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Just because I carry a boat anchor cleverly disguised as a 1911 doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a gun that’s roughly the same size and weight as an iPhone 6+. Pocket pistols have their place. Guess where? And no, I’m not a hypocrite. When I advise people to schlep the heaviest gun they can comfortably carry I’m aware that a 13.9 ounce fully loaded CW380 is the heaviest gun some people can comfortably carry. Have you slipped a 9mm sub-compact in the front pocket of an Ermenegildo Zegna summer weight suit? Let’s just say no one’s pleased to see you. Anyway, here’s the thing about the Kahr CW380 . . .
It fires a piss-ant little bullet. The .380 ACP round coming out of the Kahr’s snout is positively dainty, especially when compared to its larger caliber cousins. Why carry a .380 semi-automatic handgun when any number of tiny nines will fire an equally improved bigger, badder 9mm cartridge? Because the Kahr CW380 is a pussycat.
There’s a size below which a 9mm handgun becomes a jumpy little bastard. Where range practice is about as much fun as hitting your hand with a hammer. Repeatedly. If you’re discounting the Kahr Arms CW380 as a pocket gun because you have more faith in a 9mm bullet’s ability to stop a deadly threat, I recommend a compact rather than a subcompact 9mm. The CW380 — or a larger 9mm pistol — offers you the best chance of initial accuracy and on-target follow-up shots.
What’s that you say? Who cares about accuracy when we’re talking about a gun designed to be used at bad breath distance? Nobody, really. Except anyone who values shot placement over the misguided belief that any handgun round will cause immediate bad guy incapicitation (provided said bullet enters said miscreant in that hallowed ground known as center mass). Or anyone who doesn’t think they can miss an attacker at seven yards.
In short, there’s nothing terribly wrong with choosing a .380 for armed self-defense. The Kahr CW380 is minute-of-bad-guy all day long. Well, for seven rounds. If this or another .380 is the easiest, maybe even only way to carry, carry on. At the risk of repeating myself, never forget that concealed carry comfort is . . .
a weighty issue. The lock breech, modified Browning type recoil lug CW380 is one of the smallest and lightest .380’s money can buy. Those of you who gravitate to all things GLOCK please note that the .380 caliber GLOCK 42 (and the 9mm GLOCK 43) weigh in at 22.36 oz. That’s 8.46 ounces — half a pound — more than the smaller Kahr. A difference you can feel. Or, more accurately, don’t have to feel.
As always, the mention of Gaston’s gat raises the issue of reliability. This website reviewed a Kahr CW380 that failed to feed, eject and lock back. (We also featured a G42 that did the same thing.) That’s completely unacceptable for a carry pistol. The factory-recommended 200-round break-in period isn’t entirely reassuring, either. And the Kahr won’t reliably load Speer Gold Dots for love nor money. (Hornady Critical Defense fed like Luby’s.)
All that said the Kahr CW380 I tested experienced none of those issues through 1000 rounds, including one initial cleaning to remove the factory’s test-fire residue and one mid-test cleaning. I would trust my life to this gun. ‘Nuff said?
How about this: the Kahr CW380 is the Keira Knightley of .380’s: dangerously thin, endlessly sleek and entirely elegant. Our black and grey sample was perfectly proportioned: 4.96″ long by 3.9″. That said, the long-fingered amongst us — you lucky bastards — should give the CW380 a miss, lest your index finger extend beyond the gun’s muzzle when not pulling the trigger. The CW380’s textured polymer grip stippling is no more aggressive than a slightly peeved Schnauzer, but secures the firearm like a locked kennel.
The CW380’s trigger is river stone smooth and gently curved, with none of that GLOCK trigger-pull-within-a-trigger-pull safety action misegos. Yes, the Kahr’s go-pedal motors miles from initial take-up to its vanishing point. And yes, the reset takes you all the way back to GO, passing every property on the board. But the CW380 is a perfectly controllable firearm, astoundingly accurate for one so small — especially when fed with hollow-points it likes (your mileage will vary). And hey! The slide locks back when you’re done.
