Who owns a Kahr cw9.

[Bernie707]

I recently bought one after reading some good reviews of it as a good concealed carry 9m gun - it weighs 17 ounces. Before it arrived I saw a YouTube video about the break in process where the gun shouldn't be considered fully functional until 200 rounds have been fired through it. Turns out it's even in the owner's manual. He made some recommendations like storing with the slide locked open for a couple days before firing it the first time. (I thought, what the ... 200 rounds?)

I've taken it to the range twice. The first time I ran about 80 rounds through it and almost half of them had failures to fully feed - I had to slap the slide forward the last inch or so. I had disassembled it and wiped out some excess oil in the slide before shooting it so I knew the gun was clean and there were no noticeable filings or shavings from the manufacturing process. 50 of the rounds were Perfecta I had picked up a year ago so that could have been a factor. The range manager said the stuff was junk when I told him about all the FTFs.

Second time I shot a box of 50 American Eagles which I have used in a Hi Point c9 with zero FTFs. This time the majority of rounds worked fine but I still had many FTFs where I had to slap the slide closed the last inch of travel. So I've got close to 150 rounds through it, but it better get much better quick first my not to send it back for repair or replacement.  The gun feels good in the hand  and its accuracy is good.

If anyone here has had this experience with this gun I'd like to hear how it worked out for you. Thanks in advance.

[linux_author]

can't speak from experience, only what i've read... that 200-round break-in period could be over-optimistic - i think it takes a bit more... also, i'd stick with FMJ (i assume that's what you've been using)...

some pistols need a break-in, while others don't...

willie
on the Gulf of Mexico

[OV-1D]

  I find a lot of times to check the magazine feed ramp and the position of the cartridges because that's the first area of resistance then the ramp into the gun sometimes needs smoothing . Types of bullet heads makes a real difference with semi-autos . Kahrs are not the best when it comes to production pistols , usually need some fiddling and tweaking and even some filing . I hate filing on a new gun so much I won't .

[riadat]

i had a kahr.  Empty it, spray lube in it, rack the slide watching tv about 500 times.  Do that a couple times then take it back to the range.

[Biff]

I have a CW45. Bought it new.  It eats most commercial ball that I have run through it with few issues.  Had some of my buddies hand loads, though.    Would jam with round 3/4 seated.  Couldn't rack it.  Firm tap on slide with poly maul and it would seat. Firing ejected it just fine.  🤣  High point pistol would eat said ammo with no issues.  So, tolerances on Kahr is tighter.

[Uncle Fatso]

My CW9 worked fine from the get-go.  I put a drop of CLP oil at the front edge of the barrel hood/ejection port and rack the slide a couple times before loading the chamber. The stainless steel likes a bit of lube to keep it from sticking and galling.

[Bernie707]

can't speak from experience, only what i've read... that 200-round break-in period could be over-optimistic - i think it takes a bit more... also, i'd stick with FMJ (i assume that's what you've been using)...

some pistols need a break-in, while others don't...

willie
on the Gulf of Mexico

Yes, I only use FMJ. I pick up my LR mini in a couple days and take it and the Kahr to th range and shoot a box of 50 through it and see how it's doing. I sure hope it evens out soon since I bought as a concealed carry piece once my permit arrives.

[docglock]

If nothing else works out for you, maybe try this:  https://lakelinellc.com/shop/metal-magazine-follower-for-9mm-kahr/

[OV-1D]

  I went all out ,ha ,ha and bought the wife a Kahr 45 cal . Its alright I suppose haven't shot it much (wife doesn't like its kick) , personally I don't like the gun itself just because . Now my Kimber is a different story maybe its because of the retail value , love this gun to the end (had to add the finger extension on the magazines though) . The Kimber is almost too small for my handling , if it was just a smidgen larger . Kahrs and Charter Arms I put in a different category of qualities .

[Biff]

I love, and hate, the trigger on the CW45.  Nicest, smoothest trigger I ever had on a production gun.  But, the pull length is so long.  Keep pulling and pulling and sooner or later it will go bang.   No problem in a self defense situation where I am going to point it in the general direction of the bad guy center of mass and pull trigger repeatedly and rapidly, but at the range was never sure when it would go bang.   Maybe I need more time with it. 

[Bernie707]

I love, and hate, the trigger on the CW45.  Nicest, smoothest trigger I ever had on a production gun.  But, the pull length is so long.  Keep pulling and pulling and sooner or later it will go bang.

