entoptics
05-10-2011, 10:44 PM
Just found your forum, lurked around a bit and joined. Looks like lots of great info and pleasant folks.
Info about me in lieu of an introduction. Been shooting pretty much anything and everything since before I can remember. According to the stories, my first bang was a PPK 32 auto. Both my dad and cousin regret that day, as I've probably cost them several thousand of dollars in ammo. 30 years later, my primary guns are a 2nd Gen Glock 17 (had it since my first car), 870 police magnum (LEO surplus), and Super Blackhawk 44 mag (4 5/8"). I have several others, but they see about 1/100th the rounds of the above three.
I'm not a collector, and consider function/reliability the most beautiful thing (e.g. Glock, 870, AK, bolt guns, etc). I won't buy a gun that won't function while covered in mud and crud. I also don't own any sub compact guns. I've put a few hundred rounds through various models owned by friends, but no extensive experience.
Anyway, on to the CW9...
My wife is a competent, but novice shooter with little paws, so she hasn't been terribly enthusiastic about shooting all of my large framed guns. She has a go now and then, but hasn't been really interested. We decided to find a little gun that would fit her properly. Did some shopping, and she decided the Kahr CW9 fit her hands the best.
I picked it up today then rode directly from the shop to my favorite shooting area. Ran a box of Tula 115 FMJ through it without a hiccup.
First impressions - Pros...
1) It's WICKEDLY accurate for a little pistol (maybe ANY pistol). From a sitting position (elbows braced on knees) at 15 yds, I put the first 3 bullets into one ragged hole. I thought I was completely missing a 2' board and began cussing and spitting, but upon finishing the mag I walked up and saw what had happened. 7 shot group was the size of a Girl Scout Cookie. Fired two more mags and got similar results. Needless to say I was pleased.
I proceeded to plink offhand at various items around the quarry from 10-75 yds, and to be honest, I don't think I could do any better with my Glock. Both are "minute of milk jug" in my hands.
2) Ergonomics are excellent. Since the gun fit my wife's little hands so well, I figured it would suck for me. Not the case. Plenty of room both for depth and length, and the checkering/texture is excellent. The gun points great and the sight picture is almost perfect when I pull it up in front of me with my eyes closed. Very much like my glock in terms of how it presents itself in front of my eyes. I like the white "i" style sights, and they are both fast and precise. I bought some Trijicons though, so that's soon to be irrelevant.
3) Recoil is tamer than I expected. A little more flippy than a G17, but that's not exactly shocking. Follow up shots were quick, and there's absolutely zero discomfort. The Mrs should have no trouble controlling it.
4) The trigger is CRAZY smooth. No stacking, easy to stage for accuracy, and light enough.
First Impressions - Cons...
1) The trigger reset is RIDICULOUSLY long. After inspecting the internals, I assume this is partially responsible for the buttery smooth trigger, but my lord. The reset is just as long as my 629 Smith 44 mag. Also, the reset tension is too weak to "assist" your finger forward, so it's not intuitive to let off that much. I'm sure I can train myself to deal with it, but I'm afraid that might muck up my Glock shooting. The Mrs has no "habits" so she'll probably do just fine with it.
2) The included 7 round mag won't drop free. I bought two extra 8 rounders with finger extension, and they fall out pretty as you please, so I don't know what's up. I'm sure Kahr customer service will get me taken care of though.
3) The gun must have shipped from the Gulf of Mexico. I've never seen such a tragic oil spill before. I had the guy at the counter wipe it down since I was heading directly to the quarry, but 30 minutes later when I pulled it out of my backpack there was a PUDDLE in the box. I pulled it apart and used some Kleenex to get as much out as I could. After 50 rounds, the thing is still weeping oil out of various crevices. I'll have to thoroughly clean it out before I put any more rounds through it. Don't want that stuff getting turned into hard-to-remove fouling. Not sure what Kahr is thinking there. It's a stainless and polymer gun for god's sake. A light coat of CLP would keep rust off of the gun for a decade.
All in all, I'm extremely pleased with the purchase. If the little fellow stays reliable, and the Mrs can learn to shoot it, then it will be an outstanding addition to the collection.