Unlike a similarly-sized revolver (e.g. the Smith & Wesson 640), the CW380’s drift adjustable white bar-dot combat rear sight and pinned polymer front sight are a lot more than mostly useless. Sit the CW380’s front sight on top of the rear, Heinie Straight 8-style, and you’ve got an excellent idea of where your bullet will go. Combined with the cartridge’s minimal recoil, fast follow-up shots are easy — provided you grip the diminutive gun like grim death.
The CW380 is the P380’s cheaper brother ($419 vs. $667 ). The “budget” CW sports a conventional rifled barrel instead of the P’s match grade polygonal barrel, the CW’s slide stop lever is metal-injection-molded, and the CW380 comes with one less Pez dispenser. Make that magazine. Ask my Mercedes dealer; I’m a sucker for upgrades. But this Kahr isn’t one of those upgradeable machines where the value-driven consumer will have to complain or explain.
While Kahr Arms rightly touts the CW380 as an ideal back-up gun, the eminently pocketable pistol’s quality, portability, reliability, accuracy and price tag make it suitable for buyers looking for a handgun to carry when they can’t carry a larger firearm. The CW380 adds a welcome measure of ballistic protection for those who earn their crust suited and booted, or engage in what younger people call “an active lifestyle.” Remember: if you like your nine millimeter, you can keep your nine millimeter. And have a Kahr CW380 for pocket carry.
Kahr CW380 Specifications:
Caliber: .380 ACP
Capacity: 6+1 (flush mag) or 7+1 (extended mag)
Materials: Black polymer frame and matte stainless steel slide
Weight: 10.2 oz without magazine
Barrel Length: 2.58”
Barrel Rifling: Conventional 1 in 16 right hand twist
Overall Length: 4.96”
Width: 0.75”
Sights: Drift adjustable white bar-dot combat rear, pinned in polymer front
Action: Striker-fired, double action only
Price: $419 MSRP
Where To Buy
Kahr CW380 Ratings (out of five stars):
Style * * * * *
It’s a pretty little thing that somehow maintains the macho.
Ergonomics (carry) * * * *
It’s the pocket pistol, easily concealed in a simple sleeve. That said, grabbing the CW380 from any holster is more than a bit fiddly, requiring a grip change before deployment.
Ergonomics (firing) * * * *
How can one so small be so demure? Something to do with a recoil spring stouter than a glass of Guinness. [Note: manhandle that slide and press check to make sure the CW380 is loaded.] Grip it like a python and you’re good to go.
Reliability * * * * *
Others have reported issues, which may or may not be related to limp-wresting. Ours was failure free for 1000 rounds.
Customization * * *
You can fit the CW380 with night sights and/or a laser — which add considerably to the cost of a gun that isn’t exactly cheap (despite being the P380’s less expensive sibling).
Overall * * * * *
Caliber snobs need not apply. Gun buyers who want or need a really small soft-shooting pistol should add this to their arsenal.
Modern pocket .380s make the old AMT Backup look pretty desperate.
I had one of those.
Dead-nuts reliable, weighed about as much as Roseanne Barr.
Not a bad gun, actually, except for the terminal slide-bite…
I’m not sure I’d describe mine as reliable. It works well with a new production magazine though.
5-11 has a best designed for concealed carry. It is slightly shorter than a suit coat and can conceal a full size. So if the 5-11 best works than so does a suit.
Just saying.
You must not wear suits very often.
Except dudes who wear suits don’t usually leave the jacket on all day long.
I wore suits almost everyday for 30 years and I seldom took off the jacket even though I lived in the DC area. I have carried everything from a Nano to a GI 45 without ever breaking concealment while wearing a suit.
My P938 is one of my favorite shooters.
It’s accurate, weighs an even pound with empty magazine, and it shoots 147gr 9mm defensive ammo with amazing accuracy.
