Kahr CW380 Review - Range Report - Photos

[StrikeFire83]

Hello everyone. I've been eying a deep concealment .380 handgun for situations where I can't carry my Glock 26. I was going to pick up something last year but then I began following the CW380 since it turned up at SHOT last January. We were expecting it at the end of the summer but they delayed production and they're starting to arrive at dealers now. I went to the local gun show today and found one for $349 + tax.



So what to do? I bought 200 rounds of .380 of differing manufacture and headed out to my range to break the thing in.



My Shooting


50 rounds Monarch FMJ at 7 yards (21 feet)


50 rounds Privi Partizan FMJ at 7 yards (21 feet)


50 rounds WWB FMJ at 7 yards (21 feet)


3 mags of Monarch FMJ at 15 yards (45 feet)



Function
Kahr has a 200 round "break in period" and I remember from my PM9 that it is a real thing. The good news: I did not encounter any failures to feed, double feeds, stovepipes, or failures to return to full battery. HOWEVER, throughout the first 150 rounds the slide kept locking back on a partially full magazine. In the first 100 rounds it happened about once per magazine. Between rounds 100-150 it happened several times, but slightly less. In the last 50 rounds, the slide locked back exactly TWICE, and did not do so on my last 3 mags. So, hopefully this was just the standard Kahr break in period and the gun was just loosening up. We will see on future range trips. I'm hopeful and optimistic.

Accuracy
In a word…excellent. I'm not the world's best pistol shot, but I'm decent, and I had no trouble obtaining the groups above while firing fairly quickly. The Kahr trigger is really great. Different than Glock and XD, but I have no trouble transitioning to it. The sights are great, simple, and they work. To be able to keep (almost) all the shots on 5 inch Birchwood Casey @ 15 yards with this tiny gun was surprising and made me happy. Also, 200 rounds in a single range session and my hands don't hurt, I have no blisters, etc.

Competition
I did a pocket .380 comparison some time back. Honestly, if this gun proves reliable over time, I see NO REASON why anyone would buy a Ruger LCP, Taurus TCP, Diamondback. The DB 380 is garbage, and while the Taurus and the Ruger function reliably, their triggers/sights don't even begin to compare. At $349, I see no reason NOT to get the Kahr. Only S&W's Bodyguard 380 comes close.

Nit Picks
So when I disassembled the gun to clean it I noticed a small burr on the "half moon" cutout that the slide stop goes thru during disassembly:





Hopefully this won't affect function. I simply don't care about tiny tooling marks inside my guns.

Well, that's it. Please post your thoughts. I'll periodically post new threads about my experiences with this gun, because I don't know of any long term testing of Kahr 380s, and very few reviews of this gun are online other than Jeff "I love everything" Quinn's Gunblast write-up.

 

[JohnKSa]

Hopefully this won't affect function.

I would remove the burr with a round file, or, if I didn't have a round file, I'd carefully use a tool like a screwdriver tip (anything with a very hard and fairly sharp edge) to scrape away the excess material.

Nice review.

 

[StrikeFire83]

So do you think that could have something to do with the slide hold open issue?? Im a lawyer not an engineer (dr McCoy moment) and I'm nervous about filing the slide.

 

[Mike Kerr]

Thanks for the post. The CW 380 sounds promising which is not unexpected.
I do wonder how easy, or not, the slide operated out of the box. Was it stiff to rack?

I had a P9 which was relatively easy to rack while a K9 that I have is so stiff that it takes a concentrated effort employing several tricks that I have learned over the years to rack the slide. I know you can't compare yours to mine sight unseen but did the slide movement feel comfortable for a new pistol. My concern for a deep carry pistol is the ability to easily perform clearance drills vs reliability. Seems like you have reliability.

 

[StrikeFire83]

^ Slide is not hard to pull back at all. Noticeably less difficult than the PM9 that I used to own. I hope this helps, it has been so long since I shot/handled a K9 so I can't speak to to the comparison between the two.

 

[JohnKSa]

So do you think that could have something to do with the slide hold open issue??

It's hard to say. It could be an issue.

Another option which will be slower, but less prone to error, is to get some sandpaper, wrap it around the slide stop pin (or something other rod or dowel that's about the right diameter--maybe the shaft of a phillips screwdriver), and carefully use it to sand away the burr. Don't get in a hurry and be sure to keep careful tabs on the progress. In other words, don't grind away vigorously for 10 minutes and only then stop look to see what's happened. Every few strokes, take a look to see how things are going. It's foolproof unless you get rushed or don't stop to check every so often.

The more nervous you are, the finer the grit you want to use. If you're pretty confident, try something fairly coarse like 220 grit. If you're very nervous, use 800 grit. It will take you a lot longer with the fine grit paper, but it's virtually impossible to screw it up.

 

[shootingthebreeze]

I love my Kahr .380. Last summer I spent a lot of range time with it and it just kept of performing extremely well. My goal was to hone precision groups and it paid off. I spent more time shooting the Kahr .380 than the Kahr .45 which is also a fine pistol.
As I said somewhere else the .380 is something one has to practice with in order to be confident with precision groups. As a carry weapon it is invisible.

 

[The_Armed_Therapist]

The slide stop springs on Kahrs are terrible. My CW40's spring gets bent every now and then, which causes it to not lock back when it's supposed to and/or lock back when it's not supposed to. Perhaps someone else with more experience knows more about how to fix the issue more permanently, or if Kahr will replace/fix the problem.

The idea or theory of the Kahr is incredible. They look nice, have nice triggers and sights (like you mentioned), and can be fine pistols. My experience has not convinced me, however.

As far as pocket .380s are concerned, I'm not a fan of any of them. They all seem to have issues in general. The new Kahr 380 is probably as good as any of them.

 

[shootingthebreeze]

The Armed Therapist, I have not had any issues with my Kahrs. I have shot a boatload of ammo thru both, and they function flawlessly.
I have a Kahr .380 and a Kahr .45.

 

[StrikeFire83]

The_Armed_Therapist, I'm withholding judgment for the time-being. These issues occurred during Kahr's stated 200 round break in period, and, as mentioned above, diminished the round-count increased. If they continue past 200 rounds, I will contact Kahr and ask them to deal with it. But if the pistol functions flawlessly after break in, I'll begin to carry it. Rest assured if the problems continue, I'll post about it here and tell you what Kahr does to remedy the situation.

 

[Ledgehammer]

I would think that burr is causing your slide stop issues. It's probably wearing down the more you shoot.

 

[orionengnr]

I am looking forward to "my" CW380 to show up.
I've owned two P3ATs (both junk) and two LCPs (both functional, but neither fun to shoot nor terribly accurate in my hands).
I'm pretty sure the CW380 will be the next great leap forward for tiny pocket pistols.

The slide stop springs on Kahrs are terrible.

I've had three Kahrs (one since 2005) and have never had any trouble with the slide stop spring on any of them (or anything else, for that matter).
Do you stop by and crap in every Kahr tread?

 

[shootingthebreeze]

To be precise I have passed, way passed the 200 round magic number for both my Kahrs .380 and .45 and both function like new.
I always clean my pistols thoroughly right after I shoot them. Just added that because some people procrastinate cleaning.

 

[C0untZer0]

I understand the differences between the CM9 and the PM9...

I don't understand why the CW380 is slightly larger and slightly heavier than the P380.

It must be a slightly different design , not just the barrel, MIM slide stop, pinned front sight etc... it must be a different design but I don't see why they wouldn't use the existing P380 design and put in a cheaper barrel, MIM slide stop etc,,,

 

[decoy562]

My in-laws had the same issue with theirs when we were breaking in their new CW380. I liked it; it was a nice gun. If I didn't get such a great deal on my gen 2 LCP ($269), I would have gotten one.

Both guns would keep every round on a paper plate target from 45 feet which is pretty good for my shooting ability!

 

[StrikeFire83]

It's probably going to be a week or two before I can get back to the range, but I'll update this thread with more rounds when I get the chance. Looking forward to the post-break in shooting!

 

[silicosys4]

I've had three Kahrs (one since 2005) and have never had any trouble with the slide stop spring on any of them (or anything else, for that matter).
Do you stop by and crap in every Kahr tread?

I see the same people in every kahr thread singing their praises too. Didnt know every kahr thread is reserved for positive experiences or opinions only.



Yea, that fit and finish is about what I'd expect from kahr.

 

[plouffedaddy]

I've got the CW380 too. So far so good.

 

[jrdolall]

I bought a CW380 today but it will be next week before I get to shoot it. Darned work! I am always a little leery when a company known for producing relatively expensive guns decides to jump into the "budget" arena but it's a Kahr for <$400 so what the heck.

I consider the 200 round "break in" period to be a flaw. Sorry but it adds $100 to the cost of the gun if I have to shoot 100 rounds just to see how the gun runs. If I like the gun I will run 2,000 rounds through. I own a P3AT an LCP and a Bodyguard and none of them had a break in period. My Bersa is a hundred years, okay maybe not 100, old but I don't remember it having a recommended break in period. Of the guns mentioned I like the Ruger the least. The KT has been 100% perfect with every ammo I have fed it and I mean at least a couple of thousand rounds. The sights are rudimentary at best but it can't be beat in the reliability department. I like the BG just fine.

 

[Jlr2267]

Wish I could find one

 

[StrikeFire83]

I bought a CW380 today but it will be next week before I get to shoot it. Darned work! I am always a little leery when a company known for producing relatively expensive guns decides to jump into the "budget" arena but it's a Kahr for <$400 so what the heck.

I consider the 200 round "break in" period to be a flaw. Sorry but it adds $100 to the cost of the gun if I have to shoot 100 rounds just to see how the gun runs. If I like the gun I will run 2,000 rounds through. I own a P3AT an LCP and a Bodyguard and none of them had a break in period. My Bersa is a hundred years, okay maybe not 100, old but I don't remember it having a recommended break in period. Of the guns mentioned I like the Ruger the least. The KT has been 100% perfect with every ammo I have fed it and I mean at least a couple of thousand rounds. The sights are rudimentary at best but it can't be beat in the reliability department. I like the BG just fine.

Yeah, I'm leery of it too, I think they include the break in period because they don't finish the internals quite the way they should (i.e. my photo above) but the trigger and size profile are KILLER. I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with the Kel-Tec P3AT or Ruger LCP, but I'm very happy with my shooting ability with this one.

 

[ddc]

I understand the differences between the CM9 and the PM9...

I don't understand why the CW380 is slightly larger and slightly heavier than the P380.

It must be a slightly different design , not just the barrel, MIM slide stop, pinned front sight etc... it must be a different design but I don't see why they wouldn't use the existing P380 design and put in a cheaper barrel, MIM slide stop etc,,,

countzero,

I'm surprised by this also, this is the first I've heard of the differences. I have not had an opportunity to look at either closer than through the glass display counter.

Would you happen to have any measurement data available on the differences?

Thanks,
Don.

 

[bannockburn]

I checked the dimensions on the two models on Kahr's website and the differences between them are very slight.

P380:
2.53" barrel
4.9" overall
9.97 oz. weight

CW380:
2.58" barrel
4.96" overall
10.2 oz. weight

So a little more metal with the slide (also possibly some weight loss due to the extra machining operations done on the P380 slide), and barrel on the CW380 would most likely account for the weight difference.

 

[strambo]

I love my K9 and would like a pocket 380, but nothing else out there really interests me (the Ruger/Keltec squirt guns). This one looks very promising, might have to pick one up myself.

Premature lock back could also be finger pressure on the slide stop while firing, something to at least double check and rule out.

 

[wally]

To be precise I have passed, way passed the 200 round magic number for both my Kahrs .380 and .45 and both function like new.
I always clean my pistols thoroughly right after I shoot them. Just added that because some people procrastinate cleaning.

I've been running 50 rounds per week (~2000/year I miss a few weeks ) through my CW9 since I got it in 2006. I just wipe it down, run a bore snake through it, and put five drops of oil on it (front and rear rails, barrel/slide lockup) and call it good after every outing. I only fully take it apart to change the recoil and striker springs when necessary. Very reliable and has held up very well.