Reader Forum

Kahr Accuracy Problem I had a bad accuracy problem while shooting my Kahr P40 last weekend. I started out shooting great, but after awhile I couldn’t get a shot on the target. Then, I happened to look at some of the fired cases. I noticed that the firing-pin marks were off center and were gouging the primer. There is

(continued from previous page) also a mark on the head. Is this what I suspect—a protruding or sticking firing pin? I disassembled the slide assembly and cleaned out some brass slivers around the firing pin. There is no return spring for the firing pin. With the slide off the frame and uncocked, the firing pin floats back and forth freely. I then tried the pistol again, and the firing-pin hit was still off center, but the gouge was slightly less. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Tom Cheyenne, Wyoming The photos you included with your query show the classic signs of primers flowing back at ignition and discharge. This is an indication of excessive chamber pressure. Also, Kahr pistols do not have firing pins as such. They are striker fired and there is—or should be—a striker spring that serves to return the striker to the rear after it impacts the primer. Are there any burrs around the hole through which the striker passes in the bolt face? Are you using factory rounds or reloads?

The latter are not to be used in any Kahr pistol, and if you missed that fact in the owner’s manual you’ve probably voided the warranty. 1917 Enfield Safety I have in my shop a Remington manufacture 1917 Enfield which has developed a problem: If the trigger is pulled while the safety is engaged, upon release of the safety the firing pin will fall. Inspection of the safety itself seems to indicate no wear or breakage, as all edges and radius seem in great shape.

I ordered a trigger and sear group and a cocking piece from Numrich, which turned out to be not as original as the issued sear, which has a spring retaining pin. The one I received from Numrich has a retaining cup. The cocking piece also does not approximate the original dimensions either. Any suggestions you can give me on how to put this old warhorse back in a safe operating condition would be appreciated.

Bill Van Though some Pattern 1914 Enfield parts interchange with a Remington or Winchester Pattern 1917, not all do. Additionally, there were differences from Enfield to Enfield, complicated further by "variations." For example, the sear assembly in a MK IV differs from the same assembly in the MK I/MK II, and is a totally different animal in the Pattern 1914 and 1917. Moreover, the cocking piece of the MK or post a letter to American Gunsmith Reader Forum, Merritt Island, FL 32954.

I/MK III bears no resemblance to the same part in a Pattern 1914/1917. Perhaps Gun Parts Co. (formerly Numrich) got its Enfield bins mixed up and you may have to send them the parts you need to get matching replacements. While you’re at it, include anew safety assembly for the rifle in the parts order. M1 Carbine Rear Sight How can one install the rear sight on a M-1 Carbine without the following: "Tool, Assembling, Adjustable Rear Sight" as illustrated in the Department of the Army Technical Manual TM 9-1276?

Also if you had your choice of rear sights, would you prefer the Type 2 or Type 3? Any assistance will be appreciated. Jack Roche Moravian Falls, North Carolina Given a choice, we would prefer the milled rear sight over the stamped version. Either will fit into a 60-degree dovetail in the receiver. (Drift left to right for removal and right to left for reinstallation.) One reason we favor the milled sight is it’s much stronger than the stamped.

When drifting out either, however, any application of a hammer and brass or nylon drift should be restricted to the dovetail and not the "ears" of the sight. A better way is to avoid the hammerand-drift method entirely by adapting a Brownells Model 1911 Rear Sight Pusher for use as an "encourager." By the way, if you’re expecting to do a lot of work on M1 Carbines you should order a copy of The U. S. .30- Caliber Gas-Operated Carbines—A Shop Manual by Jerry Kuhnhausen.

The book is available from Brownells or VSP Publishers (Box 887, Mc Call, ID 83638).