Upgrading ccw from kahr cw9 to.......halp!

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shrewd

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I've never been much of a glock guy but my kahr isn't doing it for me. Just don't really like it after carrying it for a few months. After doing some good hard training with a few friends and instructors I decided to find a gen 3 G19.......

Or not, cause they're sold out everywhere. I wanted the glock for its robustness, high capacity, and huge aftermarket support. I like 9 cause I shoot alot and it's cheaper.

So today I was at a couple shops browsing I found myself thinking about a great deal of options. Some that stuck out were a .40 glock and grabbing a 9 drop in barrel for cheaper practice. Then the gun buying madness (already picked up a new shotgun!) began to take hold and started looking at a compact glock 10mm and a .40 conversion barrel. Then, oh my goodness, a sexy looking commander 1911 for 600.....

I had to leave or I would have made a silly purchase. So I turn to you, dear friends, to give me advice, experiences of reliability in running a 1911 hard, any firsthand knowledge you may have (for example I hear gen 4 9mm glocks are having some troubles...)

I understand the 1911 leaves me with the same capacity my kahr has, but I'm liking it. Maybe instead of advice I just need to justify it? Do full size 1911 mags work in smaller framed pistols?
 
Sorry, not to hijack you thread but I just went from a Gen 3 Glock 19 to a Kahr CW9 for ccw. The Glock was a great pistol but the Kahr is so much more comfortable for all day carry. I'm still "learning" my new pistol and am curious what you didn't like about the Kahr.
 
Take a look at the Ruger SR series. In the last month, my wife has bought three: SR9, SR9c and SR40. We are both quite pleased with them all.

I own Glocks, Smiths, Rugers, Brownings and etc. The SR guns are very high value for us with each having passed about 300 flawless rounds down range. And the prices have been quite reasonable at about $440 each out the door.

My most favorite Glocks are a Gen4 19 and a Gen3 23. But the simple fact is Ruger's SR9c and SR40 are beginning to make me reconsider what my "favorite" combat weapons are.
 
Last time I was in a gunstore, the 1911 case was one of the few that wasn't picked bare. Obviously people aren't too worried about anyone banning handguns that only hold 7 or 8 rounds... As a 1911 lover, didn't bother me much that all the Glocks were gone and I had plenty of 1911s to play with! :)

Just out of curiousity, what brand was the Commander you were looking at? Commanders have "full sized" 1911 frames, and full sized 1911 mags will work in smaller "Officer" 1911 frames. Obviously they stick out, but grip extenders are available.

I don't know how "hard" you plan on running that 1911, but if it's built right and you use good mags it should handle most anything you throw at it. Buying a good 1911 is never a silly purchase! I say go for it, I think you might enjoy it.
 
as for the kahr, I have mag issues with most of the 8 rounders that came with the gun (they frequently nose dive), though the flush 7 rounder has been great. I don't like the way it holds for me, and after lots of practice the trigger, though very nice, doesn't feel so great with my big hands

I should say I've always wanted a 1911, and regardless of what I carry I'll get a full size eventually. When I say running the gun hard I mean thousand round courses, one handed manipulations, racking the slide using the holster/rear sight, tons or drawing and registering, that sorta stuff

I believe the 1911 I saw that made me think about this was a colt
 
Well, might as well get a 1911 now and get used to it. Manual of arms is vastly different from your CW9 and will take practice.

Personally I'm a big fan of CZ products. Couldn't find a 1911 I liked.

I should say I've always wanted a 1911, and regardless of what I carry I'll get a full size eventually. When I say running the gun hard I mean thousand round courses, one handed manipulations, racking the slide using the holster/rear sight, tons or drawing and registering, that sorta stuff
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I'm not trying to come across in a negative way, but I suspect you're fairly new to firearms. Put all that 'running gun hard' thing out of your mind for now. It takes years of practice to learn all that jazz.
 
haha, it's not negative, but it is incorrect. I've been shooting at least once a week for two years, including such aforementioned classes. I've seen many standard 1911s fail where glocks, M&Ps, and my own cz75 did not.

