Kahr MK9 spring guide rod replacement

**Robert Kayland** · October 9th, 2008, 09:30 AM

I haven't found too much recent info about this, so I'll try a new post.

The all-steel 9mm Kahr MK9 is a nice hefty little compact and thus far I'm very satisfied with its performance.

But one issue I have with the so-called all-steel pistol is that the spring guide rod itself is actually plastic (save for that little disk on the end)!

Replacement of the above is around $14.

They do sell a stainless rod replacement for around $40, and a facsimile can be gotten for about $35 from another company that sells on Gunbroker. They're basically the same unit:

And there's another company, Wolff, that sells a replacement version, complete with new springs, for around $35... the difference with the Wolff version is that it's non-captive, e.g.

Anyway, even if just for aesthetics and that warm-and-fuzzy feeling of not having internal plastic, I'm going to get one of the metal varieties, and I'm wondering if anyone has experience with the Wolff version... or any experience at all with the replacement of the guide rod.

**1832** · October 9th, 2008, 10:17 AM

I have the Wolf steel rods on my K-40 and T-9, and have their two-piece setup on my Glock 36. I like being able to vary the spring weights with the open-end rods. I'm very happy with all the Wolf products.

**Robert Kayland** · October 9th, 2008, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by 1832

I have the Wolf steel rods on my K-40 and T-9, and have their two-piece setup on my Glock 36. I like being able to vary the spring weights with the open-end rods. I'm very happy with all the Wolf products.

Good to know... from the pictures it looks like the Wolff rods aren't stainless, rather steel with black coating to prevent corrosion... is that true, or am I misinterpreting the picture?

Also, the replacement stainless rods from the other companies actually screw in at the end, so it looks like spring replacement will be easy with those too, as opposed to the current plastic rod that is press-fitted.

**ChamberedRound** · October 9th, 2008, 10:38 AM

Robert,

I bought Kahr's all-steel guide rod for the MK9. See here:

It was a bit pricey, but so far I'm very happy with it. Looks nice and gets the job done. I never had problems with the plastic one, but I just didn't like the way it looked. In addition, I had seen reports of the plastic guide rods snapping/shearing under stress, especially after a high round count, due to the guide rod's small amount of flex when the springs get compressed.

Hope it helps.

**Robert Kayland** · October 9th, 2008, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by ChamberedRound

Robert,

I bought Kahr's all-steel guide rod for the MK9. See here:

It was a bit pricey, but so far I'm very happy with it. Looks nice and gets the job done. I never had problems with the plastic one, but I just didn't like the way it looked. In addition, I had seen reports of the plastic guide rods snapping/shearing under stress, especially after a high round count, due to the guide rod's small amount of flex when the springs get compressed.

Hope it helps.

Yep, that's what I'm talkin' about! Rep to ya.

Kind of aggravating that they charge as much as they do for the pistol and then skimp on this one little part.

**ChamberedRound** · October 9th, 2008, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by Robert Kayland

Yep, that's what I'm talkin' about! Rep to ya.

Kind of aggravating that they charge as much as they do for the pistol and then skimp on this one little part.

Agreed. And then charge what they do for the part. But it's still a FINE pistol

Word to the wise: make sure to get some Loctite, the non-permanent type (I believe that's the Blue, but I forget), to put in the threads of the guide rod cap. This way, it doesn't loosen up and work its way free over time.

**Robert Kayland** · October 9th, 2008, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by ChamberedRound

Agreed. And then charge what they do for the part. But it's still a FINE pistol

Word to the wise: make sure to get some Loctite, the non-permanent type (I believe that's the Blue, but I forget), to put in the threads of the guide rod cap. This way, it doesn't loosen up and work its way free over time.

Good tip.

I wrote their customer service an e-mail and complained about how I paid top dollar for an "all-steel" version of the PK9, namely the MK9, and then find out an integral component was plastic, and that they then nickel-and-dime for another $41. Bad form... for what should be an elite level of company and product.

We'll see if they feel guilty about it and reply.