Cast bullets in Kahr

[tfranklin7]

Chickasaw Hunter I shoot cast in my (three) Kahr pistols, a E9, CW9 and a P45 .The CW9 has regular rifling as you stated and the E9 and P45 have the polygonal rifling and I notice no problems with cast but I only shoot a couple times a month for concealed carry. I cast my own and they are pretty hard and I get no leading and they are accurate. Tony

[Chickasaw Hunter]

Thanks for the info. I have suspected that this may be similar to the Marlin Micro-groove barrel situation. Bullets of pure lead "reportedly dont do well in polygonal barrels or the micro's. I say reportedly because I've not used either in my Marlin or my Kahr. I have used hard cast bullets in the Marlin and they have shot just fine. I haven't wanted to explore this enough do any testing. I can maybe see a reason soft lead might not grip properly and maybe heat issues in the Marlin, but don't why pure lead would be a factor in the poly barrel, after all the bullet cast or jacketed will have to form to the shape of the barrel to get thru it. In any case when I decide to load some case for the Kahr I'll probably use hard cast. Hard cast that I buy. I used to cast bullets, but after a $1,100.00 vet bill I decided I could buy a lifetime supply of cast bullets for that price. It's a long story, but the dog was free! CH

[Scibaer]

Glock advises against using lead bullets in their polygonal rifled barrels, which has led to a widespread belief that polygonal rifling is not compatible with lead bullets. H&K nor Kahr explicitly recommend against lead bullets in their polygonal rifled barrels, and feel that it is probable that there is an additional factor involved in Glock's warning. However, Kahr's FAQ does include a warning that lead bullets can cause additional fouling and recommends special attention to cleaning after using them.

The additional factor involved in Glock's warning might be  that Glock barrels have a fairly sharp transition between the chamber and the rifling, and this area is prone to lead buildup if lead bullets are used.

Another explanation is that there are different styles of polygonal rifling  and maybe Glock's  style of polygonal rifling may be more prone to leading than the particular styles employed in the H&K and Kahr barrels.

Its also important to note that H&K focus on using lead bullets in thier handguns with polygonal rifiling is not concerned with accuracy, but an unsafe and dangerous chamber pressures buildup.

[Old Fart]

The "don't use lead bullets" thing comes up all the time.
But if you use a good hardcast lead bullet at reasonable speeds you shouldn't see any problems.
I know guys who shoot competitively with glocks that use nothing but hardcast lead bullets without issue.

[Don A]

My CW 45 has regular rifling and I shoot lead semi wadcutters in it alot, thats one reason I sold my Glock,  I reload and just did not want to take a chance, some Kahrs are polyoganal and some are not I've noticed. Don A.  Okla.

[Scibaer]

with the interchangeability of some kahr model parts, you maybe able to change out your poly rifling barrel for a conventional one
if shooting lead is your thing. i'm not sure what parts swap on any specific model though.
i've only read about the interchangeability, mostly barrels and mags.   

[helotaxi]

The P and CW series of the same caliber have interchangeable everything.  The P series has the dovetailed front sight, more machine work on the slide and the polygonal rifled barrel, but you can swap parts back and forth without issue.

[AK737FO]

I've got thousands of rounds of cheap lead through an H&K USP 40 compact with no problems at all and no leading with up to 7.0 grains of Power Pistol.  With ammo prices the way they are, I can load a box for about $4.00 which means more fun times on the range.

[DJWright]

Cast bullets and polygonal barrels are not compatible. They can build excessive pressures quickly. It is not recommended. I had a HK and shot cast in it for awhile until I notices lead shards out the end of the barrel for about 1/8"! You could peel it out with your fingers. The standard ballard style rifling with 90 degree corners gives the lead somewhere to dispurse to, to keep pressures down.