When I actually trained using my kahr, it did not fare well.
 
The Glock was a great pistol but the Kahr is so much more comfortable for all day carry.
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Where and how are you carrying it? I have both and do not think there is much difference, let alone one being "much more comfortable." I'll tell you what I did notice was that shooting on a timer and accounting for accuracy I was consistently much faster with my glocks, including the 26 than the CW/P 9. I also like the extra rounds, including a 17 round reload option (I don't live in Commie NY after all) YMMV.

The thing about 1911s is they are kind of like ARs they run the gambit in quality and in purpose they were built for. Many are good solid, well built guns, that one could take to training courses and the like other are not. Lots of people have taken 1911s through training courses. A glock (or similar) is a more simple out of the box ready solution to finding a hard use gun. A 1911 will be a higher maintenance gun. I think of them like tuner cars. Dialed in, they can be much more enjoyable and perform better than something like a Honda accord. However, if you are not a car guy and not into the extra work, maintenance and expense the accord makes a lot more sense to buy. If you want out of the box and simple I'd go with a glock or similar (M&P, Steyr, Walther, etc). I say that as someone who really likes and enjoys 1911s.

Some people, some of whom are very experienced, will tell you for a fighting 1911, and one that will see the use you describe, to get a 5" steel framed gun. Personally I prefer to carry a G19 sized gun with a polymer frame to a 5" steel 1911. I use quality belts and holsters, so its not that. I personally prefer 15+1 and 17 round reloads to 8+1 and either an 8 or ten round reload. Now that ammo is so crazy this one may no longer be valid but traditionally I have preferred my go to gun to be in 9x19 because it was the cheapest ammo. Like you I like to train with my guns. I have 1911s, I really like 1911s, and could buy another high end one tomorrow if I liked. However, I have settled on a poly framed striker fired gun. For a while it was a glock and now it is a very similar gun.

In sum, I'm sure you could be happy with either, but I'd recommend starting with a Glock. Typically the type of people that are best served with a 1911, know they want a 1911 and know exactly why they do.
 
arrg, solid info, I'd probably snap up a glock if I found one

2 questions, do you think getting a compact .40 and swapping barrels/mags to 9 is a solid option (for practice)?

And what belt/holster do you like?
 
I understand big hands. I got big hands. My daddy got big hands. We both love our Government models but we both carry Kahrs a good bit of the time.

What I found with the CW9 was that I'd gotten lazy plain and simple. My tuned M&Ps and 1911s had been masking for several years flaws I had picked up. After happening in to a stellar deal on a K9 I doubled my efforts to overcome my own objections and the reward has been a smooth shooting, accurate and dependable carry pistol that actually bumped my M&Pc out of rotation. Last resort, try a rubber grip sleeve or consult a smith about possible alterations. I still believe you can come to terms with it.

Running a pistol hard to test its limits is fine, I dumped 500+ through my Kahr in the fashions you described without failure (and without cleaning) but I don't foresee any of us really needing a handgun to hit 10,000 rounds without cleaning or care. Most anything will work most all the time. On your 8-round magazines you might disassemble them for cleaning and doublecheck that the springs were not installed backward, something I've heard mention of in several threads with the same resulting nosedive.
 
I almost bought a glock.
My hands are kind of on the small side.

I ended up with a Kahr CW9. I have put around 3,000 rounds through it , in the past year.

I almost bought the cM9 but didn't like my pinky hanging.

I do want to replace the sights one day, but it is light and is flat enough, that carry is easy.
 
I also love glocks but I only cc ether a cm9 or cw9 kahr. I have done phyical work for 35 years and you can n't wear a g19 and deal with the extra size and loaded weight nearly as well. Might be different if I sat on my rear end in an aircondition office for those years for a liveing but it ain't.

