CW9 issues and feedback?

[ric0123]

Hello all. Long time GT's, first time in this part. I saw a CW9 at a gunshow this weekend and am really thinking about it. They wanted $380, which seems to be a pretty good price. Looking around in this forum I see lots of people having problems with the PM9, but I don't see alot of problems with the CW9. Everything seem to be okay with it so far? I have a G17 now and I am looking for a smaller gun. I hear that the trigger is very nice and smooth.. is that the case?


Thanks for the input

[ecmills]

Buy one. The only issue I've seen in them is the one mine had. With the slide locked back and a full magazine insterted, if you do not briskly rack the slide the first round jams on the feed ramp.

For what it's worth, even before mine settled down, if reloaded like it would be in a defensive situation, it was perfect. NO problems. Great gun.

Mine now has 1,550+ rounds through it with zero problems other than the above, which has settled down.

Here's my review from when it was new...
http://glocktalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=505230&highlight=review

[38snapcaps]

When I first got my CW9 I had a battle with the first round not feeding. If I use the slide stop to release the slide it never hangs up, only when I try to slingshot. Now, quite often I can use the slingshot method of slide release with no misfeeds, can't say if its me getting "broken in" or the gun. Probably a little of both.

Other than that, this pistol has become my favorite, the poor G19 just sits and sits. The accuracy is amazing, its very comfortable to shoot, and the size and weight are very nice for CC. I also CC a snub .38, but I'm finding, more and more, a growing desire to take the CW9 out with me just because its performance is so confidence inspiring.

Oh, you asked about that trigger-it is SOOO NICE! I would guess around five or six pounds pull and perfectly smooth ending with a solid feeling and sounding "snap".

How about sight picture? When I first picked it up at the store I grasped it with both hands, pushed the gun out in front of me, and there it was, a perfect alignment of front and rear sights. Later, at home, I would close my eyes, do the same thing, open them to find, again, a perfect sight picture. I've never had a handgun that would do that so easily.

A local shooting club has just started having "action pistol" meets every other week. I'm going to try it out, sounds like fun, and I'll be taking the gun I shoot the best-the CW9.

[ecmills]

Funny you should mention action pistol nights.

I'll be doing them too, but with my Glock 34. The Kahr's trigger will be a lot like your Glocks with a slightly longer pull. However, it's missing the ability to shoot from a short reset for fast follow up shots. It's also got a lot more recoil than my Glock.

However, it's my everyday carry along with a spare magazine. While I shoot my 5" barreled Glock much better than my CW9, the CW9 is plenty fast and accurate. Presenting it from the hoslter and firing twice the moment the front sight obscures the target at 15 feet always generates a pair of solid hits, although not always in the 10-ring like my larger Glock.

It is the most concealable gun I've ever owned. My daily carry before it was a H&K USP Compact which is similar in size to a G19. I frequently left it at home because it was just too bulky. The Kahr rides my hip all day, every day, and I hardly know it's there except when sitting in a car seat.

Is it as shootable as a fullsize Glock? No. It gets fired 1/4 the amount my Glock does at the range. Is it accurate, concealable, and reliable enough to be the best thing I've found to carry daily? Absolutely.

Something else to think about: What's the biggest issue with the polymer Kahr guns? Peening barrels. The CW9 uses a different-syle of barrel rifling than the P and PM guns. I've yet to hear of one peening.

Buy one. It's an excellent choice. And regarding price? I paid $410 for mine right after it came out, $380 sounds like a good deal... but check the prices on aucitonarms.com and gunbroker.com for a good comparison, if you factor in a $15-30 transfer fee and shipping costs and it comes out about the same as your local dealer, go grab one from him. :)

[ric0123]

Thanks everyone.

Forgive me, what is Peening anyway?


I'm a bit concerned about the long trigger pull. I'm not a fan of them. You said the pull is around 5-6 pounds, I'm trying to comprehend how tight that is. My buddy just got a Keltec P-11 and I think it's 7 pounds? I suppose for a DAO only with no external safety.. the hard pull IS the safety. ( I don't like rough pulls either)

I did look around gunbroker and $400 ish seems to be about average. Is everyone else paying $25 or more for mags for the thing? I'm spoiled on $20 17rnds for my G17.


