KAHR P9 - Trials & Tribulations

[HankB]

Just got a new Kahr P9 for my birthday. (Cost was $449 - was that OK?)

Cleaned it, lubed it, and took it to the range with 4 boxes of Winchester 115 FMJ to break it in. Ran into a few problem.

PROBLEM #1: Several times during the first 50 rounds, the pistol appeared to cycle properly, but when I squeezed the trigger, there was only a "click". The firing pin didn't fall. The slide appeared to be fully in battery, and after one or more additional pulls of the trigger, the gun would finally fire. (Ejected live rounds showed no evidence of a firing pin blow.) The KAHRs don't have second-strike capability, so I'm guessing that something wasn't properly engaging. This happened many times early on; it didn't happen at all during the last 3 boxes of ammo, but given the nature of this malfunction, I'll have to shoot it a LOT more before I have confidence in it.

PROBLEM #2 After about a 100 rounds, the slide occasionally would lock back on a partial magazine - and I was NOT limp-wristing it or accidentally pushing up on the slide stop with my thumb!!

Has anyone encountered these KAHR problems before, and if so, how did you solve them?

Also, there seems to be a few rough spots in the barrel...the chamber looks OK. If you've got a P9, what does the inside of your barrel look like?

Too bad I didn't get one of the "perfect" ones the gun rags all seem to have been provided with...

 

[Ben]

Wow, sorry to hear about that Hank... maybe you can send it back to Kahr with a very detailed note explaining the problem. They might throw something nice in for your troubles too if you sound disappointed enough.

I'd personally stick with the guns that make Kahr famous... the all-steel K-9. Their metal guns are just plain SOLID.

good luck and keep us informed,
Ben

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"Gun Control Is Being Able To Hit Your Target"
Different, just like everyone else. (Ben Original)
Vote Joe for Mayor

 

[One]

A local officer bought a P9 for off duty carry. Upon its virgin trip to the range this thing exploded. The extractor is gone, the little plate on the side of the grip is gone, and misc little bits are MIA. Prior to this he was experiencing the misfires and failure to go into battery mentioned above. He was shooting Ranger SXTs, and they are not that hot. His hand stung for three days. The gun is going back to Kahr for diagnosis, but after seeing it, it doesn't look very confidence inspiring. Anyone w/ these watch out.

Be Safe
Mike

 

[Oleg Volk]

Seems Kahr shipped their P9s with a faulty slide lock tab spring. Request a replacement from that, it would fix one of yuor problems.

 

[Ronin 99]

I'll go along with what Ben says and stick to the all steel models for now. Maybe I'll take a look at the P9 again in the spring or just go with an MK9. My K9 Elite has been perfect so an MK9 is definitely a viable alternative.
Ronin

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NRA/GOA/GOTF
Vote!!

 

[HankB]

Ben: 'll be calling KAHR first thing Monday morning. Trust me, It'll be easy to sound VERY disappointed.

One: Scary story. My P9 DID seem to go fully into battery every time; it just wouldn't drop the firing pin when the trigger was pulled. Maybe a burr that wore off during the first box of ammo? Like I said, it happened several times during the first 50 rounds, not at all during the last 150.

Oleg: Thanks for the tip on the slide lock tab spring. I'll see what the people at KAHR say when I contact them.

I'll see how KAHR handles this. If anyone has dealt with KAHR customer service before, I'd sure like to know how things went!

I'll report back once I have something to add. Thanks.

 

[9x19]

Thanks for some very informative posts.

I have been thinking about buying a P9 (already have a K9), and this info makes me want to wait a few more months...

HankB,
Please, do let us know how it's handled by Kahr and how it all turns out.



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Make mine lean, mean, and 9x19!

 

[VictorLouis]

One: Can you provide a link to ANY further documentation of this inicident? A catastrophic failure is pretty serious, and I would like a bit more than a casual anecdote. I do NOT mean to doubt, or flame you, personally, in any manner.

 

[Bandit]

I'm with 9X19, thanks for the reports.. I've been leaning towards a P9 purchase and your post amoung others I've read lately make me a little leary now. It's probly best I wait for awhile as it seems the P9's are going through some teething pains at this time. This will be a good excuse to go ahead and get the K40 now. I'll probly end up with both of them anyways.

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Rick

 

[One]

VictorLouis

You can call the shop: Shupp's Gunsmithing 717-755-8528 and ask all about it. As I said the gun was failing to go into battery, ie: would not lock up and required a slap to the back of the slide. The barrel was checked for obstructions and the gun was stripped and checked just prior to the explosion. Upon touching off the round the extractor blew out of the slide and the plate on the grip blew off of the gun. It was a nasty incident, I think that it would not have been so bad, except for the plate on the grip blowing off in his hand.

I have owned other Kahrs, and have nothing against the company, but I think that this polymer version is just not ready yet. It may have been one in a million, but I would wait a while and see what happens.

