Got my CW9 today

[Kahrcw9]

After looking for a couple months and handling just about every sub compact I could get my hands on, and reading tons of online reviews I put in my order for my CW9. I held a used cw40 and was sold. I really like the feel of it compared to anything else. I have had a springfield xd-9 for about 2 years. It has about 2k rounds through it. I have learned a ton having it and shooting it. It is a great pistol, but IMO not a concealed carry weapon. I will be taking my CC class in the near future and wanted to get something that I could carry when I felt like I wanted to. I went with the 9 since I have about 1200 rounds of it and its cheaper than the 40. I have been impressed with the quality of my xd-9 and in the 2k rounds it hasn't so much as hicupped once.. I do keep it really clean and lubed. Now on to the cw9.....

I went to the store today and picked up my cw9 and brought it home.
My first impression was that it does not seem as slick and polished as my xd... I had to clean lots of little polymer strings out of the rails and the gun was pretty dirty with metal shavings in the gun and barrel. I also think the spring seems to be a fairly cheap design. I went through the kahr prep steps and will shoot it either tomorrow or the following day to try it out.. If the gun shoots well I will be happy. I like the fit and the size, but just was a little disappointed in how the gun seems to be put together compared to my xd... Is this something for all Kahr pistols or just the CW series? to clean it I used brake cleaner to spray it out, some Hoppes solvent in the barrel, and then used some lucas oil gun lube on it using the lube diagram. I have some militec1 lube and grease samples on the way. Anybody ever used either one of these? I racked the slide about 200 times tonight until my hands hurt. I will make it to 500 before I shoot it. I hand polished the feed ramp since I didn't have the right dremel attachment and it seemed pretty polished already. So far I like the trigger it seems smooth. I got a Desantis Tuck this II to carry it in.. I am undecided if I like it or not, but have nothing to compare it too.

anything else I need to do to this? I have some WWB and some CCI and some Rem UMC.. Does it matter which of these I use to break it in?

[Ognimalf]

Congrats on the CW9!! Sounds like you did exactly what the Kahr Prep sticky recommended. I bought my PM9 on 1/10 and have 1,094rds thru it so far with (14) FTF. Those (14) FTF that botched my PM9's flawless record came from Speer Lawman FMJ. The Speer FMJ just wouldn't and doesn't cycle properly in my PM9. I haven't used the WWB but the Remington UMC FMJ is a match made in heaven for my PM9. So be mindful of the Speer Lawman FMJ. I am not saying its bad ammo because I use it all day long in my Glock, just didn't agree with my PM9.

[NoJustHappyToSeeYou]

Gratz! :roll:

(Something tells me I'm not far behind you...)

[mr surveyor]

My CW9 has been the perfect CC semi-auto handgun for the last year and a half. Mine didn't need quite so much initial cleaning, although I did do a detailed disassembly to check for crud, clean and re-lube. With the nickle plating on the ramp and chamber, I wouldn't suggest using a dremel... at least not "aggressively" ... so I think you did just right doing it by hand.

I would suggest that you follow the loading and handling instructions in the Kahr manual to the letter ... at least until you are satisfied that all is well (and I wouldn't expect anything else from a CW9). Then you can work your way into doing a normal load/charge manuever, i.e. "slingshot" the slide.

I really believe that the CW9 (or CW series in general) is the best bang for the buck on the market in terms of DAO striker fired handguns.

Next you will want the aftermarket night sights:D


surv

[Bawanna]

Sounds like you've done all the right things and your ready to go. Dont waste any good carry ammo during the break in just use the Fmj stuff. My Kahrs seem to like to run just a bit wetter (more oil) especially during break in.

Be concious of a solid grip and if you have slide lock back, beware of your thumb. Its very easy to hit the slide lock lever without knowing it and your lock er open.

I have a feeling everything is gonna just run real fine for ya. Let us know how it goes when you get r dun.

