Hi Guys. Hope everybody is doing well. A bit of a newbie question here, please be kind. I picked up a Kahr CW9 yesterday, partially because of the good reviews I read on the site. I went to the range today and put a quick 150 rnds down the pipe, and it worked perfectly (other 1 FTF, but I think the magazine was not inserted all the way, so it was probably OE). Can't complain there. Problem is I just can't shoot the damn thing that well. It wasn't horrible, but most of the guns I've owned were 1911's, and I can get a group of 1" @ 10 yards consistently. This thing seemed like it was all over the place. Not "horrible" all over the place, just what I'd call sloppy. It also seemed to pull to the left a little, no matter how I tried to compensate. I realize this is a pocket gun, more or less, and it's never going to have that crisp break and awesome trigger of a 1911, but the combination of that long trigger, short barrel and small grip turned my accuracy to crap. Did I make a mistake buying this thing? It wasn't cheap. I know 1 range trip is not even scratching the surface in terms of learning the weapon. I suppose I should give it at least one more go round before I make a decision. If I continue to not like it, what are my options? I'd hate to have made a really expensive mistake. The flip side is it is wonderful to carry, hardly know it's there. So light, I couldn't imagine a more comfortable gun to carry.
Yep, buyers remorse well placed I'd say. Not sayin' the Kahr is a bad weapon. I'm sure they're good quality pieces. But I've always thought they were overpriced, as similar sized guns that are just as good can be had for less $$$.
It's a compact pistol. The sight radius is a heck of a lot shorter than a 1911. It seems like you have a light reliable pistol. To fault it it because it doesn't group the same as a 1911 is ill founded IMO.
Are you used to the long DA type pull of a revolver? If not, then you may not be used to the Kahr's trigger type, which is very close kin to revolver type DA pull. It took me lots of practice to get used to the pull on my PM9. In fact, I need to practice with it more. It's been awhile since I last took my EDC out to the range. That being said, once you have the feel of it down you can stage the trigger, since it breaks very clean each time. Stick with the Kahr awhile and see how it plays out.
I agree. Give it some time and few more range trips and see what you think. If you can keep all the rounds in center of mass consistently that's all you can really ask for in a compact pistol IMO. Good luck.
Give it time. While I am not a fan of Kahr you have to give it it's due. Going from a 1911 to another pistol can be as tricky as going from something else to a 1911. There are a lot of factors coming into play. Sight length, weight, sight alignment and felt recoil all come to mind. Pop a few hundred more caps and see if you like it any better.
This!!! Took me a while to get used to the Kahr trigger as well. I say give it some time and really concentrate on the trigger pull and where it breaks.
Need to give yourself more time with the CW9, it is a good shooter. It is not a target gun, but it is a fine shooter. With practice, I have found head shots at 15 yards and torso shots at 25 yards to be no problem. The CW series offers the most bang for the buck of all the Kahr pistols, IMHO. I just got mine back from Kahr with the Trijicon night sights installed. Going to pick up some spare mags next. You need some more time to practice and get used to it. 150 rounds at the range, heck man it is not even broken it yet! (I assume you bought it new?)Try dry firing it at home, pay careful attention to where the muzzle is pointed at the instant the shot breaks. Don't give up on the CW9 so quickly. But in the unfortunate case you do, I am sure you won't have too much trouble selling it, as the price point on the CW series is good.
yes, just give it a few more range visits and see what you think. I have a CW9 and PM9 and CW45. I shoot the 45 better than all of 'em and shoot the CW9 the poorest. I think this is simply due to not shooting the CW9 much since my wife keeps that one with her. The other two are spot on, though, so I would expect the CW 9 also to be spot on with more shooting. The trigger IS long but very smooth, not gritty at all. It may take some getting used to. It took me a little time just coming from the xd9sc trigger. Stay with it. You won't regret it.
