Night sights for the CW380

[Arkansas Bob]

Hi all! I have only had my cw380 a couple weeks. One stovepipe after 130 rounds. Next 50 fine. Happy Happy! My question is: I would like some feedback on the night sites for the CW380. I can hit what I shoot at OK with ample light. Not so good in dim light.(maybe 70 year old eyes) The only comment I could find was "wish the tritium sights were lower profile". My concern is snagging on draw and visibility in low light. Please clue me in. Bob

[sharpetop]

Check out the Kahr website. Awhile back you could buy night sights for CW series guns. I purchase a front one for my CW9 and installed it within 5 minutes.

[Alfonse]

I like the ones available on Kahr.com just fine.

[jocko]

Hi all! I have only had my cw380 a couple weeks. One stovepipe after 130 rounds. Next 50 fine. Happy Happy! My question is: I would like some feedback on the night sites for the CW380. I can hit what I shoot at OK with ample light. Not so good in dim light.(maybe 70 year old eyes) The only comment I could find was "wish the tritium sights were lower profile". My concern is snagging on draw and visibility in low light. Please clue me in. Bob

old eyes, would like the xs bigt dot nite sites. I think u can pullup their webb site and see if they offer them and if so indeed pay them to install the sites. U can just send the slide only to them via regular mail even LEGALLY. Forget about the snagging part, if it rides in a pocket holster like an uncle mikes or desantis, you should be good to go...Nice sites, certainly not target sites but designed for what they are, IMO. alot of things could have cause that ONE STOVEPIPE, so I would not put my concern over that..

[Arkansas Bob]

Thanks for the reply's. I figured as much. I have been lurking for a bit now and you guys have already gained my respect. As far as that stovepipe I have no concerns about it. I have been racking slides for a few years now. Bob

[TheLastDaze]

not sure why you'd want night sites on a point and shoot gun.... but to each their own....

to me its a waste of time, money, and energy

[Coppertop]

not sure why you'd want night sites on a point and shoot gun.... but to each their own....

to me its a waste of time, money, and energy

Was about to say the same thing. Spend the money on a nice holster or a few extra mags.
Night Sights aren't really necessary for a gun that is intended to be used up close and personal.

[erichard]

Was about to say the same thing. Spend the money on a nice holster or a few extra mags.
Night Sights aren't really necessary for a gun that is intended to be used up close and personal.

If money is burning a hole in your pocket, consider the Crimson Trace laser before the night sights. It is excellent, and with regards to point and shoot, it aids tremendously in accuracy, no sights involved. The other aspect that I've read over and over is the intimidation value of the laser. You are more likely to have the bad guy back down without shots fired if a laser is pointed towards his heart, no matter that it is a mere .380 aimed his way; his eyes are on the laser trail. The laser adds almost no weight or volume to the pistol. Only downside in my opinion is that you can't turn it off, although you can keep your finger off the button or cover the laser with your finger if you wish to conceal your location and the fact that you have a gun (which are cited as downsides to a laser, in addition to being potentially dependent on an electrical device.)

[Arkansas Bob]

I am glad to hear your points of view. My intention is to be able to protect me and mine from a bad guy. My eyes are not what they used to be and in dimly lit situations the standard sights are useless to me. If the bad guy happens to be more than 7 yards away I want to be able to hit what I want before he gets close enough to point and shoot. Shot placement is very important, especially with a 380. I already have a CT laser. If it fails I want backup. While I appreciate the effort to save my money, I am not gonna save $80 and risk giving up a life to some slimeball without at least being able to put him down. I have been shooting 3 dot sights for 25 years. My feeling is I need to hit a 6" group at 25 yards. If I can't do that I may not stop anyone inside 10 yards in the heat of the moment. Thanks for your input.(Daze,Coppertop and ericard) Bob

[erichard]

