Kahr CW45 review
Kahr have posted a review of their lightweight Kahr CW45 .45 ACP pistol. The review appears in the upcoming Jab/Feb issue of Handgun magazine. Veteran gun reviewer Paul Scarlata writes:
I believe the CW45 would be an excellent choice for those fans of large caliber handguns who need–or just want–a lightweight, easily concealable, fine shooting pistol chambered for the most popular big bore pistol cartridge of all time.
Whether you are a police detective, armed professional, licensed civilian or homeowner, the CW45 should be capable of doing whatever you want or need a pistol to doóat an economical price.
Kahr CW45
Read the full review here.
I have one of these guys. I really hate it.
The grips are horrible, and it feels like you’re holding little spikes even after my doctoring them up. The size of the gun fits in my hand fairly well but not well enough to control a .45ACP round (its about the same size as my wife’s CW9 that I love). I put about 500 rounds through it before putting it up for consignment.
Anyone want to buy it?
how much?
I have a cw 45 had it 2 days then its been in the factory
every time I shoot it the mag and the empty cartrige falls
out of the bottom they still have not fixed it this the third
time it goues back wood never buy another one
I bought one of these about 4 months ago and have experienced problems with the mag dropping before a round the last round of the mag is chambered (happens no matter how many rounds I load and leaves the chamber closing with no round). I am a police officer and need a more reliable weapon. Purchase with caution……
I bought one because my father bought one. When I shot mine, the grips really do hurt your hand. The top of the mags can slice your fingers, especially when you are trying to load the last round. The really silly part is when I would shoot two round, the mag would drop completely out of the mag weld, which would completely put me out of a fight. I emailed Kahr, no response. I called and left a message, no response. I called again and listened to their waiting music for about half an hour then talked to a tech. He explained to me that they put out a batch of weapons with a bad mag release button and that they would send me another one. When I got the release, I tried to install it myself to no avail. I talked to a tech who made it sound like I was doing something wrong and that it was so simple. I simply cannot get the old release out to get the new one in. And I was the grunt who could break his weapon down and put in back together in about half a minute. This is a lot of trouble to go through for a brand new weapon. My H&K’s never gave me this kind of problem. Something told me I should not have bought this and instead got an H&K, but I wanted to go the cheaper route for once. You get what you pay for I guess.
I bought a CW45 when they first came out – no issues whatsoever…
Regarding the comment about the “spikes on the grip hurt my wittle hands…”
This weapon was specifically designed for conceal carry. If you actually have to shoot at someone it will most likely be within 7 yards. Also this is a double action weapon so the grip provides additional stability when you are standing there with sweat all over your hands and you are scared but ready to defend yourself.
If you bought the CW45 as a range toy you obvioulsy made a mistake and need to think about the intended use of a given firearm before you buy one…
I purchased the CW 45 a few months ago and here are the results. Very accurate. I was surprised just how accurate it was. Grips to me felt fine. Concealability is also good. Realibility……I had it jam up a few times during the first 200 rounds but hasnt since. The complaint about the magazine falling out I also experienced. I’m not sure if it is a mechanical flaw or that the placement of the release button is such to where your hand accidently pushes down on the button during firing. Since there ae numerous unexplained issues with this weapon I’m not totally sure that I would use this for concealed protection due to it reliability issues. I’m going to shoot more rounds through it at the range and see if it works itself out or continues to become an issue.
I bought a CW45 when they first came out – no issues whatsoever…
Regarding the comment about the “spikes on the grip hurt my wittle hands…”
This weapon was specifically designed for conceal carry. If you actually have to shoot at someone it will most likely be within 7 yards. Also this is a double action weapon so the grip provides additional stability when you are standing there with sweat all over your hands and you are scared but ready to defend yourself.
If you bought the CW45 as a range toy you obvioulsy made a mistake and need to think about the intended use of a given firearm before you buy one…
Mr. Tough Guy,
The fact is that many people are having trouble with the mag release on this weapon. Let’s say you are so tough that you do not not feel the grips biting into your hands after two magazines, awesome. In your scenario, you will be within 7 yards, sweating ect…. which is realistic and practical. You fire one round, then your magazine drops out….now what? Ask Mr. Bad Guy to wait while you replace your magazine since that never happened at the range, because you were so tough you didn’t notice it happened? That kind of malfunction from a brand new weapon is ridiculous and could cost someone their life. Yes, it is for carrying concealed, thank you Captain obvious. But if it drops mags out after one round in a CONTROLLED range environment, it will likely FAIL in a HIGH STRESS situation. You may as well carry around a staple gun. Or maybe then you would utilize your black belt in Bullshido. Just google “Kahr CW45 magazine drop.” I could not risk my family’s life on such a failure of a weapons. It is now gone. Never again.
