Picked up my brand spanking new Kahr PM40 today.  I could not wait to go to the range so, after its first cleaning I grabbed 200 rounds headed out.  Well, all went pritty well with a few bumps.  I did not get too many malfunctions but the slide did not always return to full battery.  At times it would stick about .25" from closing.  I'm not sure if I was limp wristing or if the gun just needs to be broke in more.  After about 100 rounds I broke the magazine follower on my six round magazine.  I'm not really sure how that happened.

I decided to get the PM40 over the PM9 and found out today that the little 40 has some kick.  I found myself jerking some rounds, but am happy with the 40.

So, it looks like I will need a new magazine follower and some more time breaking this one in.  I still have to get a holster and a few extra mags.

Any suggestions?    

 

First, I think your gun needs to go back to Kahr.  Your problems sound like the ones I first had (except my follower didn’t break).  Before I sent it back to Kahr I rarely got through a magazine without a malfunction of some sort; I had lost all confidence in it.  My six-rounder was the more problematic magazine, too, and the overwhelming majority of malfunctions with both magazines were on the last round.

Mine was only gone seven days, round trip, so it was pretty painless.  Once I got through to them, at any rate, which is easier said than done.  FWIW, they replaced the recoil spring & guide and mag catch pin, polished the feed ramp, barrel hood, extractor, extractor bore and slide stop.  And I’ve been happier with it than a dead pig lying in the sun ever since.

From everything I have heard, the best way to get through to them is by FAX.  That’s what worked for me.  The FAX number I have for them is 508.795.7046.  They seem to completely ignore E-mail, which I find absolutely asinine.  Frank Harris’ (VP) phone number was 845.735.4500x205.  A lot of people report having better success going through Heather, who then was at 845.735.4500x309.  I’d start with the FAX, give them three business days to respond, then hammer ‘em on the phones and E-mail.

I suspected overheating contributed to the problems before I sent mine back (the ‘sizzling’ sound when I inadvertently touched the slide was a clue).  When Kahr returned it, I reasoned that the first task was to learn to trust it enough to use it for CCW.  The first range session, I was just rippin’ ‘em as fast as I could pull the trigger.  And I continued to have occasional malfunctions, but only near the end of a box of shells.  In other words, only after I’d already put 30-40 rounds through it that range session.  The good news is that that 100 rapid-fire rounds got me karmically-attuned to that trigger and now I love the hell out of it.  Rapid fire, short barrel and all, it patterns better for me than my (full-sized) Glock 20 (whose trigger I merely tolerate).

To remove the heat factor from the equation, after that first session I fired only 10 rounds per session but went through 15 range sessions (one morning, one afternoon) until it had run through another 150 rounds without a hiccup.  It did not get cleaned until the 250 were complete.  I’ve stopped keeping count but I keep running a couple of magazines through it each time I go to the range.  All this has convinced me that excess heat was a contributing factor.

That is a tiny gun shooting a purt’ near powerful cartridge and all the heat has to go somewhere.  Combine that fact with a polymer frame (which resists heat transfer) and I think you have a sure-fire recipe for an overheating weapon.  All those BTUs basically got only two places to go: out the barrel or into the slide.

But heat probably is not the only source of your problems.  I spoke with Frank Harris at Kahr and he admitted they have a QC problem with unpredictable shrinkage with the polymer frames.  I suspect that’s your greater problem.  He also told me it tended to be more temperamental bout heavy bullets.  In one other pistol-related news group I belong to, the consensus is that the PM40 is WAY more affected by this than the PM9 is.  But once it’s sorted, IMHO, it’s worth the trouble.

Bottom line, I consider it a great CCW piece but as a plinker, …well, that’s what .22 LRs are for, aint’ it?

I agree that you should send the gun back to Kahr. I had similar problems with my PM9. They ended up replacing the slide due to a manufacturing defect. The gun should function essentially flawlessly. I got mine back in about a week. I have had zero problems since.

I think I will give it another try before sending it in.  Heat..humm...Yep it did get hot.  I was shooting Remington  180 gr. jacketed hollow point, and Winchester 165 gr full metal jackets.  I like the gun a lot.  I bought the one in all black with night sights.    I had two failure to feed in 200 rounds, but quite a few failure to return to full battery approximately 10.  

Thanks for the info to get in touch with the folks at Kahr.  Any suggestions on a good holster?  I'm also thinking about the decal rubber grips that Kahr has on their site.  What carry round are you guys using?    

OK...I'm changing my mind.  Since I will be calling Kahr anyway to get the magazine fixed, maybe I will talk to them about sending it back for a check.  I never sent a gun back, what do I have to do?

Are you certain the gun was lubed properly? I don't think it shows in the manual, but there are many plaes to be lubed on this gun. I have a pic sent to me that may be helpful if needed.

I'm not sure I understand the obsession with plastic to save weight... I've packed a stainless MK40 for years, and its never let me down, nor have I fet it to be too heavy. Probably shoots easier too, with the extra ounces. Too late for you, I know.

Quoted: Are you certain the gun was lubed properly? I don't think it shows in the manual, but there are many plaes to be lubed on this gun. I have a pic sent to me that may be helpful if needed.

Lubed properly?  I thought so but here is my e-mail [email protected].  I called Kahr but only got the customer service voice mail.  I'l wait for a call back, or try the other numbers TnSlim provided.  Has anyone else have trouble with the five round magazine not ejecting, my six round comes out good, but the five round only comes out about an inch.  No, my hand is not blocking it.

Just heard from Dotty at Kahr.  Very impressed with her fast return call and her happy personality.  She was very helpful and is going to ship out a new recoil spring assembly, a new magazine follower for my six round magazine, and a new 5 round magazine.  She was great.  She also told me that if the new parts did not solve the problem to give her a call back and gave me her direct number.  

I can not wait to give this gun another try.