KAHR Reliability?

[bdb benzino]

I have a CW9 and had a CW45 and both are flawless!!

 

[JohnBT]

Dang, 13.56% voted for option 3.

Based solely on years of reading about Kahrs, and before I checked the results, I was guessing it would be 5% or so.

 

[Billy Shears]

I have a Kakr Mk40, which I bought ten years ago, and which has always been 100% reliable. I had a TP40 that I bought about three years ago, and even after being sent to the factory twice was still not reliable, and I wouldn't trust my life with it. It had two issues. When I first took it to the range, it wouldn't go though a full magazine without jamming. I got it back from the factory the first time, and the jamming problem was somewhat better, but not cured, and it had another issue that it hadn't had before: the striker wasn't consistently resetting. I'd press the trigger and a faint click could be heard, but not like the normal firing pin strike on an empty chamber. I sent it back again. When I got it back the second time, it fired consistently, every time there was a cartridge in the chamber that is, but since the jamming problem still wasn't cured, a round didn't always make it into the chamber. I sold it, since it was certainly not reliable enough to use for self-defense. Interestingly, Bob's Gun Shop, here in Norfolk, has stopped carrying Kahr pistols because a number of customers besides me reported similar complaints. After they had sent more than half a dozen pistols back on behalf of their customers, they dropped Kahrs from their inventory.

 

[hardluk1]

john bt Got to remember that many people that own firearms don't visit any forums. We are just a small group amonst all firearm owners . Of the group i hunt and shot with only 2 of 7 visit these sites.

 

[Jitterbug]

I purchased a PM9 in 2004 and I can't really remember how many failures out of the last 1500 rounds....I do keep range reports, but I'm too lazy to look it up right now.

Off the top of my head I'm going to say 2 or 3 in the first 250 rounds. Since then it 's been flawless as best as I can recall. I only shoot it a few mags a month, carried everyday though, but it hasn't given me any trouble, always goes bang, and other then my North American Arms .22 mini it's the easiest carry I own.

That said, I don't trust any gun 100%, and especially a semi. 99% maybe.

I do my best to make certain the ammo is good and the gun is clean, lubed and in good repair, meaning the springs are in in good shape.

The wife just commandeered the PM9 and gave me her Laser sighted 442, nice little gun, probably 99.8% reliable verses the 99% reliable Kahr.

After I get over the nostalgia and novelty of the 442 with CT, I'll be shopping for another PM9.

 

[Dean1818]

It does make you wonder.

I have a SIG 226 that has never had a FTF or a FTE

I have rented a Sig239 and other guns and had several FTF

In my opinion SIG and Glocks are brutally reliable

BUT
ALL semi manufacturers make a lemon every now and then

However....... I just cant get into the glock trigger for IWB CCW and the grip
(It just doesn't feel right) is thick and at an angle that doesnt fit me

The P239 is just too big and thick for IWB CCW. (IMHO) I also have fantastic accuracy on SA....... but might as well shoot up in the air on the DA shot


I am also trying to buy American made on all of my purchases

I hope that my K9 is one of the 80% !!!!

Thanks for everyones input

 

[Ben86]

My pm9 gave me a few fte and ftf in the first 30 rounds of the break in. After that it has been flawless and I have no problem trusting my life to it.

After I get over the nostalgia and novelty of the 442 with CT, I'll be shopping for another PM9.

Or try a CM9 and save some $. My wife claimed my pm9 also, I feel your pain.

 

[denfoote]

Not CW or P, but my MK9 has been going BANG since Methuselah's birth.

 

[ATBackPackin]

I carry a CW9 every single day. So yeah I trust it.

The only problem I have ever had with any ammo at any time was the very first mag I rode the slide home a bit, which in the Kahr manual it tells you exactly NOT to do this, and it didn't go into full battery. Not one single problem since then even if I do so and I have 2500+ rounds through on mine.

Shawn

 

[OregonJohnny]

My CW9 has 550 rounds through it without a hitch. No 200-round break-in needed, it's eaten everything from the start. The recoil spring is still a little stiff, and it functions much more reliably with a fresh mag if you use the slide release instead of slingshotting it by hand. But as far as feeding/ejecting, it has been flawless, with about 5 or 6 different major brands of ammo.

