Question about Kahr pistols

[Matt Dillon]

Folks: I shot a friend's PM9 last week, and it was a sweet shooter! Another friend has a PM40, which I hope to shoot soon. I had a question for yoall who have these guns: Is it alright to shoot lead in them? I heard they have a polygonal barrel, similar to the Glock, and as I reload most of my practice ammunition is Lead, that would be a major bummer if these guns couldn't shoot lead. Thanks so much in advance for your help!

 

[Quack]

it's a poly barrel, so usually lead is a no-no

 

[c919]

Lead in a Poly rifled barrel is a big no no from what I understand.

 

[Quack]

from Kahr's website:

Q. Which ammunition is recommended for use with Kahr firearms?

A. Kahr Arms does not endorse any particular brand of ammunition. However, not every brand of ammunition produces the same results. Please check the markings on the barrel hood of your firearm to determine the proper caliber. Kahr suggests a visit to a pistol range to test fire different brands of ammunition in the proper caliber. Kahr cautions against the use of reloads. Lead (unjacketed) bullets can cause excessive fouling and extra attention to cleaning the bore is recommended after firing lead bullets. The Kahr pistol is rated to +P.

 

[RevDerb]

Quack's post above is verbatim from the Kahr owner's manual:

Lead (unjacketed) bullets can cause excessive fouling and extra attention to cleaning the bore is recommended after firing lead bullets.

So it looks like it's ok to shoot lead bullets but you have to be immaculate in your bore hygiene.

 

[Matt Dillon]

Thanks so much for the information! I always inspect my barrels while cleaning anyway, and use the lead cloths to scrub my barrels. Thanks so much again!

 

[Cloudpeak]

The general recommendation is to not shoot lead in barrels that have polygonal rifling. Kahr's CW series has conventional rifling and I've shot 1,200 lead bullet rounds using home cast Lee 124gr RN bullets through my CW9 with no leading problems.

 

[9mmepiphany]

plus bear in mind that shooting reloads in your gun will affect your warranty

 

[InkEd]

I have a cw9 but still do not shoot lead ammo through it but do what you want it's your gun.

 

[zignal_zero]

lead through a polygonal barrel is supposed to be a bad thing. honestly, i do believe it's not the greatest idea. however, i put 3K rounds of lead reloads through a pistol with polygonal rifling w/o issue.

there were KB issue with some .40 Cal Glocks, a while back. i believe these (rare per percentage) incidents were actaully a combination of a few different things with ONLY ONE OF THEM being - lead build up in polygonally rifled barrels causes increased pressure.

my experience was with an IMI Baby Eagle in 9mm. like i said - 3K rds of lead reloads, no problems at all. that doesn't mean i think it's a good idea lol

 

[possum]

many people shoot lead through polygonal barrels i don't well just haven't yet. many people have no issue with it. i might try it one day but as i shoot xd's more than anything i don't have that to worry about.

 

[jocko]

u just need to clean the barrel alot more often.

 

[sheephearder]

I shoot lead cast from wheel weights through a K 40 with no problem and very little leading. They shoot accurately but I keep an eye on the barrel and brush it frequently. I have tried lead in a Glock 22 and found that soft bullets (cast from wheel weights) would key hole, but hard cast (laser cast) would shoot OK. Also a Glock 21 (45) shot the soft lead OK this is just my experience and all loads were light. Personally I believe that the problems with Glock 40s and lead were a combination of leading, generous chamber dimensions, fouled chamber and firing partly out of battery. These are just my opinions, and like all Internet information should betaken with a grain of salt. Bill