Kahr mk9 opinions

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WoodchuckAssassin

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I recently bought a bucket-list gun of mine, the Kahr mk9. I took it out for a quick plinking session of only 100 rounds or so, half 115 grain fmj, half 147 grain hp. With both types I experienced stovepipes at least once every 2 magazines, and sometimes more than that (I only had 1 magazine to use).

I am not new to Kahrs, and have not experienced this with any of the other ones (I own both high end and "low" end Kahrs). Should I consider this a break-in period? Have any of you had a similar experience with the mk9? On another note, I bought the gun used, but it didn't seem to be fired more than a time or two - zero wear and a VERY tight recoil spring...quite possibly the cause of the gun's malfunctions.

As always, thanks for any info you can toss my way.
 
As you know, Kahr manufacturers their guns with tight tolerances. Have fun shooting it and break it in along the way. Kahr makes some great fireams. A little bit of brake in pays huge dividends. And Congrats!!
 
Never know what changes the previous owner made, first thing I would is change recoil spring the one I owned(never a failure)had a very tight
recoil spring.
 
wingman said:
Never know what changes the previous owner made, first thing I would is change recoil spring the one I owned(never a failure)had a very tight
recoil spring.
Click to expand...

Kahr has very strong recoil springs.On Kahrs are any new guns, I take rack the slide and let the spring take a "SET" for 48 hrs. I also load the magazines to full capacity and do the same. You might have a brand new spring in the gun. When breaking in a gun, I never load to full capacity. Leave one round out.
 
Jeb Stuart said:
Kahr has very strong recoil springs.On Kahrs are any new guns, I take rack the slide and let the spring take a "SET" for 48 hrs. I also load the magazines to full capacity and do the same. You might have a brand new spring in the gun. When breaking in a gun, I never load to full capacity. Leave one round out.
Click to expand...
Your correct I misread the post as light recoil spring. I also do as you suggested works for me, however with a used auto never know what changes the previous owner has made.
 
I really don't like the plastic parts on the spring, so I was fixin' to do that at some point anyways.

I just got back from the range, and with another 200 down range there were ZERO, count'em, ZERO malfunctions. Maybe I dreamed-up the first 100 rounds I put through it...who knows. At any rate, this gun can shoot shoot shoot. 10 yard groups of 3 inches with a 3 inch barrel and a sh!tty pair of eyes is everything I'll ever ask this gun to do. It shoots a little low, but it was an easy correction to make. Definitely more than just a few bullseyes today!

Any advise on a good recoil spring replacement? What weight would you recommend?

Thanks!
 
Buy your recoil springs from Kahr Arms.
Buy the spring listed for your model.

These micro guns were designed to use a very specific spring. Heavier or lighter springs usually cause problems.
Since the gun seems to be operating at 100% why start playing with the spring weight?
 
My MK9 is my most carried gun and my favorite. I’m glad yours is working for you. I don’t think I would replace anything at this point... except the grips maybe. The wood grips are really nice.
 
I have never had a single failure with any of my new Kahrs. I always rack the slide on my new Karhs several hundred times before taking them out for the first time. I think of racking the slide as a kind of pre-break in. It is possible my Kahrs would have shot perfectly without the initial racking of the slides.
 
These micro guns were designed to use a very specific spring. Heavier or lighter springs usually cause problems.
Since the gun seems to be operating at 100% why start playing with the spring weight?[/QUOTE]

I wasn't really talking about the spring weight, but the plastic guide rod itself. I know if something's working then there's no reason to swap it out, but it DOES drive me a little crazy that there's only one plastic part on the whole gun (grips excluded). If I could find a metal replacement, it would be a nice upgrade.
 
Well, I bought the metal recoil setup I linked above, and boy oh boy what a difference! The old wiggle-wobble of the plastic guide rod are a thing of the past. If you have/are interested in the mk9, this is a cheap upgrade that ties the whole package together!
 
WoodchuckAssassin said:
These micro guns were designed to use a very specific spring. Heavier or lighter springs usually cause problems.
Since the gun seems to be operating at 100% why start playing with the spring weight?
Click to expand...

I wasn't really talking about the spring weight, but the plastic guide rod itself. I know if something's working then there's no reason to swap it out, but it DOES drive me a little crazy that there's only one plastic part on the whole gun (grips excluded). If I could find a metal replacement, it would be a nice upgrade.[/QUOTE]

You would start experimenting with spring weights depending on the ammo you use. I always get the steel guide rods. The plastic rods do wear out and can take a beating. I use to have Pics, will try and find them.
 
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Glad your MK is running better now. It's likely whoever you bought it off of had the same type of failures within the first box of ammo and decided to unload it without breaking it in or contacting Kahr.

They are sweet shooting guns though. I can't shoot my MK9 quite as well as I can my SIG P938, but it's close enough and I prefer that DAish trigger for appendix carry.
 
New spring/guide rod works great! Went to the range today, and it drives tacks and ejects just like it should. I recommend the link I posted above to anyone who HATES plastic as much as I do.
 
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