I am glad to hear your points of view. My intention is to be able to protect me and mine from a bad guy. My eyes are not what they used to be and in dimly lit situations the standard sights are useless to me. If the bad guy happens to be more than 7 yards away I want to be able to hit what I want before he gets close enough to point and shoot. Shot placement is very important, especially with a 380. I already have a CT laser. If it fails I want backup. While I appreciate the effort to save my money, I am not gonna save $80 and risk giving up a life to some slimeball without at least being able to put him down. I have been shooting 3 dot sights for 25 years. My feeling is I need to hit a 6" group at 25 yards. If I can't do that I may not stop anyone inside 10 yards in the heat of the moment. Thanks for your input.(Daze,Coppertop and ericard) Bob

Well, I'm sympathetic. I have/am considering night sights, too. Maybe just order them from Kahr.

I've just put some on myself on a Glock and HK recently (after watching a few youtubes). The simplest way I saw was using a brass punch and small hammer with the gun in a vice of some sort. The brass punch is softer than the metal of the gun or sights, so it doesn't ding them up (if used with a little TLC, especially with tritium vials). And any brass that rubs off on your gun will fairly easily wipe away, with or possibly without solvent. It helps to mark the midline where your old site is in the rear with a piece of tape or whatever, so you can then center the new sight more easily (also, if you have your laser sighted in, you just use that to adjust your iron sights in, without even firing a shot.) For the dovetailed sight, you generally need to ever so gradually file the bottom away till the sight fits partially into the dovetail, and then use either a sight pusher or brass punch to get in the rest (so it's still a fairly tight fit). I used some loctite also, stronger type for the front and less strong for the rear, since that needs adjusting (or adjust first and use the wicking type of loctite). My Gen 2 Glock 17 was pinned in for the front sight, and that took using a very small punch to knock out, and a specialized tool (got off ebay for $10) to screw in the new night site from Meprolight. Maybe took 30-45 minutes, not counting the time to buy the tool and watch youtube DIY videos. Not sure how the Kahr is set up for the front sight, off the top of my head, but probably pinned in for the CW and dovetail for the P-380.

[Arkansas Bob]

Have ordered kit for cw380. Front sight just break's off the new one screws on. Will have a Smith push the new one on the rear. Bob

[jocko]

Have ordered kit for cw380. Front sight just break's off the new one screws on. Will have a Smith push the new one on the rear. Bob

clean that front site bottom and slide with alchol, and then red lock tite the treads and the base of the site and install and let dry and uit will stay put. Wise idea on the rear site...

[Arkansas Bob]

Thanks. Its on backorder but when it comes I will get r done. Bob

[erichard]

Can't fault you for having a gunsmith do it, but when you go in, listen as he takes the slide into the back out of sight for the sound of a hammer as it strikes a brass punch, ;^). And then you wonder ... I could have done that...

Not saying that will happen, but I have read of it happening in a large percentage of cases (when the customer thought he was going to get some exotic sight pusher gently move the rear sight). The punch can break the tritium vials, but how often? Depends how hard you swing the hammer and how good your karma levels are that day.

[Arkansas Bob]

If you can't trust em don't use em. I will ask beforehand. In many cases you are probably correct but they do it much more than I. Bob

[RonW]

While I appreciate the effort to save my money, I am not gonna save $80 and risk giving up a life to some slimeball without at least being able to put him down. I have been shooting 3 dot sights for 25 years. My feeling is I need to hit a 6" group at 25 yards. If I can't do that I may not stop anyone inside 10 yards in the heat of the moment. Thanks for your input.(Daze,Coppertop and ericard) Bob

A little bit of overthinking here.... For one, in a defensive situation if you're 25 yards away then you have a chance to run the other direction. Furthermore in a life or death situation you will not have time to aim down the sights on a palm sized pistol to hit a moving human sized target, again, you would have time to de escalate the situation or turn & run the other way... If you have time to stand there and aim down the sights & gently squeeze the trigger & hit a human sized target in a 6" circle at 25 yards or even 10 yards with a CW380 then you are a better shot than pretty much all of us. And again, if you did have the time to do such a thing, then you would have had the time to turn & run..... And those are the points the prosecutor will bring up in your hearing.

