My wife just got her first firearm and it was a MA compliant PM9 with night sights. We did extensive research before making the purchase and found the information provided here at Kahrtalk to be invaluable. For the most part, you all provide great technical information without the extreme political garbage associated with so many other forums.
When she first brought the PM9 home there were several issues that were disconcerting.
- [1]The slide was difficult to pull back
[2]The slide stop was near impossible to engage
[3]The slide stop require a blunt tool (plastic rod) to release (no magazine)
[4]The magazine didn't consistently eject
[5]The safety was difficult to actuate
We knew to expect the PM9 to be tight, but it was far tighter than we counted on. However, Based on the advice found on Kahrtalk, we started the break-in by taking turns locking the slide back, ejecting the magazine, and releasing the slide using the lock. My wife wore an old pair of leather driving gloves, I just let the slide strip my hands raw, and we used the back of a plastic pen to release the slide. (Yeah, we must have looked like a couple clowns.)
So after a couple nights of slide racking, we headed to the range with 100 rounds of Winchester White Box 124gr which were followed by 25 rounds of Remington Golden Saber 124gr +P. We took turns firing and the Kahr preformed flawlessly. My wife had a few failures to feed, but they were clearly from limp wristing. By the end of our trip to the range the PM9 was loose enough for my wife to rack and release without gloves or a pen, the magazine now drops free, and the safety has loosened up.
As for the ammunition, we couldn't feel a difference between the WWB or the Golden Saber +P. The only thing we did notice was the Saber did produce prominent muzzle flash.
We will return to the range to finish the break-in and hopefully improve my aim. The wife made me look pretty foolish. She was at least consistently on target. I on the other hand was so bad that I had a full magazines with not a single hole punched through the paper (I guess I made myself look foolish).
Thank you all for the wealth of knowledge you have shared here on Kahrtalk. Your advice not to complain until you have run the gun through the break-in was spot on, and I'm glad that I listened.
I hope to be getting my own PM9 soon, so that I don't have to share the wife's.
Thanks again and Cheers