Kahr trigger question

DPSproles · September 24, 2002, 11:01 PM

I have a Kahr K9 Elite and I love the gun, but there is about 3/16" of play from where the trigger starts and when there begins to be resistance. Can this "slack" or "play" be removed? Can it be done by me or a smith?

Please advise and I hope that I have described the situation well enough.

DPS

Chieftan 6 · September 25, 2002, 12:19 AM

I had a K9 stainless that had a broken trigger spring. Sent it to Kahr and they did a good job.

While they had it I had them put an Elite trigger action in/on it. Anyway, that little gun had the sweetest double action trigger I had ever shot.

And I carried revolvers up untill 8 years ago. I know double action triggers.

Can't explain it but I gave that one away!!! to a Dear close friend. She was sweet too!

Dfariswheel · September 25, 2002, 07:38 PM

There has to be some free movement on the Kahr, or any gun for the trigger to reset properly. This is known as take up. How much depends on the design. Some guns have minimal take up, and some have quite a bit.

The excess take up could be reduced by a good gunsmith, but this would probably cost more than you would want to spend, and would void the life time warranty.

Gewehr98 · September 25, 2002, 09:18 PM

He's referring to trigger slack present before the takeup portion of the trigger pull. My K9 has it, too. Not a lot, but just a smidgen before you start into the takeup, the trigger actually dangles back and forth loosely, I attributed it to play in the lockwork.

MilesTeg · September 25, 2002, 10:06 PM

I have a P9 with the elite trigger and it has very little play and pulls like it was on glass. I would contact Khar and send it back to them. It sounds like you have something that is not the norm.

Dfariswheel · September 26, 2002, 03:58 PM

Gewehr98:
I guess this is a matter of terminology.

I've always refered to "take up" as the free movement of the trigger before the mechanism actually begins to engage.

For instance, the adjustments to an adjustable trigger are refered to as: "take up', "creep", and "over travel".
Take up is as above.
Creep is the amount of movement of the trigger after it actually engages.
Over travel is the movement after the trigger releases.
This is the terminology used in all my technical manuals and books, so it's the term I've always used.

I've worked on a fair number of Kahr's and I don't think your trigger should be "dangling back and forth loosely". Even though the trigger has a certain amount of free movement, it should be under reasonably stiff spring tension.
I have seen one Kahr with the very end of the trigger spring broken off that did this. The action worked fine, the trigger was just loose when at rest.

You might take a look and see if the spring tip is missing.
The older model Kahr's that lack the trigger stop surface on the rear of the trigger had a tendency to break trigger springs. These triggers can be pulled back until the trigger contacts the frame.
The newer triggers will stop well short of the frame, and this seems to have fixed the broken spring problem.

DPSproles · September 27, 2002, 10:56 PM

Talked to a good smith today and he said that there was really no way to get rid of the "take up" (his term.) Most guns will have some, and it also varies from manufacturer and gun to gun.

Thanks for the input!

DPS

Dfariswheel · September 28, 2002, 02:08 PM

DPSproles
True, there has to be SOME take up, but the Kahr can be reduced by heli-arc welding additional material to the front edge of the drawbar where it engages the rotary sear.

If you remove the right hand grip and look at the rear of the drawbar, you will see a gap between the engaging surface and the sear. The movement of the drawbar before it contacts the rotary sear lug is the actual take up. A small amount of additional metal will reduce, but not eliminate the take up.

The cost of the work is the real limiting factor. Whatever "improvement" there would be just isn't really worth the price. The kahr is a defence gun, not a target pistol, so take up really isn't a major fault.

