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I was looking at purchasing a handgun and have been interested in glock's but dealer I went to the other day handed me a Kahr cw-9. Gun felt nice in the hand but never heard much about the company. Anyone have any input for either company?


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First handgun? Seems you are not sure you know what you want, and what you want it for, right?
1. Go to a Place to Shoot, or similar and rent several. See what feels best on your hands, or,
2. Just buy whatever tickles your fancy. It wont be the last handgun you'll buy.
3. Get a practical handgun safety class,
4. Go shoot the heck out of it.
Then, you will have some first hand experience, and posts here will make more sense.

Handguns are tools. There is a handgun for each need / want / budget. And you will avoid snide replies.

Happy huntin'...

PS. You won't go wrong with either Glock or Karh.
 
What do you want the handgun for? Daily carry? Home defense? Target shooting? What caliber are you looking to shoot? My first gun was a Ruger SR9, a 9mm semiauto pistol, very nice gun for the money I think. Fairly slim, but holds 17+1 rounds, shoots well, and hasn't given me any problems (have 400+ rounds thru it). Plan on using it for my carry gun when I get my CCL. But if you want a revolver or something bigger, lots of other options out there!
 
I was looking at purchasing a handgun and have been interested in glock's but dealer I went to the other day handed me a Kahr cw-9. Gun felt nice in the hand but never heard much about the company. Anyone have any input for either company?


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If this is your first hand gun.......

Don't do what Wifey and I did. We, well, for her, we made the mistake of buying a sub compact. Royal pain in the butt to learn to shoot a sub compact, happened to be a Kel Tec P-11. The CW-9 is barely bigger than that P-11. Good advice for a nice 4"-6" revolver, or a Glock would be a good choice. I'd also suggest a Ruger SR9, great price and a real decent single action trigger. It's just easier to hit what you aim at with the longer gun, and recoil is much easier to deal with in a larger gun.

Once you get used to shooting a regular sized gun THEN go get the little guy. Then, before you know it you'll have several guns, then there's the gun safe, and then reloading and then.....Actually the secure gun storage should come before the several guns!

Have fun!

Mike
 
I've owned a Kahr CW9 for a few months and it was a good quality pistol, and very nice to carry. The trigger was nice for what it was and it cycled good. I personally didn't like the single stack magazine because the 9mm sits funny when you use it in a single stack mag, and I didn't care much for how complicated the slide was to disassemble (for detail cleaning) compared to a Glock.

My top three recommendations would be Glock 19, PPQ, and M&P.
 
I figured you would say that Certaindef... It would be my ccl gun but more or less home defense and side arm when hunting. Wanting something light weight and easy to carry. Unfortunately there aren't any ranges near me to go shoot at or at least all the gun shops told me there isn't any. I don't want to buy a gun that I won't like and have to try and resell so having a little Issue with this as it's at least an hour drive to the closest range.


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My first and still my favorite gun is a Gen 4 Glock 19. Perfect for range, home defense, and conceal carry.
A dream to shoot and easy maintenance. Do you know anyone who has a Glock or Kahr you could try out?
If you can't rent one or borrow one, go with the one that feels most comfortable. As mentioned above, also
consider the PPQ. I own two of the originals, a 9m and a .40 and they have a great ergos and a very nice trigger.
I wouldn't want to carry one though.

You will eventually end up buying more than one gun- we all do, lol- and if for some reason you buy one you don't
like, you can sell or trade it and recouple a good percentage of your investment.

My personal preference for the best all round gun is still the G19.....not that I am biased or anything :)
 
I prefer either of my Kimbers in .45 over any of my Kahr's and I have a CW-45, a P45 and a PM9 or the two Taurus PT-145's I also have. Either of my Kimbers is better (for me) than any of the Kahr's or Taurus's. I prefer the Super Carry Ultra + with a CT laser grip though.


Deen
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"A gun is like a parachute. If you need one and don't have it, you'll probably never need one again!"
 
I figured you would say that Certaindef... It would be my ccl gun but more or less home defense and side arm when hunting. Wanting something light weight and easy to carry. Unfortunately there aren't any ranges near me to go shoot at or at least all the gun shops told me there isn't any. I don't want to buy a gun that I won't like and have to try and resell so having a little Issue with this as it's at least an hour drive to the closest range.


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Heh, you know I'm just kidding you. You're getting some good input here and I hope you find a worthy carry gun.
Oh, and Portland's not that far from Salem.. the thought on renting a few of the more common guns is good.
 
I recently acquired a used CM9 and am pretty pleased with it. I almost always carry a 1911 so the looooonnnnnnnnggggggg trigger pull takes a little while to get used to when shooting targets, but it works well.

It's very controllable when shooting, much more than expected. For the money I think it's hard to beat.

The CW9 is a larger gun and would probably work better for the OP's intended use.

However, if I was looking at new guns right now, I would seriously consider a 40 S&W (CW40), just because ammo for it it a LOT easier to find in the stores.
 
Last Edited:
My biggest issue is something light weight I am an archery hunter so I want something comfortable to carry. I have ran into some creepy *** people in the woods and I am starting to take my daughter more and more into the woods with me so I want something for protection while she is with me. That's why the kahr has been so appealing to me but same goes for the glock with reliability and easy to clean. I know your just messing with me Certaindef no hard feelings.


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I carry a SP101 3" in the woods. It's stainless, relatively small, very powerful (357) and very reliable.

I own automatics, almost all of them (haha) but for a simple gun to take into the wood when fishing, hiking/back packing, I always carry the SP101.

BTW, I ditched the original POS grip eons ago and replaced it with a Hogue.

ETA: If weight is your main concern, you can look at S&W Airlite's They're running about 12oz IIRC.
 
I carry a SP101 3" in the woods. It's stainless, relatively small, very powerful (357) and very reliable.

I own automatics, almost all of them (haha) but for a simple gun to take into the wood when fishing, hiking/back packing, I always carry the SP101.

BTW, I ditched the original POS grip eons ago and replaced it with a Hogue.

I was in your shoes a few years ago and went the wheel gun route with my first one, same gun as above. Good move on my part. Not to take away those senior members advice, heck I'm just a young-un in the firearms world and what do I know.:)
 
Forget all that "spend money at the range to figure out which one you want" They are both relatively inexpensive guns, and both are respectable so your risk is minimal.. Kahr has been around a long time and has a great name in the market. Many Die-hard fans.

So just buy what ever you like and then when you decide you want something else down the road hit the forum up. There is no doubt someone here is willing to take it off your hands.

If your going to burn lead at the range, it might as well be through your carry piece.
 
Regarding Kahr's reputation, it's excellent. Made in the USA, good quality guns designed from the beginning for concealed carry.

Regarding the CW9 specifically, I have a K9 (same external dimensions as the CW9 but with a stainless frame instead of polymer) and it's a great gun. Accurate, easy to conceal. Kahrs have a long trigger pull that some folks find objectionable, but the pull isn't too heavy and it's a consistent weight start to finish. I've been considering a P9 (upgraded CW9) to replace my K9 for carry and save a few ounces.

Edited to add: If you want a place to go try out a few guns you should go to the Clackamas Public Safety range. It's much closer for us mid-valley folk than A Place to Shoot, which is at the far north end of Portland. The Clackamas range is at 82nd/Sunnybrook in Happy Valley, just south of Clackamas Town Center. Good folks there, you can rent guns to try before you buy (assuming they have what you're after).

Public Safety Training Center & Indoor Shooting Range
 

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