My new toy . . .

[thardey]

I've been picking your brains on this board for quite a while now, trying to find a good fit for me to carry, but still have firepower, and I'm pretty happy with what I settled on.

Last weekend I picked up a Kahr CW .40 as my main carry pistol. It's a little light for a .40, but with a few mags through it, I'm sure I can get used to the extra kick - but I certainly wouldn't go any lighter for a .40.

It's just big enough that I can fit my whole hand on the grip, but it's just small enough (and slim, with a single-stack.) That it fits beautifully in my front pocket. (I wear slacks and loose-fit khaki's.) I avoided this gun before, since it looks bigger in the pictures than it actually is. (The trigger guard is small, so it makes the rest of the gun look bigger by comparison.)

I also really like the partially-cocked Double-action-only trigger. It reminds me of shooting my Glock, with just a little longer trigger pull. It makes for a very smooth pull, right out of the box. I've only put one box of ammo through it, so I'm looking forward to how it will feel after it smooths out. The factory recommended 200 shots to "break it in."

For those (like me, before this weekend) who haven't heard of the partially-cocked DAO, it works like this: When the slide cycles, the sear catches and cocks the firing pin about halfway back. Then the trigger only has to pull about 1/8th of an inch to bring the pin to a ready-to-fire position. It makes for a very smooth pull, with no external safeties.

The best part is that I picked it up for $415 at a gun show.

 

[BLACK LION]

cant go wrong with that

 

[Grenadier]

Nice choice, indeed!

Those Kahr pistols have the smoothest DAO trigger pulls I've ever felt.

Speer makes a 180 grain Gold Dot load specifically for short barrels. A bit under 900 fps muzzle velocity, but it expands reliably, thanks to the more aggressive cavity. Probably one of the softer-shooting .40 loads out there.

 

[KenpoTex]

Cool, I'm not a huge fan of the .40, but if you're happy with it (and if the gun is reliable) good on ya.

 

[Deaf Smith]

The CW has a polymer frame. Say does it kick alot? It's lighter and slimmer than a Glock.

I carry a Glock 27, .40S&W, but it dosn't kick much more than my Glock 26 9mm but I wonder about the Kahr.

Say, did you know the Kahr top of the line pistols have polygon rifling like Glocks, but the lower cost versions have conventional rifling.

Deaf

 

[KenpoTex]

I didn't know they used different rifling...interesting.

 

[thardey]

The CW has a polymer frame. Say does it kick alot? It's lighter and slimmer than a Glock.

I carry a Glock 27, .40S&W, but it dosn't kick much more than my Glock 26 9mm but I wonder about the Kahr.

Say, did you know the Kahr top of the line pistols have polygon rifling like Glocks, but the lower cost versions have conventional rifling.

Deaf

Mine has conventional rifling.

I does jump, and I had a tendency to grip it for dear life for the first couple of rounds, which made me tired - but when I relaxed, even "limp-wristed" it, and let it jump, it popped almost straight back, with much less muzzle flip than my Glock 21, so there was no problem. Also, rapid-fire was easy because of the minimal muzzle-flip. I could probably shot it fine by only holding it with two fingers, and letting my palm take the kick.

It felt about the same as my Colt .357 Lawman. (a full size revolver.) Definitely not enough kick to make me not want to practice. It was still fun to shoot. That's my measure of "too much kick." If it's no fun to play with, then it's too much.

I would definitely stick with the CW, not the PMs, because if the grip was any shorter, it would be a lot more punishing to shoot. As it is, you don't feel like you're shooting a compact, at all. That was with the regular 185 grain target loaded Winchesters. I haven't tried the low-recoil varieties yet.

 

[thardey]

Cool, I'm not a huge fan of the .40, but if you're happy with it (and if the gun is reliable) good on ya.

.40 not big enough for ya?

 

[KenpoTex]

.40 not big enough for ya?

On the contrary...I've always felt the .40 was an answer in search of a question. I'm perfectly happy (and confident) with a 9mm. I have to carry a .40 for work (Glock 23) and feel that the only thing it does for me is reduce capacity and increase muzzle flip (thereby increasing the time between follow-up shots).

just my opinion...