[Cartero391]

Your are going to love your CW9. I have a matched pair! Both have approximately 500 rounds down range without a hitch. The first thing I did was install the slip-on #4 rubber pistol grip by Pachmayr. That eliminated the "bite" from the sharp pineapple checkering on the front and rear of the pistol grip. I think the Pachmayr rubber grip is better product than the Hogue Handall Jr., because the finger groves are evenly spaced (unlike the Hogue) and the Pachmayr grip does not have the palm swell. Last week I installed a Bedair SS guide rod and Dawson Precision front night sights. Shoot your pistol a couple hundred times and you should be good to go for a delightful Kahr experience.

Cartero391
CW9 X 2
PM9

[CS534]

Good call on th 9mm. I have the CW40 and wish I would have got the 9. The department I worked for at the time was a .40 cal dept. I think the 9 will have a lil more mangeable recoil than the 40. Its not terrible but it does pack a punch

[rkirk]

Congratulations on your new Kahr, and welcome to the forum! I also have a CW9 and it is a great carry pistol. I found the grip to be abrasive and put a Hogue Handall Jr. slip on rubber grip on the pistol. It tends to move after firing several magazines which is irritating but feels great! I may try the Pachmayr slip on to see if it stays in place.

Before I bought the CW9 I shot thousands of rounds with two XD pistols they are excellent guns. But so different from the Kahr CW9. It took me several hundred rounds to shoot the Kahr double action trigger well and be confident with the Kahr. I now think the Kahr is a great design although different from other polymer frame pistols. I feel certain that will be you experience also. It carries like a dream!

Shoot safe,

-- Richard

[Kahrcw9]

Just playing with my Xd and the lucas lube it seems to cycle very smoothly with it.. Anybody have any experience with this lube and how it works? How about the militec lube and grease? It seems to be a dry lube that supposedly bonds to the metal and self lubricates..

[Diocoles]

I really enjoy my CW9. I got the sure grips(?) from Kahr shop.
They work great and add no bulk to your grip.
I've never had any FTF of any kind. I did have a couple FTE but that was more likely my wrist. I've put several thousand through mine and it still works and looks great.
Simple to clean. Eats anything I've thrown at it so far.
Needed a barrel replacement, it was shooting low left. About 4" or more.
Kahr took care of it with no issues.
I literally can barely see a bullseye at 30'. I can get 2" groups or less with it at that distance.
I too think the spring is a bit on the....weak side. I plan on trying a new one to see if it does help at all.
I am getting what I call skid marks on the barrel on the ejection side and the top. As thought it's rubbing against the slide ejection port on the top and side. That just started a couple weeks ago. I'm still working on figuring out exactly what's causing that. Oops back to work.
Oh, and I use CLP. I use to use 3 in 1 but they are out of business. The CLP works fine for all purposes.

[Kahrcw9]

How about polishing the magazines? On my xd they are shiny and slick. The magazines for the CW9 seem cheaper and are kinda of rough and don't want to release very easily.. Would it hurt to use some mag polish and give them a little shine?

[jocko]

theya re stainless mags, very good quality but certainly u can't hurt one thing by polishing them. I might make extraction easier even..Some just use a good car wax even..

[Kahrcw9]

Mine look like that specked ductwork that you use for heating ducts. Like it has little specs of metal to it.. Are they really Stainless? I am headed to the range in 30 minutes so we will see how it works.

[LousyShot]

How about polishing the magazines? On my xd they are shiny and slick. The magazines for the CW9 seem cheaper and are kinda of rough and don't want to release very easily.. Would it hurt to use some mag polish and give them a little shine?

When you say they don't want to release very easily, were you using empty magazines when you formed that opinion. It's a "feature" that the empty mags are more reluctant to release. Try it with a round still in there and see if it's any better.

[Bawanna]

Mine look like that specked ductwork that you use for heating ducts. Like it has little specs of metal to it.. Are they really Stainless? I am headed to the range in 30 minutes so we will see how it works.

They are stainless and that specked duct work finish polishes off very easy and they shine up like a brand new penny. I did my PM45 and it was quick and painless and they look good too.