I know what you mean. Once you're a couple rounds through the magazine I love it but the first round I hate it. My new cw9 isn't feeding consistently yet  so I haven't had that many back to back perfect rounds to appear the smooth trigger!

[Bernie707]

I sent my cw9 back with shipping paid by Kahr. Customer service was supportive so I'll let you know how it turns out.

[holiday009]

I've owned 2 of them, really good pistols, very reliable. Sold them as I was offered more than I paid for them, would buy another without hesitation.

[gebe]

I have one that I bought new last year. I field stripped it like I do any new gun I buy and it had the most crap in it that I've ever seen in a new gun. Plastic flashing pieces everywhere!

After around 3 hours cleaning all the flashing out, I gently lubed it and put it back together. Took it to the range and it shot beautifully. No jams or FTFs. I was pleased. I decided to shoot one more mag full and suddenly noticed the front sight was gone! It had blown off!

Emailed Kahr and they sent a replacement right out. They are plastic and held on by 2 posts that are melted and mushroomed on the underside of the slide. This one I went the extra mile and also lightly epoxied it as well as melting the posts.

Took it back to the range and shot about 50 rounds through it and again, no hiccups at all and the front sight stayed on.

It has been rock solid since shooting it with no 200 round break in. The longish DA trigger pull takes a little getting used to but it's smooth as silk. Even though dealing with all the interior crap I had to clean out at first and the front sight flying off, it is now one of my favorite pistols.

The only thing I've done to it is to add a SS guide rod to replace the stock plastic one. I now love it. So thin and handy and I even like it more than my Glock G26 and that's saying something!

[Bernie707]

I sent my cw9 back with shipping paid by Kahr. Customer service was supportive so I'll let you know how it turns out.

I got the gun back two weeks after I shipped it across country (not bad) and they had polished the feed ramp and it shot better. I installed a Lakeline magazine follower ($20), went to the range and I ran 25 rounds of WWB that performed flawlessly. Ran the remaining 20 or so rounds of Perfecta through it that caused so much trouble earlier (other brands had less problems) and the first round of each clip didn't fully chamber but the remaining rounds fed normally.

So I'm satisfied but I doubt I'll ever buy another Kahr since it's a flip of the coin as to whether it  will work dependably or not. My cheapo Hi Point c9 and Phoenix Arms HP22 worked flawlessly out of the box and have higher customer satisfaction.

On the plus side the Kahr cw9 is affordable, light weight, accurate and has a smooth but very long trigger pull.

[bearcatter]

A plastic front sight held on with melted pins? No thanks.

[gebe]

I sent my cw9 back with shipping paid by Kahr. Customer service was supportive so I'll let you know how it turns out.

I got the gun back two weeks after I shipped it across country (not bad) and they had polished the feed ramp and it shot better. I installed a Lakeline magazine follower ($20), went to the range and I ran 25 rounds of WWB that performed flawlessly. Ran the remaining 20 or so rounds of Perfecta through it that caused so much trouble earlier (other brands had less problems) and the first round of each clip didn't fully chamber but the remaining rounds fed normally.

So I'm satisfied but I doubt I'll ever buy another Kahr since it's a flip of the coin as to whether it  will work dependably or not. My cheapo Hi Point c9 and Phoenix Arms HP22 worked flawlessly out of the box and have higher customer satisfaction.

On the plus side the Kahr cw9 is affordable, light weight, accurate and has a smooth but very long trigger pull.

Glad it worked out for you. Yeah, sometimes it can be a hit or miss with any gun.

Funny because I bought a new Hi Point C9 awhile back and it was a jamomatic and accuracy is below average. I did the magazine lip adjustment and it runs better but I'd be hesitant to recommend one judging by my example.

[gebe]

A plastic front sight held on with melted pins? No thanks.

Yeah, cost cutting can be a bear sometimes. Living in California, I didn't have much choice concerning Kahr models and the CW9 was one that was "Calif. approved" and I got it for a screaming deal with a free extra magazine.

Plastic sights or not, it's been very reliable and shoots anything I run through it and the front sight has been rock steady since I epoxied it. Like I said, even with all the birthing problems I had, I love the piece now, knock on wood.