 

[Deaf Smith]

I didn't know they used different rifling...interesting.

Ken the polygon rifling used in Glocks is a very tight yet slick rifling. It's not real good with soft lead bullets (tends to leave part of themselves in the barrels and thus raises pressures.. as in kaboom) but very good with jacketed ones. You can expect a gain of about 30 fps over a conventionaly rifled barrel of the same length.

My Glock 26, using Wnchester +P+ 127 grain 'LEO only' loads gives a solid 1240 from the short 26 barrel and just about 1300 from a Glock 17. Not exactly .357 Magnum but getting there. I chroned that one myself!

The .357 Sig version I have, a Glock 32, gets over 1400 with 125gr loads. That IS .357 magnum.

As for the .40, it allows me to have a short frame weapon with a decent amount of ammo and decent velocity for a .40 round. It's my main carry gun.

You can expect an honest 1150 from the Winchster JHP 155gr from the little Glock 27! And around 1200 for the 135 DPX rounds (but the 155s are what I use and I don't loose sleep over worrying what is the 'best'.)

Not bad for a sub-compact with 11 to 12 shots! And if you want, carry a Glock 22 mag, 15 rounds, as your spare.

I use my Glock 26 is my practice gun. Same NY-1 trigger, same night sights, same everthing except cartridge. Use it in IDPA to.

Deaf

 

[KenpoTex]

Ken the polygon rifling used in Glocks is a very tight yet slick rifling. It's not real good with soft lead bullets (tends to leave part of themselves in the barrels and thus raises pressures.. as in kaboom) but very good with jacketed ones. You can expect a gain of about 30 fps over a conventionaly rifled barrel of the same length.

Yeah, I'm familiar with the difference, I just wasn't aware that Kahr offered pistols with both types of rifling.

 

[chinto]

cool if you are happy with a .40 and like the weapon go for it man!
Practice and get proficient with the weapon and very comfortable with it point shooting at close range, and sights at longer range.
For myself I prefer a .45, but that is just me.. a good .40 should do most of what a .45 will... I would like with a 9mm make it a habit to shoot twice.. the "double tap" with it. but then even with the .45 I practice that some times.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I moved from a 9 mm to a 40 cal. awhile ago and could not be happier. Heck after reading this thread today I am going shooting this morning.

 

[Dave Simmons]

Talking about 40 cal has anybody had a chance to shoot Springfield XDM 40 cal ? I am considering getting one with 4" barrel most of the people I know are Glock fans. So what do you all think of Springfield XD and the XDM?

 

[KenpoTex]

I don't like the XD...It's bulky (more so than the Glock), has a longer trigger-reset, has a higher bore-axis (more muzzle flip), is not as reliable, and IMO has too many safeties and gizmos.

just my $0.02

 

[thardey]

Talking about 40 cal has anybody had a chance to shoot Springfield XDM 40 cal ? I am considering getting one with 4" barrel most of the people I know are Glock fans. So what do you all think of Springfield XD and the XDM?

I don't like the XD...It's bulky (more so than the Glock), has a longer trigger-reset, has a higher bore-axis (more muzzle flip), is not as reliable, and IMO has too many safeties and gizmos.

just my $0.02

My opinion is mostly the same as KT, but then I'm one of the few lucky ones who have the type of hands/grip that the Glock was made for. (I have a .45, BTW.)

My sister, and one of my friends both recently bought XD .40's, and their hands are proportioned differently than mine - neither one felt "natural" with the Glock, but felt much better with the XD.

I've shot both of them, and they're both very reliable so far. But the longer trigger pull was a disadvantage, in my book. (Of course, with the Kahr, it's a much longer pull, but the gun is for a different purpose. - I didn't want a short pull in a pocket gun.)

It was actually in shooting the XD's that made me start looking for a .40 CCW gun in the first place. In short, it is still a good quality gun, and it is a lot of fun to shoot.

