trigger reaches stop before firing

[Laneman]

I went to shoot my CW9 yesterday and noticed the trigger would reach the very end of its travel before the gun would fire. I don't remember it being like this. I can pull it till it lightly touches the stop and it won't fire yet. Additional pressure will then make it fire. I took it apart, cleaned it. That seemed to help slightly but it still goes almost all the way back. Any ideas?

[muggsy]

You have a trigger bar problem. The gun needs to be returned to the mothership.

[CJB]

Sorry to agree. It will be better and smoother when you get it back. Shouldnt take too long either

[GaryS]

I had the same problem with my CM40 - brand new, out of the box. I called Kahr and they took some information from me, then sent me a pre-paid FedEx overnight shipping label via email.

I boxed up my CM40 and dropped it off at FedEx the next day. It's only been a week since I shipped it back to Kahr, so I can't give you any details of how the repair turned out.

[A_White]

I had the same problem with my CM40 - brand new, out of the box. I called Kahr and they took some information from me, then sent me a pre-paid FedEx overnight shipping label via email.

I boxed up my CM40 and dropped it off at FedEx the next day. It's only been a week since I shipped it back to Kahr, so I can't give you any details of how the repair turned out.

Mine did the same thing. Took about 10 days and it was back in my hands.

[Laneman]

Thanks everyone. I only have about 50 rounds through it, so I hate having to send it back. From what one member said, this problem has something to do with the trigger bar. If I knew the exact problem I would replace the part myself.

[GaryS]

Just got my CM40 back from Kahr today. Only took about 2 weeks, and the trigger pull is much better than before, so I'm very happy about that. There were also a couple minor cosmetic issues with the slide. I mentioned them in the letter I enclosed with my pistol when I returned it to them for repair. They replaced the slide with a new one.

I have to say that the customer service I received was excellent. I'm really pleased with how they addressed and fixed the problems I had.

[CJB]

Thanks everyone. I only have about 50 rounds through it, so I hate having to send it back. From what one member said, this problem has something to do with the trigger bar. If I knew the exact problem I would replace the part myself.

I wish I could work at Kahr for about a month, doing nothing more than working on "trigger bar" issues.

These guns got fired at the factory. What happened? I think its fair to say that there is plastic involved, and that whatever initial fitting the trigger bar got, was thrown off by a bit of flashing, a bit of a hanging chad of plastic, or a section or surface of plastic that wore in.

I don't recall any areas of the plastic frame that would wear in, or be a wear point at all for that matter. The Kahr design is very good in that respect. Could be some plastic preventing parts from working correctly, and a bit of excess or flashing needs trimming (and which after short use got displaced and began to cause problems.

The actual engineering and execution of the design is pretty straight forward, which really gets my interest in wanting to solve the problem. I design things as part of my livelyhood, this issue has been irkin' me for a while.

That doesn't help you too much with frustration of having a new pistol that isn't quite right, but I will say with some assurance, that the Kahr folks will not only set it straight, but you'll get the most amazing and slick action back that you can imagine on a DAO pistol.

[Laneman]

Well, I'm at the point where I want to send it back, they just won't respond to my request for an RMA. I tried calling several times and sat on hold till I lost patience and hung up. Then I went to their web site and requested an RMA. A week later I had no reply. So yesterday morning I sent another request and here I am at the end of day 2 with no reply.

I looked carefully at the trigger bar area. The design seems shaky to me. I discovered that if I hold pressure down on the top rear of the slide the gun will not fire at all. When I release the pressure while still pulling back on the trigger I get the click of the striker. I also noticed while pulling the trigger, the trigger bar moves out away from the grip then moves back in as it travels forward. This may be the problem, maybe a lump in the plastic. I don't have a press to remove the trigger. If I did I would try to fix it myself, I am tired of waiting for Kahr to respond.

[getsome]

Welcome to Kahrtalk there Laneman....I feel your pain and have been in your shoes before....My first Kahr was a CW40 and it would drop the magazine with almost every shot....I called Kahr several tmes and got on the recording merry go round...I left several voice messages and sent emails but nothing....

Thats how I found Kahrtalk because I was looking for help on the web...The folks here told me I needed a new mag catch and they would mail me one to fix myself....I got lucky and called on a Tuesday morning like 10:00 est and they picked right up...Talked to Ian who sent one right out and with help from the gang here I fixed it easy enough...

Try calling Kahr mid week between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm and see if you don't get an answer...Don't try and fix your gun by yourself....Other than general takedown and removal of the striker and spring for occasional cleaning (directions are in new member section, not hard but read first) you shouldn't try and take anything further apart by going into the frame and if you do and then mess up something Kahr wont honor the warranty...Keep calling them and don't give up, I will agree that IMHO Kahr needs to get better at answering their phone but that's just how it is but keep calling them during the day and you will eventually get an answer and Kahr will send you a pre paid FedEx sheet for shipment to the mothership and they WILL make it right...Good luck to you and let us know how it goes...

[govtwtchdog]

For Laneman

I too had this issue with my CW45 and I just sent my pistol off today. I sent them an email and got a better response than by phone. After filling out the RMA request on their website and waiting a week without a reply, I sent another email. I got a prompt response and within a day got the RMA. So, I dropped it off in the mail today and I was told I should have it back in a couple of weeks. I'll advise how it goes. BTW, I started a thread about this issue a month ago; I'll try and get it to link back to this one.

[Laneman]

I did a normal cleaning and added some white grease to all trigger bar contact points, now it works fine. Kahr finally sent a FedEx tag meanwhile. I think I'll just keep testing, it seems to be OK.

[FLBri]

I like it, Laneman. I would keep it and email Kahr and let then know just in case it come up in the future. All of the things you described in your last post are quite normal (especially the trigger bar movement with the cover off).

My guess is something (moisture, or dust) got into the workings between the factory and you, and the time you have had it. You fixed it and it will only get better!

One more thing I would do, assuming that what I said is the case. WHEN you are comfortable, do a detail slide strip. Study the parts manuals and there are several good youtube videos describing the procedure exactly. You really can't get in trouble and it requires no special tools. But cleaning out the striker channel, striker block, and possible even the ejector, will keep this from ever entering your mind again. If muck got in one place ... it may have gotten into more.

Congrats on a happy solution.
Brian

[FLBri]

Oh, and one more thing. If you detail strip your slide ... BE SURE to do it with your slide and hands inside a large clear plastic cooking bag. It will save you a long hunt for flying little parts!

[2tango2]

trigger reaches stop before firing

I'm glad I came across this thread. What the OP is describing here is what I experienced while looking at a new CW9 at a LGS

I bought a CW380 on Xmas Eve and after some break in pain I have grown to love this little pistol which btw is my first Kahr

The trigger on my CW380 is great....it has a pull that is long and super smooth that gradually tightens up with a nice clean predictable break. The trigger on the CW9 I tried at the LGS exhibited the same behavior that the OP talks about......pull,pull,pull and then just as it seems it would run out of travel and then it would fire. To me that felt terrible considering how much I like the trigger on my CW380

When I posted a question about the discrepancies between the two triggers I was advised that both triggers should feel the same. Well there def was a difference between the two.

Was there a run of CW9s that appear to have the issue that is mentioned in this thread?

I do feel better that I've read this as it tells me that there is/was some issue as this is not how the CW9 trigger is supposed to be.

I was prepared to write Kahr off other than my CW380 as the trigger pull on that CW 9 was a deal killer.

Another LGS near me has a number of CW9s on display. I will check them out and hopefully they have a trigger closer to my CW380 than one that fires like the OP relayed