View Full Version : New CW45 Owner!
schmitty
05-02-2013, 03:07 PM
Well after a ton of reading, looking, agonizing, and asking questions on this board, I have finally pulled the trigger (so to speak) :D on a CW45! Haven't even been able to shoot it yet, but I still haven't been able to wipe the smile off of my face when I talk about it! Can't wait to get it to the range! One of the first things that caught my eye when I took the gun out of the box was the "Proudly Made In The USA" tag attached to the trigger. That is pretty rare now days, just a nice touch. Can already tell this gun is going to make a sweet first CCW gun for me. One of the smoothest trigger pulls out of the box I have ever seen! Long, but extremely predictable!
What do I need to do to it before shooting it, besides cleaning it? Any words of advice during the break in period? Any ammo these things do or don't like? Anything to watch for that may indicate a problem? Any must have accessories? What kind of holsters are you guys using for your CW45? I was thinking about a Crossbreed?
Thanks for the help guys!!
Schmitty
otium
05-02-2013, 03:33 PM
Congrats on the new firearm. I am sure you will like it.
Yep, clean & lube is the first thing. Good pieces of information on this forum regarding that.
Do some dry fire exercises (the more the merrier) and have a good time at the range. I seem to gravitate towards the 230 grain stuff, but some may prefer the 185 grain. But whatever you can find today...
As far as holsters go I prefer the dual clip hybrid style (like the crossbreed and several others you can find) for this size and above when I plan to be carrying it all day long.
If it's just a quick trip to the store, then I might use a sticky or remora type holster or possibly a kydex taco style holster.
As far as extra accessories go, I put on a Qwik Grip size 2 (LWD-QG2) rubber sleeve on the grip. It may or may not affect your carry style since the sleeve can "grip" your shirt sometimes, but I have not found it a problem for me.
7shot
05-02-2013, 03:38 PM
congrats man...give it a good grip when shooting and shoot 2-3 hundred rounds of round nose ammo to get it broke-in. the holster you mentioned is an excellent choice. have fun...
getsome
05-02-2013, 04:03 PM
Welcome to Kahrtalk there Schmitty, Congrats on the new CW45....First thing to do is read the manual cover to cover even if you have been a long time shooter...The Kahr pistols have a few little quirks and differences on take down/reassembly than most other pistols so be sure to read the part about the witness marks on the slide and frame and how to put the slide stop pin back in properly without bending the little slide stop frame like many people here (myself included)...
Next go to the new member area and read the stickys about new Kahr prep and look at the lube chart and you will find the striker clean out hole on the under side of the slide which you can stick a red tube from a can of non chlorinated auto brake cleaner and blast out all the manufacturing debris left in there...no lube on the striker but all that info is over there and super helpful....If you have any questions be sure and post them, lots of real nice, helpful folks here that are more than willing to help a fellow out...
After a good cleaning and proper lube go to the range and shoot the thing....Use FMJ range rounds at first 230 grain is fine and get some round count built up...The manual says 200 rounds for break in and they mean it...You may have some hickups at first but you may get lucky and the thing will take off and run good from the git go but if you do get a few FTF or FTE jams just clear them and keep shooting, the more rounds down range the smoother things will get....
Lots of new Kahr shooters pull low and left for right hand shooters and think the gun has a problem but it's due to the very long trigger pull so get a good grip and practice dry firing until you can anticipate where the let off is...
If you have large hands see if using the first joint of your trigger finger will help with the pulling down and away if that is a problem for you...
As for holsters, thats such a personal choice it's hard to say...CrossBreed has a good rep and lots of folks here have them but lots of folks here will also tell you they have a drawer full of nice holsters that just didn't work for them....I would suggest taking your pistol to a gun show and try out several differend kinds depending on how you want to carry it either IWB or OWB and find one you like rather than spend a bunch of internet money on something that someone else raves about but you hate....
Good luck and let us know how it goes at the range....
schmitty
05-02-2013, 04:16 PM
Is dry firing without a snap cap an acceptable procedure with these? I know some manufacturers advise against it. Just don't want to wreck anything out of the gate.
Damn ammo is hard to find right now!! Do any of you guys reload your .45? I have a reloading setup, and was curious if that is a more cost effective way to go?