It was a typical gun dealer making the rounds at the shows. I live halfway between Austin and San Anton so I get to hit both. I can wait 2 weeks and see them at SA and grab one (I think they had several, Im going to call to make sure)



What do you all do for holsters for the thing? Or do you just do clips?

Thanks all

[ecmills]

Forgive me, what is Peening anyway?

You ever see a metal punch that's been hit with a hammer 100 times, and the end is all flattened & spread out? That's what peening is.

Kahr's had issues with it on the PM series guns. Low quality barrell blanks from Lothar-Walther, or inadequate heat treat on Kahr's part. Basically they've shipped some guns with barrels that are too soft, and deform when they smack against the slide when returning to battery.

But as I said, I've never heard of this happening to the CW9, and I don't believe it's common on the P9 either. The PM series really has had a problem with this. I couldn't ask for a more reliable gun that the one I bought.

I'm a bit concerned about the long trigger pull. I'm not a fan of them. You said the pull is around 5-6 pounds, I'm trying to comprehend how tight that is. My buddy just got a Keltec P-11 and I think it's 7 pounds? I suppose for a DAO only with no external safety.. the hard pull IS the safety. ( I don't like rough pulls either)
If you're used to Glocks, it won't be QUITE as nice, but it's not nearly as bad as a Kel-Tecs. With the CW9, the only issues getting in the way of it being more accurate are the small, thin size and short sight radius. The trigger is not an issue for me. Any lighter and I'd be concerned about ADs. Dry-fire a Kel-Tec at hte next show, and then a Kahr. You'll clearly see why the Kahr costs more.

I did look around gunbroker and $400 ish seems to be about average. Is everyone else paying $25 or more for mags for the thing? I'm spoiled on $20 17rnds for my G17.
You're stuck doing that, yeah. I paid $28 with shipping for my second mag. Pro-Mag is the only company that makes aftermarket Kahr mags, and they're crap. If you're looking for a mag on ebay or gunbroker, don't buy a cheap one that's got a black body. All genuine Kahr mags have "Kahr" stamped in the side toward the bottom, and they're all stainless finish.

What do you all do for holsters for the thing? Or do you just do clips?
It'll fit any holster for the P9 perfectly, since it's just a bargain version of that gun. Tucker gun leather, High Noon, Blade-Tech, Don Hume, Milt Sparks, etc. all make P9 holsters.

[jp233]

the CW9 looks like a nice piece. I've yet to see one personally though - but it looks great. Kahr triggers are awesome! Well, I can only really say I've shot my K9 Elite and only handled a PM9 and MK9 once, only dry fired them once or twice each.

I just got a new mag from budsgunshop.com -- the price was about right and it was a great place to shop.

[38snapcaps]

Jack:

Can't add much to what ecmills has said, but:

The barrel peening thing gave me concern, you read alot about it in this section of Glocktalk. I very closely examined my CW9's slide as I moved it back and forth, there is no contact with the front of the barrel hood and the leading edge of the ejection port. There is just enough clearance between the two. Perhaps the PM9 hood's edge is clipping the ejection port, causing the metal deformation.

Genuine Kahr magazines are available at Cheaper Than Dirt, $36 each, delivered. I saw last night an Ebay ad for two seven round Kahr mags for $40 for two. Pretty tempting if I could justify having four magazines.

I have two holsters: a nylon Uncle Mikes IWB for carry in the appendix position (that sounds funny to me, I haven't had an appendix since 1958!) and a Hume JIT for belt carry. I like the nylon holster the best, it allows a lightning fast draw.

Considering the trigger: the light trigger is the main reason I just cannot carry a Glock, so what about the Kahr which is less sensitive but still lighter than my .38 snub? I played around with it both in the Uncle Mike's and Mexican carry. I purposely tugged and bumped up against the cocked trigger (gun unloaded, triple checked), with shirt material and even my finger, to see if I could trip it by sliding it in and out of the holster or my waistband. Couldn't cause a release. I'll admit I don't feel as secure with the Kahr as the revolver, it just needs a little more conscious attention.

[maggie]

38 Snapcaps, Which model number is the uncle mike ? I can't seem to find the right one.

[38snapcaps]

Oh boy, let me think.........................

I believe a model 36. Someone here recommended a #1, which I tried, but the corner of the ejection port snags on the stitched edging of the holster. It wouldn't take long for the threads to start to pop loose.

