CW45- Range Report and a Puzzle

[Lance39]

Took my CW45 to the range for the first time today and for the most part it went very well.
The first ammo I tried was a full box of Magtech 230gr FMJ. No problems. Every round fed and fired just as it should. Near the end of the box I tried a 6+1 loading and again there were no problems.
Next, some 200gr LSWC. The first four rounds I fired worked just as they should but after that I started having failures to eject. I'd thought any trouble would come from the shape of the slug but that wasn't the case: every round fed all right - just wouldn't eject.
Since these were reloads done by a friend of mine, I have to put the blame on the ammo rather than on the pistol.
Next came 25 rounds of Winchester WB 230gr JHP. Again, all the rounds fed and fired flawlessly (say THAT phrase three times quickly!) and again I tried a 6+1 loading with no problems.
Then, a partial box of S&B 230gr FMJ. Flawless again.

HANDLING
First shot was surprising. Threw my hand up pretty high.
Subsequent shots, now that I knew what to expect, were much more controlled.
Although I only fired about 80 rounds - and would have fired more if I'd brought more ammo - this gun just begs for some kind of cushioning on the backstrap. That stout recoil seems determined to drive the backstrap deep enough to make your hand look like a waffle.

ACCURACY
The first magazine I fired (5 yards) had all six rounds within the X ring of a standard siloughette target - with a couple of rounds sharing the same hole. Could have covered the group with my hand.
After that, the groups opened up. I attribute this to some over-confidence on my part - firing before getting a good sight picture in some cases - and that's where the "puzzle" of the title comes in:
I was under the impression that Kahr pistols required a full-travel trigger reset, but I'm not sure it was happening. Nor was the trigger consistent: most of the time I did have the full DAO travel (though that lightened much sooner than I expected) but some shots required such a light touch that they were almost accidental.
Anyone else ever experience this?

CONCLUSION
If the trigger proves to NOT be inconsistent (maybe it's me?) then I'll probably like this gun a lot. So far as accuracy matters, I'm not yet concerned: the purpose of this trip was really to burn through enough rounds to break in the pistol. Couldn't do 200 rounds because of the failure of the wadcutters. My next range trip (maybe Sunday) should complete that process and then I'll assess accuracy and handling with a keener eye and perhaps a padded grip.
What I proved today is that the pistol is as reliable as the ammo I put through it - and also proved that I did re-assemble the pistol correctly.

[O'Dell]

I think it was the ammo. I don't shoot reloads in any of my pistols. BTW, my CW45 is one of my favorite guns and the one I carry most.

[wyntrout]

Welcome to the forum, Lance.

When I got my PM45 I knew before firing it that those cheese graters needed to be covered and made my first bike tube grip cover... which didn't fit as well as I liked, so it went on the PM9... then I put one on the P380. Now I have them on all of my polymer Kahrs. It just give them a nice tactile grip and softens those prominent nibs, especially on the large pistols like the PM45.

As for the inconsistent trigger... I don't know about that. I had some trouble with mine that required a trip back to the factory because it wasn't resetting consistently... allowing pull to the rear without firing until another full forward reset. I forget what all they replaced on that trip, though.

Each trigger pull should be the same if allowed to fully go forward and reset.

Wynn:)

[jocko]

everything worked ok but the RELOADS. Hint Hint!

[Lance39]

everything worked ok but the RELOADS. Hint Hint!
That wasn't what puzzled me.
In fact, I mentioned in the OP that the reloads were to blame for failure to eject.

[jocko]

if the trigger was inconsistant, it should give issues and from what u stated it is not. More than likely more rounds down range will get u and the gun better mated up

[Lance39]

if the trigger was inconsistant, it should give issues and from what u stated it is not. More than likely more rounds down range will get u and the gun better mated up
That's what I'm hoping for.
I really, really want to love this gun.

[jocko]

I never really thing about trigger reset. It is just a normal thing with me in shooting a revolver, I knew I had to let up o the triggter to get it reset or retimed and going to a semi was no different. I can't say \I have ever short stroked my kahr or my glock.

[jocko]

I never really think about trigger reset. It is just a normal thing with me in shooting a revolver, I knew I had to let up o the triggter to get it reset or retimed and going to a semi was no different. I can't say \I have ever short stroked my kahr or my glock.

[nmkahrshooter]

Again, why buy a fine pistol and use crappy ammo? If you can't afford factory ammo don't blame the gun! Remember you get what you pay for!

[Lance39]

Again, why buy a fine pistol and use crappy ammo? If you can't afford factory ammo don't blame the gun! Remember you get what you pay for!
With all due respect, you need to quit speed-reading posts.
I knew the reloaded ammo was why the gun failed to eject and I never blamed the gun.
Why did I shoot the reloads? Because I have about a hundred of them and they work well in my Taurus PT845 (though my son's PT845 reacts to them just as my CW45 did: FTE.) So taking them along to see how they'd work in the CW45 was in the nature of an experiment and now I know the results of that experiment.

