I recently bought a CW-45 off a family member and had not fired it until last weekend. I had been reading great things about Kahrs so I was pretty excited about this one.
At the range I went thru 50 jhps of WWB (grabbed the wrong box from my safe-would have taken fmjs). The gun functioned flawlessly, but I did not. I have been shooting for a while now and think I shoot pretty well with my M&P9c and M&P full size 40.
The Kahr CW 45 is light and easy to conceal and has a smooth trigger. My problem was that it has the longest trigger pull for a gun I have ever owned. My shooting was lousy for the first 20 rds, and was starting think the gun was bad until I finally got better with the long pull. It took great care to keep the good trigger pull bringning it so far back. Then I got shots right on top of each other at 10yds.
The gun was also hurting the bottom of my trigger finger all thru the 50 rds of firing. This pain, along with the challenging long trigger pull are making me think of trading it for some XD 45 or mid-size 1911.
I dont mind having a gun be a little bigger or heavier simply because its more comfortable to shoot (for me that means more practice and more proficiency). Maybe I am just spoiled by my M&Ps.
What can I do to improve my shooting with this CW 45?
I got a P 9, and I too thought the gun was defective. It shot 2 or 4 inches low. I' ve fired guns for 40 years, but had never fired a Kahr. I took it back, my dealer has an indoor range, he took it back there and came back with a 6 shot target dead on, some even in the same hole! He taught me a peculiarity about Kahr triggers: you can fire a Kahr, and not realize you are "dipping" the gun upon trigger pull. I practiced some more, being aware of this anomoly, and my groups became dead on, also as his did. His group, btw, was fired at 10 yards. These guns are very accurate, you just must be aware of that trigger release. I started bracing my support hand index finger holding slight pressure upward on the trigger guard. You may find a better way for you.
__________________ Beware the man with one gun; He likely knows how to use it!
Update: I got a CW 45 Monday, since I like the P9 so well. The 45 was all over the target, just like the P9, until I got the feel for it's trigger. The 45's trigger on mine is a little different feeling than my P9. After a few shots, it started behaving. The guy I got it from said it was the same way with him at first; he thought he had been royally screwed! But as he got the feel for the gun, it became more accurate than some of his "target" guns. The trigger on these guns is a "surprise" trigger; you have to develop a feel for your particular Kahr.
__________________ Beware the man with one gun; He likely knows how to use it!
For me, I really like the long trigger because it is very smooth and consistent. It did seem to beat up my finger after a box of ammo, but I think you may be confusing it with a range pistol - which it is not designed to be. Those little pocket poppers are designed to be carried much and shot little. The ones I have shot were quite accurate and recoil wasn't as bad as I had expected, but if burning a case of ammo is your agenda, I would get an all steel 1911.
__________________
I take my coffee how I take my women: bitter and overbearing.
Dry fire it...a bunch. The best pistol shots in the world dry fire a lot. Watch your front sight when you dry fire to see if it dips or pulls. It's the best diagnostic tool for pistol shootng there is. You might consider a pair of shooting gloves until you get the hang of it. Also, there's the mind set factor. Repeat after me "Hello pistol, I'm gonna kick your a$$".
One caution on dry firing. Unload in one room, leave the ammo behind and go in another room to do your work. Check visually (look in the chamber), check physically (stick your finger in the chamber), no your finger won't fit, BUT it reinforces the check. People who perform a task repeatedly can get in the habit of "looking without seeing". I set the timer on the stove for 15-30 and if I get fatigued/sloppy and start teaching myself bad habits I call it a day.
Dry fire it...a bunch. The best pistol shots in the world dry fire a lot. Watch your front sight when you dry fire to see if it dips or pulls. It's the best diagnostic tool for pistol shootng there is. You might consider a pair of shooting gloves until you get the hang of it. Also, there's the mind set factor. Repeat after me "Hello pistol, I'm gonna kick your a$$".
One caution on dry firing. Unload in one room, leave the ammo behind and go in another room to do your work. Check visually (look in the chamber), check physically (stick your finger in the chamber), no your finger won't fit, BUT it reinforces the check. People who perform a task repeatedly can get in the habit of "looking without seeing". I set the timer on the stove for 15-30 and if I get fatigued/sloppy and start teaching myself bad habits I call it a day.
Amen to all he says!
__________________ Beware the man with one gun; He likely knows how to use it!
I recently bought a CW-45 off a family member and had not fired it until last weekend. I had been reading great things about Kahrs so I was pretty excited about this one.
At the range I went thru 50 jhps of WWB (grabbed the wrong box from my safe-would have taken fmjs). The gun functioned flawlessly, but I did not. I have been shooting for a while now and think I shoot pretty well with my M&P9c and M&P full size 40.
The Kahr CW 45 is light and easy to conceal and has a smooth trigger. My problem was that it has the longest trigger pull for a gun I have ever owned. My shooting was lousy for the first 20 rds, and was starting think the gun was bad until I finally got better with the long pull. It took great care to keep the good trigger pull bringning it so far back. Then I got shots right on top of each other at 10yds.
The gun was also hurting the bottom of my trigger finger all thru the 50 rds of firing. This pain, along with the challenging long trigger pull are making me think of trading it for some XD 45 or mid-size 1911.
I dont mind having a gun be a little bigger or heavier simply because its more comfortable to shoot (for me that means more practice and more proficiency). Maybe I am just spoiled by my M&Ps.
What can I do to improve my shooting with this CW 45?
