CW 45 Yay or nay

[CS534]

Well, I haven't been around in awhile but I just got done reading some recent posts about the problems with the CW 45. Anyone know what is going on? Or is it just an odd occurence? I'm in the market and am wondering if I should wait it out awhile.. any suggestions?

[mr surveyor]

KahrTalk is like every other manufacturer specific firearms board. People often seek out answers to problems on internet sites. If a poster has a very low post count, you can bet they came here for answers to problems...whether attributable to the gun, or in many cases user induced errors. If they have a high post count, and own other brand specific weapons, and have problems, then those are usually the ones to take serious. It seems that for the last 5-6 years many gun owners tend to think they can get all the info they need from forums, and to some degree they are right....but not always. Trust, but verify. I think we all put too much faith it what we read from disgruntled posters on many forums. Those that scream the most and the loudest tend to be believed.

Certainly there are some CW45 pistols out there with glitches, just as there are many, many 1911's of various makes, Springfields, S&Ws, Glocks, etc. Follow any brand specific forum close enough and you will fear buying any of them. If man can make it, it ain't always gonna be perfect.

just my opinion


surv

[jlottmc]

First what he said ^^^. Second, my wife trusts her life and that of our three year old to a CW45. It has been flawless since day one when I started breaking it in. She shoots it and loves it, so much in fact that while I was breaking it in I almost didn't get my P45 back. Does she need to put a bunch more rounds through herself, of course, but that pistol has been good to go from day one. Having said that, yes I have lots of trigger time with many different platforms, and well you get the idea. If you want one, and it doesn't take food off the table, get it.

[jocko]

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a cw45. some of the glitchs are and have been shown to be shooter glitchs. Guns can't fix that.

[TheTman]

It seems we've had more postings about the CW45 lately, but how many were sold at the same time that are functioning perfectly? Mine actually did need repair, it was fixed by Kahr, and runs great now. I'd buy another if I lost mine somehow.

[edinero]

My CW 45 With a born date of March 2011 is at the factory for its second time..... Brand new out the box....

[O'Dell]

I owned one briefly before I decided to go smaller with a PM45. I only had 275-300 rounds through it, but it never gave any problems.

[edinero]

I say Yay but understand your chances of getting a Ready to shoot keeper is 50/50 I say from all the research I have done on the CW45.

[Bawanna]

I'd say your chances of a good one are much much better than 50/50. At those odds I'd pass myself. Not nearly good enough for me.

I'd buy one. If you have issues they can be worked out. I seriously doubt you'll have any. If you have zero patience or don't feel that any effort should be made to break the gun in and make slight tweeks for perfection then it's probably not the gun for you.

edinero, I've got my fingers crossed that this trip back from Kahr you end up with a keeper we couldn't pry from you for any reason like a few of the others that had ongoing issues. I know it's a pain in the backside and your aching to have a perfect running gun back and I hope it happens this time.

[edinero]

Bawanna,

I love the CW45 so much that id take any pain it is bringing to me now not being in my hands... from the post on Kahrtalk and Other websites I can say I do see a lot of issues but I guess not a lot post there success stories but hey I hope it also comes back working also it will be coming back with Trijicon Night sights ;)

[500KV]

Count me in the "success stories" category.
I have a CW45, a CW40 and a PM9 and all three are shooters.

Any top end handgun may have teething problems, and yes sometimes a major problem that the mfg. has to handle, but the chances are good that a new one will be 100% out of the box.
One thing about Kahrs, or any good handgun for that matter, is they get better the more you shoot them.

Don't let the problems (many of which are shooter induced) you sometimes read about here deter you from getting the CW45. You'll love it.

[Bawanna]

Bawanna,

I love the CW45 so much that id take any pain it is bringing to me now not being in my hands... from the post on Kahrtalk and Other websites I can say I do see a lot of issues but I guess not a lot post there success stories but hey I hope it also comes back working also it will be coming back with Trijicon Night sights ;)

Exactly correct. We read and hear about far far more with issues than we do the ones that run. 500kv just helped alleviate that some with 3 runners.
I was in a dilemma when I got my PM45, was considering a G36 just like several others here at the time. Several of them went with the Glocks. I waited some more and finally just went for it. I was blessed with a good one, perhaps partially by luck, but more I think the odds were in my favor.
It's also easy for me to tell you to be patient and have happy thoughts and it will get fixed while I don't have my own gun on the other side of the country getting looked at.
I really feel your pain and frustration.

[gb6491]

Yea, verily! I'm very fond of mine.:)
http://i51.tinypic.com/xbwas.jpg
If need be, I'd buy another without hesitation.
Regards,
Greg

[CS534]

Thanks for the input to all.. I was just wondering too if they are having issues with similar parts or fitment, and if a recall was in the future. If its hit and miss thats good, if they are having the same issues I may wait until the bugs get fixed.

[TheTman]

edinero, I hope they get you fixed up right this time. As far as buying a new CW45, I would do it again in a heartbeat. I looked around a lot at smaller .45's and you just don't get the features Kahr gives you in any other gun I looked at. It's just barely bigger than my CW40, and just as concealable, and I love the trigger. Gives someone like me a little wriggle room if I had to hold someone at gunpoint until the cops got there. If I were younger and steadier, I'd look at the 3.5" barrel 1911's, but I just don't want a light SA trigger these days, except for target shooting.

[Bawanna]

I don't think theres anything pandemic going on and I've never seen a recall for Kahr. Don't mean there's never been one but I don't ever recall one.