[gb6491]

Lance39,
Excellent range report, thanks for taking the time to put it together.
Regards,
Greg

[OldLincoln]

A lot of 'stuff' works itself out before long, including ammo sensitivity. Initially it needs pretty stout round nose rounds to overcome break in friction, then it gradually turns into a 'Mikey' eating whatever you feed it.

[nmkahrshooter]

Didn't speed read. Have seen a lot of posts complaining about mis-feeds and low and behold most of the time its reloaded ammo. All I am saying is especially during break in why would anybody use it?

[Old Salt]

Great report. You will love the CW45 as I do. It makes me laugh when some people think they know what other people can or can not afford. Keep posting your reports and thoughts but most of all keep shooting and be safe.

[walnutred]

Since 95% of the pistol ammo I shoot is reloads I’m curious as to why you were having trouble. Usually if you are going to have problems in a semi auto with reloads it will be feeding not extracting. Were these lighter target loads which did not have enough force to extract and eject? I’ve just ordered dies for my CW40 and part of the reason I chose the CW 40 is that 40 S&W is one of the few pistol calibers I’ve not reloaded for.

[Lance39]

Since 95% of the pistol ammo I shoot is reloads I’m curious as to why you were having trouble. Usually if you are going to have problems in a semi auto with reloads it will be feeding not extracting. Were these lighter target loads which did not have enough force to extract and eject? I’ve just ordered dies for my CW40 and part of the reason I chose the CW 40 is that 40 S&W is one of the few pistol calibers I’ve not reloaded for.
I don't load these myself and I can't interpret the codes used by the loader. However, I suspect they might be
closer to "powder puff" loads than commercial ammo.
As I mentioned above, they have worked perfectly in my Taurus PT845 but fail to eject in my son's PT845. Could be my 845 has a slightly weaker spring, I suppose, allowing it to fully cycle with light loads.
The CW45, by contrast, does not have a light or weak spring - though I'd expect it to change over time and lots of shooting.

[walnutred]

Does sound like a spring tension issue then. Obviously the solution is for you to learn to reload your own ammo so you have more control over the process. :D Not counting my time I'm reloading 45 ACP <$3/50 and who counts time on a hobby.

[45Shooter]

I took my new CW45 to the range yesterday I shot 212 rounds of Remington 230 grain UMC thru her no problems with a tight shot pattern. I like the grips just as they are I thought it was easier to control than my G30SF I felt is was less kick and my wrist isn't as sore as it is after shooting that many rounds thru my Glock. The trigger pull seems long but it resets just over half way on release. I am very impressed with my CW45 and enjoyed shooting it. It's much lighter on my side to yes I'm 4 rounds lighter but with a spare 7 round magazine I think its a good trade off. This is going to be my EDC and I'm loving it. I ordered the Mitch Rosen holster from Kahr at 2:00am This morning and received a email at 10:00am i received confirmation it was shipped. I do want to put a bright paint or something on the front sight. I seemed to loose the front sight against the back sight and a white paper target occasionally. I think some bright paint would solve that issue.


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[Lance39]

Congrats on the new pistol and on a good shooting experience.
Although I've so far shot many less rounds than you, I can feel the break-in process working and hope to make mine an EDC after a few more trips to the range.

[OldSarge]

Lance39

I have put the limbsaver grips on my CW9, and P11. Wonderful change, my old wrist joints really enjoy them. Have shot the P45, and agree something is needed. The limbsaver product is not very expensive, and provides protection especially high up on the backstrap.

[accurat]

Does sound like a spring tension issue then. Obviously the solution is for you to learn to reload your own ammo so you have more control over the process. :D Not counting my time I'm reloading 45 ACP <$3/50 and who counts time on a hobby.

This. Not enough energy contained in the reloads to reset the mechanism.

[Lance39]

Last week I took the new pistol to the range and only managed to fire 80 rounds through it. Would have been more, but the gun did not like the LSWC reloads I brought along. Fed and fired all the commercial ammo with no problem, however.
Today I returned to the range, armed with 50 rounds of Magtech 230gr .45ACP and 100 rounds of S&B 230gr .45ACP. And, just for grins, I took along the same box of reloads to see whether last week's failure was a break-in problem. (Could have been: I saved them for last and managed to fire 40 rounds, though I did have some Fail to Feed and Fail to Eject. No problem, though: this was just an experiment and the reloads work fine in my Taurus PT845 and my Ruger Vaquero.)
As for the commercial ammo: all 150 rounds fed and fired just as they should and when I do my part the pistol is accurate enough for social work. Oddly, my best groups of the day came near the end of the session when I fired 3 or 4 mags offhand.
Then I tried a couple of mags offhand, weak hand. I'm sure there were groups when using the weak hand, but they may have been the size of a Volkswagen.
At any rate, with about 275 rounds through the pistol, that should complete the break-in (which the owner's manual lists at 200 rounds) and the CW45 can now go into rotation as one of my EDC guns.