The Kahr CW9: An Underrated Concealed Carry Option

The Kahr CW9 doesn’t get talked about all too often these days. During the age of the single stack, 9mm, the Kahr series of pistols got plenty of attention, but the CW9 was often forgotten. Today, it’s not just the less popular Kahr, but it’s also a single-stack gun in the era of the micro compact.

I avoided the Kahr guns for basically ever. They didn’t do anything that stood out to me besides looking good. The Kahr’s stainless slide always looks fantastic. The only thing I knew about the Kahr guns came down to the long, rolling trigger pulls. Other than that, I thought they were just basic semi-auto pistols.

I never saw a reason to purchase one, and the Kahr CW9 dropped into my lap because of its crazy low price. The CW9 series was one helluva deal at that price, and I snatched it up. After shooting the gun, I saw why they received so much love.

Selling the CW9

I will act like a marketing exec for Kahr for a minute to describe what appeals to me about the CW9. How do you convince someone to look at the Kahr CW9 when something like the Sig Sauer P365 exists? Well, these days, I’d say the Kahr CW9 series has two major advantages in concealed carry.

First, let’s talk about the price. In today’s market, the Kahr CW9 is a steal. While Kahr still offers the P9 at a premium, the CW9’s price has dropped significantly. Some retailers may still sell it for $399, but with a little searching, you can find it for less than $300 online.

The second reason is size. The CW9 is a fascinating size point. It’s big enough to fill the hand and has an overall length of 5.9 inches. It’s not super small, but it’s super thin. Microcompacts are about an inch wide, but the CW9 is only .90 inches. It’s thinner than most guns but big enough to fill your hand.

The Kahr CW9 is a perfectly sized little gun. It’s thin and very easy to tuck inside a waistband. The thin little gun is super easy to carry and very comfortable to shoot.

That’s how I’d sell the Kahr CW9, and not that you’ve gone through my pitch, let’s dig into the review.

Kahr CW9: The Cheaper Gun

The Kahr’s most famous feature is the trigger. It’s a quasi-double-action trigger design that’s not a double-action. A true double action doesn’t require the slide to partially cock the design. The CW9 series features a trigger with a heavier and longer pull than other striker-fired handguns.

The trigger pull feels like a double-action design. For some, that will be a turn-off, but for me, the trigger doesn’t matter. People put a lot of huff and puff into the design of the trigger, including its weight and length. People get weird about thinking accuracy and triggers are directly linked. Don’t get me wrong; the trigger pull matters, but what matters more is your grip.

While the Kahr trigger delivers a longer and heavier pull than most guns, it’s still a fantastic trigger overall. The trigger rolls rearward in an ultra-smooth and grit-free manner. The trigger won’t affect your accuracy. It’s a skill issue if you don’t shoot a Kahr well.

Kahr produces several different lines of pistols, and the CW9 is their budget pistol. The markings are stamped rather than laser engraved.

The rifling is also switched from polygonal to standard. Much ado is made about polygonal rifling and accuracy, but for a small gun carried for short-range self-defense, it won’t be a difference most shooters experience.

Kahr uses pinned rather than dovetailed sights with the CW9, but it’s not likely to be noticed. The biggest downside to the cheaper CW9 is a lack of edge melting. It has more pokey parts when carried in an IWB holster than the P9.

Dropping Hammers

My CW9 came with two magazines, a small plastic box, and a manual. According to the manual, the gun should have a 200-round break-in period. In the modern era, it seems odd that break-in periods still exist for guns. Luckily, mine was used, and someone must’ve already gone through that break-in period. My gun ran like a well-made watch, and I didn’t run into any malfunctions.

It takes a little getting used to the trigger if you’re used to those modern striker-fired triggers. As previously mentioned, it’s quite long and somewhat heavy, but it’s still remarkably smooth, and if you use a slap-the-trigger guard style of shooting, you won’t feel the longer reset. I was able to achieve impressive accuracy with the little fella.

At seven yards, I was punching one big hole in paper. At 15 yards, we are looking at a two-inch group. Back out to 25 yards, I was routinely ringing a 10-inch gong. At the same 25-yard line, I was blasting double taps from the low ready in less than 1.5 seconds on an IPSC target. The gun shoots where you aim it. The sights are interesting and don’t fall into the U or square-notch paradigm. Instead, the rear sight is almost like a funnel that guides your eyes to the target.

This sight system works exceptionally well for quick shooting. Sure, I still miss my red dot, but the sights work well enough that I don’t feel underarmed or unprepared. As the slide reciprocates, I can track the front sight and keep it on target for quick follow-up shots.

Going Fast

Speaking of speed, if there was one change I’d make to the CW9, it would be to add more grip texture. The grip feels a bit naked. In Florida’s summer heat, my hands got sweaty quickly, and the gun often felt like it was sliding around during long strings of fire. I grabbed it tightly, but it still moved a bit. A little grip tape would take the gun a long way.

The long grip fills my hand and makes it easy to exercise a good degree of control over the gun. The snappy recoil we get from a 9mm subcompact is there, but the longer-than-average grip keeps it from getting tiresome and going too far off target. The longer grip becomes even more valuable when you start shooting with one hand.

The Next Kahr

My experience with the Kahr CW9 has intrigued me. I remember seeing the Kahr X9 at SHOT Show in January, and now I’m a little more curious about the X9 prospect. The micro compact, optics-ready model of the Kahr modernizes the concept.

The CW9 series still provides an affordable option for concealed carry. It’s thin, light, and comfortable to shoot. If you can find one for less than $300, you’re getting an absolute bargain.