[jreXD9]

I've got bicycle inner tubes on the grips of my CW9 and CW45 and a Hogue, Jr. on the PM9. Kahr does make a harsh grip, but that's the only thing I don't like about them.

[recoilguy]

I like my CW I hope yours is as good too you as mine is too me

RCG

[jocko]

I've got bicycle inner tubes on the grips of my CW9 and CW45 and a Hogue, Jr. on the PM9. Kahr does make a harsh grip, but that's the only thing I don't like about them.

600+ grit sand paper will take away any hard pointed surfaces on kahr grips..

[Kahrcw9]

OK.. so I went to the range today.. Shot 100 rounds.. Two targets of 25 ft and one at somewhere near 40-45 ft.. I was pretty happy with the way the gun shot.. The grips dug into my hands, but I don't plan on shooting this gun 100 times at the range a bunch... So here are the pics of my targets..

35 rounds (5 full mags in each target)
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/88bluesi/25ft.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/88bluesi/25ft2.jpg

About 21 rounds at somewhere around 40-45 ft. and then I had a target of double taps.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/88bluesi/50ft.jpg

I was pretty happy.. Then I got home to clean the gun.. It was really dirty, but eh.. thats what happens.. Then I started noticing things.. The gun had lots of little worn looking places on it now and then I noticed this.. I am 99% sure that the huge bow was not there before and I just don't remember seeing the chip. I would have thought I would notice something like this.. Here are the pictures and you guys tell me if this is normal.. I didn't shoot the gun rapidly or anything. I shot 100 rounds in about 30 minutes..

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/88bluesi/IMG_1688.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/88bluesi/IMG_1687.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/88bluesi/IMG_1686.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/88bluesi/IMG_1690.jpg

That is not a camera trick in fact I believe its bowed more than it shows in the pictures..

WTF????

[Kahrcw9]

So I was on Kahr's website and apparently at least the chip was there. Its a witness mark or something for the machining process. Still not sure about the bow though..

[derniere]

Hi

The bow is normal. I have a CW9, too, and looking at the dustcover from above, the "front" portion (where the 2 metal rails protrude) is ever-so-slightly wider than the "rear" portion. As long as the metal rails are straight, I think you're good to go.

My thinking is that the extra width is to ensure all the metal reinforcement is covered by polymer.

You can see the shape of the underlying metal part in this video of the P9 from Kahr; search for 0:34 :

http://kahr.shopvisible.com/p9-productvideo.asp

Cheers,

:)

[NoJustHappyToSeeYou]

I had just made my mind up to get a CW9, and then I see this. It may be a "common" occurrence, but I can't bring myself to call it "normal." This is a design flaw. Back to the drawing board, I guess...

[Kahrcw9]

So are you saying it comes like this from the factory and I didn't notice it, or this is just something that happens? I see the metal piece that is in the polymer there. I just really don't remember it being like this. I mean I guess its possible that I missed it, but I looked it over pretty good.. (Not good enough to notice the chip though I guess)... The gun did shoot great though.. I didn't have any problems with that.

[ripley16]

So are you saying it comes like this from the factory and I didn't notice it...
Yes, the chip is on every CW9, and yes the bow is normal and on every CW9. It is how the gun is made.


I have some militec1 lube and grease samples on the way. Anybody ever used either one of these?
As to Militec1 conditioner, I'm a big fan. Every serious gun I own gets a Militec1 treatment. It takes a little effort to apply and it isn't cheap, but it really makes guns slick and easy to clean. It is a popular product in current war zones. I admit I still use a small amount of wet lube, but the gun needs very little of it after a treatment. I use TW25b on the rails. This light grease stays put, doesn't migrate and doesn't evaporate quickly.

As to magazines; the best product I've found for mag care is Eezox, another dry lube. I like the Eezox because it makes the surfaces slick is an excellent rust inhibitor and is also an very good cleaner. I coat the springs and mag tube inside and out, let it dry and clean any excess off. All my mags get an initial Eezox cleaning.

[kramm]

I don't have a CW9, I have a pm45. That chip in the rail I also have. Have a slight bow in the frame also, maybe a 64th or so. Very slight. Seems it's part of the Kahr tupperware pistols.

