My CW40

[Poppatello]

So here is my CW40. I’ve had it not quite a year and only got a chance to go to the range this past Sunday due to COVID and work schedule. I bought a Vedder light tuck IWB holster for it and love how it feels in it, in my hands, and how it looks. I absolutely hate how it shoots. It’s got way too much recoil and the shots are all over the target. I have thought about getting rid of it but really don’t want to. So I’ve searched the sub-forum and found a post from like 2009 where a guy mentioned he looked in the new members area and found some info on how to clean the gun and buff it prior to the first live fire. So I found that thread and started to read it. Lots of cool info, but it’s going to take me a while to read it all. I’m more of a show me kind of person so hoping I find some pictures on what they are instructing on. I love the pistol and want to make it my EDC. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210904/779e3478a8bccbd9a3572d91bb56fe80.jpg
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[getsome]

Hello Poppatello and welcome to Kahrtalk….My first Kahr was a CW40 back in 2009 and is how I found this place asking for help….At that time Obama had just been elected and everyone went on an ammo buying spree and it was hard to find any ammo but .40 S&W was available so I bought the CW40 and like you I liked everything about the gun but the recoil was not fun at all and I just couldn’t shoot it well…..I send the barrel and slide off to Mag-Na-Port thinking that would solve the recoil problem and even though they did a beautiful job on it the reality was it didn’t help much…..Snappy recoil with .40 ammo is the nature of the beast and you either learn to deal with it or move on to something else….My current pistol is a DLC PM9 and it’s a keeper, 100% reliable and it is fun to shoot which for me makes practice much more to my liking….

The new Kahr drill is, rack the slide 2-3 hundred times and lock the slide back for a couple days then lube it up good and shoot the crap out of it…. If the pistol functions ok then you got a good one but there is just no way to make .40 cal fun to shoot in a lightweight compact gun…..

Again welcome to the forum and if you have any questions there are lots of nice folks here to help you out……Good luck!

[MMyers1970]

My P9 functioned right out of the box with no "new Kahr drill". I did the "new Kahr drill" on my CM9, as well as polishing of the frame rails, and it functioned fine from day one. My CW380 didn't function after the "new Kahr drill" and 350 rounds of break-in. I think it is sometimes a roll of the dice, and the smallest pistols are more prone to problems.

[Poppatello]

I thank you two for the replies. Not what I wanted to hear but I certainly suspected that was going to be the true outcome. I’m going to try and get the same size gun in a 9 since I already have that caliber in a Sig.


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[Bawanna]

I have 5 Kahrs and all ran right out of the box. I purposely didn't do the "New Kahr Drill" just to see if they needed it. The "New Kahr Drill is pretty much what I do to any new Semi Auto gun I buy regardless of brand. Get to know the gun, learn the assembly, clean and lube, just common sense.

Regarding the snappy recoil, you just need to get used to it or move on. As I mentioned earlier I carried my K40 for a long time but even magna ported the flip was just too obnoxious and really slowed down a second shot, so it pretty much resides in the toy box. I keep it just in case 40 is the only ammo I can find. I gave away a ton of 40. It's a good round no question in a full size gun but I prefer the 45.

[O'Dell]

I'm with you Bawanna. I have had eight Kahrs, currently four, and all have performed quite well right out of the box after some preparation.

I don't think recoil bothers me much, because my two most accurate Kahrs were both forties - an Mk40N and a CW40 which I sold. The MK40 is still my favorite Kahr, but I also have a PM9, CW45, and CM45. The PM9 is my go to pocket gun, but the others require a Holster.

[texjack]

I would suggest a set of Hogue Handall grips, they really help take the “sting” out of the small plastic grip.
Also, the .40 s&w is a very versatile caliber to handload. I have a mild “powder puff” load using Hodgdon Clays that feels like half the recoil of my “full house” rounds.

[DeaconKC]

In a 40, try some of the new ultralight bullets that only weigh about 100-115 grains, a lot less recoil.

[Bawanna]

Deacon, Deacon, damn that name sounds familiar. You've been kind of quiet. Make some noise.

[Poppatello]

I have 5 Kahrs and all ran right out of the box. I purposely didn't do the "New Kahr Drill" just to see if they needed it. The "New Kahr Drill is pretty much what I do to any new Semi Auto gun I buy regardless of brand. Get to know the gun, learn the assembly, clean and lube, just common sense.

Regarding the snappy recoil, you just need to get used to it or move on. As I mentioned earlier I carried my K40 for a long time but even magna ported the flip was just too obnoxious and really slowed down a second shot, so it pretty much resides in the toy box. I keep it just in case 40 is the only ammo I can find. I gave away a ton of 40. It's a good round no question in a full size gun but I prefer the 45.

Thank you for your reply. I'll practice with it more. I really want to like the pistol. I've racked the slide a few times and held it locked back for a couple of days. Just need to take it to the range and see if there is any improvement. If not I'll just carry it but it will only get two or three mags of range time each time I go.


I'm with you Bawanna. I have had eight Kahrs, currently four, and all have performed quite well right out of the box after some preparation.

I don't think recoil bothers me much, because my two most accurate Kahrs were both forties - an Mk40N and a CW40 which I sold. The MK40 is still my favorite Kahr, but I also have a PM9, CW45, and CM45. The PM9 is my go to pocket gun, but the others require a Holster.

