CW9 Reliability for Carry

[vospertw]

I'm looking for a 9mm carry gun and the CW9 is on my short list, along with G26. I'm in CA so my choices are a bit limited by our safe handgun roster. I had a chance to fire a CW9 and really like the fit of the pistol, even like the trigger pull - though was interesting shooting it back to back with the 26 because the longer pull would definitely highlight any anticipation.

However, I received some feedback from an instructor at a well-known training school stating he would "stay away" from Kahr based on observed reliability problems. I've tried find any particular trends but can't really find anything other than a couple of instances of inadvertent discharge based on debris in the striker channel, and some wear on the polymer frame rails. Seems to me the striker channel problem is more due to cleaning and maintenance and is probably a potential problem for any striker-fired pistol, but maybe the Kahr design is a bit more susceptible. The reviewer that mentioned the frame rail wear also mentioned that newer pistols don't seem to have the problem and postulated that Kahr had figured out the right formula for their polymer.

There's a lot to like here but wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. I am not a fan of any particular brand, simply want a carry gun that will go bang when it needs to and doesn't go bang when I don't want it to. Is there anything in the gun's design or history that would potentially disqualify it as a carry weapon?

Thanks in advance!

[Jollyrogers]

I own and carry both a G26 and PM9 in my rotation. I read and even my LGS had a bad opinion of the PM9 and I got it anyway. I have no issues with my PM9 (built in 2013). It goes bang every time, is super accurate, and haven't had any problems with it and have a round count of 400+ since I got it 2 months ago. Is it safe, I think so, as safe as the person holding it. Once I holster, it stays there unless shooting. A lot of NDs happen when unholstering/holstering getting in and out of a vehicle etc. Pay attention when holstering any weapon.

My PM9 is summer carry AIWB and pocket carry in a Nemmy around the the house etc. The only thing I do not like is the mags. Though functional, they cut into me some when in my IWB mag carrier, and top bullet will shift if just in my pocket. No such case with the Glock. But the Glock can prove to be a little thick in some dress scenarios.

[berettabone]

I'm looking for a 9mm carry gun and the CW9 is on my short list, along with G26. I'm in CA so my choices are a bit limited by our safe handgun roster. I had a chance to fire a CW9 and really like the fit of the pistol, even like the trigger pull - though was interesting shooting it back to back with the 26 because the longer pull would definitely highlight any anticipation.

However, I received some feedback from an instructor at a well-known training school stating he would "stay away" from Kahr based on observed reliability problems. I've tried find any particular trends but can't really find anything other than a couple of instances of inadvertent discharge based on debris in the striker channel, and some wear on the polymer frame rails. Seems to me the striker channel problem is more due to cleaning and maintenance and is probably a potential problem for any striker-fired pistol, but maybe the Kahr design is a bit more susceptible. The reviewer that mentioned the frame rail wear also mentioned that newer pistols don't seem to have the problem and postulated that Kahr had figured out the right formula for their polymer.

There's a lot to like here but wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. I am not a fan of any particular brand, simply want a carry gun that will go bang when it needs to and doesn't go bang when I don't want it to. Is there anything in the gun's design or history that would potentially disqualify it as a carry weapon?

Thanks in advance!
You do realize that any Glock lover will tell you that the Glock is the best thing since white bread, and it's the ONLY firearm. Keep that in mind.http://kahrtalk.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

[vospertw]

You do realize that any Glock lover will tell you that the Glock is the best thing since white bread, and it's the ONLY firearm. Keep that in mind.http://kahrtalk.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Yeah, I hear you. I'm try not to throw out the history of reliability inherent with Glocks while wading through the Glock worship. It's kind of like motorcycles - guys buy replica racers because that's what the racers ride even though they may not actually be best for real world. Similar to the Glock crowd - they see police and military using them and assume they must be the obvious choice for their own purposes. Then human bias kicks in, and you aren't going to admit that your $500 purchase is functionally equivalent to someone else's $350 purchase no matter what evidence is presented. The big advantage to Glocks that I see is not really the pistol, but the Lego-like compatibility and aftermarket support.

[skiflydive]

I've never heard of inadvertent discharge due to debris in the striker channel and I really can't imagine how that would happen with the Kahr system. As far as the wear on the polymer, that's been discussed here on this board over and over and over. The frame doesn't ride on the plastic rails. Those are simply reassembly guides when putting the slide back on the frame. The slide rides on metal rails that are molded into the polymer, much the same as a metal case is molded inside the plastic housing of some high quality power tools. With new Kahrs there is sometimes some shaving of the polymer as the gun breaks in but it's simply part of the frame/slide mating process. I have a CM9 and a P380. Both are particular fine firearms that go bang every time. They are some of the most precisely built guns I've ever seen and should be thought of that way. Take your time breaking them in properly and you'll carry with confidence. If you have ANY trouble come back here and ask about it. This forum is a tremendous resource.