A Kahr is not a range / plinking / target / action shooting game gun. It's supposed to be comfortable to carry, easy to conceal, and still able to put a bunch of deadly bullets into your adversary's chest or head from typical close-range self-defense distances. To me, that means a 10" group at 50 feet is acceptable. A six-inch group at 50 feet (or 16 yards) is all I want or expect out of a defensive pistol. A six-inch group means I can take head shots too. Nail the bad guy even if he's partially behind cover. Keep the Kahr. Use it for the type of shooting that it was made for. Your goal should be to hit a series of bowling-pin sized targets lined up at about 20 feet. If you can't shoot bowling pins try half-gallon milk or juice containers. Or 2-liter Coke bottles. Forget about trying to use that gun to shoot tennis balls. If that's your accuracy expectation, get a full sized gun with a longer sight radius and shorter, lighter trigger.
You think that's bad accuracy? Try MK9! only saving grace of it is extra weight from SS frame. Shooting 9mm with two finger on the grip isn't as easy as it sounds. Keep the gun. It will serve you well for what it is made to do. I bought a used but well kept MK9 for very reasonable price.
Patience and Practice. That's all you need. I recently traded my 1911 for a Kahr P9 (fancier version of your gun), and love it. However, I'm used to the double action pull of my S&W 642 Airweight and Magnum Research Micro Eagle. It is a great gun, but I'm sure the trigger would bother me if I weren't used to the DA trigger in those guns. I did a review not to long ago. Keep in mind what the purpose of this pistol is. This isn't a national match 1911. It is a small, compact, lightweight gun for self defense. There are always trade offs. In time, you will get better on the trigger and the accuracy will improve.
Thanks guys, I'll give it a little time and a few more rounds. I'd hate to take the beating letting it go just yet, so we'll see. I appreciate the input. I did clean it tonight, and after 150 or so rounds, there were an awful lot of metal shavings in there. My guess is this one will break in pretty quickly, so I suppose I'll know for sure very soon. Time will tell. Otherwise it'll be on the chopping block and somebody else will get a deal
I doubt the BG will care if you put 3 in a 1" circle or a 4" circle. You're being a little hard on yourself.
jklotz, one thing I wanted to make sure I mention about all Kahrs I've shot (and many other semi-autos to be honest): they run BEST when CLEAN and WET. I always keep a simple range cleaning kit with me for those days when I just have too much fun at the range and refuse to go home. Especially during the break in, if you have shot a couple hundred rounds through the CW9 and you notice she is not working as well as when you started the day (FTE, FTFs, etc), take a few minutes, run a few wet and dry patches through it, clean up the slide area and give her a couple drops of lube, and then see how it shoots. I have been AMAZED at the number of times folks have walked up to me at the range with a "POS gun" that they say keeps jamming and won't shoot straight. I give it a courtesy cleaning for them, and voila! The gun is transformed and I just made a new friend! Just went through this last week with someone with a brand new AR15 that was jamming up on them. Two drops of oil on the two holes in the bolt carrier, and the thing was shooting like a banshee again.
This gun is valuable for what it is, but should not be over-extended. This is not the gun you're going to need if you want to stop the savage beating of a grocery store clerk from 25 yards away across the store with one precise shot. This is the gun to carry when you're not carrying and need to put a few rounds in the torso/belly of the close range violent assailant on your own person. The range time which you have already undertaken will help you sort out in your own mind what you can reasonably expect to do and not to do with this weapon.
Not that you want to sink another $200+ if you're already feeling buyer's remorse, but - I had the same issue w/a S&W 642 DA .38. I bought a Crimson Trace laser grip and it made a huge difference. The trigger pull still takes some getting used to, finding that break point, but hey - that's what snap caps are for. Bottom line is now, I know I can hit a close-in attacker, especially in low light conditions. http://www.crimsontrace.com/Home/Products/KahrArms/LG437/tabid/386/Default.aspx
Thanks guys. kkennett, I did clean it after my 1st range trip. Amazing how much metal shavings were in there! I always lube them well during breakin, so I think I'm good there. Anyway, I went back to the range today and put another 100 down the pipe, including some Fed Hydroshocks. No FTF's or FTL's of any sort. Seems to be a reliable pistol, hardball or hollow points. I'm still not in love with the trigger, and it is still pulling left a little, but I didn't have a bench to put it on, so I don't know if it is me or the sights. Will get to that soon. Here's 15 feet w/ 115 gr Amer Eagle target ammo. Not even close to what I could do with a 1911, but then again, a 4" group @ 15 feet will certainly get the job done I suppose. I'm going to keep working with it and see how I feel in a few weeks. Thanks again for all of the input.