Kahr CW9 front sight broke off

J

JimmyR

New member
OK, I'm looking for suggestions here. I have a Kahr CW9 that I bought used, and it has been a great gun for me. Always 100% function, and as accurate as I am. I like the gun. Unfortunately, somehow I broke the front sight off, including breaking the screw off in the sight as well.

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I contacted Kahr, and the warranty only extends to the original owner. I bought the gun with night sights.

The way I see it, I have a few options:

1) Buy the sight from Kahr, send them the slide, and have them install it. Total cost: $50 for the front sight/$80 for the set, $40 for installation, and $25 for return shipping.

2) Buy the front sight from Kahr, install it myself. Total cost: $50 for the front sight.

3) Buy a DAY sight, and install it myself. Total cost: $7 for the front sight.

4) Sell the gun, use the money to buy something else (Shield, LC9s, etc).

5) Attempt to buy just the installation kit, find a way to remove the piece of screw lodged into the sight, and reinstall the same front sight. Total cost: unknown.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 

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The hard part is getting that broken screw out of the slide without damage. That looks like a 6-32 screw or smaller. Not much to work with unless you have specialized tools. I would take it to a gunsmith to fix the broken sight. Replace the broken screw, massage the front pin, and you're good to go (along with some red Loctite).
 
bbqncigars said:
The hard part is getting that broken screw out of the slide without damage. That looks like a 6-32 screw or smaller. Not much to work with unless you have specialized tools. I would take it to a gunsmith to fix the broken sight. Replace the broken screw, massage the front pin, and you're good to go (along with some red Loctite).
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The screw looks like it should come out from the slide, i just haven't tried yet. I think getting the screw out of the sight would be nigh on impossible.
 
The old front sight may be toast unless you have a tiny screw extractor bit and a good drill press. If the rear sight still has good life to it, why not just buy a new front sight and install yourself?

If the sights are dimming from age anyway, that's another story. The rear sights are a bit tight on Kahrs. You'd need a good sight pusher to do a DIY install. I've run into gunsmiths that won't install sights on Kahrs.
 
Kahrs prices seem more than a little on the salty side. $50 for a front sight is a bit pricey.

If you like the gun, buy the replacement sight online, and install it yourself. Its an easy job. If you dont have the tool for the front sight, you'll need that too, but they are usually only a couple of bucks (at least the Glock tool is).
 
I was able to get the screw out from the slide with no trouble, and went ahead and ordered a front night sight from kahr. $58 after shipping, but I can do the installation myself. Thanks for the input guys.
 
If I may interject my 2 cents here; I've installed the Trijicon sights on several "C" series Kahrs and here are a couple of things I've observed.
First, the sight posts on the Trijicon front sight may flare where they attach to the sight body. This causes the sight to not sit flush with the top of the slide. I believe that some of the front sight failures are caused by folks really torquing down the screw in an effort to bring the sight flush to the slide thus damaging the front sight post.
Second, some slides (in my case, a CW9) do not have an adequately countersunk hole on the underside of the slide for the screw head. In this is the case, the barrel can hit the head of the screw. This could damage the screw and/or cause problems with the slide going into battery.

Fortunately, both conditions can be fixed with a little counter sinking (YMMV) :)

First, do a dry run installation.
Check that the sight will fit flush on the slide. Then check the posts for correct clearance on the inside of the slide. Finally, install the screw and check that it holds the sight flush to the slide and fits correctly into the countersink.
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*note - in the diagrams, fit of the sight posts in their holes and screw head in the countersink are exaggerated to show the parts clearly. The posts fit closely in real life and the screw head will be in contact with the sides/bottom of the countersink.

Once satisfied that the fit is correct, install using an adequate amount of red Loctite.

Here are some photos of the underside of the slide:
CW45, notice how the sight screw sits well below the surface of the slide.
iviro0.jpg

CW9, the rear hole is not countersunk enough to allow the screw head to sit flush/below the surface of the slide.
2num63t.jpg

Same CW9 slide with the hole countersunk enough that the screw head sits flush with the slide surface.
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Hope, I was clear enough with my explanations and that it helps some.

Regards,
Greg
 
I am considering trading my CW9 because of this sight issue. Kahr need to correct this problem Seems fairly common . Yet they do nothing. I see a SIG 938 down road.

My KelTEC PF-9 less money reliable and sight stays in place.
 
Quick Update:

So I got my sight in the mail on Friday. When I opened the package, I found that they sent me a complete night sight set (front and rear) instead of just the front sight.

I emailed their sales dept, and offered to send the set back (if they pay my shipping costs and expedite my front sight). I sent it Saturday morning, I still haven't heard back (2 business days). I guess I am installing a full set of night sights!

And yes, I would have sent it back if they asked me to. I believe in getting what I pay for, and I only paid for the front sight. It would have ticked me off, but right is right.
 
Greg - I don't (yet) own a Kahr - but, wow - great diagrams and photos!! I keep wanting to get one - but I've got to get rid of my &%$#@& Glock 42 first ... oh wait ... it's back at Glock for, hopefully, a fix ... :mad:
 
I've had sights pop off a CW9 and MK9. I was not the original owner of the CW9 so Kahr would not fix it and the MK9 was passed the warranty period. I know people have had different experiences with Kahr CS but in my opinion it's pretty dismal. I also believe the QC is not so great either; hence the sights constantly popping off guns From the CW line.
 
How does Kahr know if you are the original owner or not.
Is there a registry with purchase that they keep logs of, or is it customer honesty?

A few other companies honor broken parts regardless of being original owner.

Be nice to have a list of those that do and those that don't.
I was already to purchase a Beretta when I found out they didn't.
 
The Kahr CW9 is my most carried gun. I bought mine new and it is completely stock. Took it out for some trigger time just yesterday, as a matter of fact. I've had it 2-1/2 years now, and I've probably put some 1500 - 2000 rounds though it so far.

I have put every profile of ammo imaginable through it and it has never - never - malfunctioned in any way whatsoever. That's right: ZERO failures to feed; ZERO failures to eject: ZERO jams of any kind. It has cycled properly 100% of the time - bar none.

And for that reason, if I were in your position, the thought of parting ways with the gun would not even cross my mind.

In fact, I'm seriously considering getting another - just to have a back up.
 
HighValleyRanch said:
How does Kahr know if you are the original owner or not.
Is there a registry with purchase that they keep logs of, or is it customer honesty?

A few other companies honor broken parts regardless of being original owner.

Be nice to have a list of those that do and those that don't.
I was already to purchase a Beretta when I found out they didn't.
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I told them up front. I bought the gun used, and I am not going to misrepresent myself to use a warranty on a firearm. That said, they did hook me up with a complete set of night sights for the price of a front sight, so I guess I can't complain there.

Nick_C_S said:
The Kahr CW9 is my most carried gun. I bought mine new and it is completely stock. Took it out for some trigger time just yesterday, as a matter of fact. I've had it 2-1/2 years now, and I've probably put some 1500 - 2000 rounds though it so far.

I have put every profile of ammo imaginable through it and it has never - never - malfunctioned in any way whatsoever. That's right: ZERO failures to feed; ZERO failures to eject: ZERO jams of any kind. It has cycled properly 100% of the time - bar none.

And for that reason, if I were in your position, the thought of parting ways with the gun would not even cross my mind.

In fact, I'm seriously considering getting another - just to have a back up.
Click to expand...

I know, I really shouldn't think about getting rid of it. I really like carrying it, and, like yours, I have had no issues with any ammo out of it. It is a great, oft overlooked, CCW piece.
 
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