[hardluk1]

With a close minded instructor you may want to pick a new training school . Most of the problems with small pistols in general are owner and ammo related. My first kahr came a from a nra instructor / match shooter that could not get it to run even one mag reliably. He was ticked off and I got some pistol called a cw9 fro kahr for 250 bucks . I had to read up on it to see what a kahr was. That same troubled handgun for me has been very reliable for almost 5 years. So good I bought a cm9 for pocket carry and now have a tp40 that's become my main cc handgun.


Clean it well , learn about it, lube it well and use good ammo , have a couple choice too. There bad ammo too . Don't shoot any more rounds than you can control well , maybe 50 or 150 rounds and add something to aid grip. Many of use a free used 1.75" inner tube picked up from most bike shops.

[ParrotHead]

I carry mine all the time and love it...thin enough to be comfortable. Only 300 rounds through her but have not had one instance of FTF/FTE, etc. It has eaten every brand of ammo I have put thru it so far.

[DubDubU]

Mine has been 100% for almost 2k rounds. My striker channel had some gunk in it in the beginning, but after i cleaned it good it has stayed clean. I must not have cleaned it well when i first got it. If it feels and shoots good for you, go for it.

[siam]

I have a CW9 that I carry without any hesitation. Sounds like the instructor was a GLOCK person & all other guns are inferior. I know the laws in Calif. are different from the rest of the world, but you can change a spring on the gun & make it have the same 5LB. trigger pull as the Glock.

MIke

[Bill K]

I owned a Glock 26 long before I bought my PM9 and owned them both for a few years. I sold my G26 because a) My G26 carry was almost entirely replaced with my PM9 pocket carry. b) Since I only AIWB carried my G26 might as well carry something a bit bigger which turned out to be an XDM compact .45.

If I were to NOT pocket carry I believe I'd choose the G26 over the PM9 [and I really do like my PM9].

[miketafc]

Add me to the list of 500+ rounds For CW9 using many types of ammo and loads with no problems. A pleasure to shoot unlike a lot of light guns and a pleasure to carry because of its light weight.

[GLOCKROCKER]

You do realize that any Glock lover will tell you that the Glock is the best thing since white bread, and it's the ONLY firearm. Keep that in mind.http://kahrtalk.com/images/icons/icon12.gif
Au contraire mon amie, or should I say "Al contrario, il mio amico" (Italian for you Beretta folks). I love and trust my Glocks, but carry Kahrs and Rugers and Smiths and Kimbers as well. Yes I'm a Glock guy but there are a lot of other good, viable choices out there. Watch those Berreta lovers they will tell you Berettas are the best thing since pizza dough.:D

[Evi1joe]

I DO remember when the polymer Kahrs were having lots of issues early on. Back in those days, the only Kahr-forum I knew about was the one inside glocktalk. The PM9 was the real bugger.
The P9 and P9 covert seemed to be pretty good from the beginning. I loved mine, but got greedy and went for a PM9. It had fail to reset issues, but they were fixed at the mothership, then I sent it off to Cylinder & Slide for a reliability job. However, I always missed that P9--the extra round, my favorite grip of ALL guns, etc. I was a nail driver with the P9, but the PM9 was a bit too small for 25Y groups (for me).

Anyway. I've since owned a CW9 and it's been flawless. IF the LOOOONG reset and LOOOONG trigger pull don't bother you, then I say go for it. They kinda drove me insane since I shoot Glock A LOT. So I switched to a Shield and did the APEX mod with a Glock trigger spring. Now it's a short 3.75lb pull though it isn't nearly as nice as my Glock.

I'd buy the CW9 UNLESS you want to pocket carry (but since the other gun is a G26, it seems like pocket-carry isn't a big deal...because that's a brick). By now, I'm sure 99% of PM9s are good off the shelf...they have to be for what they're charging (I've seen CM9s here for $339--so with a few parts and a cerakote job, you can have a PM9 without the polygonal barrel and dovetail sights for $495).

[vospertw]

Whoa! Thanks all for the great input. We are at Disney this weekend so didn't have a chance to comment earlier. I'm not sure the instructor in question was a Glock guy - he did say he wouldn't have any problem recommending an SD9 VE as a carry gun - but Evi1joe might have hit the nail on the head. Might not have been CW9 in particular and you know how problems with one model sometimes become the problems of the brand in general.

