Kahr PM9 issue?

[Shmackey]

Just bought a lightly used PM9 from the original owner, who stated (and I believe him) that it has gone through 500 rounds of FMJ and Ranger without a hitch.

I loaded up a magazine with Gold Dot 124 +P this morning, inserted it, racked the slide, and ... the slide stayed back. Scratched my head, tried it again ... same thing. I dropped the mag and looked at the top round. It had a little gouge from the slide stop. Tried it all again and saw that the ogive of the top round is bumping up the slide stop.

Then I recalled that Kahr recommends loading the chamber by depressing the slide stop. I did that, and the round stripped and loaded just fine. That being said, I'm not excited about the way the slide stop gets bumped up by that round. Here are the options I see:

• Replace my cherished GD 124 +P round with something that has a different profile
• File down the small part of the slide stop that hits the ogive
• Do nothing and assume that it will run just fine during real shooting even though the ogive bumps the slide stop

What say you?

 

[rellascout]

You are correct in remembering that slingshotting Kahrs is not recommended. IIRC it is in the manual and pretty well known to cause some pistols to feed improperly. That said I know some people still do it.

I only own one Kahr and it is a recent purchase but I have been exclusively using the slide stop.

 

[Shmackey]

I don't mind having to use the slide stop to drop the slide if that makes it run right, but I'm concerned about the way the slide top touches--and even gouges--the rounds.

Here's a good writeup from someone else who experienced exactly the same thing.

He includes a photo of the round hitting the slide stop:



I'm tempted to take off 1/32" from the slide stop, as he did, just so I can be sure it runs with any kind of ammo. I probably wouldn't care if the particular "problem ammo" weren't my 9mm ammo of choice in every other pistol.

 

[Zerodefect]

I'd try trimming the slide stop lever down as long as your careful not to ruin it's ability to get help up by the magazines follower.

Kinda silly that you can't overhand a Kahr. I've never witnessed this problem, mine work fine and I allmost never release the slide via the SSL.

 

[rellascout]

I would also try to trim it just be careful...

 

[Shmackey]

Yeah I think I will. Worst-case scenario is I overdo it, the slide doesn't lock back, and I need a new $20 part from Kahr. According to that writeup linked above, he was able to get enough round clearance but still have plenty left to engage the follower.

 

[amygdala]

Pls explain problem in more detail

Not sure I understand the problem. Could you elaborate?

 

[RUT]

>>Then I recalled that Kahr recommends loading the chamber by depressing the slide stop<<

That's what they say, but both of mine load just fine using the "slingshot" method. Has to be done with "authority" though.

 

[G.barnes]

Wouldn't recoil be the same as slingshoting it just with more force

 

[Shmackey]

Wouldn't recoil be the same as slingshoting it just with more force

It would--the difference being that we're talking about dropping the slide from its locked-back position. I'm starting to think that in this scenario, holding down the slide stop works best because it guarantees that the slide stop gets out of the way of the slide notch. If that's the case, what we're talking about is a workaround for a buggy design in which the slide stop tends to engage the slide when it shouldn't.

My brain's not 100% today. Anyone care to chime in on the idea that there's a difference (in terms of exactly what the slide stop does) between chambering a round when the action is already locked open compared with chambering a round when the gun is just running through a magazine?

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Do nothing and assume that it will run just fine during real shooting even though the ogive bumps the slide stop

That would be my recommendation.

 

[gbelleh]

Mine feeds and fires 124 gr +p Gold Dots just fine.

I use the slide release as suggested, and have had no problems with my PM9.

 

[Shmackey]

Never being one to leave well enough alone, I went ahead and filed down the part of the slide stop that was gouging the ogive. There's still plenty of slide stop left to engage the follower.

I can sleep better now, until I find a new bit of minutia to worry about.