[jocko]

ripley 16 and kramm are dead right. All this is designed in the gun. the chip as some callit is a vendor proof mark. Why it has to be there beats me but it is OK. the bow is in the by design, My only conclusion is that it will keep your fingers away from the slide in that area, but it is normal.

Now u can get upset over it and callit a design flaw but again YOU did not design the gun so one has to accept this or move on to another gun and critic it as close as u did your kahr.

[Kahrcw9]

I didn't call it a design flaw.. I was merely asking about it.. I posted here because I thought you guys would know.. I guess in my excitement I actually did miss both of those things with the gun.. I am a little shocked. Usually things like that I notice, but I guess I didn't.. I feel better now though knowing that is the design..

I did shoot this gun with a DAO trigger almost as well as I shoot my SAO xd thought and that impressed me.. I also like the feel of the gun for such a thin gun..

I have the militec lube and the grease so my plan was to treat the gun 2-3 times and use a heat gun lightly on it and then use a light, light coating of grease on the metal rails..

thanks for all your info guys..

[jocko]

ur ok now just shoot it like you stole it. a super shooter. welcome to the forum to. hope I didn't come on to strong, didn't mean to, "early in the morning and weathered in..

[ripley16]

my plan was to treat the gun 2-3 times and use a heat gun lightly on it

I use my wife's hair dryer... not quite as hot as a heat gun.

[Kahrcw9]

Would a heat gun harm it in any way? I didn't use it on the polymer part at all. Just the slide and the spring/rod/slide lock piece.

[ripley16]

Would a heat gun harm it in any way?

I doubt it. I was just thinking that a heat gun may be capable of several hundred degrees more than a hair dryer. The hair dryer gets the gun parts pretty hot... too hot to hold.

I usually do two treatments, then when I go shoot for the first time, I shoot pretty "wet", with lots of Militec, the theory being it will burnish in at the wear spots, as they actually wear.

Let us know how the gun performs after your Militec treatment.

[jocko]

heat guns put out alot ore heat than a hair dryer ever thought of. I would not recommend a heat gun on any poly guns, hair dryer will get the job done with no harm.

[Kahrcw9]

Yeah I didn't plan on using the heat gun on the polymer.. I know enough not to do that *L*..

Has anybody tried the militec grease?

[cw45fan]

My CW9 has the same bow too... Just came back from the range... I've run about 300 flawless rds. through it. I shot 5 handguns today, and the CW9 is clearly the most enjoyable and friendly of the lot... a very sweet shooter. I can see why there's a new industry explosion in light single-stack 9's right now... They're very addictive.

[Kahrcw9]

Nobody on the militec grease?

[ripley16]

Nobody on the militec grease?

Not ignoring you, just have no knowledge of it. Never seen it for sale anywhere.

[jocko]

TW-25 grease is all I use.

Mil-comm.com look it up yourself, read al you can and then order it int he syringe applicator, u can lay a small line of grease right inside the slide rails and enver miss a beat. won't run. works great.

jost so many good lubs out there to..

[jimbar]

So I was on Kahr's website and apparently at least the chip was there. Its a witness mark or something for the machining process. Still not sure about the bow though..


I can't figure out where this "chip" is ? Are you talking about the "index" mark just about 1/2 in forward of the "K" on the slide? If so, that's the mark that matches up with one on the polymer stock to line up when removing the slide in the break-down process.
If it's somewhere else, please tell me where you're looking, 'cause my cw9 has no "chip", but it does "bow" just like everyone elses.
As far as the magazines, mine work fine, with no polishing needed.

[mr surveyor]

the "chip" is in the internal rail inside the forward, left side of the dust cover.... under the barrel. If you field strip it down to the frame, and inspect the thin metal rail on the left inside of the forward end of the polymer frame, you will notice what looks like a "chip". That is what is referred to as a manufacturing index mark. Zero issue for the user.

surv:)

[Kahrcw9]

I didn't have too much problem with my magazines. They don't want to drop as easily as my xd, but they work. I think I am going to polish them just to see how it works.. I figure it can't hurt..
The "chip" is where Mr. Surveyor said... Turns out it is an index mark and I just missed it in my excitement..