Schmitty
getsome
05-02-2013, 04:25 PM
Dry fire won't hurt a thing, good practice to get a feel for the Kahrs unique trigger....Check out Laserlyte on their web site...they have a laser that is in the shape of a loaded round and will allow you to dry fire and see where the shot went....Cabela's has them on sale now for $69.95 which is pricy but is about the best dry fire practice going and with ammo so hard and expensive to buy it's a great alternative to range time....
I reload several pistol calibers and enjoy it almost as much as shooting but with the price and avaliability of reloading supplies scarce and more expensive than just last summer I don't think you will save a huge amount but like I said it's a fun, relaxing hobby and I enjoy doing it just for entertainment...
Bawanna
05-02-2013, 04:26 PM
It's way more cost effective especially if you already have the press and stuff. Trouble is components to reload are about as hard to find as store bought ammo.
I would definitely stay with factory ammo for the first 2 or 300 rounds. Make sure all is running well and then try the reloads if you wish.
I reload, hardly ever shoot factory except carry stuff and I still use factory on a new gun. I also try to always have a box or two of factory when I go to range, if I have issues my first step is to try the factory ammo to see if things get better.
Good reloads are a fine thing but it's easy as in my case to load just a few nano's long and my PM45 didn't like it at all. Adjusted the OAL and it runs fine.
TheTman
05-02-2013, 07:43 PM
Dummy me, sold my CW45, to fund a purchase of a widow's husband's CC gun. I was intending to replace it with another CW45, which I was hoping would work better with the 7 round magazines, I gave up on my CW45, after trying every trick suggested, and it going back to Kahr, twice (plus another time for the trigger not resetting), and coming back with a note that it shot fine with the 7 round mags, which it did, when it got down to the last 3 or 4 rounds. I imagine the test firing was conducted with a 7 round mag with only 3 or 4 rounds in it. Then I saw the CM45 announced, and thought now that would probably work even better for it's intended purpose, then they push delivery back to late summer or fall, due to the popularity of the CW380.
Boberg Bragging Begins Below:
Oh well, my Boberg and CW40 have been filling in for it quite nicely, Such a handy little gun is the Boberg, expensive as hell, but it just wreaks of quality. Plus it has a metal frame which I prefer over polymer. There may be a .45 GAP in the works, and a .40. I'd probably go with the .40, since I rarely see .45 GAP rounds anywhere except Cabelas or Gander Mtn, and always pricey. They had to go with the GAP to keep the dimensions within the current frame size. Really, doesn't make any difference, as I can't afford to drop that kind of $$$ on another one. For all the naysayers, commenting on the complexity of the pistol, the Boberg forum has yet to show a failure of the feeding mechanism, not that they don't have some problems crop up, most seem to be magazine related. But nothing has broke one anyone. But they need to hire Jocko to put 30,000 rounds through one and see how it holds up.
They've also introduced the long barrel version, with a 4.2 inch barrel, and a more traditional look. (Now more worries about shooting of a finger tip) The futuristic look of the XR9-S is one of the things I like about it, plus it fits in places that other pistols don't.
http://kartalk.pccomps.com/XR9-L.jpg
schmitty
05-03-2013, 12:09 PM
Have any of you purchased the night sights for the CW from Kahr? Just curious what you thought of them and whether they are worth the $80? I know the front sight is pinned into the slide so the install is a little different. One of the other things on my list along with a few more mags.
Schmitty
gb6491
05-03-2013, 12:22 PM
Have any of you purchased the night sights for the CW from Kahr? Just curious what you thought of them and whether they are worth the $80? I know the front sight is pinned into the slide so the install is a little different. One of the other things on my list along with a few more mags.
Schmitty
I have Trijicons from Kahr front and rear on my CW45. I like them quite a bit more than the factory sights (not a fan of the dot the i). IMO, just the Trijicon (or Dawson) front sight would be a substantial up grade over the plastic OEM front sight.
http://i47.tinypic.com/244qkxf.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/35jvy54.jpg
http://i48.tinypic.com/34hxk3p.jpg
Regards,
Greg
Buzzard45
05-05-2013, 11:44 AM
Hi, just got back from the gun show in phoenixville pa. I went there looking for a glock 30s, well guess what, not a one in site, but as i was nearing the end i found my brandy dandy new cw45! it was only 4 bills, just couldn`t resist. now all i need is more money for ammo,clips and holster. lucky for me my friend harrylee gave me a few rounds to fill the clip so as soon as i can i`ll get out and test this puppy.
got to go do some yard work now, but "i`ll be back" soon.
ps: been promising harrylee i`d sign up for months. signed very happy cw45 owner.
wyntrout
05-05-2013, 12:54 PM
Welcome to the forum, Buzz' and congrats on the CW45. Here's some helpful stuff:
Welcome to the Kahrtalk forum supported by K a h r Arms.