[Oddball]

I have 3 Kahrs, CM9, CW9 & CW45. The CW9 worked flawlessly out of the box. I had some old Winchester white box 115gr hollow point that I used to break it in. It finally had a hiccup at 200rds because the ammo was dirty, even dirtier than normal white box. Ran a patch through it and went another 100 rounds with no problems.
The CM9 was a bit more problematic but worked fine after break in.
Both 9s like heavy bullets. 124 or greater. CM9 really likes 150gr HST.
The 45 is really ammo sensitive. It doesn't like Hornady bullets. The shape cause them to hang up on chambering. The 9s aren't crazy about Hornady either so I just don't use them.
The magazines will eject rounds in your pocket if you carry them that way. If you have this problem leave your magazines stored loaded for a week and they'll stop doing that. Apparently the mags need a break in period too.
Also, absolutely no weird shaped rounds like the Lehigh Xtreme Penetrators or the like. The offset feed ramp will not feed those at all. 

[ToddinAz]

A bit of a thread resurrection I know, but I have to kill a few birds as the saying goes as I'm new here, trying to up my post count. I like to keep it "value added" though.

The last pistol I bought, before my Guardian, was a Kahr CM40. Didn't have a .40 S&W in my collection, and saw the Kahr on sale for $229 and ordered it. When I went to pick it up, I remember the sales guy, who did the transfer, mention how tight the pistol was as he cleared it. As he handed it to me, he said he didn't think there was a pistol in his case as tight as that Kahr and boy he was right! First thing I thought was "what am I in for".

After the initial clean and lube, I left the slide locked open and also loaded up the magazine. Left them both in my range bag like this for two days. On range day it was a bit better, but still very tight. Charging the pistol with the first round from the mag, I could feel how glitchy it was as it resisted chambering. After the first 100 rounds, everything was starting to feel much smoother. Charging the pistol started to become almost effortless compared to how it was initially. After the second range trip, and 200 more rounds fired, the little Kahr was functioning at its best and smooth as silk.

I shoot this 40 so well, and am so confident with it, that it replaced both my 9mm and 45 Shield for daily carry. It's in my waistband as I type.

[Cary Gunn]

Howdy again gents,

I have a couple Kahr's and love them both. 

My CM9, the smaller brother to your CW9, has been a pleasure to shoot since "day one."  It's one of the smallest and lightest 9mm Luger pistols on the market, and mine has been very reliable, accurate and easy to shoot.  This little pistol is only 5 1/2inches long, yet sports a 3-inch barrel.  It disappears in a pants pocket.

My first Kahr was a CW380, and I think it may be the best pocket gun on the planet.  It possesses a butter-smooth trigger that's a delight to shoot, and the little gun's accuracy has always impressed me.

While I have nothing but praise for the Kahr pistols, I admit they are a little quirky.

The clever engineering that went into designing perhaps the smallest, most "shootable" pistols in their respective calibers, left its mark in the need to handle them a bit differently than most other guns.  In order the shorten their length, the guns' internal parts are crammed closer together than usual, and the feed ramp is off set to the side to allow parts of the trigger mechanism to fit underneath it. That's a patented "space-saver" that no other make of pistol currently possesses.

The penalty for the space-savings is the requirement than Kahrs be handled just a little differently than other pistols. The Kahr owner's manual explains this requirement very clearly, but apparently many shooters fail to read, or heed, the advice in the owner's manual.

If the owner's manual instruction are disregarded, an almost guaranteed first-round jam will occur.

Kahr's can't be reliably charged by simply racking the slide on a loaded magazine; the first round MUST be fed into the chamber starting with the slide captured and held back by the slide-stop.  Charging is then accomplished by just tripping the slide-stop lever to allow the slide to freely slam forward and chamber the first round out of the magazine. 

Kahr's instruction are explicit in that the slide-stop must be used to chamber the first round.  Any other method, such as "racking" the slide on a loaded magazine, or easing the slide forward to chamber a round, will result in a jam.

Do things as the instructions dictate and the pistols are incredibly reliable.  Ignore the owner's manual and you'll have constant jams. 

Also, the pistols can be "ammo sensitive," but that's true of many, many highly respected designs. 

Follow Kahr's instructions, use ammo the guns like, and they will run with boring reliability.

My CM9 prefers 124-grain commercial fodder, and places those bullets to point-of-aim at 15 yards.  Lighter bullets don't "shoot to the sights."  My favorite handload for the 9mm Luger pistol uses the Lee 125/.358/RF cast bullet pushed by 5 grains of Unique powder.  That handload shoots to the sights, and easily produces standing, two-hand groups of 2 1/2 to 3 inches at 15 paces.  A better shot would undoubtedly produce better groups.

Happy trails, and enjoy your CW9,

-- Cary Gunn --