Strengthen your hands, either squeeze a tennis ball at odd times during the day or get a Hand grip Exerciser...or a Martial Art Eagle Claw exerciser. I'd bet you've never had to use your finger muscles like that before
You should be using the tip of your index finger to squeeze with...different mechanics at work when you do that.
Next, if after 6 weeks of daily exercise hasn't helped...get a trigger job done by a professional gunsmith. Tell him exactly what you want. He'll make it happen.
Or if you are moderately competant you can do the trigger job yourself. There are forums that do nothing but teach people how to do trigger jobs on their own weapons.
__________________ Marlin & Calico Specialist
I'm not just Trigger Happy, I'm Trigger Ecstatic!!
Also, i know the term squeeze has been around forever, but I really like the term "press" the trigger for the handgun shooter, they tend to do better. A lot of folks thinking squeeze will milk a shot.
The grip thing is a good idea. I keep one handy and work it every now and then throughout the day. Seems to help me.
Dry fire it...a bunch. The best pistol shots in the world dry fire a lot. Watch your front sight when you dry fire to see if it dips or pulls. It's the best diagnostic tool for pistol shootng there is. You might consider a pair of shooting gloves until you get the hang of it. Also, there's the mind set factor. Repeat after me "Hello pistol, I'm gonna kick your a$$".
One caution on dry firing. Unload in one room, leave the ammo behind and go in another room to do your work. Check visually (look in the chamber), check physically (stick your finger in the chamber), no your finger won't fit, BUT it reinforces the check. People who perform a task repeatedly can get in the habit of "looking without seeing". I set the timer on the stove for 15-30 and if I get fatigued/sloppy and start teaching myself bad habits I call it a day.
+2.
This is one of the more challenging things to get used to, and a problem when you have different carry guns.
You just need to dry fire it alot with a proper grip and smooth press on the trigger and get used to it (assuming you've done a fair bit of shooting). Trigger control is one of the most important (if not THE most important) parts of accurate shooting.
This was one of the downsides to switching to an H&K USP .40 -- I really like the gun alot and it points very well but the trigger stages quite sharply after a very comfortable take up and requires alot of practice and shooting to get used to. It's not a real big deal and more accurate shooting comes with practice but it does take getting used to.
__________________
God gives us free will; the statist tries to take it away
I rented both a Kahr CW .40 and a PM .45 to see the difference. They didn't have a CW .45 for rent to really test side by side(I wanted a .45 Kahr). The PM was a dream to shoot and the CW was junk. My opinion is Kahr made the CW line to have a cheaper gun and they made a cheap gun. The PM was a much lighter, smaller gun and a .45 but was easier to handle and place shots than the heavier, bigger .40 CW. If you want a Kahr I would consider trading it in and move up wo a PM model. I was very impressed with the PM .45 when I shot it.
Thanks for all the great suggestions. It helped to know that this long trigger pull is a challenge for most shooters if you are not used to it. The advice on dry fire practice is also excellent. I will be adding that to my time spent with my guns.
After a lot of thought and an upcoming gun show I decided to trade the Kahr CW-45. I only had 300.00 in it along with 200 rds of ammo (i got a great deal from a relative). I went to my favorite monthly gun show in North Texas and as I allowed the police officer there to inspect the gun and zip tie it at the entrance, he asked what I wanted for it.
I asked 300.00 and he countered with 250.00 and I accepted it. I figured I would get that from my favorite dealer. I had the gun sold with 250.00 cash before I got all the way in to the show. I asked if he was going to use it as a BUG, and he remarked he just liked shooting Kahrs.
I then sought out the .45 I wanted. I found a new XD 45 bitone with the satin SS slide, 4 inch barrel, full size grip with 2, 13 rd mags for 489.00.
I already have an M&P9c for carry and I love it. After the Kahr, I decided I wanted something comfortable to shoot and I knew the XD would be fine for that. I have shot the XDsc9 and XD 9 quite a bit and liked the feel and workings of those guns. All my other pistls are black so it was also nice to have the SS slide for a change.
I will post pictures and a range report as soon as I get them.
Thanks again for all the greta help with the earlier Kahr questions.
Thanks for all the great suggestions. It helped to know that this long trigger pull is a challenge for most shooters if you are not used to it. The advice on dry fire practice is also excellent. I will be adding that to my time spent with my guns.
After a lot of thought and an upcoming gun show I decided to trade the Kahr CW-45. I only had 300.00 in it along with 200 rds of ammo (i got a great deal from a relative). I went to my favorite monthly gun show in North Texas and as I allowed the police officer there to inspect the gun and zip tie it at the entrance, he asked what I wanted for it.
I asked 300.00 and he countered with 250.00 and I accepted it. I figured I would get that from my favorite dealer. I had the gun sold with 250.00 cash before I got all the way in to the show. I asked if he was going to use it as a BUG, and he remarked he just liked shooting Kahrs.
I then sought out the .45 I wanted. I found a new XD 45 bitone with the satin SS slide, 4 inch barrel, full size grip with 2, 13 rd mags for 489.00.
I already have an M&P9c for carry and I love it. After the Kahr, I decided I wanted something comfortable to shoot and I knew the XD would be fine for that. I have shot the XDsc9 and XD 9 quite a bit and liked the feel and workings of those guns. All my other pistls are black so it was also nice to have the SS slide for a change.
I will post pictures and a range report as soon as I get them.
Thanks again for all the greta help with the earlier Kahr questions.
Great choice. Once I shot my first XD I was hooked. I have 2 XD's and an XDM now. Also a Springfield 1911. In my opiniom Springfield is about the best gun for the money you can buy.