The one I have was slightly loose in the trigger guard area so I got some black thread from my wife's sewing basket and stitched it up about an inch. Now it holds tight and you couldn't tell its not original.

Find a place that has these holsters and take your pistol along to try. When you find the one that's a little loose in the aforementioned area you've got mine.

[MTPD]

I've got 2 CW9's. Great pocket pistols! One never has malfunctioned, the other did have a few malfunctions during the break-in period, but after the first 200 rounds has been 100%. To make them perfect, I installed a piece of bicycle innertube over the skinny grips and painted the front sight dot bright orange. Both changes made a big difference.

[bharen]

While making my purchase decision I disregarded many of the 'issues' posted on this forum regarding Kahr's polymer framed models having problems with barrel peening, etc. as nothing more than a small statistical sample being very vocal about their problems.

I bought my CW9 in October and almost immediately started having problems. First it was +P ammo. Wouldn't reliably operate with +P loads of any make or model. Multiple FTEs and subsequent FTFs. Kahr commented that it probably just needed to have the feed ramp polished. Huh?

Then, in February I noticed the peening starting around the barrel hood/forward ejection port area. By May, with less than 800 rounds through the pistol - most of them standard pressure loads - the peening was so bad that the slide was difficult to get to full lock and the FTE issues got continuously worse.

I sent the slide and barrel off to Kahr on 1 May. Three days ago I got a package back from Kahr containing a brand new slide and barrel combo. I guess my original slide and barrel weren't worth saving.

Two things were immediately obvious:

1. The slide is poorly finished on the inside. A lot of tool/chatter marks around the ejection port. If this was a Kel-Tec I'd say, "Oh well" but it isn't. This is a $500 Kahr and my original slide was MUCH better finished. Quality is slipping. However, if the slide works I won't complain (though I just did).

2. The second issue - and this really burns me - is that Kahr simply threw a barrel and slide in a box and shipped it off to me. Literally. No packing material, no cushioning, no paperwork. Just a barrel and slide rattling around in a box all the way from Massachusets to Atlanta. When the FEDEX guy handed me the package it sounded like he was passing along a box of loose engine parts. I was immediately concerned about damage to either the barrel crown or feed ramp area. Both seem to be OK, but there are a number of small nicks on the slide indicating it was banged around a bit.

These issues indicate to me that Kahr has some serious quality issues and some internal management problems. I immediately shot off an email to Kahr service laying out my concerns. So far no response, but I don't really expect any.

Now, I have yet to put a single round through the new barrel and slide. That comes tomorrow. For all I know (and hope) these new parts will work perfectly and my CW9 will be 100%. Even if that is so, the problems I outlined above stand on their own and indicate some serious problems with current Kahr products and management.

Sorry for the bad review. Nobody's more disappointed than me.

UPDATE

Yesterday I got the chance to run 210 rounds through the pistol. An extrodinarily frustrating experience. Multiple failures to feed using multiple brands of ammo and multiple magazines. I realize we are talking about an effectiely new pistol here, but even the old slide/barrel combo fed and fired reliably from the get-go. At the beginning of the range session this new slide/barrel combo the pistol would not feed round #2 from any of the three factory magazines I own. After 200 rounds the pistol would not feed past round #4 in any of the factory magazines. Brand/ammo type didn't matter. My CW9 has gone from being a fairly reliable shooter with peening problems (old slide/barrel combo) to a single shot pistol (new slide/barrel combo).

So that's it. I'm done with Kahr

Many will say, NO! Give it more time and effort! Gentlemen, I've wasted more than enough time, effort and money to try to get a 'premium' pistol to work as advertised. I have plenty of other small format pistols that have worked 100% from round one (like my S&W 3913).

[MTPD]

I suspect you just got a rare lemon, like my kid did recently with an S&W auto.

My two KAHR CW9's and MK9 operate perfectly. Two were flawless right out of the box = zero malfunctions. The other experienced a few failures to chamber fully for the first 100 rounds, and has been perfect ever since. Have well over 500 rounds through both CW9's and well over 1500 through the MK9 (including firing some +P & +P+ in all three).

[Otto Skorzeny]

Buy the CW9. I really like mine. No problems either.