Got My First Kahr - CM9

[Bawanna]

I'd do the prep, bond with it and love it more and more each day. It's only cosmetic and from what I can see on the pictures not very noticeable.

I don't see it causeing any kind of malfunction or mechanical problem.

I've not heard any bad issues with these at all.

[g2wvu07]

Sounds good. I'll prep it, shoot it a couple hundred times and get back to everyone with a range report. As long as I dont have any mechanical problems I'll be satisfied.

[Bawanna]

I have no doubt you'll be satisfied. Use some decent ammo to start with, don't waste any of the expensive carry stuff till you get a couple hundred through it. If you want to shoot a mag or two during that time of the good stuff and it's running it won't hurt a thing either. Usually the good stuff will work even when the practice stuff balks.
Nothing but good reports so far so yours should be no different.
We'll anxiously await your after range report. Pictures are always a welcome thing if you can. Haven't seen nearly enough pictures of these things yet.

I wish you all good luck, although I don't think you'll need it either.

[jocko]

g2w: listen to the GREAT ONE, he speaks with no forked tongue.

[TheTman]

Welcome to the forum Smoking Rib and G2......, glad you all are enjoying your purchases. I'd be sure and pay attention to Jocko, he really knows his stuff.
Happy Shooting!

[eklipto101]

Alright guys, I've put about 75 rds though it and not one problem with function. Comfortable to shoot, sweet trigger, and more accurate than I am. I do have a concern though, and need some input.

Does this 200 rd break-in period include substantial wear and tear? I mean, when I broke the gun down to clean, I found polymer material in side the gun. One piece was the size of a red pepper flake. Also, at the rear of the slide, the frame is "boogered up" (for lack of a better word). Check out the pics.......













I own about 8 guns of various brands and I've never had something like this occur. Is this a safety issue? Should it be returned? I haven't contacted Kahr as of yet. Anyone else experienced this?

My PM9 was just like it and I sand it down with 400 grit sand paper....Shot it about 300 round and it has not shown any bulging. It scared me too. Have not had a single problem, knock on wood (removing my hat), my 0.02 worth

[Cornel]

I noticed the same thing on mine. It looks like they didn't see this lack of 'detail' on them.

You could see it somewhat on post # 14 http://kahrtalk.com/showpost.php?p=69996&postcount=14

So the look could be quite better, but so far it's been flawless. Although I only have put 250 rds so far.

Alright guys, I've put about 75 rds though it and not one problem with function. Comfortable to shoot, sweet trigger, and more accurate than I am. I do have a concern though, and need some input.

Does this 200 rd break-in period include substantial wear and tear? I mean, when I broke the gun down to clean, I found polymer material in side the gun. One piece was the size of a red pepper flake. Also, at the rear of the slide, the frame is "boogered up" (for lack of a better word). Check out the pics.......













I own about 8 guns of various brands and I've never had something like this occur. Is this a safety issue? Should it be returned? I haven't contacted Kahr as of yet. Anyone else experienced this?

[Smoking Rib]

Update: Sent an email to Kahr service department explaining what I've encountered with the CM9 and Jay replied back. Anyway, here it is....


"Good morning. Thank you for the question. I have reviewed your pictures along with one of our gunsmiths and your firearm is completely normal. Our firearms are the only firearms on the market with a 100% polymer frame. Because of the polymer frame, it is common to see the slide wearing into the frame and leaving behind edges as you see here. This is normal for our firearms and is one of the reasons Kahr firearms have such a superior fit and finish. I hope this information helps and if you have any other questions please feel free to email or call anytime.

sincerely,
Jay
Kahr Customer Service"


So it sounds like this is nothing new to the Kahr brand. Just seems like I would have ran into this issue while reading the umpteen reviews I read before I made the purchase. Since then, I've done a little looking and in fact found discussion on this in another forum. It was just like mine, and believe me it's more than just a few "hairs" you could burn off with a lighter.



I responded to Jay with this:

Hi Jay,

First I'd like to thank you for the speedy reply. It's apparent that customer service is important at Kahr Arms. Not too surprising, because I've read allot of good reviews prior to purchasing the CM9.

I did do a little research and familiarized myself with the anatomy of Kahr firearms as well as other brands to compare. It appears that some other manufacturers incorporate steel parts into the polymer where moving parts make contact. They are often black and integrate in with the polymer. Usually where it's hardly noticeable This is logical being that when one material is much harder than the another, and friction occurs, the harder material will wear away the softer material even when lubricated. Common sense.

If I understand correctly, you are telling me that the damage I'm seeing to
the polymer will not affect the operation or longevity of the pistol. That
any damage the action of the gun inflicts to the polymer material simply
takes away from the aesthetics of the gun, and nothing more. I've read
where some folks have ran thousands of rounds through their Kahr's with no issues so I don't doubt the design or the function of the CM9. However, I will have to dispute the claim to superior fit and finish. The term fit refers to the way the parts "come together". The flushness of seams, the uniformness between parts, and the smoothness of edges. Finish usually refers to discoloration, or lack of, and also smoothness. Kind of like a good paint job on a car. When my Kahr was taken from the box, the fit and finish seemed excellent. Now, not as good. Had I seen this gun in a gun shop looking like it does now, I would not have purchased it as new.

However, I can overlook the flaws as it stands at this time. As long as the gun continues to function properly, and no more damage is incurred to the polymer material, I will be satisfied. It really is a nice shooting gun.

Please let me know if any pervasive issues arise with the CM9. I realize it is mostly a tried and true PM, but it's also new to the market.

Thanks again

[jocko]

wonder where jAY GETS this information. What the hell is glocks, Smioth, Ruger lowers made of??? Jelley.

to me a very poor reply back , heh u might be able to sell some of those p-eople at kahrs someocean front property in arizona, if they believe what they told you.

[WilliamG]

My PM9 has some wear on the rear of the polymer frame as well, same as the above pictures, though perhaps not quite as bad. The little notch on the rear right (when looking from the back) definitely has some wear. The larger polymer piece on the left doesn't, though. 300 rounds in. I figured it's because the slide isn't going to move back exactly straight.

Here's a picture of my rear.

For Jay to say this is superior fit and finish is... well... wtf?

[WilliamG]

I would send that photo to ikahr, at attn: Jay. No safety issues IMO but fromthe photo the backkend doesn't look right either.

Looks the same as my back end!

[jocko]

yuyp it sure does. It's probably alright but for such an expensive handgun,I would think they could do better. My PM9 with 31,000 orunds through it certainly doesn't look like that or show any signs of slide to polymer wear. I just got lucky, I guess.

[WilliamG]

yuyp it sure does. It's probably alright but for such an expensive handgun,I would think they could do better. My PM9 with 31,000 orunds through it certainly doesn't look like that or show any signs of slide to polymer wear. I just got lucky, I guess.

Maybe. But I'm used to things just never being perfect in the handgun world. My PM9 slide has a few imperfect edges in the barrel area, too, out of the box (before I even fired it). I just deal with it because it shoots so darn well.

[94zcar]

My CM9 looks exactly like yours, There must be to much polymer there and when you shoot it it get pushed back. I just gonna sand it off. These guns are really tight so I am not surprised to this.