Other than I feel like the polymer is as well done as my xd, I love this gun. The size and wight are great.. I wish the handle was just a little shorter to make it even easier to carry, but I can't afford a pm9 Now If I had known about the CM9 I probably would have waited, but now I might just have to have both..

[jocko]

kahrcw9. many have had their cw9 "coverted"..

[Kahrcw9]

Yeah, but I am not sure I want to do that until I am 100% positive this thing is going to work correctly and even then I am not sure I would want to mess with this..

[jocko]

it was a suggestion...

I would not tackle it either but there are many who can do it with ease and not pricey to get done either.

[Kahrcw9]

2nd day at the range.. I posted this in the mag problem thread as well...

My new 7 round 9mm magazine is kinda doing the same thing.. The one that came with the CW9 is stamped Kahr 9-7 the new one is just stamped Kahr.. I have polished it and it still doesn't drop free, but it also seems to have a problem loading the first round every so often. The round nose dives and the slide won't completely slide into battery. The feed lip of the magazine seems to be wider at the top than the original magazine.

I had a couple small hickups with the gun, but I was using Privi Partizan or whatever it is ammo. The gun twice wouldn't lock into battery and chamber the round.. Once it didn't lock back when the magazine was empty.... Once it got locked about 2/3 of the way into battery and It took me a couple taps on the wood of the range on the barrel and the guide rod to get it to break loose. After that the gun cycled for about 50 rounds problem free and then I ran about 14 speer gold dots, about 14 winchester ranger t +p rounds, 10 Federal HST +p, and 10 Mountaineer cartridge xtp +p rounds.. All of those problem free and pretty accurate...

The other thing I have noticed is that the black off the guide rod seems to be all over the inside of the springs and gun.. Seems like a lot of metal shavings to be floating around in there.. I bought a Steve Bednair SS guide rod I am going to put in it when I clean it today..

So far still happy with the gun and It shoots pretty well... a couple of others at the range asked to shoot it and shot a couple of rounds through it and liked it as well..

[jocko]

My bet on that Partizan ammo is that alot of it is out of spec. If you get a rond stuck in the chamber and ahve to use a pease of wlld to get the slide to go back that is a sure fire indication that you have out of spec ammo. Shoot some good american brand fmj ammo to realy test it out. . I think your guide rod wear is normal, that will not cause one issue. Some have bought the stainless guide rod that kahr offers, but what your seeing is normal. that finish on the factory guide rods will not stay on long. There is friction when that spring compress up and down that guide rod, something is going to show some wear.

[Kahrcw9]

Oh yeah only the first 28 rounds through the cw9 were those PPU rounds... thats when I had all the trouble the other 50 were WWB... I shot the other 22 rounds of that PPU through my XD and I had two no fires and I even loaded them and tried them again and they still didn't fire.. I won't be buying that ammo again.. That is the first time in over 2k rounds that xd has not fired when I pulled the trigger and I have used some cheap ammo before.. I cleaned the cw9 this morning and it was filthy... Like excessively dirty for only shooting 100 rounds or so through it.. My XD only shot those 22 rounds and a couple of the good defense rounds and it was filthy too.. That must be some really dirty ammo..

[mr surveyor]

"commie ammo" may be cheap, but cheap is in the eye of the beholder

spend the extra dollar or two and get American "capitalist" quality... it's a win-win program.

just my opinion


surv

[MW surveyor]

The PPU cases are also harder to reload for some reason. Tight in the resize and tight primer holes. Really gotta work these. I'm to the point now where I just toss em. Usually have enough made in America cases. (Gotta figure out how to separate them at the range where it doesn't look too strange.)

My guide rod has almost completely polished itself. Keep it lubed and let it work its way in. :)

I'm with Mr. surv - buy some American made ammo.

[jocko]

could they be steel cases made to look like brass.. they don't reload over there so they are usually one time usage..