06GT
11-06-2015, 07:42 AM
Wednesday I took my CW380 to the range and shot it for the first time. I'm happy to report it worked flawlessly with 4 of the 5 brands of ammo I tried.
I fired over 100 rounds and the only ammo that it didn't like was some old (90's) S&B 380 (9mm Browning Court) which I already knew was crap because it grouped so poorly in the LCP I used to have. American Eagle, Win PDX1, Herter's brass, and Hydra-Shok all worked perfectly in every way. The S&B had trouble feeding and going into battery. I suspect they were a bit wider than the rest, but I never did measure them with calipers.
The surprising thing is that when I took the pistol apart and cleaned it the next day I found that the slide stop, which worked perfectly the day before, was actually broken. Here are some pics so you can see that the rounded tab is broken off.
http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y333/KC06GT/IMG_20151105_134927_zpsg8ufau4d.jpg
http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y333/KC06GT/IMG_20151105_134826_zpsr1iucrxo.jpg
http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y333/KC06GT/IMG_20151105_134719_zps75dyn3rq.jpg
So it seems to me that tab which has broken off doesn't really do anything. The tab that the mag follower pushes on is in place and working, the corner that holds the slide in place and of course the pin and lever are all working. I'm pretty sure it was broken the whole time I've had it, I don't think it broke while I was shooting it. Does that missing tab serve any purpose?
All in all I'm very happy with the CW380 and I'm glad I traded in my LCP to get it. The problem I was having with the LCP was that it would hang up when feeding rounds up the feed ramp. The magazine floor plates on the LCP (both floor plate styles) are flush with the grip and when I had a tight hold on the grip, which is necessary, it would put pressure on the floor plate which moved the magazine in the well and ultimately caused the rounds to hang up on the feed ramp. It never fully jammed on me, but there was a noticeable hiccup when I would shoot it. The slide would only go forward partially and wouldn't fully return to battery until I loosened my grip. Ultimately it returned to battery and fired the next round each time, but it didn't inspire confidence.
I didn't have any problems with the CW380 and I feel better about carrying it than I did with the LCP. The CW380 is easier to hold, beats up my hands less, has better sights and a better trigger, and therefore gives me better groups than the LCP ever did. The last round hold open is nice too. It is one less thing to think about if an adrenaline pumping, seconds feel like hours, situation ever does arise. All my other pistols have that feature and now my primary carry gun does too.
The broken slide stop is the one thing that has given me pause. I decided to order the stronger slide stop for the P380 instead of asking Kahr to replace this one. I know the part that broke is actually no stronger on the P380 version and only the pin is machined instead of MIM, but I figured I'd spend the $35 to get the stronger part shipped to me and use the opportunity to make the small upgrade. I'm just wondering if I'm correct in surmising that the part which broke doesn't actually serve any functional purpose.
I fired over 100 rounds and the only ammo that it didn't like was some old (90's) S&B 380 (9mm Browning Court) which I already knew was crap because it grouped so poorly in the LCP I used to have. American Eagle, Win PDX1, Herter's brass, and Hydra-Shok all worked perfectly in every way. The S&B had trouble feeding and going into battery. I suspect they were a bit wider than the rest, but I never did measure them with calipers.
The surprising thing is that when I took the pistol apart and cleaned it the next day I found that the slide stop, which worked perfectly the day before, was actually broken. Here are some pics so you can see that the rounded tab is broken off.
http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y333/KC06GT/IMG_20151105_134927_zpsg8ufau4d.jpg
http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y333/KC06GT/IMG_20151105_134826_zpsr1iucrxo.jpg
http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y333/KC06GT/IMG_20151105_134719_zps75dyn3rq.jpg
So it seems to me that tab which has broken off doesn't really do anything. The tab that the mag follower pushes on is in place and working, the corner that holds the slide in place and of course the pin and lever are all working. I'm pretty sure it was broken the whole time I've had it, I don't think it broke while I was shooting it. Does that missing tab serve any purpose?
All in all I'm very happy with the CW380 and I'm glad I traded in my LCP to get it. The problem I was having with the LCP was that it would hang up when feeding rounds up the feed ramp. The magazine floor plates on the LCP (both floor plate styles) are flush with the grip and when I had a tight hold on the grip, which is necessary, it would put pressure on the floor plate which moved the magazine in the well and ultimately caused the rounds to hang up on the feed ramp. It never fully jammed on me, but there was a noticeable hiccup when I would shoot it. The slide would only go forward partially and wouldn't fully return to battery until I loosened my grip. Ultimately it returned to battery and fired the next round each time, but it didn't inspire confidence.
I didn't have any problems with the CW380 and I feel better about carrying it than I did with the LCP. The CW380 is easier to hold, beats up my hands less, has better sights and a better trigger, and therefore gives me better groups than the LCP ever did. The last round hold open is nice too. It is one less thing to think about if an adrenaline pumping, seconds feel like hours, situation ever does arise. All my other pistols have that feature and now my primary carry gun does too.
The broken slide stop is the one thing that has given me pause. I decided to order the stronger slide stop for the P380 instead of asking Kahr to replace this one. I know the part that broke is actually no stronger on the P380 version and only the pin is machined instead of MIM, but I figured I'd spend the $35 to get the stronger part shipped to me and use the opportunity to make the small upgrade. I'm just wondering if I'm correct in surmising that the part which broke doesn't actually serve any functional purpose.