I can see how you could shoot the Glock a little more accurately and probably more quickly with the lighter trigger and shorter reset. I thought the CW9 trigger was long, but there was something about it I liked as well, and once you reset your mind to it, the gun was more than accurate enough for a defensive firearm. Since my work requires khakis and polos, or dress shirts and slacks, having a thinner pistol is very attractive. I'm not sure I could pull off true pocket carry due to my build so I wasn't looking at the Kahr for that role. I toy with the idea of a small J-frame revolver or 380 for that role, but that would be a future acquisition. I have some thoughts of pairing the Kahr with an SD9 VE since I could pick up both for a couple hundred more than one Glock, and I think I could cover almost all of my carry situations.. Additionally, the SD has a longer pull and reset similar to the Kahr which makes training a bit more complementary rather than learning two completely different trigger behaviors.

Really appreciate the great advice and insight!

[smo79]

I own a glock 26, a cw9, and a cm9 and I really my two kahrs a lot. The glock to me is too bulky for iwb. I really enjoy the slim single stack design for carry. I also like the angle of the grip on the kahrs better, a lilt bit more like a 1911 style grip. Both are great pistols and have been uber reliable but cw9 just is more comfortable in my opinion.

[berettabone]

Au contraire mon amie, or should I say "Al contrario, il mio amico" (Italian for you Beretta folks). I love and trust my Glocks, but carry Kahrs and Rugers and Smiths and Kimbers as well. Yes I'm a Glock guy but there are a lot of other good, viable choices out there. Watch those Berreta lovers they will tell you Berettas are the best thing since pizza dough.:D
You would be correct..........................there's something about cleaning a Beretta after shooting......the smell of Hoppes, the ease of breakdown. With Glock's , you miss all of that, cause you just put them in the dishwasher. They're made out of the same thing as frisbee'shttp://kahrtalk.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[redman1183]

I don't worry too much about what other people say about things that I am buying unless I keep hearing a lot of the same thing. There will always be stories about anything you buy and what went wrong with it from someone. Just be meticulous about maintaining your weapon and feed it quality ammo and it should be happy.
Also, be careful what people tell you about mods when carrying concealed. Many things said on many forums about what is OK to do to a gun is just opinion. As is my following statement: When ccw just stay with a stock weapon, that way if in the life changing event that you have to use it for self defense, the prosecuting attorney doesn't try to focus on the fact that you wanted to kill someone because you lightened the trigger or modified the spring, etc. They will try to sell to the jury that you have an "unsafe" gun. Plus, in my county, (placer) my sheriff's dept's policy states that there are no allowable modifications to a carry gun. Many other counties are different so check your regs. My county is just extra restrictive.

[muggsy]

My CM9 had a few hiccups during the break in period, but has now gone through 2,300+ rounds without a single failure.

[Pulpit Pistol]

I have the CW9, and love it. Go through the break-in period; and then enjoy an outstanding concealed carry piece.

[Yogi 117]

I have & often carry both the CM9 & G26. Both have their place in my carry rotation. Both have been reliable & easy to conceal. I tend to carry the CM9 more because of ease of concealment, but the G26 loaded with a 11 rounds plus 2 extra mags of 15 each...well, hard to beat that kind of fire power. I love the G26 in a cross draw holster with mag carrier right behind the holster. You didn't really mention your carry preference of IWB or OWB, but both of these are easy to carry either way, the G26 obviously being thicker. With a size bigger than normal pants, the G26 is comfortable to carry IWB in a N82 Pro model holster, allowing for wear during the summer months with no t-shirt needed. Ah, choices...what makes it all worth while...good luck in you decision making process, you can't go wrong with either choice IMHO! :D

[copterdrvr]

I own (in order of purchase) a PM9, CW9, P380 and a CW40.

All of the pistols but for the CW40 have been 100% reliable from the first round fired. The problem with the 40 was actually found to be directly related to the factory ammo (win white box) I was attempting to shoot. Since removing win white box from the 40's ammo list-all other brands of ammo to include my reloads have been 100% reliable.

I bought the CW9 because I just didn't like the "feel" of the PM9 even after installing an extended mag in it. I own more pistols than I care to admit but I will not purchase one-regardless of its "popularity" unless it fits my hand VERY well. That is the primary reason why I own pistols like 1911's, P35 Hipowers, CZ75's, KAHR's and believe it or not-a Smith SD9VE. I do not own any Glocks because they feel like I'm holding the wrong end of a baseball bat when I grip one-sorry Glock lovers! ;-)

I don't own a pistol that feels better in the hand than the CW9, in fact it fits so well and is such a pleasure to shoot it feels like it was custom cut for ME. When you combine the grip fit with the extremely low bore axis I find my CW9 to be one of the lowest recoiling 9mm's I own. I don't really know how many rounds I've run through it now but I've shot it over 300 rounds in one sitting with some really dirty ammo without a hiccup.

P.S. My SD9 feels like a slightly bigger CW9 that holds 17 rounds. Installed a replacement trigger and a spring kit and it shoots like it too.