I’m a little bit late for this discussion, but here’s my comment, anyhow. I’ve had my CW45 for about three months, and have shot it extensively using USA hardball ammunition. I have not tried any HP in it yet. I have had no problems whatsoever with feeding, no misfires, no magazines dropping out. The pistol is more accurate that I would have expected for something so small, and very controllable. The checkering on the grips does make it uncomfortable for extended shooting unless you wear a glove, but, as has been pointed out, this is not a target pistol. It is for self defense, where only a few rounds will be fired at a relatively close range.
Something worth mentioning is that regular 1911 magazines can be modified to work quite well in in the CW45, and still work in the Colt, at least in my Lightweight Commander. The only requirement is to cut the forward part of the two magazine walls down about 1/16 inch and use the new style “captured” follower instead of the traditional sheet metal one. I’m not sure what how this would affect the warranty, but certainly no more than shooting handloads, which every serious shooter who I know already does.
I got a Kahr CW45 this summer. I bought it for the small package and the firepower.
I could not have bought it at an worst time (6/15/09) You can not find any ammo right now due to the political stress and the wars overseas. Ammo is high and scarce. People are stockpiling ammo and Wal-mart has a six case limit. Good luck with this fall’s hunting season, rifle and shotgun ammo are bountiful, but handgun ammo is being bought up and stored like it’s the end of the world.
However I did make several trips to wal-mart and Bass Pro and found a couple of boxes. I ran 100 rounds of Winchester white box through it with only one issue: The magazine came out. The gun is small and powerfull and I ended up contacting Kahr and they sent me and RMA and put in a heavier spring. I got it back and ran another 100 rounds of WWB through it without any issues. Then I ran some Remington Hollow Point through it without any issue. Good gun, great gun.
Please be warned: this gun (CW45) will not fire re-loads or forgien ammo. This gun is made on a CNC machine and is TIGHT. Only USA factory ammo will work.
I love the small package, and it’s lightweight. Great for a CCW either with a belly band (that I wear as a shoulder holster) or a inside the waistband holster.
As long as you can find (and afford) USA ammo, it’s a great gun.
If Kahr can’t get mags right, what else are they doing wrong that we have not discovered until we have to use it?
“I ran 100 rounds of Winchester white box through it with only one issue: The magazine came out.”
That’s not a big deal? I guess I would rather read that than “I drew it, fired one shot at a perp, the mag dropped out, the perp got me and my family.”
I guess I just value myself and my family a bit much to trust it to something like that.
I am having the same problem with my CW 45. Mag falls lose a lot. I also agree that customer service is weak at best. I guess my only advise would be, sell it on line and buy a Glock. I have nearly 10,000 rounds through mine. Never had an issue.
wow, thats too bad… all the horror stories with the cw45! i just purchased one and was excited to run some rounds through it, but youve all got me wanting to run back to the gun store before i even fire it. maybe that hk would have been better…damn!.
the whole magazine falling out issue is huge, and would never want to have an unreliable pistol in an emergency (obviously). also.. knowing now that kahr has lousy customer relations discourages me even further. bummer.
Follow-up.
There are to many guns out there that are better than Kahr. I think Kahr needs to come out and say there is an issue with the CW45. It’s just two tight. No gun should be THAT ammo sensitive. There are to many complaints that are simular in nature to make me believe they are random acts.
Plus the expence of burning 200 rounds of ammo through it for “break in” is just expensive and somewhat dumb thinking this is the 21st century. I did a trade (even) and got a used Smith and Wesson 642. It does not need a break in, it fits in my pocket, it shoots any and all ammo, and it goes “bang” everytime I pull the trigger.
Sorry Kahr, I gave you a try and it will go down as one of my mistakes. It will make someone a nice gun, I just got sick of it after all the trouble I went through. I did not want to look at it, carry it or shoot it. I made me want to puke. I fooled with it all summer long and I should have listened to my pop and went with a wheel gun.
I don’t post blogs like this often. But it was a $449 for the gun, Plus $300 in finding the right ammo the gun liked and running 200 rounds through it. All in all, it was an $800 mistake. Plus the expence of air shipping in sending the gun back for a magazine that kept popping out.
i am an ffl dealer & i have to tell you i must be the only person that has never had a problem. i hope i didn’t just jinx myself. the first time i picked up the gun the grips did feel strange. i use this as my carry piece and love it. the only ammo i have ever used at the range is cci blazers 230 gr fmj. after 500 rounds never a jam or miss fire & really like the grips. i only fired 100 rd’s each time so i don’t know if it would have jamed if i fired a few hundred rounds at one time. i didn’t clean or carry the gun. i wanted to wait for the first 500 rounds. as for customer service, i called once & was on terminal hold for 15 min. there is no reason for that. i did this post to give someone the good sides of the CW45.