I recently put some Speer 124-grain +P Short Barrel defensive ammo through it, and it chrono'd at around 1050-1100 ft./sec., which is smokin' out of a short barrel. It had quite a pop to it through this light little gun, and once caused my grip to shift and accidentally release the magazine after just a few shots. But this was user error.

I love the Kahr CW9. My FIL has about 5 different Kahr pistols, and they all shoot great.

 

[IdahoLT1]

It does make you wonder.

I have a SIG 226 that has never had a FTF or a FTE

I have rented a Sig239 and other guns and had several FTF

In my opinion SIG and Glocks are brutally reliable

BUT
ALL semi manufacturers make a lemon every now and then

However....... I just cant get into the glock trigger for IWB CCW and the grip(It just doesn't feel right) is thick and at an angle that doesnt fit me

The P239 is just too big and thick for IWB CCW. (IMHO) I also have fantastic accuracy on SA....... but might as well shoot up in the air on the DA shot

I am also trying to buy American made on all of my purchases

I hope that my K9 is one of the 80% !!!!

Thanks for everyones input

No gun will ever be 100%. I've owned 2 glocks that would occasionally jam. I've shot XD's and SIGs at the range and experienced malfunctions. I've had numerous light strikes and dud rounds over the years in various guns.

The only thing you can do is practice tap/rack and other drills. If you go around trusting/expecting your firearm to never malfunction, its bound to malfunction when you need it most.

Practice, practice, practice... that way if/when your gun jams or doesn't fire when your defending yourself, clearing it will be second nature.

 

[paul105]

I have 750 rounds thru a CW40 that I acquired last November. I had one failure to feed (Double Tap 200gr WFNGC) early on in the break in period. The only problem I've experienced is that the slide locks open sporadically when shooting one handed with my weak hand (left hand). This doesn't happen shooting one or two handed with my right hand. I'm guessing it is due to a weaker grip and a fat trigger finger riding up under and engaging the slide release during recoil. I don't consider this a problem with the gun, but rather the operator and it doesn't concern me because I always carry a weak side pocket NY reload.

 

[JohnBT]

"Got to remember that many people that own firearms don't visit any forums."

I factored that into my 5% guesstimate. I've seen a lot of polls, some on Kahrs, since I got on line in the 20th Century.

 

[MrMike]

I bought a new P380 last Sept. and have had a many feed/eject issues with it since I bought it (500 rounds now). When I first got it, I'd typically experience 6 or 7 failures per 50 rounds and that continued through the 200 round break-in. The feed issues could aways be solved by tapping the back of the slide but the FTEs required the mag to be dropped/replaced in order to clear.

This continued past the 200 round break-in using multiple brands and types of ammo. Remington, PMC, WWB, round or flat nose...didn't matter. I kept track of failures per magazine and neither was more reliable than the other. I contacted Kahr, and they sent a stiffer set of springs which solved the feed issues, but not the FTEs.

I just sent the gun back to Kahr and hopefully they can figure out what's wrong and make it run. I really like the P380 and haven't given up on it. It conceals like nothing else, has an outstanding trigger, and I can shoot it far more accurately than the .38 snub it replaced (Ruger LCR). I intend to add a CM9 or perhaps a PM9 depending on how satisfied I am with Kahr service.

I've got a G19 with 2,000+ flawless rounds, but the P380 is a gun you can carry when wardrobe/social situations limit your options.

I thought I'd post a quick update to the above. Dealing with Kahr's customer service was painless and they were very prompt. It took about a week for them to fix my P380, but that includes shipping time both ways. The note that came back with it indicated they replaced the extractor as well as the barrel. They also said I didn't need to start over with the 200 round break-in.

Since getting it back, I've had the opportunity to put 150 rounds through it and it's been completely trouble-free so far. I know that isn't much, but compared to having multiple eject and feed issues on every mag, I'm a satisfied customer.

 

[hardknocks!]