And no, I don’t find the recoil any more bothersome than shooting 230gr in my 40oz 1911.
Yeah but getting that darn spring back on the P938 is a little tricky, after cleaning.
If this pistol is anything like my Kahr P380, then I am confident that it’s an overpriced, unreliable bag of dog vomit.
If this gun is anything like my CW9, it is utterly reliable and reasonably priced. You may have (have had) an older Kahr, when they had all kinds of reliability issues (and matching bad reviews). I bought mine in December 2013, have fired well over 1000 rounds, and have had only one FTE–and that was my fault. And it does not care what I feed it. I paid under $400 for the gun, a deal for anything in 9mm.
I got my P380 in late 2010. Even after 1000 rounds, it couldn’t get through two six-round mags without some sort of failure, no matter what kind of ammo I fed it. Ejecting the mags was also a chore. The walls of the grip were so thin, you could actually pinch the mag through the walls and prevent the mag from dropping after you pressed the release. Hopefully they’ve made improvements.
me too
Me three. My P380 was the worst pistol I’ve ever owned. Despite four trips back to Kahr for warranty repair, it failed in just about every way a semiauto pistol can fail.
Yes, Mark, I agree completely. My CW380 and CW9 from ’14 and ’15 have both been completely reliable since the first 100 rounds. That’s with cheap (sometimes flat-nosed, whatever Walmart has on hand) FMJ, my hand loads and Hornady Critical Defense ammo. Tom Gresham mentioned last year that an unnamed gun manufacturer told him it takes shooting five full magazine loads to break in a magazine so the break-in period may include both pistol and mags. Also, these are the most comfortable small pistols I have found to shoot and don’t dread at all the monthly “qualifying” I do with them. And great for home carry, too. Love ’em! But that’s just my experience.
I have a first generation P9. It has been utterly reliable. Thousands of rounds through it, using primarily Wolf and Winchester White Box—and it always works.
I just bought a CW380 which I haven’t fired yet, but I have utter faith in Kahr.
Don’t be, my CW380 has been a little finiky, my K9 and CW9 have been 100% out of the box. I have had friends that have had issues with the Kahr 45s
Regarding Kahr .45s, I have owned every version from T45, P45, & PM45 and experienced in every one of them the slide stop walking out of position til it jammed the pistol. That usually occurred at round 2 to 3 after a reload. No, my hand position on the grip came nowhere near the rt side of the shaft usually pushed out at the disassemble notch. It was always a mystery why it happened because the 9s & 380s ran well except for the issue of the extended magazine of the 9s will shed the top round in your magazine carrier unless it fits the mag tightly.
A mite startled by the “new” TTAG. That lasted maybe 10 seconds. I have no problem with a 380. I’ve had a Taurus that ran fine. Yes LOTS of problems reported with this tiny Kahr(like Taurus). Methinks much of it stems from folks not cleaning,shining or knowing that a tiny gun has much tighter tolerances than that big honker 45. The Glock 42 is huge compared to this or the Taurus,Kel-tec or LCP. And I got scolded for daring to suggest a roundnose boo-lit(Pow’rBall) made feeding a breeze-instead of a gaping hollowpoint that might hang up(with only slightly better ballistics)…well I hope this new format runs better guys.
Pow’r’B Ball is great.
That or Polycase/Ruger ARX is my .380 round of choice.
We have a Browning 1911-380. You get better ballistics out of a 4.25″ barrel and it only weighs 17 oz.
Cleaning it is crazy important, mine is only good for 100 rounds, then I can run into issues. But it is always reliable, if it is clean.
Mine was terrible. Through 500 plus rounds I could never get through a 50 round box of any type of ammo, even the stuff it ‘liked’ without failure.
To be fair, I bought one of the first production runs. They may have ironed out issues by now. I REALLY wanted to like it, it had all the right proportions, was very accurate, and handled well… I just couldn’t trust my life to it.
