Kahr CW-9

[PA PATRIOT]

http://www.kahr.com/GetDynamicImage.aspx?path=CW91679.jpg&h=326&w=278
Kahr CW-9

Opinions?
Been reading both positive and negative comments on the error net and was looking for some input from current or past owners of this pistol.

[xpd54]

I have one. Chopped the grip to take pm9 mags. It's my backup/sometimes off duty gun. No problems with mine. Accurate as hell.

[lethal dose]

Great carry piece. Very accurate and a smooth-as-butter da revolver-like trigger. I really like my cw9. Mine has countless rounds down the pipe and has been absolutely reliable. Like a fine wine, kahr pistols seem to get better with age. If you want some "interesting" reading, look up who owns kahr and read about him. ;)

[ilsrwy27]

FWIW Kahr now makes the CM9 which is to the PM9 what the CW9 is to the P9, definitely worth a look IMO.
Both my PM9s have been reliable and accurate but some people have had bad experience with them.
The CW9 has been one of their most reliable offerings so hopefully the CM9 will follow the same track.

The only thing I do NOT like about them is the looong trigger pull and the equally looong reset.
The trigger is smooth and the guns are accurate though but the long reset hinders follow up shots.

[MAUSER202]

My buddy has one, good accuracy but it consistently nose dives rounds below the feed ramp. This is with 3 different brands of ball ammo not hollow points. He has been told the gun requires a 500 round break in
.He has about 400 through it now and no change.
I think it may be a magazine issue, but it happens with both supplied mags. This is my only experience with a Kahr, so far I am not too impressed.

[El Pistolero]

My conceal carry gun of choice. I traded an SKS for my CW-9 and it has been one of my favorite handguns. It is so slim and light and for that reason it carries so easily. It was also absurdly accurate for its size in my hands. It handles and feels like a full size handgun, not so much a compact. I never had any issues with mine over 2000 rounds through it including various makes of hollowpoints (plus a few hundred rounds from the previous owner). The checkering is very aggressive, almost too aggressive, but it seems to stay in your hand so well.

If you are worried about any issues I hear the steel-framed Kahr are more reliable than the polymer framed. I was gonna pick up a K9 myself but when I checked one out in person the weight seemed almost triple that of the polymer frame. But yes, browsing several forums you will read bad reviews. Kahr states a 200-round break-in period is required. The previous owner of mine broke it in for me so I never had problems. I put a lot of FMJ through it to break it in even more just to be sure and to this day it has been 100% for me. I use generous lubrication with CLP to ensure reliability and it seemed to work so I recommend running them wet.

And always use the slide stop to chamber a round. Some people cans slingshot it successfully, I could, but my wife couldn't with her weaker hands. Slide release works every time. Another gripe is the lack of manual safety but that is a training issue, and safety for me was ensured by keeping it in a holster that covered the trigger and never removing the gun from the holster unless I had a reason to.

[wobby]

got a cw40...only shot the 200 rd break in, but it has been a flawless 200 rd.

and about needing to use the slide release to chamber a round properly, i will say that the sling shot method has worked perfectly on the two cw's i've messed with. with that said, Kahrs do have a steep feed ramp thus, sling shot chambering is more sensitive to user error.

[Patriotme]

I bought one several months ago and it's a great gun. It's suprisingly accurate for a little gun with a short sighting radius and the trigger, while long, is pretty decent. The trigger is a lot like that of a revolver. It's a long, constant pull like that of a double action revolver.
Mine has been very reliable with everything I've used in it. I've shot a few boxes of Speer Gold Dolt 9mm 124 gr +P after the break in period and had no issues. The recoil is not at all bad even when shooting +P's.
I bought 5 mags from CDNNinvestments for about $22 each (or so) and that was about $10 cheaper per mag than the local stores or Kahr's site.
Kahr recommends that you load the pistol by locking the slide open, inserting a mag and then releasing the slide by pushing down on the slide lock. They don't recommend pulling the slide to the rear and then releasing it when reloading.
The two jams that I had during the break in period occured when I loaded the CW9 by pulling the slide to the rear and releasing it instead of using the method recommended by Kahr. Both jams also occured with their 8rnd mag which is now just a range mag for me.
I've got over 700rnds through mine now. I stopped counting a while back. It gets shot at every range trip and I mostly use WWB or Federal. There has been no issues since the first 100 rnds and the two jams I mentioned above. I trust this gun and it's a pleasure to shoot (especially after shooting my LCR). This is one of the best shooting CCW guns that I've shot although I will say that I've always been partial to revolvers for concealed carry in the past.
One last thing. I did notice that the mags were a little difficult to remove when the gun was new and required a little more effort than is normal to pull the magazine out. They now drop out easily after hitting the mag release. I can't remember how long it took for this to start. I've read that it's normal for the CW9 to have the mags be a bit hard to remove when the gun is new.
You can also break the extractor if you load a round directly into the chamber instead of using the magazine (I believe the Keltec PF9 is the same). No biggie but it's nice to know.

[DOA]

I had countless issues with an 06 version of the PM9 and Kahr finally agreed to send me a MK9 which has been flawless. I have not heard anything negative about the CW9's. Im very curious what the CM9 is going to be like.

[The Dumb Gun Collector]

I have had two PM9s. I reccomend them highly. Frankly, I think they are the best non-LEO/combat carry guns around. One of the few guns you can realistically carry without looking like "tactical guy" or a slacker.

[tpd223]

My wife has a CW9 and a PM9 that she really likes.

The CW9 has been flawless, the PM9 can be picky about what ammo it likes.

[davebee456]

I want a Kahr very bad but I have read way too many bad stories in my internet travels.

[El Pistolero]

I want a Kahr very bad but I have read way too many bad stories in my internet travels.

Just buy one and try it out. Mine has been 100% with a couple thousand rounds through it. You can always sell it if you get a lemon. FWIW, I have heard the steel-framed models (K9, MK9, K40, MK40) are more reliable than the polymer-framed cousins.