If I was in the market I'd just buy one with confidence.

[MERCTECH]

I just bought one 3 weeks ago and shot it for the first time yesterday with none of the problems you have reading about. Im a +1 for buying without hesitation. Great gun.

[jocko]

quote from thesanski: I'd look at the 3.5" barrel 1911's, but I just don't want a light SA trigger these days, except for target shooting.
__________________
ur not saying those type guns are unproblematic are u, u buy a gun it should not be a crap shoot but I have yet to read any gun forum where any one model is perfect. Yes Glocks are and have had their issues. Gret gun but if you look at the glockl history and the dozens and I mean dozens of upgrades/changes,,,,There is a reason for changes IMO. If u love the gun enough, then u put up with the glitches and try to work um out either by little thingsd at home or back at the factory. If allthat fals to meet ones expecatations. I have no quams about peddling a gun that I cannot trust, be it a kahr, kimber, glock, sig,HK, Ruger.

the kahr 45 are great guns and we are always gonna read of issues from shooters, that is also what this forum is for to, to talk about those issues, and many this forum has walked the shooter right through them to a reliable gun. Many are shooter releated and only he/she can fix that, not the guns fault. We are seeing glaring reports of the cm9 being just super , kinda boring for us guys who like to try to trouble shoot a gun, but good for kahr.

Kahrs are great guns, they really are but sh-t happens...

[2edgesword]

While I had a couple of minor issues with my new CW45 all of them have been worked through. As other have mentioned many find this forum as a result of seeking solutions to a problem (that was my case) so you have to take the number of post related to problems with a grain of salt.

Handle one, if you can shot one and if it feels as good in your hands as it does in mine I wouldn't be concerned about its accuracy and reliability.

[phred]

I've had my CW45 for about a year now. I had the issue of mags dropping while shooting. A quick phone call to Kahr had a new mag catch in the mail to me. Since I installed that, I've had no problems out of it. I also have a CW9, that has been reliable since day one. I say "yay' to the CW45.

[hollowpointt]

Mine had to go back to Kahr but turn around time was eight days. Postage paid by Kahr. Get one

[Old Salt]

Yay, I have a CW45, CW9 and PM9 all three have been 100% reliable. I have never had an issue with any of my Kahr's.

[sig225]

Keep it up ....... :rolleyes: .. you are talking me into a PM45. But, I don't need anymore pistols.

[Old Salt]

Keep it up ....... :rolleyes: .. you are talking me into a PM45. But, I don't need anymore pistols.

My PM9 has replaced my LCP as my pocket carry.

[cw45fan]

My CW45 has been problem-free since out-of-box... Liked it so much I later got a CW9 which has likewise been problem-free... Love 'em both.

[franco45]

Unlike my CW9, which has been flawless from day one, my CW45 did need the break in period. It has been perfect for the last 500 rounds after several ftf and stovepipes in the first 200 rounds. I just put a CM9 on layaway and can't wait to get it in my hot little hands on it.:cool:

[newkahrowner]

My cw9 has also been flawless, my recently purchased cw45 had a few ftf because the trigger didnt catch the firing mechanism but that was my problem since i didnt clean or oil it before i went shooting for the first time. after i did that , it too has been flawless. I have read all of the problems people have had and i took the tiny burr off of the barrel myself and i took some 1500 wet or dry sandpaper to the top of the body to take the mold lines off of the plastic and took the sandpaper to the magazines to polish it and soften the edges which allows me to hold the gun as if i were shooting straight up into the air and shoot the magazine out of the pistol into my other hand. while it doesnt shoot far mind you it does eject quickly and easily!

[jocko]

thats because u found out it was easier to do these little things than just write anjd bit=h about it.U tuned your gun, why do people send guns off to get an action jobn or triggerjob BECASUE there are ruff spots in thesystem that canbe made better with alittle tlc. u did a nice job, beproud of it.. I kinda wish more would have ur attitude..

[gkstemple]

Mixed bag. Two CW45's.

One worked out of the box, one did not. One arrived (factory test fired?) with a trigger that could not reset because of either poor machining or faulty molding process in the trigger bar recess area in the frame. I let Kahr know I was disappointed they let that one escape from the factory and they promptly emailed me a shipping label, arranged for pickup at my home, fixed the problem, had the pistol back to me in less than 10 days, all at their expense. I didn't even charge them shop rate for my troubleshooting to find the source of the "no reset" problem, which I may not have found without a second (functioning) CW45 to use for comparison.

I commend Kahr on their speedy customer service when a customer pinpoints something clearly amiss. Kahr also gets a big thumbs-up for being up-front by recommending in print that their new pistol should be shot thru a break-in period before trusting it as a "bet-your-life" pistol. I believe every maker should do the same and that no one should trust their life to a pistol from any maker untill they are sure it functions as intended. That said, I still don't believe that the customer should be the First Quality Control step in the manufacturing process.

I've owned and/or fired handguns made by Bereta, Browning, Colt, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Thompson Center and other assorted makers. Not all were brand new when I shot them, but all functioned. One Colt required hand polishing the feed ramp in the frame with a dowel and emery paper before it would feed the infamous .45 cal Speer 200Gr. "flying ashtray" HP -- a "secret" I found out about when I'd entered a bowling pin shoot with it.

Some have issues with the front sight on the CW/CM series being made of plastic -- it can be replaced if one so desires. I've found the CW45 to be easily concealed and surprisingly pleasant to fire -- considering its size, weight and caliber.

Your experience may vary. The above are my opinions. You are entitled to your own.

Gary