RickC.
02-01-2013, 04:28 PM
Today my new CW45 made its maiden visit to the range. Observations and results:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/RickC1/cw45_zpsc4b34170.jpg
1. 125 rounds fired- 50 CCI aluminum case Blazers and 75 handloads- 230 Hornady FMJ, assorted brass, 5.3 gr Bullseye—nice medium load. Only one FTF of the bunch, when the slide would not go all the way into battery- the offending round is shown in the photo. I normally use a Lee Factory Crimp die on auto pistol ammo but did not here, to save time when I loaded. You can see the ring on the brass—this was my fault.
2. Point of impact was about 3” low at 7 yards. Not a deal-breaker on a defensive gun. I’m also not used to the sights yet.
3. Trigger was very smooth, best DAO trigger I have shot.
4. Recoil was not bad at all. The sharp checkering on the grip bothered me, so I got some scissors and made a slip-on grip from a bike inner tube as I had with my Keltec P-3AT. Very comfortable to shoot.
5. This magazine has fairly sharp edges on the top—loading it was not much fun after the first couple of magazines. I’ll have to see how much I can get away with, remedying that without causing feed problems.
Overall, I am very pleased with this pistol. I can’t fault it for balking at one lumpy reload. I was in a hurry and left the RNL and LSWC loads at home, but I have a hunch it would have done just fine with them—I always use the factory crimp die with lead bullets.
It was interesting to shoot the CW45 side-by-side with the P-3AT. I had loaded some 100 gr RNL to the max book load of AA#2. That little pistol beat me up. I quit after two magazines. There is no need to shoot hot loads in that little gun, I just wanted to try them. The Hornady Critical Defense that I carry in it are relatively mild in comparison, as well as the Blazer FMJs I had on hand. But where the little Keltec snapped and bit, the CW45 just boomed and pushed.
Hopefully I’ll be able to get back out soon and run another 50-100 rounds through the CW45 and then get to the business of choosing a carry load. The insides are a bit sooty now after that much Bullseye, but I won’t bother cleaning it just now.
I very much like this pistol and do not at all regret keeping the $200 in my pocket from opting for it over the Glock 36.
Thanks for all the great info here!
Rick
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/RickC1/cw45_zpsc4b34170.jpg
1. 125 rounds fired- 50 CCI aluminum case Blazers and 75 handloads- 230 Hornady FMJ, assorted brass, 5.3 gr Bullseye—nice medium load. Only one FTF of the bunch, when the slide would not go all the way into battery- the offending round is shown in the photo. I normally use a Lee Factory Crimp die on auto pistol ammo but did not here, to save time when I loaded. You can see the ring on the brass—this was my fault.
2. Point of impact was about 3” low at 7 yards. Not a deal-breaker on a defensive gun. I’m also not used to the sights yet.
3. Trigger was very smooth, best DAO trigger I have shot.
4. Recoil was not bad at all. The sharp checkering on the grip bothered me, so I got some scissors and made a slip-on grip from a bike inner tube as I had with my Keltec P-3AT. Very comfortable to shoot.
5. This magazine has fairly sharp edges on the top—loading it was not much fun after the first couple of magazines. I’ll have to see how much I can get away with, remedying that without causing feed problems.
Overall, I am very pleased with this pistol. I can’t fault it for balking at one lumpy reload. I was in a hurry and left the RNL and LSWC loads at home, but I have a hunch it would have done just fine with them—I always use the factory crimp die with lead bullets.
It was interesting to shoot the CW45 side-by-side with the P-3AT. I had loaded some 100 gr RNL to the max book load of AA#2. That little pistol beat me up. I quit after two magazines. There is no need to shoot hot loads in that little gun, I just wanted to try them. The Hornady Critical Defense that I carry in it are relatively mild in comparison, as well as the Blazer FMJs I had on hand. But where the little Keltec snapped and bit, the CW45 just boomed and pushed.
Hopefully I’ll be able to get back out soon and run another 50-100 rounds through the CW45 and then get to the business of choosing a carry load. The insides are a bit sooty now after that much Bullseye, but I won’t bother cleaning it just now.
I very much like this pistol and do not at all regret keeping the $200 in my pocket from opting for it over the Glock 36.
Thanks for all the great info here!
Rick