loading a single round

[TheBeak]

I know this has been discussed in general on many forums (with a variety of answers...), but I wanted to ask the question to the experts here, specifically for the CW9.

Is it safe to drop the slide on a single round in the chamber (as a means to load a single round) or must the round be stripped off a magazine?

I'd love to read your "why's" as well as just a yes/no please.

Thanks!

[Planedude]

Load from the mag, as the extractor may not engage the chambered round. This is especially true with new guns with sharp edged extractors.
It's easy to do from the mag, just load, drop the mag and top it off with another.

That's what I do. Welcome to the Forum!

[Dmitri]

Very far from "an expert", but I would agree (and always do) with loading from the mag -- one round into empty mag (easier to put in, compared to loading the full mag first), then get it in, and then load full mag and attach again.

As for "why's" -- that's easy: it was specifically designed to be loaded that way... That really IS the only way a cartridge is supposed to make its way into the chamber. So it's got to be the most efficient and effective way of doing it.

[Yogi 117]

Very far from "an expert", but I would agree (and always do) with loading from the mag -- one round into empty mag (easier to put in, compared to loading the full mag first), then get it in, and then load full mag and attach again.

As for "why's" -- that's easy: it was specifically designed to be loaded that way... That really IS the only way a cartridge is supposed to make its way into the chamber. So it's got to be the most efficient and effective way of doing it.

+1...agreed!

[wyntrout]

According to Kahr's manual, the extractor can be damaged by inserting a round into the chamber and then releasing the slide. Use a magazine to load a round, then top the mag off and make sure the top round is fully to the rear in the magazine. This should give you at least two shots without trouble.

Wynn

[warbird1]

The manual is specific on this issue as wyntrout says.

[jocko]

Read ur owners manual!!!!!

[OldLincoln]

I would avoid releasing the slide from lock on a chambered round. The slamming of the extractor against the rim is what causes the damage.

Conversely, I polished the extractor face to a near ramp like feel and gently lower the slide against it, then press the slide pushing the extractor over the rim. It may not be the best thing but I don't believe it harms anything - of course I may be 100% wrong and regret it someday.

[TheBeak]

Read ur owners manual!!!!!

LOL, I did, of course - but many items in owners manuals are written by lawyers, not engineers.

thanks for the responses guys, I appreciate the thoughts.

[TheBeak]

so I'm trying to picture the round coming up out of the mag and being pushed into the chamber by the slide face.

Following the line of thinking that dropping the slide on a chambered round is bad, would you believe that the extractor is engage the case rim "in flight" before the round chambers?

I understood from before my post that there are tons of "its bad for the extractor" responses headed my way - the why I'm still looking for is related to how the extractor is grabbing the cartridge with out it hitting home first. (the cartridge is ahead of the slide face the whole way after all.)

Off to try and find some high speed video shots in slow mo...

[jocko]

normally that is right but n the kahr manul there are a few very important topics that every owner needs to know before he does anything. Oh yes some lawyers are also engineers so u can imagine then just how fokke dup a owners manual can get.

Also on the kahr webb site they have a thread called freguently asked questions. some things posted there of interest ...

welcome aboard Beak. certainly by now u have read enough on this forum to see that we are certainly here to help not cirticise.

[Bawanna]

LOL, I did, of course - but many items in owners manuals are written by lawyers, not engineers.

thanks for the responses guys, I appreciate the thoughts.

Your exactly correct on the usual authors of owners manuals, truly a lot of filler that most folks just can't be bothered to read mixed in with a few precious solid pieces of good information but this question is black and white and not hearsay.
Some autos with external extractors, the old Smiths, the Sigs, even the short lived Kimbers with external extractors you could get away with an occasional single round load.

Most others your gambling big time and especially in a Kahr. Things are tight and that extractor isn't designed to slip over the case rim no way no how.
It will do it maybe lots of times or maybe once or it might break on the first try.
I'd strongly suggest loading from magazine without fail and not risk it.

I'm of course not a lawyer and I don't play one on TV.

[TheBeak]

so far...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRnF5fcZoOc

looks like the barrel doesn't rotate up into battery until right as the slide closes the chamber. (potentially bringing the cartridge lip up from under the extractor either way)

Ill see if I can find a better video angle.

[TheBeak]

thanks for entertaining the actual conversation on this. I like to obey the manuals rules, but I like to understand them as well.

I just want to better understand how the extractor and the cartridge meet either way.

[jocko]

so far...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRnF5fcZoOc

looks like the barrel doesn't rotate up into battery until right as the slide closes the chamber. (potentially bringing the cartridge lip up from under the extractor either way)

Ill see if I can find a better video angle.

hence the name "lock breech".