Kahr CW9 First Thoughts

[sheepdog22]

For a while now I have been carrying a FNP9 around the house to break in my Comp-Tac MTAC holster while I waited for my appointment for my CWL. During the few weeks I carried it around the house I realized it was pretty hard to conceal in Florida attire. Im 23 years old and wear the "typical" outfits for someone my age. Just some sort of cargo shorts and a t-shirt, polo, or button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

My problem was the darn butt of the gun aways got hung up on my shirt. Always! So as my appointment rolled around the corner I began looking for a new carry piece. I had my sights set on a 3rd gen S&W 39xx but they were so darn expensive and not one was anywhere remotely local for me to look at. I kept hearing reviews about the Kahr lineup online for their concealed abilities.

Enter the Solution...


I was floored on how slim this little jasper was! :2thumsup Maybe its because I really never ventured into the single stack world. So I went on my merry way and did some more research to get some first hand opinions on it. I went back to check it out and after drooling over it for who knows how long, I bought it.

From everything I read online and the stickies I read on KahrTalk, I brought it home and gave it a detailed check over. Kahrtalk recommends you rack the slide 500 times to loosen the recoil spring. Ugh. I was pretty surprised when I noticed how stiff that spring was. After that I broke it down the cleaned it out and lubed it up. Anyways, I havent gotten to the range yet but plan to in the next few days.

I guess I will do a mini comparison strictly on size against my FNP9 since thats all I have.

Weight
CW9: Pistol 15.8 ounces, Magazine 1.9 ounces
FNP9: 24.7 oz. empty

The CW9 is just flat out light. I threw it in the FNP holster while the kydex sleeve for the CW9 arrives and i could not believe how much lighter it is.

Height

CW9: 4.5"
FNP9: 5.4"

Again the FNP was not designed to be a concealed carry weapon. It is a full size service weapon. It is very possible to carry depending on the climate, holster type, and the users body type. I was about to conceal it well enough. Im 6'2" and weight 200lbs. I could hide it in my MTAC but had to be very conscious of how I bent and twisted my body.

Width
CW9: .90"
FNP: 1.55"

CW9 Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.. Not really a good comparison since the FNP is a double stack but its all I had to work with. The CW9 is still very thin in its class. For reference the Walther PPS come in at 1.04 inches wide, and at 1.04" the PPS is consider a very slim firearm.

Length



CW9: 5.9"
FNP9: 7.4”

No real comparison. The FNP is a full size pistol unlike the CW9. Just a good reference for potential buyers.

Capacity
CW9: 7+1
FNP9: 16+1

Ill give the win here to the FNP. FN did an awesome job packaging this sucker with 3 magazines! Unfortunately the CW9 only came with one so I will have to find some extras. The CW is considered Kahrs budget line so thats why it is limited to 1 magazine.

Overall
Appearance: 9 out of 10
Ease of Use: 9.5 out of 10
Reliability: Unknown as of yet
Trigger: 9 out of 10
Ergonomics: 8 out of 10
Price: 8 out of 10








I like this pistol. I plan to use it for carry for a long time as long as it passes the range break-in. My only complaint about this little pistol so far is its "cheese grater" style of a grip. After racking that slide for 500 times my hand was raw. I plan to get a Hogue grip or use a bicycle tire "ghetto" grip I saw. The trigger on it is veryyy smooth and just a tad long. No complaints though since it has no external safety. I wish Kahr could have done a little more detailed machine work on the lettering but its not really an issue to me.
I am extremely happy with my purchase. As of 4/21/2011 I paid $459.00. Overall I think it was a great purchase and at a very decent price.

I will keep those thread updated along the way just to post any unlikely problems or complaints. Enjoy!

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[BeardogV1]

Great Pics! I know you will really like the CW after you shoot it... And they are a joy to carry IWB weight/size wise...Enjoy!

One thing you can do to minimize printing a bit more if you still see it, is replace the plastic floorplate with a flat steel plate. For me, it let the shirt more smoothly cover the grip.

[sheepdog22]

Great Pics! I know you will really like the CW after you shoot it... And they are a joy to carry IWB weight/size wise...Enjoy!

One thing you can do to minimize printing a bit more if you still see it, is replace the plastic floorplate with a flat steel plate. For me, it let the shirt more smoothly cover the grip.

Thanks. I wouldnt have thought about that.

[crue2009]

great looking cw9 in those pics your hand might be raw from racking the slide 500 times but you will not notice any problems while shooting..i recently installed a Pachmayr slip-on grip on mine,makes the gun xtra comfortable to shoot..get some Blazer Brass or Winchester 9mm and put at least 200 rounds through it...enjoy

[druryj]

CW9: In my opinion, a well made, simple, reliable gun with a single purpose in mind that it serves very well: Concealed carry.

[TN_Mike]

I love my CW9. No need to say anything else.

[380ACP]

Me too. Love, love, love mine. I'm sure you will grow to love yours as well.

You take great pictures by the way.
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[GM]

Congrats on the CW9; Kahr makes very good firearms.

[RKirk]

Very good report and photos! I have a CW9 with 900+ rounds down range. You will like this pistol.

-- Richard

[tkruf]

I have both a CW9 and PM9. Love them both. Go get a Hogue Handall grip like this one on my PM9. That will take the bite out of the grip.

[TX-JB]

Congrats on the CW9, you'll love it. Another fix for the grips without adding a slip-on grip is really simple. You get a 400-600 grit sanding pad at home depot to fix the grip. A few light strokes will take off the sharp points but won't show and look like you took a belt sander to it. You still have a very secure grip surface, but it won't tear up your hands, or catch on your cover shirt. I don't like the slip-on grips, so this was the best solution I could find.

[dcfis]

FWIW the Walther PPS is measure to include the slide stop. Measured like other manufactures including the kahr its .90 thick. Having said that if I didnt love the pps so much I would be happy with the new kahr.

Vs PM9

[Freedomofchoice]

I had a CW9 that I thought/hoped would be the end all be all carry, (also in Florida). It was a great, reliable gun; trouble was, (and so far I have not come across anyone else with this problem), every time I shot the gun, my trigger finger got pinched @ the top of the first knuckle, to the point of developing a blister. Seems like it would get caught up in the groove of the trigger. I sold it, and recently purchased a Ruger LC9, and I love it! For me it is the end all/be all carry gun!