I bought a Kahr CW45 on 8/29/09. On 9/1 I was sending it back after tryng to fire it. It jammed in all kind of ways and the mag fell out. they have since “repaired” it and sent it back. I’m anxious to see if it works. They replaced the mag catch and the slide lock springs since the side lock was working it’s way out during shooting. Customer service sucked. They won’t be in business long.
I bought my Kahr CW45 a little over a week ago and something must be wrong with mine after reading some of the comments! The first day I owned it, I took it out of the box and shot 250rds through it with absolutely no problems. That 250rds included Winchester white box 230FMJ, 185FMJ reloads, 185JHP reloads and cast 230RN reloads. No FTL, FTF or FTE; no problems at all. I really like the grips as I have a large hand. I was amazed at the accuracy out of a 3.64″ barrel. I ripped the center out of targets from 10′ to 35′. If I would say something negative; the muzzle blast is tremendous. It must be the short barrel. I also love the way it fits my front left pocket.
ATTENTION: Kahr states all of their guns need a 200 round break-in period. If you can’t afford 200 rounds to meet this goal, get a job. If you have complained about the functioning of the pistol during this break-in period, you are a complete tool. The Kahr line of guns is high quality and you will have a lifetime of enjoying these fine weapons.
My piece is flawless, carries very well, and is a fine shooter.
After having a similar mag drop problem repeatedly with my kahr, I tried one handed firing of 100 rounds and made sure I was nowhere near the mag release button, no problems. 500 rounds later it has never happened again. I have since changed my two-handed grip position and now love my Pistol.
I just bought a Kahr CW today after comparing it to a sig p226. I like that the Karh was .45, lighter, and I like the way it looked better. I am a Army recruiter and don’t have any spare time to go to the range, until maybee 2 weeks from now. I didn’t realize that the magizine fell out but I am willing to give a couple hundred rounds to find out. I love the way the grips feel and how slim the handle is compared to other guns I’ve owned (to include a XDM .40). All in all I just hope that I don’t have the same problem with the magizine every on here seems to have had.
Matt’s Post 5/21/09:
“I bought one of these about 4 months ago and have experienced problems with the mag dropping before a round the last round of the mag is chambered (happens no matter how many rounds I load and leaves the chamber closing with no round). I am a police officer and need a more reliable weapon. Purchase with caution……”
I.m having the same problem with my CW45. I have 3 mags and on each mag the mag would drop on before the last round was chambered. I tried it with 3, 4, 5, and 6 rounds and the same thing happened. It would drop with one round left in the mag. I thought at first it was my grip but taking care that I wasn’t hitting the mag release I’m sure it’s something wrong in the design. I think I’ll contact Kahr Arms and see what they will do about this.
I’ve been reading reviews now for the past several weeks and it seems that either you love the CW45 or you hate it. I happen to love mine. I’ve been a law enforcement officer for 31 years, local, state, and federal. I carried everything from 1911’s in the 70’s to the Sig 229 (357 Sig). I also own a S&W M&P in 357 Sig but it was a bit large to conceal comfortably. I bought the CW45 mainly for it’s compact size and caliber but the $449.00 price tag was a big plus as well. I’ve put about 200 rounds through it, using several different brands of ammo, but always staying with the 230gr ball round. I happen to like that round and it’s what I plan to shoot in it. I had absolutely no issues or malfunctions. It’s plenty accurate enough for me (and I’m picky about accuracy) and I didn’t have issue with the recoil or grips. I’ll certainly keep this one, and not hesitate to recommend it to anyone else for it’s intended purpose.
I emailed Kahr Arms and receive notice that they suspect it’s the mag catch causing the problem. They responded within 24 hours and mailed a replacement part. Hasn’t gotten here yet and I hope it is the solution since I like the CW45. All in all, Kahr was very quick to respond and showed a willingness to solve the problem. I’ve owned several 9MM Kahrs over the past 25 years and was very satisfied with the pieces. Not all of them required the 200 round break-in period to function reliably.
I just got back from the range today and I had no problems with my CW .45. I managed 2.5″ shot groups at 20 yards with Federal’s American Eagle 230 gr. ammo.I shot 250 rounds ( I have a JOB I’m a 19 D in the army and on recruiting duty so I can afford ammo) As far as the magazine release, there are magazines that the follower will drop the magazine as it travels upwards on the next to last round. I wish I had bookmarked the site where it shows which magazine has a proper follower and which has a bad one but I can’t seem to find it. Anyways this gun is a keeper, and you can criticize the CW .45 all you want about its ergonomics but you held it before you bought it…… right? Approximately $400-$450 for a 20 oz. .45 that’s pretty good if you ask me. Like I said I had no malfunctions and recoil was more than manageable. I only wish that it had a rail and that they would maybe make disassembly a little easier other than that this gun is great, on a scale of 1-10 I would give the CW a 9.
