My Letter to Kahr and their Response

[markallen]

<ME> Hi. I have purchase my first Kahr, CM9, and LOVE IT. Thank you.

I want to also purchase a 380 and have been looking at CW380. I have been receiving feedback from Kahrtalk that concerns me.

They say when it works, there Is none better.

However, people talk about:

Ammo sensitive
Replacing follower and and spring in the mags with Magguts
Replacing striker with Lakeline striker, since some factory strikers have broken
Cleaning up burs

They say these reasons are why the CW380/P380 are not in the top five pocket 380s.

Is there anything you can do or say that will help with my decision? Again, I love my CM9, and need something that goes BANG every time.

And I am aware of firing 200 rounds to break the weapon in.

<KAHR>

Good morning. Thank you for the questions and interest in the firearm. Please understand we manufacture these firearms by the thousands monthly. The very few problems you are reading about on the internet are just that. By and large, there are no issues with any of or models, P380 included. With any small firearm, proper ammunition is absolutely needed so I can speak to having to use good ammo but we would never recommend replacing any parts with aftermarket. I hope this information at least somewhat helps and if you have any other questions please feel free and I will try to answer them as fully as I can.

Jay
Customer Service
508-795- 3919
www.kahr.com (http://www.kahr.com/)
www.tommygun.com (http://www.tommygun.com/)
www.magnumresearch.com


(http://www.kahrtalk.com/www.magnumresearch.com)

[Alfonse]

Exactly what I would expect, if they answered at all. What did you expect?

[SaltyNC]

If you own a CM9, I think the CW380 is a perfect companion. Operation would be the same. I wouldn't expect Kahr to respond any other way. If you get one that has any of the problems we've identified, print off that response from Jay when you send it back to them, and tell 'em Salty said they need to up their QC. :-) Chances are you'll get one that will be either flawless from day one or require the 200 shot break-in, and then run flawless. Kahr will make it right if there are any issues. If you like the CM9, I'd go for it.

Salty

[markallen]

If you own a CM9, I think the CW380 is a perfect companion. Operation would be the same. I wouldn't expect Kahr to respond any other way. If you get one that has any of the problems we've identified, print off that response from Jay when you send it back to them, and tell 'em Salty said they need to up their QC. :-) Chances are you'll get one that will be either flawless from day one or require the 200 shot break-in, and then run flawless. Kahr will make it right if there are any issues. If you like the CM9, I'd go for it.

Salty

Thanks Salty. I'm gonna pull the trigger and get one. Appreciate the help of the forum.

[Bobshouse]

Gotta remember the old adage, if your happy with a purchase you tell 2 or 3, if your not, you tell everyone you can.

I'm pretty sure you will be happy.

[Bawanna]

Very very true. Also if one had patience and is willing to stick with it, it's not like gambling. Kahr will make it right.
If it takes multiple trips to get there so be it. Most give up. Sometimes you can't blame them. Confidence is zero.
Some have not tolerance for guns that the manufacture recommends a break in.
All require a break in, even if it's just mating up the owner and the gun. Kahr is just up front enough to write it down.
I do think that the ones with issues are far fewer than the ones that run right out of the box.

[Number6]

Sounds like a standard response, and small pistols typically tend to be more finicky. I will add, as an owner of a P380, I love the pistol. Mine had issues early on, and I have discovered that certain ammunition does not function well with it. Mine seems to have some problems with Fiocchi and Seller and Bellot. Remmington, Hornaday, Speer all work fine, and I have had no issues since switching to those brands. I think you will be happy with one if you like your other Kahr.

YMMV,

N6

[SmokyT]

Yep, very standard customer service response for sure.


My P380 also had its share of reliability issues. Luckily Kahr sells all parts (except the frame) directly to end users. So I was able to correct most of them myself without sending the gun back and forth multiple times. Now the gun shoots OK so long as I keep the striker channel very clean, change the recoil springs regularly, and stick with the few types of ammo that works with gun.


My two PM9s, on the other hand, have been very reliable out of the box, and only had a few malfunctions during the break-in period. I think Karh's basic design is fine, but their pocket .380 pistols are so small that everything (including ammo type, magazine, and shooter's grip) must work right within a very tight tolerance...

[marshal kane]

The smaller the pistol, the more critical that EVERYTHING works as it should so that means proper maintenance, proper ammunition, proper shooting practices, and so on. Bigger pistols are more forgiving since tolerances don't have to be as tight. There's nothing wrong with opting for a small pistol but the shooter needs to be aware of what makes the small pistol work and not deviate from that. My P9 now has 2200 rounds through it without a single malfunction after the break-in period so I think I must be doing something right. My dos centavos on this issue.

[jtsmall]

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[jtsmall]

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