September 24, 2002, 11:01 PM	#1
DPSproles Member Join Date: May 7, 2001 Location: Murfreesboro, TN Posts: 85	Kahr trigger question I have a Kahr K9 Elite and I love the gun, but there is about 3/16" of play from where the trigger starts and when there begins to be resistance. Can this "slack" or "play" be removed? Can it be done by me or a smith? Please advise and I hope that I have described the situation well enough. DPS __________________ [b]Sproles/b] Small Classic Sebenza -or- Mnandi & Jil UP 1.3w light 1998 BMW 328i 5-speed...Arctic Silver with Dove Grey leather

September 25, 2002, 12:19 AM	#2
Chieftan 6 Member Join Date: September 23, 2002 Location: The Free State of Arizona Posts: 17	I had a K9 stainless that had a broken trigger spring. Sent it to Kahr and they did a good job. While they had it I had them put an Elite trigger action in/on it. Anyway, that little gun had the sweetest double action trigger I had ever shot. And I carried revolvers up untill 8 years ago. I know double action triggers. Can't explain it but I gave that one away!!! to a Dear close friend. She was sweet too! __________________ Semper Fi ************** Stupid should hurt “To lead untrained men in to war, is to waste them.” - Confucius * “We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality” - Ayn Rand

September 25, 2002, 09:18 PM	#4
Gewehr98 Senior Member Join Date: June 30, 2000 Location: Token Creek, WI Posts: 4,067	Dfariswheel, if his K9 is like mine... He's referring to trigger slack present before the takeup portion of the trigger pull. My K9 has it, too. Not a lot, but just a smidgen before you start into the takeup, the trigger actually dangles back and forth loosely, I attributed it to play in the lockwork. __________________ "Bother", said Pooh, as he chambered another round... Neural Misfires

September 27, 2002, 10:56 PM	#7
DPSproles Member Join Date: May 7, 2001 Location: Murfreesboro, TN Posts: 85	Talked to a oSmith today Talked to a good smith today and he said that there was really no way to get rid of the "take up" (his term.) Most guns will have some, and it also varies from manufacturer and gun to gun. Thanks for the input! DPS __________________ [b]Sproles/b] Small Classic Sebenza -or- Mnandi & Jil UP 1.3w light 1998 BMW 328i 5-speed...Arctic Silver with Dove Grey leather

September 25, 2002, 07:38 PM	#3
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	There has to be some free movement on the Kahr, or any gun for the trigger to reset properly. This is known as take up. How much depends on the design. Some guns have minimal take up, and some have quite a bit. The excess take up could be reduced by a good gunsmith, but this would probably cost more than you would want to spend, and would void the life time warranty.

September 25, 2002, 10:06 PM	#5
MilesTeg Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2000 Location: Oregon Posts: 227	I have a P9 with the elite trigger and it has very little play and pulls like it was on glass. I would contact Khar and send it back to them. It sounds like you have something that is not the norm.

September 26, 2002, 03:58 PM	#6
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	Gewehr98: I guess this is a matter of terminology. I've always refered to "take up" as the free movement of the trigger before the mechanism actually begins to engage. For instance, the adjustments to an adjustable trigger are refered to as: "take up', "creep", and "over travel". Take up is as above. Creep is the amount of movement of the trigger after it actually engages. Over travel is the movement after the trigger releases. This is the terminology used in all my technical manuals and books, so it's the term I've always used. I've worked on a fair number of Kahr's and I don't think your trigger should be "dangling back and forth loosely". Even though the trigger has a certain amount of free movement, it should be under reasonably stiff spring tension. I have seen one Kahr with the very end of the trigger spring broken off that did this. The action worked fine, the trigger was just loose when at rest. You might take a look and see if the spring tip is missing. The older model Kahr's that lack the trigger stop surface on the rear of the trigger had a tendency to break trigger springs. These triggers can be pulled back until the trigger contacts the frame. The newer triggers will stop well short of the frame, and this seems to have fixed the broken spring problem.

September 28, 2002, 02:08 PM	#8
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	DPSproles True, there has to be SOME take up, but the Kahr can be reduced by heli-arc welding additional material to the front edge of the drawbar where it engages the rotary sear. If you remove the right hand grip and look at the rear of the drawbar, you will see a gap between the engaging surface and the sear. The movement of the drawbar before it contacts the rotary sear lug is the actual take up. A small amount of additional metal will reduce, but not eliminate the take up. The cost of the work is the real limiting factor. Whatever "improvement" there would be just isn't really worth the price. The kahr is a defence gun, not a target pistol, so take up really isn't a major fault.