If you want a glock you don't have to ask. make up your own mind and buy what YOU want as you will get 100 diffrent views here. If you want to hump a 32oz+ empty weight 1911 go for it.
 
I had the Kahr p9, but sold it a few years ago. After break-in, it didn't have too many feed issues, but the truth is, I just didn't shoot as well with it as I did the Glocks or the XDs. (I'm a fairly tall female with decent-sized hands.) My interim gun has been the Airweight in .38.

I recently purchased an XD40sc, and while I haven't fired an XD in a few years, I'm looking forward to taking this one out in the next couple days. I expect it to be my main carry firearm.

In summary---having shot larger and smaller firearms, all of which were more suitable to me than the Kahr, I can't say the Kahr is among my favorites.
 
Girodin said:
Where and how are you carrying it? I have both and do not think there is much difference, let alone one being "much more comfortable." I'll tell you what I did notice was that shooting on a timer and accounting for accuracy I was consistently much faster with my glocks, including the 26 than the CW/P 9. I also like the extra rounds, including a 17 round reload option (I don't live in Commie NY after all) YMMV.

The thing about 1911s is they are kind of like ARs they run the gambit in quality and in purpose they were built for. Many are good solid, well built guns, that one could take to training courses and the like other are not. Lots of people have taken 1911s through training courses. A glock (or similar) is a more simple out of the box ready solution to finding a hard use gun. A 1911 will be a higher maintenance gun. I think of them like tuner cars. Dialed in, they can be much more enjoyable and perform better than something like a Honda accord. However, if you are not a car guy and not into the extra work, maintenance and expense the accord makes a lot more sense to buy. If you want out of the box and simple I'd go with a glock or similar (M&P, Steyr, Walther, etc). I say that as someone who really likes and enjoys 1911s.

Some people, some of whom are very experienced, will tell you for a fighting 1911, and one that will see the use you describe, to get a 5" steel framed gun. Personally I prefer to carry a G19 sized gun with a polymer frame to a 5" steel 1911. I use quality belts and holsters, so its not that. I personally prefer 15+1 and 17 round reloads to 8+1 and either an 8 or ten round reload. Now that ammo is so crazy this one may no longer be valid but traditionally I have preferred my go to gun to be in 9x19 because it was the cheapest ammo. Like you I like to train with my guns. I have 1911s, I really like 1911s, and could buy another high end one tomorrow if I liked. However, I have settled on a poly framed striker fired gun. For a while it was a glock and now it is a very similar gun.

In sum, I'm sure you could be happy with either, but I'd recommend starting with a Glock. Typically the type of people that are best served with a 1911, know they want a 1911 and know exactly why they do.
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I carried the G26 IWB at about 3 o'clock. And while it is true that I get better groupings with the 26, my accuracy and speed with the CW9 are plenty good for self defense situations (at least in my estimation). The 1/4 inch difference in thickness between the two may not sound like a lot but for me personally its the difference between "comfortable" and not.
 
The advantage I would see in the 10mm glock, You can do a barrel swap to 40,and 357sig. I think the slide would have to be replaced to go to 9mm due to the diameter accepted on the breach face, and new magazines would be needed. If I'm incorrect on that some one here can correct me.

I agree with the earlier post on the Rugers. I have the SR9c. For a compact it impressed me how well it patterns. I have bigger hands and it fits very well and is very comfortable to carry. Has flush fit 10rd and extended 17rd magazine. Comes with reversable back strap for fit, interchangeable magazine ends,one flush one with a pinky curle,and a speed loader. I have never had a FTF even through break in, and have put approx. 1500 to 2000 rds through it. Only problem I have with it was the chamber loaded indicator which got in the way of holstering with a round chambered. Luckily the tip of it that contacts the end of the cartrige mysteriously snapped off and it no longer sticks up.;)
 
After shooting kahrs for a few years, I also opted out.

Nice gun, but not for me

The trigger is way too long for my likeing. Forget a true doubletap

My M&Ps get all the carry time now

The Shield in 40 cal is awesome
 
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