with the small amount of wear that you describe.
Regards,
Greg
 
I still don't understand why this is happening. I have the slide assembly off, so now I'm just staring at the polymer frame, magazine inserted, slide stop in. When I push a round out of the magazine the slide stop pops out just a little bit. I've tightend the screw but this is still going on. How does the spring affect this process?
 
SgtMeatballs said:
I still don't understand why this is happening. I have the slide assembly off, so now I'm just staring at the polymer frame, magazine inserted, slide stop in. When I push a round out of the magazine the slide stop pops out just a little bit. I've tightend the screw but this is still going on. How does the spring affect this process?
Click to expand...
I think the retaining spring lock is out of spec and replacing the "C" shaped spring will help. I have remedied a few similar problem by doing that for what it;s worth.
 
Have you tried putting the original MIM slid stop in to see if it stops the problem also?
 
Okay I have just dug into my Kahr replacement parts. The shank of the slide stop pin has a fine groove cut at the base where the retaining spring fits in and locks it in place. The grove may be deformed, full of debris or the lock spring tension is too week to keep it locked in the grove I would have to say.
 
Okay, I see where the left side of the spring locks into the slide stop, possibly my spring is bad, and I will just have to wait until Kahr sends me my replacement. Don Ron, I have whate the original slide stop this pistol came with, I purchased this about 2 weeks ago and its SN is in the mid 6 thousands if that helps.

Everyone, thanks for the input, I will post more if anythig changes.
 
Okay anything I can do to help. I would ask Kahr to send a Slide Stop and a spring. They are pretty good about that. That is why I like their products so much. Glock is also great and so is Kel Tec.

Good Luck!

Ron
 
Should be able to bend the tab back and keep using it while you wait. I bought my latest Kahr used. The shop owner told me that the gun was defective and locked back after every shot. I bent the spring back with needle nose and haven't had any issues since.
 
Jbabbler said:
Should be able to bend the tab back and keep using it while you wait. I bought my latest Kahr used. The shop owner told me that the gun was defective and locked back after every shot. I bent the spring back with needle nose and haven't had any issues since.
Click to expand...
You know that makes perfect sense......Dahhhhh! You know you are getting old when you start forgetting the simple things. Smart thinking there jbabbler!
 
Okay, back from Lowes with a T-6 through T-15 set. The CW45 that I have took a T7 and after tightening and moving the spring around and then tightening some more...it's ALIVE!!! Functions perfectly, flawlessly, and I finally feel 100% secure with my CCW. Thanks guys for all the help, I will make sure to pay it forward.
 
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