I may end up getting the new CM9 as a CCW gun if this puppy continues to impress.
Info about me in lieu of an introduction. Been shooting pretty much anything and everything since before I can remember. According to the stories, my first bang was a PPK 32 auto. Both my dad and cousin regret that day, as I've probably cost them several thousand of dollars in ammo. 30 years later, my primary guns are a 2nd Gen Glock 17 (had it since my first car), 870 police magnum (LEO surplus), and Super Blackhawk 44 mag (4 5/8"). I have several others, but they see about 1/100th the rounds of the above three.
I'm not a collector, and consider function/reliability the most beautiful thing (e.g. Glock, 870, AK, bolt guns, etc). I won't buy a gun that won't function while covered in mud and crud. I also don't own any sub compact guns. I've put a few hundred rounds through various models owned by friends, but no extensive experience.
Anyway, on to the CW9...
My wife is a competent, but novice shooter with little paws, so she hasn't been terribly enthusiastic about shooting all of my large framed guns. She has a go now and then, but hasn't been really interested. We decided to find a little gun that would fit her properly. Did some shopping, and she decided the Kahr CW9 fit her hands the best.
I picked it up today then rode directly from the shop to my favorite shooting area. Ran a box of Tula 115 FMJ through it without a hiccup.
First impressions - Pros...
1) It's WICKEDLY accurate for a little pistol (maybe ANY pistol). From a sitting position (elbows braced on knees) at 15 yds, I put the first 3 bullets into one ragged hole. I thought I was completely missing a 2' board and began cussing and spitting, but upon finishing the mag I walked up and saw what had happened. 7 shot group was the size of a Girl Scout Cookie. Fired two more mags and got similar results. Needless to say I was pleased.
I proceeded to plink offhand at various items around the quarry from 10-75 yds, and to be honest, I don't think I could do any better with my Glock. Both are "minute of milk jug" in my hands.
2) Ergonomics are excellent. Since the gun fit my wife's little hands so well, I figured it would suck for me. Not the case. Plenty of room both for depth and length, and the checkering/texture is excellent. The gun points great and the sight picture is almost perfect when I pull it up in front of me with my eyes closed. Very much like my glock in terms of how it presents itself in front of my eyes. I like the white "i" style sights, and they are both fast and precise. I bought some Trijicons though, so that's soon to be irrelevant.
3) Recoil is tamer than I expected. A little more flippy than a G17, but that's not exactly shocking. Follow up shots were quick, and there's absolutely zero discomfort. The Mrs should have no trouble controlling it.
4) The trigger is CRAZY smooth. No stacking, easy to stage for accuracy, and light enough.
First Impressions - Cons...
1) The trigger reset is RIDICULOUSLY long. After inspecting the internals, I assume this is partially responsible for the buttery smooth trigger, but my lord. The reset is just as long as my 629 Smith 44 mag. Also, the reset tension is too weak to "assist" your finger forward, so it's not intuitive to let off that much. I'm sure I can train myself to deal with it, but I'm afraid that might muck up my Glock shooting. The Mrs has no "habits" so she'll probably do just fine with it.
2) The included 7 round mag won't drop free. I bought two extra 8 rounders with finger extension, and they fall out pretty as you please, so I don't know what's up. I'm sure Kahr customer service will get me taken care of though.
3) The gun must have shipped from the Gulf of Mexico. I've never seen such a tragic oil spill before. I had the guy at the counter wipe it down since I was heading directly to the quarry, but 30 minutes later when I pulled it out of my backpack there was a PUDDLE in the box. I pulled it apart and used some Kleenex to get as much out as I could. After 50 rounds, the thing is still weeping oil out of various crevices. I'll have to thoroughly clean it out before I put any more rounds through it. Don't want that stuff getting turned into hard-to-remove fouling. Not sure what Kahr is thinking there. It's a stainless and polymer gun for god's sake. A light coat of CLP would keep rust off of the gun for a decade.
All in all, I'm extremely pleased with the purchase. If the little fellow stays reliable, and the Mrs can learn to shoot it, then it will be an outstanding addition to the collection.
I may end up getting the new CM9 as a CCW gun if this puppy continues to impress.