Like I said above, if it's fun to shoot, you'll shoot it more, and get better with it. If it's no fun to shoot, no matter how much it cost, you'll hate it, and even if you do carry it, you won't be comfortable when you need it.

 

[BLACK LION]

I have 2 XD .45 acps ... a full size 4" service model and a full size 5" model....
I shopped for glocks as most everyone would suggest and they do not fit in my hand not line up under the eye as I would like besides the safety is in the trigger and can be discharged if snagged....
I looked at 1911s (expensive) SIGs(expensive) and HK (expensive) I trolled every shop for every pistol and came up short or could not afford what I saw....
safety is an issue with me...wether it is retention , everyday carry , in the home or in the hands of a loved one... the XD is ultimate poster child for safety... but none require you do anything but put a full grip on the gun.... there are no safety levers to think or forget about....no buttons or switches.... it has a glock style trigger safety and a 1911 style grip safety which both work simultaneously together...if one is engaged and not the other the gun will not fire... so... there must be a deliberate firing grip on the pistol to activate the sear..... it also has an internal drop safety....
it has a chamber loaded indicator that protrudes when a round is ready to fire so you can be sure even in pitch black that the gun is ready to fire without visually inspecting or performing a press check....

there is also a striker ready indicator that protrudes from the rear when it is ready to fire so you know you are cocked and ready to let em loose...

it is not a single or dual action but an ultra safe action.... no hammer only a sear that is released when both the safeties are squeezed...

it is fully ambedextrious and uses point and shoot ergonomics....
it was accurate out of the box even in the hands of inexperienced shooters....

some people with small hands complain about the grip on my .45... but it also holds 13 rounds in a double stack mag so the grip reflects that... i am only 5'11" appx 185... i do not have big hands and I comfortably slipped on a hogue handall and it feels wondeful still....

they have an XDM now that has a few upgrades including interchangeable grips...it was released in .40 cal

you have to buy an xd to love it.... otherwise its just another addition to an already overwhelming market.... the gun speaks for itself and IMHO it is an highly improved glock.... it has features and improvements even the 2k wilson combats do not.... I can field strip it in 15 seconds the tolerances are excellent and the trigget pull is crisp and easy

did I mention they torture tested it and it functioned flawlessly....

 

[KenpoTex]

the gun speaks for itself and IMHO it is an highly improved glock.... it has features and improvements even the 2k wilson combats do not.... I can field strip it in 15 seconds the tolerances are excellent and the trigget pull is crisp and easy

did I mention they torture tested it and it functioned flawlessly....

To each his own, but AFAIC, the XD isn't even close to the Glock in reliability.

"Torture testing" aside, I know instructors who's word and opinions I trust that have stated that about 75% of the XDs (in all calibers) that come through their classes end up failing (everything from multiple malfunctions to actual parts breakage)at some point during the class. I have seen this with my own eyes on a couple of occasions.

 

[BLACK LION]

I have put hundreds of rounds through mine and have only had and FTE due to improper grip and a couple duoble feeds due to ammo and mag issues. I have heard of a guide rod breaking here and there and some extraction issues but the the only problems I have seen are from poor quality ammo or from issues with the magazine.
Its a matter of preference...I too have seen many occasions where glocks have failed to perform or were defective from the factory... I am not bashing glocks and in fact will purchase a 10mm g20 when money permits... they are more expensive(appx 700.00) and at this time outside my price range whereas the xd was 480.00 brand new...
If you look around there are plenty of people out there with nothing but positive feedback on their XD and the same for glock.... glock has been making pistols since 82 so they better be good.... XD just came about in 2002 and they have already commanded the respect they deserve... I wonder what the xd will be like after 25+ years of research and development....

there are glock lovers and xd lovers and some who dont like either... but if you want an opinion on an XD from someone who owns ,shoots and modifies them... then I have nothing but positive things to say about the xd...
to the dissapointment of the 1911 and glock crowd I chose the underdog.... twice

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

The XD just is not even close to the same level as a Glock. Just not the same reliability, really not even close. I am glad yours is working for you but these are two distinctly different beasts in terms of reliability and durability.

KenpoTex I too have seen a few XD failures.