Here are a few essential links and things to do BEFORE you take your new pistol to the range, and ESPECIALLY BEFORE taking it apart and trying to re-assemble it! The Kahr is a different design… 6-7 unique patents cover the Kahrs. I’m not trying to imply that you don’t know anything about guns, but many don’t know anything about the Kahrs and some of the things you can do to damage or cause malfunctions of your new, or new-to-you Kahr pistol.
First, if you don’t have a manual, yet, or one didn’t come with your pistol, you can view it and/or download the pdf file here:
http://www.kahr.com/PDF/kahrmanual.pdf
Please watch one of these videos FIRST! These videos can point out possible problem areas and emphasize correct procedures!
Take down and re-assembly videos:
T, TP, CW, P, & PM/CM Series:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=G2cZgVg_SwA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G2cZgVg_SwA)
MK series:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...mSCnIOaUk#t=0s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zXmSCnIOaUk#t=0s)
K series:
http://www.kahr.com/Pistols/Kahr-K9-Elite.asp
There are many links on fixing problems listed in several places… under the New Member or Kahr Tech sub-forums.
A very handy one is the Kahr Lubrication Diagram:
http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14750
Many of your questions can be answered in these areas and you can learn how your Kahr works and not damage it with improper handling.
Another great resource for information on Kahrs... Archives of Magazine and Internet Reviews for Kahr pistols by industry experts. They test these pistols and report on their views and the ammo they tested in it. This is a good way to find ammo that might fit your needs along with accuracy and feeding in the pistol... usually from a rest with velocity and energy, as well as penetration and expansion sometimes... very informational.
http://www.kahr.com/product-reviews.asp
Frequently asked questions: http://www.kahr.com/faq.asp?
One very important bit of advice: Hold the Kahr pistol firmly when firing OR CHAMBERING a round. These compact pistols need all of the force they can get from the slide to get a round into the chamber successfully. If you don't hold the pistol firmly, part of the needed momentum is transferred to MOVING THE PISTOL and the top round will DIVE and jam into the right side of the feed ramp. The weak hand, over hand rack method gives the best grip and a firm rack will give you the best chance at chambering a round.
Use the weak hand fingers over the slide(clear of the ejection port), thumb along the slide and pointing to the rear. Use the gun hand to simultaneously firmly push the gun as you give a vigorous rack with the weak hand and cleanly release the slide as it reaches the rear limit and is "snatched" from the weak hand. This approximates a real rack from firing and beats the slide release method WHEN executed properly. Much more strength can be exerted when this is done closer to the body.
Here's a video on that. The first part is what I'm talking about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=hjLbFOw8sow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=hjLbFOw8sow)
There are many helpful members here most of the time who might be able to help you, but as anywhere, there are many opinions and not all are correct. Be mindful of this before doing anything drastic to modify your pistol!
Wynn:)
Aka wyntrout
PS: I keep thinking of stuff to add and help new members... and am trying to cover most of the popular subjects. Yes, it's repetitious to many, but possibly not to all new members. This approach is easier than having to look up every tidbit for each new member or question that arises. :)
Bawanna
05-05-2013, 02:02 PM
Well any friend of harrylee's is a friend of mine.
Glad you found us and finally joined the festivities.
Harrylee
05-05-2013, 08:37 PM
Considering he only live 250 feet from me, he's a good old dog.We go round and round what is this best caliber still in my eyes 45 still is the champ now all I need is to get him to the range.Now I'm jealous for not going to the gun show with him , I know I could have got in trouble there.But Buzzy welcome, lots of good folks here even the one they call BAWANNA he is a good sort, trust me on this he's good people.
Buzzard45
05-06-2013, 06:11 PM
Thanx wyntrout, lots of good info there,i`ll be looking over ALL of it. (some i already saw before i joined), but i`m gonna review it all again!
Welcome to the forums and congrats on the new CW45, I hope you enjoy.
Buzzard45
05-09-2013, 04:30 AM
went to the range yesterday with harrylee, first 100 rnds. suweeet! only had a couple ftf`s, didn`t notice any marks on the primer/casing, reset ant shot fine.
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