So I went back to the range agian today with a CSM from another battlion and handed him my CW .45. While shooting it it almost came apart… I was pretty embarrassed to say the least. so back to the gun shop with it to trade for a xd sub compact.
This comment is for M.sackman, my perspective about your magazine poppen out and the grips being to rough for your,lotioned up hands, its called CHANGING A GRIP…SON Also if your droppen the magizine out when your shooting then there is an issue with you knowing how to use your firearm MY FRIEND,I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO GIVE YOU A FEW FRIENDLY TIPS COMMENT ME BACK BUDDY! Also if your in a life and death situation i diffinetley am not gonna let my clip fall out! thats why you always hold your non trigger hand under the mag of the pistol while fireing…. but for future reference take a shooters coarse MAN IT REALLY HELPS, you might actually learn how to shoot the\PROFESSIONAL way! MAYBE TOO MUCH PISTOL FOR YA BUDDY TRY A LIL RIMFIRE .22 SO YOU CAN LEARN THE BASICS BEFORE YOU TRY TO MOVE UP TO A BIG BORE GUN! ALSO IF YOU NEED MORE TIPS LET ME KNOW IM ONLY ADVACED SHOOTER NOT A PRO! BUT I GREW UP SHOOTING ALL MY LIFE, AND KAHRS ARE SOME OF THE BEST BIG BORE CALIBERS FOR CONCEALMENT AND FOR MAKING NICE GROUPINGS, HOPE THIS HELPED YA PALL!
I bought a CW 45 after I was determined to buy a Taurus PT 145. I hadn’t done my homework on price, function, realiability, like i usually do. When I went to a buddies house to go shooting I couldn’ thit the braod side of a barn. And my comedian friend offered to paint a target on his barn. I handed the Kahr to him, he hit bullseye at 20ft. I tried again and got worse. I handed it to him with one round in it and told him to do it again. He did. When I sent to go reload with some Wolf, the gun stayed jammed on that round. i took it to Ed Mason in Memphis, he cleared it out for $10 bucks and gave me a lesson in safely getting live rounds out. I went home upset and read decided to read some articles by Mas Ayoob (sp?), and a few other online sources. I then went to a range for the first time with an former marine buddy. He gave me a few more pointers. I all the sudden became a crack shot. This pistol appreciates someone that can shoot well. When I got home I cleaned it and snagged the trigger bar spring on a swab square. I looked everywhere online to see if the spring is suppose to stick out a little or not. Its a $7 part from Kahr, but I hate to get one if I dont need it. I looked at another Kahr at a gun shop and it is exposed on that one as well. I have found that the Kahr is sensitive but will give you good results if you do your part. I’m having a buddy cycle 20 rounds through it to see if it is still working correctly. By the way at the range we used some 5 year old crappy reloads, and the sigs jammed but the kahr did not. I LOVE sigs by the way. But I am also starting to love the Kahr if I can keep from damaging it, through no fault of its own. It might be that I got a good one. I have been shooting about 300 rounds a month give or take for about two years. I just now can actually say I am a descent shooter. The Kahr unlocked the magic from within. Even if I tossed it in the garbage I would still not regret buying it. If it would not have demanded better shooting on my part I would still be just a punk that goes through some ammo. Even the Sig crazed marine said that he might look at one after shooting mine. I was going to buy a 220 compact, but decided to go for another gun since I now have a range/defense gun that I enjoy shooting. FWIW I have shot Kimbers, Glocks, Sigs, Para, SA, Taurus, and even a baby eagle in .45 prefer the Kahr. I also thought I was a SA/DA type of guy, the Kahr changed that as well. I would make sure that you get the same bad results from other shooters, especially good ones before you start thinking its the pistol. This gun is not a beginners gun. It is small and big bore, not a beginners combo. I just can’t believe that mine changed my shooting life and others are cussing it from the get go. Dry fire 90%, Live fire 10%. This will improve your skill beyond belief. And its a whole lot cheaper. I got this lesson from front site instructor. Happy shooting and sorry for the long post I hope it was worth the read.
I got the mag release from Kahr and installed it. Took it to the range put 50 rounds through it without the mag dropping once. Marksmanship improved as I shot and probably is a mix of my getting used to the gun and the gun beginning to break in and function more smoothly. I like it. The folks at Kahr were very responsive and helpful. The person who I talked to called me to see if I had any trouble installing the part told me to contact him if anything souls come up in the future. All in all I’m quite happy with the CW45 and the service.