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Thread: "Merry Stainless and..." NOT so merry any longer...

  1. #1
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    Default "Merry Stainless and..." NOT so merry any longer...

    "Merry Stainless and a Happy New Kahr!"

    Day before Christmas, a last-minute shopping trip... And I added this stainless MK9 to my stable of stainless 9s from Kahr.

    Happy New Kahr (Small).jpg

    Yes, they do weigh more than the P series, but I shoot them much better and can handle the extra weight with a good holster and belt.

    The K9 has fiber-optic sights and a laser-grip, so that resides upstairs for any "bump in the night" events (along with a super-bright SureFire flashlight), while the T9 will be used for winter carry, and the newly added MK9 (1998 vintage) will replace the CT380 and be my daily carry when I need something smaller.



    Old No7
    Last edited by Old No7; 12-27-2019 at 07:47 AM.
    "Freedom and the Second Amendment... One cannot exist without the other." © 2000 DTH

  2. #2
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    Nice family photo, love the star of David, well executed. Happy new gun to you.
    In Memory of Paul "Dietrich" Stines.
    Dad: Say something nice to your cousin Shirley
    Dietrich: For a fat girl you sure don't sweat much.
    Cue sound of Head slap.

    RIP Muggsy & TMan

    "If you are a warrior legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that JOCKO will not come today."

  3. #3
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    Default

    I too like the tree. And the decorations. Congrats on a good buy!

  4. #4
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    Didn't even notice the tree part....................you should see what I can do with ink blots.
    In Memory of Paul "Dietrich" Stines.
    Dad: Say something nice to your cousin Shirley
    Dietrich: For a fat girl you sure don't sweat much.
    Cue sound of Head slap.

    RIP Muggsy & TMan

    "If you are a warrior legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that JOCKO will not come today."

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Maine
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    Aw crap...........

    NO longer feeling very "Merry" here any longer........


    Turns out this used MK9 has the dreaded CRACK in the front of the slide between the barrel and recoil rod holes. Isn't easy to see, or I would have caught it at the shop. When I wiped it with a soft cleaning patch a few fibers got caught on the edge; and sure enough, I could just catch a fingernail on it too. I had a dirty cleaning patch with some fresh powder fouling on it, and when I wiped that on the slide it really showed up well then. Whoever sold this to the shop "might have" known it was cracked... Or maybe not, who knows...

    But luckily for me, the shop has a 30-day warranty period for all used gun purchases, so I'll be returning this one and will let them deal with it.

    Oh well, so much for going ALL stainless in my Kahr Kollection; I might just end up with a used PM9 -- the one which had started my Kahr journey so many years ago.

    Old No7
    Last edited by Old No7; 12-28-2019 at 06:50 AM.
    "Freedom and the Second Amendment... One cannot exist without the other." © 2000 DTH

  6. #6

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    Why not ask kahr to take care of it?

    Cant imagine they’re happy to hear about it either and would probably try to fix the problem than having a gun with a cracked slide in circulation.

  7. #7
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    Good idea, I imagine they would just replace the slide, maybe even the whole top end. Never hurt to ask.
    In Memory of Paul "Dietrich" Stines.
    Dad: Say something nice to your cousin Shirley
    Dietrich: For a fat girl you sure don't sweat much.
    Cue sound of Head slap.

    RIP Muggsy & TMan

    "If you are a warrior legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that JOCKO will not come today."

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Maine
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    Default

    This image created by cropping 2 Kahr images from the web shows us how much more metal there is between the two holes of a PM9 versus the MK9 at the muzzle of the slide. I've read numerous older reports of slides cracking on the MK9s or MK40s, but never saw any reports of slide cracks on the PM series.

    I'm no engineer or metallurgist, but the lack of metal in such a critical spot makes me suspect that a brand new slide may not be a "permanent fix" to the MK9 slide cracking problem.

    You're free to reach a different conclusion of course. I'm really disappointed but could never trust one -- even with a new slide -- so I will steer clear of the MK9.

    Old No7
    Attached Images Attached Images
    "Freedom and the Second Amendment... One cannot exist without the other." © 2000 DTH

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Old No7 View Post
    This image created by cropping 2 Kahr images from the web shows us how much more metal there is between the two holes of a PM9 versus the MK9 at the muzzle of the slide. I've read numerous older reports of slides cracking on the MK9s or MK40s, but never saw any reports of slide cracks on the PM series.

    I'm no engineer or metallurgist, but the lack of metal in such a critical spot makes me suspect that a brand new slide may not be a "permanent fix" to the MK9 slide cracking problem.

    You're free to reach a different conclusion of course. I'm really disappointed but could never trust one -- even with a new slide -- so I will steer clear of the MK9.

    Old No7
    Old No7,
    Sorry to read of the cracked slide on your recently acquired MK9. That surely is a bummer.

    Every time I see one of these threads (I believe about 9 or 10 over the years on various forums), I check my MK9 (mo problems) and ponder why this occurs.

    So here are my thoughts (not trying to convince you one way or the other):

    It's a shame that the crack occurs on any of Kahrs guns.

    A quick Google search seems to confirm I what I wrote about the number of MK9 slides having cracked between the guide rod and barrel hole. I only went about five pages in, so there might be more. Any occurrence is too many, but I wonder what percentage those failures constitute to the number of MK9 produced.

    As to what causes the failures, could it be any of the following?;
    as you mention, the design of the slide.
    Improper metallurgy
    Improperly machined slides
    Poor barrel fit
    Bad recoil spring assemblies
    Worn recoil assemblies
    Improper ammo
    abuse

    Design of the slide: maybe, but if the percentage of cracked slides is very low to low, then I would discount that

    Improper metallurgy; possible, but i would think that might manifest in larger number of failures...possibly in a specific serial number range

    Improperly machined slides: here I'm thinking damage caused by machine tools or not enough clearance for the barrel to tilt with out stressing the slide.

    Poor barrel fit: see above

    Bad or worn recoil spring assemblies: not hard to imagine that cracks might occur if the slide slams back without sufficient resistance to it travel.
    Springs are consumables and small powerful guns are hard on them. My advice is to change them frequently at small round counts.

    Improper ammo: Kahrs are rated+P so I'm inclined to doubt this, but reloads are another story.

    Abuse; I include reloads and drop guns here...maybe some beaten on with mallets and such.

    I've toyed withe idea of trying a shok buffer in my MK9.

    I like the Wolff recoil spring system, but don't know if it makes any difference...then again my MK9 is not cracked.

    I don't think that damage I've seen in the various photos of the crack would prevent the gun from functioning. That's not to say I wouldn't get it fixed as soon as possible, it's just that I doubt the gun would fail to operate at that level of damage.

    Parts are available to fix the broken guns. Hopefully under warranty.

    I can't remember reading of a MK40 slide cracking in the topic spot. Strange.

    I feel like I'm leaving something out and will edit if I remember anything.

    Now for some photos;
    PM9 - MK9

    MK9 - K9

    Glock 27 - MK9


    Old No7 Special
    MK9 frame, barrel with PM9 slide and guide rod assembly:

    I haven't shot this combo, but I'm pretty confident it will work. The parts fit well and it cycles/feeds/ejects fine by hand.
    Two things give me pause:
    My MK9 is sprung heavier than my PM9.
    The PM9 guide rod is touch short, but appears adequate. I would make a custom guide rod nut if I were going to run this for any length of time.

    (sorry about the crappy last photo)

    Regards,
    Greg
    Last edited by gb6491; 12-28-2019 at 10:10 PM.
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  10. #10

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    Maybe we should google, kahr catastrophic failure.

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