Paladin
04-22-2011, 10:10 PM
As much as I like my Ruger LCP, I'm just not convinced the 380 has enough bang to get the job done. I own a Springfield XD9, but it has two problems from a concealed carry point of view. It's bulky and it's heavy. So I went looking for a relatively small 9mm. Not necessarily a mouse gun, but something small enough to be easily concealable under lighter summer clothing. I rejected the Kel Tec's. I'm sorry, I know people have them and swear by them, but they just look and feel cheap. And I absolutely will not own a Taurus anything. Then while shopping in a local gun store I encountered a Kahr CW9. Never owned a Kahr. Never even fired one. To tell you the truth, many Kahr's are simply priced out of my budget range. Not so the CW9. I picked it up for $409.
I was impressed with the apparent quality of the gun. Fit and finish are excellent. As a part time gunsmith I was also impressed with how altogether simple the gun's design is. I'm a firm believer in the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid). I've seen too many guns that are a nightmare when you look under the hood.
I've only managed one range trip so far, and I had limited time, so I only managed to put 100 rounds of Winchester 115gr FMJs through it (white box). I also fired 40 rounds of PMC Starfire's just to see how it would handle hollow points. I'm happy to report that it ate it all without complaint. Not so much as a hiccup. Too early to judge, but so far so good.
But the biggest surprise came the first time I pulled the trigger. Firing 9mm in 15 ounce gun, I was expecting a lot more recoil and muzzle flip than I got. I had trouble believing how comfortable it was to shoot. In truth, it's more comfortable to shoot than my XD, which weighs in at 27 ounces. in fact, it was downright fun.
I had a little trouble getting used to the trigger pull. As I said, I own an XD. It has a long trigger pull, but it's a two stage. Very light (barely 2 pounds) for most of the pull, tightening up right at the end. And my 1911 is, of course, single action, with a very crisp 4 pound trigger. So the long, double action only trigger was different than what I was used to. Reminds me of my revolver days. But the pull is smooth and constant for the entire travel, which really helps.
Because it took me a while to figure out the best way to handle the trigger, my first few magazines looked more like I was shooting a scatter gun then a pistol. But once I got the hang of it, I was more than a little impressed with the accuracy of the gun. I've attached a couple of targets showing 5 shot groups, shot offhand, standing, at 7 yards. Not bad for a light weight gun with a 3.6" barrel. I'll take that any day.
So far, the CW9 gets two thumbs up. If it continues to perform at the level it has so far, I can see it quickly becoming my favorite gun.
I was impressed with the apparent quality of the gun. Fit and finish are excellent. As a part time gunsmith I was also impressed with how altogether simple the gun's design is. I'm a firm believer in the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid). I've seen too many guns that are a nightmare when you look under the hood.
I've only managed one range trip so far, and I had limited time, so I only managed to put 100 rounds of Winchester 115gr FMJs through it (white box). I also fired 40 rounds of PMC Starfire's just to see how it would handle hollow points. I'm happy to report that it ate it all without complaint. Not so much as a hiccup. Too early to judge, but so far so good.
But the biggest surprise came the first time I pulled the trigger. Firing 9mm in 15 ounce gun, I was expecting a lot more recoil and muzzle flip than I got. I had trouble believing how comfortable it was to shoot. In truth, it's more comfortable to shoot than my XD, which weighs in at 27 ounces. in fact, it was downright fun.
I had a little trouble getting used to the trigger pull. As I said, I own an XD. It has a long trigger pull, but it's a two stage. Very light (barely 2 pounds) for most of the pull, tightening up right at the end. And my 1911 is, of course, single action, with a very crisp 4 pound trigger. So the long, double action only trigger was different than what I was used to. Reminds me of my revolver days. But the pull is smooth and constant for the entire travel, which really helps.
Because it took me a while to figure out the best way to handle the trigger, my first few magazines looked more like I was shooting a scatter gun then a pistol. But once I got the hang of it, I was more than a little impressed with the accuracy of the gun. I've attached a couple of targets showing 5 shot groups, shot offhand, standing, at 7 yards. Not bad for a light weight gun with a 3.6" barrel. I'll take that any day.
So far, the CW9 gets two thumbs up. If it continues to perform at the level it has so far, I can see it quickly becoming my favorite gun.