Kahr CW9 Review

The Kahr series of pistols have long flown under the radar, but they have gathered a bit of a cult following. Today, we are taking the budget option of the Kahr Lineup, the CW9, to the range to see what the cult is all about. 

The Birth of the Kahr and the CW9 

If you look at the world of handguns before Glock took over, you’ll see two things. One, manual safeties on automatics were mandatory, and revolvers had long double-action triggers, so safeties weren’t needed. When Glock hit the market, people were and remain wary of a short, light, partially cocked striker-fired trigger without a manual safety. 

That’s where Kahr saw a market opportunity. They produce a polymer frame and striker-fired gun without the lighter Glock-style trigger. It would be manual safety-free, but the heavier trigger would create greater comfort for those who didn’t trust the Glock-style pretensioned trigger. Kahr developed several lines of these pistols at several different price points. 

The CW9 is the more budget-friendly option. It makes small changes that don’t affect reliability, accuracy, or ergonomics. The barrel has conventional rifling rather than polygonal, and the gun’s markings are stamped rather than laser etched. These small changes allowed the CW9 to enter the market at a more competitive price point. 

In fact, these days, the guns are very cheap, with a street price close to 300ish dollars. That’s not a bad price for a high-quality firearm. The Kahr CW9 occupies the compact, single stack 9mm so it might feel a bit out of date in the P365 era. Still, is this affordable handgun option a decent choice? That’s the goal we aim to accomplish today. 

Kahr CW9 Features 

Kahr CW9 Features 

1 Long Rolling Trigger

2 Single Stack Magazine

3 Dove Tailed Sights

4 Slim .90 Inch Slide

The Kahr CW9 – The Little Fella 

What makes the Kahr CW9 stand out in 2024 is the width. Most of the micro compact 9mm handguns are an inch thick, but the Kahr CW9 is slimmer at .9 inches at its widest point. Slim guns are easy to conceal and comfy to carry in an IWB configuration. The CW9 isn’t quite a subcompact with its 3.6-inch barrel and 5.9 inches overall. It fills the hand and sits more in that Glock 43X/48 frame of firearm sizes. 

The Kahr CW9 fills my hand, and as a man who hates a hanging pinky, I appreciate the full-length grip. A full-length grip makes it easy to control the gun. The more grip you have on the gun the more control you have. Small, thin, and light 9mm handguns have a little snap to them, and that snap is present here. 

It’s not painful or difficult to control, but you’ll feel some snap. It will test your ability to control the gun. With two hands and standard 115-grain ammo, it’s not bad, but if you amp up to 124-grain +P ammo, you’ll feel that snap, especially with a single hand.

I shot a few Bill Drills, and on average, I hover around two seconds and some change with a compact 9mm handgun equipped with red dots. With the CW9, I got close to 2.2 seconds with iron sights. It’s on par with most guns within my skill level. 

I do want to see more texture on the gun. It’s June in Florida, so within ten minutes, I was pouring sweat, and I could feel the gun shift around in my hand with each shot. A more aggressive grip texture would be a fantastic addition. 

Splitting Bull’s Eyes 

A handgun’s trigger doesn’t affect accuracy nearly as much as many people claim. Sure, a terrible trigger makes it harder to shoot straight because a terrible trigger can mess with your grip. For accurate shooting, you don’t need a nice trigger. You need a good grip. The longer, heavier trigger of the Kahr CW9 does nothing to affect the weapon’s accuracy. I can hit a 10-inch gong at 25 yards with ease. 

The sights are surprisingly nice and easy to see during daylight hours. I could throw the gun up, get on target, and start popping rounds faster than I expected. I’m used to red dots and their speed, but I didn’t have any difficulties with the three-dot iron sights. At typical concealed carry ranges, the CW9 works like a charm.  The longer double-action trigger pull doesn’t affect accuracy or speed. 

It’s no marksman’s pistol, and the gun wouldn’t be my first choice for a competition design. When we start measuring groups rather than hearing dings the gun’s short side radius and rather large sights don’t aid in tight groups at ranges beyond 15 yards. At 15 yards a handsized group is typical. 

I really like the longer trigger pull, and while Kahr calls it a double-action trigger, it doesn’t offer restrike capability. It’s surprisingly smooth and feels fantastic. The all-metal trigger shoe feels fantastic, and while it’s a budget version of the Kahr, it’s not a budget version of their trigger. 

To The Edge 

Ergonomically, the CW9 scores high. I already mentioned liking the grip length. The controls consist of the magazine release, the slide lock, and the trigger. The magazines fly out with a press of the release—they don’t just drop free; they fly out of the gun. The release is easy to reach, and reloads are quick. 

Kahr uses a massive slide release that’s easy to reach but very stiff. Using the slingshot method may be a bit more advisable. The slide release sits far enough that my thumbs don’t sit on it while I shoot, so I don’t have to use a less natural shooting style to avoid pinning down the slide release. 

In terms of reliability, the CW9 ate through the cheapest remanufactured ammo I had on tap. It chewed through some 124-grain +P JHP rounds and some steel ammo. The gun isn’t ammo-picky and is plenty reliable. I’ve yet to clean or lubricate the gun, but it just keeps shooting. 

Pros and Cons

Preferred Ammo 

Upgrade and Accessory Options

CW9 Upgrades and Accessories

Galco Speed Master 2.0		Leather Design OWB Holster Custom Formed to Gun	Check It Out
Talon Grips		Simple Stick On Grips Increase Grip Texture  Custom Cut For Kahr CW9	Check It Out
Kahr Extended Magazines		OEM Design 10 Round Capacity Grip Extension	Check It Out