CW 9

Hello All
I have shot 700 rounds through my CW9 without one single malfunction.
about 7-8 different brands of ammo. Hollow points work fine also.
369.00$ at buds.
349.00$ if your near florida gun exchange, port orange.
YMMV
good luck

 

[commygun]

I have a CW40 and I also made the slide stop spring reassembly flub the first time I cleaned it. Bent it back into position and the pistol has been flawless ever since. It really is a great CCW gun.

 

[Finedges]

Normally I don't chime in to bash in any forum, however my CW45 had trigger reset issues right out of the box. Talk about a confidence killer. It went back to Kahr, and the trigger bar was replaced. I have yet to go shoot it as I have plenty of other carry options. This was my first Kahr purchase and a huge disappointment. I will shoot it more to see if I have any other issues, then it's up for sale. The last thing I want to hear about any gun mfr is they have great customer service! I'd much rather never know if a mfr even HAD a cs dept.

 

[Apocalypse-Now]

great thread!

i'm going to kick back with a bag of pop secret for this one

 

[wow6599]

My new (3 weeks old) PM-9 has 213 rds of Federal, WWB, Golden Saber and Ranger ammo through it with zero problem........except when I broke it down to clean after the last session it was missing the inner recoil spring nut. Still worked though, and a new one is in the mail...............

 

[TucsonMTB]

To the original poster: CW40's rock! Even my wife enjoys shooting ours and it has never had a malfunction. Liked it so much that I bought an easier to pocket PM40. The PM40 break-in included a trip to the factory and I had to sand some additional clearance into the magazine followers where they are relieved to clear the magazine catch. When they hang up on the catch, it causes a round to "nose dive". The PM is now 100% reliable at about 700 rounds, but the CW40 was totally painless from the beginning. YMMV

 

[Aiko492]

Unfortunately my Kahr P380 was purchased about 6 weeks ago, I invested about 500 rounds in the "Kahr break in period". 4-8 jams per 50 rounds. Lost confidence in the pistol, traded it for a trouble free P238.

 

[psp7304]

I purchased a CM9 several weeks ago and it has been 100% after 500 rounds with no malfuntions with both fmj and jhp ammo. I highly recommend the CM9.

 

[hardluk1]

After buying a used cw9 as my intro to kahr I now carry a CM9 as my daily CC. I sold a prefectly fine KT pf9 because of how much easier it was to control the baby 9mm kahr. Zero problems with the used cw9 and zero problems with the cm9. Also the 7 and 8 shot mags for the cw work great in the cm.

 

[MOHunter1978]

My CW40 experience thus far

I am a little late getting in here, but thought I would jump in anyway. I bought a Kahr CW40 at the end of April this year. Love the looks, feel, accuracy, concealability. The recoil is not bad at all. My wife shoots it no problem and she is 5'3", medium build. I am having one dissapointing issue with it, however. When I load it 6+1 and fire the first shot, the next round (which would be the first out of the mag) "nose dives" and gets hung up on the feeding ramp. That being said, if I lock the slide back and put a six round mag in and release the slide, it shoots with no FTF. I have two theories: one, the mag spring tension is pretty stout...like, it could hold up a truck. The spring may be forcing the round to nose dive into the ramp. That would be the best scenario as the spring tension will decrease over time and the problem will resolve itself. The other theory is not so promising. Could just be a poor magazine design in which case there is no solution. Do I trust this gun? Yeah, if I don't have a full mag AND one in the pipe. I have put 300 rounds through this pistol, mostly PMC 165gr FMJ FN, about 50 random reloads, and 7 Hornady Critical Defense 165gr. I had about 4 or 5 FTFs in the first 75 rounds. No FTFs after that with the 6+1 exception. If anyone else has had this same problem, please, for TLOG, share with me

 

[larryh1108]

Did you clean the mag when you first got it? SOmetimes they have grease on the spring that needs to come off. Also, Do you have only 1 mag? Have you tried a 7+1 round mag?

I swapped all my mags with Wolff Springs when my PM9 was brand new. Never a problem. The mags, themselves, are really quite well built. Just a thought.