Yeah, I am not sure what's going on. I have two other 40s but they are full size pistols and shoot beautifully and on target @ 15-20 yards. The 9's I have are the same way. My P320 in a 9 is my favorite full size to carry right now and it's a compact. But it's a double stack so kind of fat. LoL


I would suggest a set of Hogue Handall grips, they really help take the “sting” out of the small plastic grip.
Also, the .40 s&w is a very versatile caliber to handload. I have a mild “powder puff” load using Hodgdon Clays that feels like half the recoil of my “full house” rounds.

I will look into them thanks texjack.


In a 40, try some of the new ultralight bullets that only weigh about 100-115 grains, a lot less recoil.

I just purchased some Freedom 165 grain DHP ammo. I want to try that first and go from there. I looked high and low for lower grain ammo but this was it. I was shooting 180 grain PPU DHP. I have a huge inventory of it, and it shoots good in my full size pistols with little recoil.

[BirdsThaWord]

As for the lighter ammo, might I suggest some of the Liberty Ammunition stuff. It is my favorite 9mm defense round. Shoots soft and the velocity is out of this world. Sometimes hard to find and expensive, but everyone I’ve turned onto it said they loved it. As an added benefit, it really is lightweight, meaning you spare mags (if you carry them) and your gun itself weigh noticeably less when loaded with liberty. The lost, recoil absorbing weight in your pistol will not be missed, as again, it really does shoot soft.

[Ken L]

Years ago, I started using a "death grip" when shooting my CW40. Actually I switched to using a really tight grip when shooting all my handguns. Has helped my accuracy with all of them, but the CW40 in particular. Also moved from Weaver to Isosceles. I did both at the same time, so I am not sure which helped more, but my CW is very accurate in my hands. Surprisingly so. As to the snappiness of the recoil, 165 grain Remington seems less snappy than the others. Either that or 165gr Winchester White Box, but I haven't found WWB in hollow point. All of the self-defense 40 has some snap, but I figure if I have to use it in a SD situation snappy recoil is going to be the least of my worries.

As an aside, handloads with a healthy dose of Power Pistol combine that snappy recoil with a really cool fireball. Everyone else on the line will give you a "WTF" look.

[berettabone]

I've been using .40 cal. as my primary, carry, and practice ammo for a while. I love the caliber, but I must admit, it took a bit of time for me to find the right firearm to shoot and carry that caliber. It's just a tough round to shoot in a smaller gun. If you want to get confident with the caliber, you have to stick to it. If it already feels like too much recoil, it probably is. I would never try to dissuade someone from my favorite round but shooting it out of small firearms is a bit more challenging than a full size auto.

[BirdsThaWord]

Ken, I feel ya. I tried the death grip thing, but it always seemed to pull me off target. Maybe if I stuck with it longer!
Berreta, There’s no doubt that a 40 is an excellent defense caliber. If I could put a bunch of shots on target real quick with one, it would be my round for sure!

[Ken L]

Bird, the trick with a tight grip is to squeeze tight only with the 3 lower fingers, not the index finger or the thumb. Support hand actually does most of the work, as the support hand pulls back on the lower three fingers in an Isosceles stance. You can actually put more force on the gun with the support hand than you think; something like 60%. Since the index finger and thumb of the shooting hand need to be mobile, well the thumb not so much with a Kahr but with a 1911 it needs to be mobile to work the safety, it takes a bit of practice. Usually a tight grip that includes the index finger will affect the shot because the finger puts weird pressure on the gun as it's pulling the trigger if it feels like it's a part of the grip. Practice, my friend. Especially with dry fire. It'll become second nature.

[BirdsThaWord]

Thanks for that info Ken! I shall give your method a go and see what happens. Thanks again! :cool:

[berettabone]

Ken, I feel ya. I tried the death grip thing, but it always seemed to pull me off target. Maybe if I stuck with it longer!
Berreta, There’s no doubt that a 40 is an excellent defense caliber. If I could put a bunch of shots on target real quick with one, it would be my round for sure! I can put 10 rapid shots into an FBI size torso target real quick no problem. Start at the waist and let er rise. That's what I use the caliber for. If I want pinpoint accuracy, I'll use a .22 cal. I've also shot .40 out of many different handguns and my H&K P2SK handles the .40 real nice. I do not know anyone who can rapid fire a magazine full and keep all of the shots within a 10" circle unless they're using a .22 or some other small caliber without much recoil.

[BirdsThaWord]

I can put 10 rapid shots into an FBI size torso target real quick no problem. Start at the waist and let er rise. That's what I use the caliber for. If I want pinpoint accuracy, I'll use a .22 cal. I've also shot .40 out of many different handguns and my H&K P2SK handles the .40 real nice. I do not know anyone who can rapid fire a magazine full and keep all of the shots within a 10" circle unless they're using a .22 or some other small caliber without much recoil.
Maybe I should listen closer to you guys. Both of you guys points have me reconsidering. I’ve put so much focus on keeping shots within just a few inches of each other, using 8”’shoot & see targets only, and always at at least 10’ - 20’. I’m going to get me some more range time in with the 9 (CW9) using silhouettes and within the 7-10 ft range. I want to see what I can do rapid firing. Heck, if I can do super well I may move up to a 40, maybe even a 1911. Gotta get back to the range first though. All starts with that! (been a few weeks). Thanks guys! :cool: