Kahr CW45, a request for thoughts

[thewillweeks]

Is a Kahr CW45 a decent range toy? I'm looking for a 45acp pistol I can plink with, get in to the .45 world with, and maybe leave in my car. From what I can tell Kahr makes a pretty decent pistol anymore (despite former complaints), but should I look for a bigger 45? A local shop retails them for less than $325 so it's mighty tempting.
Thanks!

 

[jimbo555]

Mine has been perfect out of the box. I consider it a bargain.

 

[railroader]

I really like mine. It's a great carry gun and it's accurate. Now for target shooting I have better 45s for that. When I shoot mine at the range it's usually from about 5 to 7 yards where I shoot my 1911s from farther out.

 

[chris in va]

It's hard to beat $325, but I will tell you the recoil will be fairly stout and you may not want to put more than a few mags through it. Does the gun store have a 9mm version?

I will also point out the trigger is similar to a revolver's DA pull, so if you are used to a DA/SA or Glock style striker trigger, it'll take some getting used to.

 

[railroader]

One other thing with a little dremel work I use mecgar 6 round 1911 mags in my cw45. They fit flush.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I have it's bigger brother the ct45 that has been modified to take 8rd 1911 mags

I've got no complaints.

 

[Snowdog]

These "economy" CW and CM kahrs are the cat's meow in my opinion. You'd find before long that they represent an awesome value on today market.

 

[AlfieB]

I have been looking at one of these in a store. With the slide locked back, I couldn't push the release, to release it, with one hand (thumb). Had to grasp the slide and pull back with the other hand to be able to press the release. Is this common or is it a fluke? If I buy it, is there a cure for this?

 

[jimbo555]

Kimber 7 round compact mags work in mine.

 

[Elkins45]

I have been looking at one of these in a store. With the slide locked back, I couldn't push the release, to release it, with one hand (thumb). Had to grasp the slide and pull back with the other hand to be able to press the release. Is this common or is it a fluke? If I buy it, is there a cure for this?

All of them are like that. The owner's manual even mentions it. If it bothers you then just push the mag release first and slide it out a fraction if an inch before hitting the slide release.

It's not nearly as hard to drop the slide when there's a loaded mag in place. It only locks that hard on an empty one.

To answer the original question: I have one I managed to get for $250 OTD at a local pawn shop. It has been a great shooter, but you must compare it to any other small 45 to be fair. A gun that light and thin isn't going to exhibit the gentle recoil characteristics of a 39 ounce 1911.

 

[thewillweeks]

It's hard to beat $325, but I will tell you the recoil will be fairly stout and you may not want to put more than a few mags through it. Does the gun store have a 9mm version?

I will also point out the trigger is similar to a revolver's DA pull, so if you are used to a DA/SA or Glock style striker trigger, it'll take some getting used to.

I have plenty of 9's, I'm looking for a 45 that might be able to supplement my carry on occasion. I've shot LCPs and SCCYs well so the trigger shouldn't be an issue.

railroader: Thanks for the heads up on longer distance shooting. I'd rather have something I can shoot to distance with I suppose. I've never actually handled one of these, just heard of them and seen them on my gunshops website.

 

[jobu07]

They certainly are a bargain. For about $300 out the door you get a slim and reliable package that's quite accurate. The only thing some people might complain about is the trigger pull, but I found it quite reasonable.

 

[Iggy]

Both my wife and I carry CW45s everyday.. She bought one and I was so impressed I bought one 3 days later.
I carry mine in the appendix position in a Remora IWB holster. I use 1911 Officer Model magazines.

The recoils springs are very strong at first, but break in nicely with a few rounds down the pipe.

The revolver like triggers were a selling point. We both have carried various revolvers CCW for over 40 years. The transition to the long trigger pull was a natural for us.
I am continually amazed at how accurate they are.

I made a couple of youngsters check their hold cards yesterday.. They were peppering a couple of B27 targets with widely scattered shots with some black 45 pistols.

I put up a downloaded 8X11 target in the lane next to theirs, and shot six cigarette pack sized groups. I will say it was 90% the Kahr and 10% my doin's. They din't say nuthin", but they was sure lookin"

 

[Tony k]

As the not so proud owner of a CW45 that was apparently made on either a Monday or a Friday, I would inspect the gun closely before purchase. make sure the front frame rail are not too short:
You want this:
http://i61.tinypic.com/30xhlpe.jpg

You don't want this:
http://i62.tinypic.com/2dm8bva.jpg

(images courtesy of gb6491 on Kahrtalk)

Make sure the cocking cam does not interfere with the slide/ striker block while firing. Do this by attempting to rack the slide with the trigger pulled. It should have the same level of resistance as racking the slide without the trigger pulled.

If there are more than one Kahrs for you to look at (even different calibers), compare how deeply the extractors sit. You don't want an extractor that sits too deeply toward the firing pin because that can cause failure to return to battery issues.

Good Luck!

 

[mavracer]

Mine is great, very accurate and reliable. I did a covert conversion on it so now it uses PM/CM magazines

 

[Tony k]

Mine is great, very accurate and reliable. I did a covert conversion on it so now it uses PM/CM magazines

Cool idea!

When mine gets back from it's current (second) trip back to kahr, I'm really hoping to be able to call it reliable. I'm pretty envious of you guys and gals with flawless cw45s, lol. Love the way it points. love the trigger. Love how slim it is.

 

[Iggy]

Wife's gun was an early one and had the short frame rails. A call to Kahr with the serial number and they sent a shipping label with no questions asked. Had it back with a new frame in 2 weeks.

Both of ours have tight chambers.. Factory ammo goes like poop through a goose. My reloads do too now that I have got the OAL to factory specs and use a factory crimp die.

They both squirt ammo like a fire hose especially my wife's. I couldn't afford to support them if it wasn't for reloads.

 

[entropy]

Good guns. The only reason I chose the Taurus PT145 over the CT45 is mag capacity and the PT145 was still slightly smaller than the G30. The CW might be a bit more to handle under recoil, but shouldn't be unmanageable.

 

[Delford]

I bought a used PM45 and it's a typical Kahr. Feed ramp likes to be clean and polished and fails to load when it's not. I shoot mine regularly and don't clean it after every session and it lets me know when it's time. Not much recoil for a small .45. Accurate out to 35'. Kahr compacts are not range guns but I alternate between it and a Ruger full size .45 in my sessions. I'm confident it will acquit me well in a self defense situation. After 350 rounds or so it has loosened up a little but is by no means loose.

 

[shooter1]

Don't know about the CW45, but the CW?9 I shot was accurate enough for a small pistol. It was not difficult to hit a half scale steel silhouette at 30yds from a supported position. I don't own one, but I kinda liked the trigger. My small .45 carry guns are a Glock 36 and a Kimber Ultra Carry. Both are great compact carry .45s. They can't compete with the Kahr on price.
s45

 

[usp9]

My two .45 Kahrs, a P and a TP, both had feed and ejection problems. Enough so to take the fun out of them. As mentioned, recoil is more "stout" than a larger or heavier gun. If I were looking for a fun range .45 toy, with occasional carry duty, I may look into a HK USPc or HK45c. Softer recoil and they work.

My 9mm Kahrs worked better by the way, except for a CW that had a light strike habit.

 

[mio]

Mine fails to go into battery a lot even after a trip back to the factory where they changed frames. I wouldn't recommend one to anybody.

 

[weblance]

I recently picked up the smaller version, the CM45. I'm still under the 200 round recommended break-in(135 rounds), but mine has fired and ejected every round perfectly. It has however, failed to load the first round from an open slide 3 times. If it continues, I might have to polish the extractor, as the round isn't sliding up into its grasp. Once the weather warms a bit, I may sit outside, and chamber rounds from an open slide until it improves.

The CM45 shoots well, is accurate, and is well made. Felt recoil isn't as bad as you might think, and I am happy with mine so far.