So my Kahr blew up a little...

[IndianaResident]

Fired a single magazine out of my Kahr PM9 today, and on the 5th round I saw a flash and felt a strong sting on my hand. From this I deduced something was wrong....

My best guess is that the slide was not fully in battery, but feel free to weigh in on it. We thought the damage would have been more severe if it had been overcharged or had a bullet stuck in the pipe or anything like that.
End result was a blown off (and lost) side plate, a missing extractor, a filthy gun (that I can't get quite clean), a powder burn on my hand, and some carbon spray on my face. I was wearing eyepro, which was good, but not gloves which was...somewhat bad.

I'll be putting in a call to Kahr Monday given the holiday.

I really felt like this would be a better post at the time, but the bottom line is I'm okay, and the gun did its job preventing more permanent damage, such a hole blown in the frame. I'm somewhat concerned given that I frequently carry this gun, but I balance that with the fact that its never had a hiccup before, and this was the first time with this ammunition.

The ammo was Ultramax 125gr FMJ, which incidentally worked great in the 9mm carbines.


Gun immediately afterwards. Light washed out the powder burns all over the slide. Before you ask, we didn't get to the lead bullets in the mag there:

Casing stuck in the chamber, took some effort to remove:

Powder bite:

Extractor and some of the blast:

Casing shots:

 

[shavedforbattle]

Damn dude! You ok?

 

[Vince49]

Ouch!

Glad that a stinging hand was the worst of your hurts! Let us know what if anything you find out about what the actual cause was.

 

[indykid]

Considering I carry a PM9 with me constantly, that is scary. Scary even if I didn't carry it but really glad to hear that you weren't hurt.

Looking at the case, is the side blown out? Also it appears the primer has pushed out a bit.

Another question, is the firing pin stuck forward which would cause a premature firing?

Don't expect Kahr people to be in Monday as many companies are taking that as their holiday. Regardless, I have heard great things about their customer service, so I hope you have a good report on them too.

 

[01deuce]

Glad your ok. How many rounds of lead bullets have you shot through the polygonal rifling of the Kahr in the past? Most likely a over charged round though.

 

[dcahsr23]

Looking at the empty damaged shell it looks more like you had a very bad round. But its weird cause it also seems that the slide would also have to be incorrectly seated. The odds of both of those are slim. That being said I would also switch to different ammo cause the slide seating could have to do with the power of that round. Least u had minimum Burns. Way to wear the glasses. Thanks for the good pics too

 

[JohnP82]

Wow! That sucks. Sorry to hear this happened, but glad you are okay.

 

[Dr.Midnight]

I'm sorry you had this incident, and I hope you're fine. It's a shame about your gun too. Hope everything works itself out, and if it were me, I would probably be switching ammo types.

 

[Bluedragon]

Holy crap that is scary! Glad to see you didn't lose any fingers.

 

[rotortech]

I have had my Kahr PM-40 fail to go fully into battery on occasion but it did not fire on those occasions. Thankfully you did not have any serious injuries. Please let us know what Kahr says about the failure.

 

[pudly]

Glad to hear you are basically okay. Isn't Ultramax reloaded ammo? Some info from the Kahr FAQ:

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.


Q. Why does the panel on the side of the grip of my Kahr polymer pistol sometimes "pop open"?

A. When a firearm is discharged, there is equal pressure on both sides of the ammunition, and the cartridge will seek the path of least resistance, which is forward. However, if the rim of the cartridge is cracked, the primer pinched, or any similar damage, pressure builds up and the path of least resistance is backwards causing the grip mount to pop. It is provided as a safety mechanism to prevent bodily injury.

I've never heard of the grip panel popping open before, but it seems to fit your case.

 

[loudpedal]

Wow, glad to hear that you didn't get more severally hurt. You must be pretty cool headed. I'm afraid that if it was me there wouldn't be much evidence left after that thing bounced off of the nearest wall (post mag removal of course) before I even had a chance to realize how scared I was. Please report back with the results of Kahr's investigation. A lesson here is the next time we see someone at the range without eye protection a brisk smack on the forehead is in order.

 

[! twitty]

That is terrifying. Especially since I carry a CM9 and have been plinking with some 125 gr Ultramax out of it.

 

[LFD102]

WOW glad your ok

 

[Cam]

Do I spy a Federal "FC" stamped case? Glad no more injury was sustained than what you had.

 

[singlestacksig]

looks like case failure.. were you using reloads?

 

[Claddagh]

Glad that you weren't injured seriously.

In nearly 50 years, I don't think I've ever seen a case failure just like that in your photos. Just ahead of the extraction groove, yes, a very few. In that groove, no. Very strange and a bit disturbing.

As I was unfamiliar with the brand, I did a Google and went to their website. From what I could gather there, it would appear that most, if not all, of their ammunition is "remanufactured". This assumption would seem to be bourne out by the "FC" shown on the case in your photo's headstamp. IMHO, this could be a potential issue for you, warranty-wise, when you contact Kahr. Virtually every brand of handgun I've ever purchased had a specific clause which declares the warranty will be voided if "handloaded or remanufactured ammunition" is used. Don't know if this is the case with Kahr products, but you might want to check your manual.

One possible cause for the case failure might be that the bullet was somehow "set back" into the case upon feeding, which could very well cause a major-league pressure spike and cause the case to rupture. I have seen this sort of thing before, but usually the failure occurs just forward of the extractor groove where the case is partially unsupported at the feed ramp in some pistols. The logical culprit in most of these instances would seem to be poor bullet fit with the particular case and/or a weak "crimp".

Hopefully, Kahr will go ahead and fix it for you under warranty. If they don't, your only recourse may be to contact Ultramax and seek redress from them. Good luck either way.

 

[singlestacksig]

Glad that you weren't injured seriously.

In nearly 50 years, I don't think I've ever seen a case failure just like that in your photos. Just ahead of the extraction groove, yes, a very few. In that groove, no. Very strange and a bit disturbing.

As I was unfamiliar with the brand, I did a Google and went to their website. From what I could gather there, it would appear that most, if not all, of their ammunition is "remanufactured". This assumption would seem to be bourne out by the "FC" shown on the case in your photo's headstamp. IMHO, this could be a potential issue for you, warranty-wise, when you contact Kahr. Virtually every brand of handgun I've ever purchased had a specific clause which declares the warranty will be voided if "handloaded or remanufactured ammunition" is used. Don't know if this is the case with Kahr products, but you might want to check your manual.

One possible cause for the case failure might be that the bullet was somehow "set back" into the case upon feeding, which could very well cause a major-league pressure spike and cause the case to rupture. I have seen this sort of thing before, but usually the failure occurs just forward of the extractor groove where the case is partially unsupported at the feed ramp in some pistols. The logical culprit in most of these instances would seem to be poor bullet fit with the particular case and/or a weak "crimp".

Hopefully, Kahr will go ahead and fix it for you under warranty. If they don't, your only recourse may be to contact Ultramax and seek redress from them. Good luck either way.

If it was remanufactured, that would explain why it looks like a feed ramp buldge blow out..
the prior gun had a deep feed ramp that did not fully support case.. left a weak spot.. this gun got lucky and that weak spot lined up with another less supported spot, the extractor cut, and BLAM! case blows out..
at least it did not set off the rest of the magazine..

 

[SixSigmaLarry]

Glad you are okay. I just bought a CM9. Please keep us updated. I am very curious about the feedback you receive from Kahr and the ammunition manufacturer.

Take care!

 

[Squib]

I agree with a couple of the other's comments; it looks like a case failure, from what I can see.

It is good to know you came out of it as well as you did. If it were me I'd still be changing my diapers!