Be Safe
Mike

 

[HankB]

Update: Called Kahr's customer service number yesterday. They don't answer the phone, you just get a %$@! recording and have to leave a message. Still haven't had a return call.

So I emailed them a note detailing my problems this morning, and this time got a quick response. Some badly machined slide stops went into the P9's, so they will send me a replacement. Also, they wrote that the slide stop spring should be at the "3:00" position, and if it isn't, I should use tweezers or needle nosed pliers to bend it into the proper position. If this doesn't cure the problem, they sent me another phone number to use for return instructions.

By the way, in response to my inquiry about use of plus-P and plus-P-plus ammunition, Kahr confirmed that the P9 can use both types.

 

[Mark King]

Hank,

I have an early model K9 with the nickle finish. After 300 to 400 flawless rounds I started getting failures to go into battery. I called Kahr as was put on the phone with a gunsmith. After explaining the situation they had me ship the gun to them and they replaced the recoil spring, reamed the chamber to SAAMI spec and then replaced the striker block on the rear of the slide for cosmetic reasons. I had the gun back in about two weeks.
Later the slide stop broke on my gun. Another call to Kahr and a brief conversation with a gunsmith, yup, they put me directly through again. And they send a replacement slide stop. Had it three days later.

So my experiences with Kahr's customer service have been very positive.

Good luck with your P9, I feel that Kahr will make it right for you.

Mark / FL

 

[andyboy]

Hank,
Boy do I have some strong opinions about Kahr's customer service. I bought an MK40 and had problems right from the start-namely the slide was locking back on a partial magazine-just like yours did. But it took me two e-mails and two messages (God forbid they answer the phone) and three days of waiting before anyone ever even got back to me! So I explained the problem and they agreed to send me a new slide release and spring that same day.

Sounded good enough, but a week went by and I never got them. Up until that point I was very polite and patient-I felt I would get a better response that way. But my nice guy approach didn't seem to be working so I left two strongly worded voice messages and threatened to go on every message board and forum page I could and tell every one exactly what I thought of their customer service.

Well, you might think that they called me asap and apoligized, but you would be wrong!

Two days later I finally did get my slide release, and the gun now works great. But I will never forget the way they treated me.

So, for whatever it's worth, Kahr's guns are as good as everyone says they are. I love my mk40! But God help you if you need service!!!

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Andy, PA

 

[M1911]

I had them install night sights on my K40. A year or so later, the rear sight started slipping off the left. I tried to drift it to the right with a punch, but after 30 rounds, it slipped back the left. I called up Kahr, they told me to ship the slide back. A week or so later, they shipped the slide back with a new rear sight, no charge.

So I've had very good luck with Kahr's customer service.

M1911

 

[No4Mk1*]

Since this is a P9 post, I'll tell you how mine did at the range today. 200 rounds fired with 3 problems.
- During recoil, thumb hits mag release thus dropping the mag in the dirt with 1 round remaining.
- Premature slide lockup.
- During recoil, thumb hits mag release again. Mag does not drop free this time but falls 1/2 inch leaving an empty chamber.

My long fingers (thumb) and the P9's weak mag release spring do not mix.

 

[Wayne Dobbs]

I bought a P9 about three weeks ago for an off-duty and concealment pistol. I have fired just over 300 rounds through mine in two sessions without any problems. I was already aware of the premature slide stop engagement problem, but so far (knock on wood), I've had nothing but excellent performance from the gun. Makes me want to fire several hundred more rounds before I trust it after hearing these stories!!

Wayne Dobbs
Richardson, TX PD

 

[OIC]

My experience with the P9 has thusfar been similar to Mr. Dobbs. I have approximately 400 rounds of mixed manufacturer ammo through the pistol with no malfunctions so far. Accuracy is super and my only complaint has been the protruding and needlessly sharp slide stop lever. This pistol has become my most frequent summer carry piece, and now that the leaves are falling steadily, I was planning on adding the Ashley Express sights and dehorning the slide stop, but this post has me wondering about the long-term viability of the design. I may wait a bit longer.

BT

 

[Oleg Volk]

I sent mine in to get the slide stop lever replaced. Since that time, I fired about 300 rounds and had zero malfunctions, great accuracy. The only down side to Kahrs is that the magazines can dislodge the top round if handled roughly. That's fixed by using magazine pouches for spares.

 

[HankB]

Glad to hear some P9's are working well; the design should be sound. (Maybe mine was made Monday morning or Friday afternoon?) In any case, I got another email from Kahr telling me they're going to mail the replacement slide stop out to me today. I'm still a little bothered that they didn't respond AT ALL to problem #1, mentioned in my original post which started this thread. Maybe they think because it seemed to cure itself after the first box the problem won't reoccur? Still, it will take at least a couple of hundred more problem-free rounds before I fully trust this P9.