Let's not overthink things here & deal with reality. Use the 380 for it's intended purpose... a up close in your face emergency get off me gun...

[Arkansas Bob]

Ron, Thanks for your concern and opinions. First off I am 70 years old and do not run like I used to. As far as hitting a 6" circle at 25 yards, it is part of my training routine to polish my abilities. I find it wise to practice. I also find it wise to know what I am (or not) capable of. If that is overthinking, I am guilty as charged. The last thing I am worried about is the prosecutor. I will have done what I deemed necessary. The law will take it's course one way or the other. Bob

[erichard]

Bob, I think Wyatt would have liked your style:
http://looserounds.com/2015/04/23/wyatt-earp-on-shooting-vs-gunfighting/

How many men have seen as many gunfights up close as Wyatt? Not too many. That said, point shooting, especially with your laser working, should prove invaluable in many scenarios. If I have any time at all, I will be using my sights. Of course, hostage scenarios, which happen to me all the time, require thoughtful use of your gun. Since gun fights seem to end with only a few shots fired, I am leaning more towards .40 cal over 9, although the 9 has larger capacity and faster followup shots. The first hit or two is the key to prevailing.

Also, I used to own a 380 Seecamp, with no sights. IMHO, there aren't any sights because they wouldn't do you much good if it had them (was very hard to control and aim accurately). Plus, you developed a flinch due to recoil sensitivity, because that thing was like lighting a firecracker off in the palm of your hand. So on that gun, it was point and pray, up close and personal. The Kahr, on the other hand, is a sweet shooter, and very accurate for such a small gun. It pays off to take some time to aim (time measured in milliseconds of course) the Kahr 380's, although Wyatt would have caught a lot of razzing if he had shown up with a CW-380 I'm guessing.


As time goes by, the prosecutor matters less and less I imagine (don't have to imagine that hard unfortunately). I can see that trend.

[jocko]

Can't fault you for having a gunsmith do it, but when you go in, listen as he takes the slide into the back out of sight for the sound of a hammer as it strikes a brass punch, ;^). And then you wonder ... I could have done that...

Not saying that will happen, but I have read of it happening in a large percentage of cases (when the customer thought he was going to get some exotic sight pusher gently move the rear sight). The punch can break the tritium vials, but how often? Depends how hard you swing the hammer and how good your karma levels are that day.

EXCELLENT POINT. ANUYONE CAN HANG A SHINGLE OUTSIDE THEIR BUILDING ADVERTISING their smitty expertise, Doesnt mean they can do the job. If a smitty doesnt own a pusher of which should be ur first question, then just get ack into your vehicle and move on. We pay damn good money for kahrs, so it may take a week longer but box the slide up (which u can send regular mail fro uncer 5$ and send itto the site makers and pay to do it right. Sure gonna cost u more but u will bbe satisfied in the long run..

[getsome]

^^^^^Excellent advice^^^^^^Listen to ole Jocko, he knows a thing or two about Kahrs....Since nobody said it, welcome to Kahrtalk Arkansas Bob....

[b4uqzme]

Ron, Thanks for your concern and opinions. First off I am 70 years old and do not run like I used to. As far as hitting a 6" circle at 25 yards, it is part of my training routine to polish my abilities. I find it wise to practice. I also find it wise to know what I am (or not) capable of. If that is overthinking, I am guilty as charged. The last thing I am worried about is the prosecutor. I will have done what I deemed necessary. The law will take it's course one way or the other. Bob

Yeah, I don't think Ron caught your point. Good advice regarding 25 yards. I recently took a defensive pistol class and one of the exercises was to hit a 3 yard target from retention (basically point shooting). ==> 5 shots pretty much touching from my K40 as fast as I could pull the trigger. My point is that I don't practice that exercise much. I earned that proficiency practicing at greater distances. If you can hit that 25 yard target well, you will be better off when called to duty...at whatever distance necessary.

Welcome.