Brass from a CM40 OK?

[ilmbaba]

While talking to a guy from Kahr Cutomer Service, we got on the subject of reloading. Of course, I got the standard warning not to say I had used reloads or it would void my warranty.
He then went on to say that it isn't safe to re-use brass from the CM40, because the gun is way too tough on the casings. I was kind of bummed to hear this, as one of the reasons I got the CM40 was to shoot some lead reloads through it.
Has anyone else heard this, or can anyone confirm this (before I decap those first 75 pieces of brass I shot)?
Thanks.

[TucsonMTB]

Most manufacturers prohibit the use of reloads because they are concerned about over pressure loads and you will find that statement in the instruction manuals packed with many guns. However, if you are a capable and careful re-loader, you know that you can produce rounds that are at least as high in quality as you can purchase from any of the major ammunition manufacturers. So, while reloading may violate the letter of the warranty, it does not violate the spirit or intent. Unless you destroy a barrel with an overcharged round, you are unlikely to have an ammo-related warranty claim.

That said, in general, because the "fotay" caliber is a high pressure round, pistols with unsupported chambers can be a problem. However, rest assured that the Kahr .40 S&W chamber is fully supported. So, case damage (bulges) experienced by some some shooters with other brands of pistol are unlikely in your Kahr. As I recall, there were some Glock barrels that allowed dangerous levels of bulging that could lead to case failures after several cycles of reloading the same case. This has NOT been a problem with Kahr barrels.

You may have already noticed a few posts on this forum from people with either a PM40 or a CM40 that bangs the cases as they eject. That tends to leave a bit of flat spot on the ejected casing. Some guns do it. Some don't. Some stop doing it as they break in. Can't explain it. In any event, the flat spot is seldom enough to make the case unusable for reloading.

In other words, "Don't worry, mon! Be happy!" But, be discreet in your comments to Kahr CS. Remember, these are the same people who do not want you to "sling shot" your slide to load the first round . . . despite one of their sales engineers doing just that in a new product video published during a recent SHOT show.

[ilmbaba]

No doubt they have scripts to follow for different scenarios. I have a Lone Wolf barrel for my Glock 21. Bought it primarily to shoot 45 Supers from (I'm working up data that can be found on the Handloaders Bench forum). I also liked that the barrel is 100% supported, unlike OEM Glock barrels.
LWD has a disclaimer that reloads void the warranty, but there are several stories of how, when the barrel was a little too tight, people sent in the barrel and their reloaded cartridge, and LWD reamed out the barrel enough to make it fit. (KKM Barrels are the only ones I have found that give you a printed green light on reloads). I'd just never heard anyone warn me about not using brass thrown from a specific gun (not that it's a big deal, since the CM40 tosses the brass a good clip, and I recovered maybe less than half of my 75 rounds). I'm hoping to make them a little easier to find with a reloaded cartridge that won't throw as far (but still cycle the gun).
I know they won't even see my gun at the factory until Tuesday, which is a drag because I'd like to spend some more time with it now.

[TucsonMTB]

No doubt they have scripts to follow for different scenarios. . . .

I know they won't even see my gun at the factory until Tuesday, which is a drag because I'd like to spend some more time with it now.

I know the feeling. One of my PM40's went back for a new frame a couple of months ago because of a crack. That took a while. Yours should be pretty quick. But, I have no way of knowing what their case load is. So, I will refrain from guessing.

Hang in there, sir!

[bapple]

While talking to a guy from Kahr Cutomer Service, we got on the subject of reloading. Of course, I got the standard warning not to say I had used reloads or it would void my warranty.
He then went on to say that it isn't safe to re-use brass from the CM40, because the gun is way too tough on the casings. I was kind of bummed to hear this, as one of the reasons I got the CM40 was to shoot some lead reloads through it.
Has anyone else heard this, or can anyone confirm this (before I decap those first 75 pieces of brass I shot)?
Thanks.

I've shot brass from my CM9 that has been reloaded 7 or 8 times with success. The only visible sign on the case is a line from the sharp ejector. Besides that, there have been 0 problems reloading its cases and I doubt a CM40 would be any different. Out of all the rounds my Kahr has seen in the 2000+ that have gone through it, about 80-85% of those have been my own. The small percentage were factory rounds.

The manufacturers are required to say those things since we live in a sissy society with too many lawyers now (not to offend any lawyers out there). They have to read the script...