Anybody have a Kahr CW9 or CW45?

[kingstrider]

I've been thinking about a new carry piece and am giving the Kahr CW9 and CW45 models some serious attention. Both are slim designs with single stack magazines and retail for around $400.
Does anybody have one of these and if so, what do you think?

[sd5782]

I have had a CW9 for about a year now, and it goes bang every time. It kills me to do it, but I have only run factory ammo through it, as I want to be 100% sure in it's reliability. I have put 400-600 rds through it and the only failure was a "not fully into battery" that my neighbor did. He had a bloody thumb after, so I am certain the slide hit his thumb.
It is snappy to shoot but very controllable. The polymer tames the bite. Fast shooting is easy but you have to get used to the long trigger stroke. I wouldn't get one bigger than the 9.

[dk17hmr]

My dad has the all steel Karh, MK?, in 9mm. His goes bang EVERY time, his handload is on the hot side to ensure it does the job. You really do get use to the long trigger pull but you can empty the mag in no time when you do get use to it.

He probably has 1000 rounds through it, it gets shot often, when you take your time you can easily put a mag full into a group you can cover with your hand at 10 yards.

I wouldnt mind the MK in 40 S&W.

[Bob Jones]

I HAD a CW9 for a year until my youngest daughter turned 21 and got her concealed carry permit ] I bought her a Kimber ProCarry for her 21st birthday and she loves it but finds the Kahr a lot easier to conceal.

It's got an excellent trigger, long double action but smooth and light. The gun really shoots a lot better than I would have thought, and it's been very reliable. The prices are getting kind of high but I saw the CW9 for about $400 at last weekend's gun show. I really like it, but will probably have to buy a KelTec for myself. Their little 9mm is only about $225 and people say they're pretty good.

[cattleskinner]

I've had mine for a couple of months now, and would recommend it. It points like a glock(low to your hand). Hits are fast and accurate. I use it as my backup pistol on my ankle. The grip is full sized which is great to shoot, however you need to make sure you have a good holster to conceal the grip. The other thing I don't care for with it is that the chamber is slightly offset to the left when looked at from the rear. I have tried it with a mid-range cast load using red dot, and while it did not lead the barrel, it did the chamber. I'm not sure if it is a function of the bullet design/composition I tried, or the offset chamber. I need to keep testing for cast use though. All in all, a good deal for the money.

~Amos

[yondering]

Actually, the chamber is not offset. The barrel lug is offset from center, which makes it look funny.

I have a CW40. I really like this little gun. Recoil isn't nearly as bad as I thought, and it has decent accuracy for such a small gun. The trigger pull, to me, feels like a really smooth and light double action revolver; it's easy to get used to. I shoot by pulling the trigger all the way through in one smooth stroke, rather than pausing at the end of travel to aim. I find this works well with this gun, and gives me good speed and accuracy.

It was pretty good out of the box, and shot great, but I think it's even better after a few improvements. The slide release lever is a little sharp, so I blended the edges, and while i was at it, went ahead and "melted" all the sharp corners on the slide. Being stainless, I just smoothed it to 400 grit and bead blasted it; giving the modified areas the same appearance as the rest of the slide. I also put on the Agrip, which is the same idea as skateboard tape, but it's soft suede leather instead of sandpaper. It's really comfortable, and makes the gun easier to shoot with less felt recoil, by allowing a better grip.

Also, just recently, I've cut the grip down to accept the PM series (5 round) mags. This makes the gun a lot easier to carry; it disappears in pretty much any of my pants pockets, and would even hide in a shirt pocket. I normally carry the gun inside my belt at about 4:00, with my shirt over it; with the shorter grip, it doesn't print at all, even when I bend over and reach for something. I was surprised that it didn't make it much more difficult to shoot. With the Agrip on there, I'd say it's still easier to shoot than when it was new. Kahr actually sold their P9 (and I think P40) for a while with the short grip, calling it the P9 Covert. They don't offer this on the CW series, but it's an easy modification to do if you can cut a straight line with a hacksaw and smooth the edges with a pocketknife or file.

Here's some pics:

[AnthonyB]

I have a P9 that is perfect, and recently traded a P45 that I really wanted to like. Kahr basically replaced the P45 three times, but I never got one I could trust. I love the idea of the P45, but it just didn't work out for me. I replaced the P45 with a Glock 30SF and am very happy. I would be wary of the CW45.
Tony

[jim4065]

Like Yondering, I have the CW40. Didn't cut the grip down though. No problems feeding Lee 175 grain TC's over 5 grains of "Russian Unique". Don't know how fast it's moving 'cause I haven't chrono'ed it yet. To fess up - I carry 180 gr Winchester JHP's mostly - still have a bunch from the "Dark Ages" before Cast Boolits. I bought a 7 round P40 mag to carry in a Miami Classic holster - if the damn thing holster ever gets here.

It's my second most favorite pistol - after the P230SL that just arrived. I love my Kahr, but "Oh you SIG!"

The Glock 22 still has "Position 1" next to the bed - you can't make it miss a beat.

[Forestar]

For jim4065:

I tried loading the same boolit (Lee 175 TC), sized to .401, in my CW40 yesterday, but had a lot of difficulty.

I FL-sized in a Redding 10mm/40S&W FL die, tried several different seating depths (from SAAMI max to SAAMI min), and taper crimped (again, using Redding dies).

When I tried to chamber a round from the magazine, it got stuck in the chamber. Extraction was extremely difficult.

Any suggestions?

FYI, I've cast and shot a lot of cast boolits in rifles and revolvers, but am just getting started with cast boolits in semi-auto pistols.
Thanks.

[jim4065]

Lee Factory Crimp Die. It irons out the bumps.

[yondering]

I'm using the lee 175 TC boolit as well, and have to seat them deep, so the forward edge of the front driving band is even with the case mouth. This takes up case capacity of course, so I was disappointed that I had to do this to make it work. I guess these guns may have a tight throat??

[jim4065]

For what it's worth, the CW40 is my most accurate carry gun. My only problem with it is the trigger - on mine there's a slight "catch" as if there's a burr or something. It's not going away, so I'll either have to strip it past where the manual says "stop", or ship it off to the factory. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? It only happens with the magazine in - all three magazines.

[GrizzLeeBear]

Kingstrider, don't have a CW9 but I looked at that one when deciding on a gun for ccw. Everyone I talked to that has one says good things about them. I ended up getting the Kel-tec PF9 mainly on price but it is also a fair bit thinner.

I really like it, but will probably have to buy a KelTec for myself. Their little 9mm is only about $225 and people say they're pretty good.

Bob, if you are talking about the PF9 and can get it for that good a price, I would go with it. I've only been to the range once with it, but it is easier to shoot than I thought it would be for such a small, light pistol. It's definitely not a target gun, but at 7 - 10 yds. its fairly easy to get pie plate accuracy. Trigger is long (it is DAO after all) but smooth and not heavy.

[Forestar]

Jim:

I have two mags for mine, and although one fits slightly better than the other, I don't notice any sort of trigger "catch" -- with or without a mag (either mag) in place. I'm not that familiar with my CW40 yet, but I can't see that there's much room for "operator error". Probably advisable to talk directly with Kahr about it.


Yondering:

Do you size the Lee boolit? If so, to what dimension? (I'm going to .401"). Also, what COAL did you end up at?


Jim and Yondering:

Do you have any load data that you've found to be particularly good? I have a good supply of Unique that I'm trying to use.


THANK YOU.