I traded on a loss but financed a G26 that has been boringly reliable. I may have to revisit one if things have gotten better with them.
Mine has been utterly reliable. Both of the owners of one of my LGSs have one, and one, a former CHP officer, carries his. (His brother is more into flavor of the day.) It may be time to try a new one.
Kahr had the striker spring get too high on the early ones (or the recoil spring too low). I had them send me a new set of springs and I have been good after the swap. There are still some types it will not run reliably, but it is 100% with others. I can run into issues after 100 rounds without cleaning.
There are a couple of Kahrs in 9 mm that also fit the pocket carry bill. The CM9 comes in at 14 oz minus mag, is 6+1, is 5.42″ long (3″ barrel) and 4.0″ high, weighing in at 14 oz. For a little more grip surface, the CW9 is 7+1, 5.9″ long (3.5″ barrel) and 4.5″ high, weighing in at 15.9 inches minus mag. 17.8 oz with. (MSRP is just $40 more than the .380, and usually can be found for $100 less.) I own the latter, and it fits in most of my pants pockets, although the pocket sleeve I currently have gets a bit sweaty when it is hot and humid. it too has been utterly reliable.
Great and entertaining write up, Robert. I really enjoyed reading it.
“The CW380’s grip stippling is no more aggressive than a slightly peeved Schnauzer, but secures the firearm like a locked kennel.”
RF has been taking writing style notes from Ralph… 🙂
Nice coffee maker. Nice gun. Both very high-quality equipment.
In that size pistol I don’t see how you can do better than the Sig P/38. Mine is stone reliable, accurate, and actually fun to shoot- the only mouse gun I can say that about.
That should have read Sig P238
You know what else can’t take Speer Gold Dot? Taurus M380, a revolver. Apparently the bullets of Gold Dot are oversized just by about 0.050 (at least according to my calipers). Not that it’s a great excuse for the tiny Kahr to have trouble… After all, Glock 42 fieeds Gold Dots just fine. Still, it’s a certain known property of that ammunition.
The Glock 42 is a WAY bigger gun.
“Reliability * * * * *
Others have reported issues, which may or may not be related to limp-wresting. Ours was failure free for 1000 rounds”
Mine would be failure free for maybe 12 rounds. No limp-wristing either. I had others shoot it, smiths, range officers, LEO instructor and my brother-in-law(retired AF special forces). The problem happened for all of them. What I did not appreciate was the service from Kahr. My phone conversation made me feel like it was my fault and I had to send it in on my dime. Other companies have emailed me the shipping label for work to be done. I got it back with a change in spring and the ramp polished. Problems still occurred for myself and others. The gun would not shoot defensive ammo at all. The only reliable ammo was HPR ball. I bought extra magazines and it still occurred. I spent a good bit on ammo to see this is a flawed gun. This is a shame since I have a CM9 which is a great gun and still one of my daily carry pieces. Kahr has horrible customer service. For a gun I depend on I now buy from reliable companies such as Ruger or S&W.
I replaced the CW380 with a Bodyguard and a LCP Custom. Both are reliable with NO problems.
Junk gun, bad firing pin design, prone to breaking under normal use.
Was also picky about a lot of ammo.
Kahrs service was pretty bad, had to keep sending it in and they claimed to fix it but they never really did anything according to the work orders. Felt like I owned a Ferrari without the fun and all the headaches.
I traded it in on a sig p238, never had a problem with that gun.
For a minimum of $200 to $400 more than the CW380, that P238 damn well be a better pistol.
This was the first gun I purchased only a few months ago. I did not realize there was a 200 round break in until after I got home and read the manual. I had many failure to feed and failure to return to battery issues. I thought it was just the break in period. Around 400 rounds, I was having to adjust the slide or clear a jam for every shot. To Kahr’s credit, they did send me a shipping label and returned my gun within three weeks with multiple parts replaced. I have not had a chance to get back to the range yet to try it out, but I have been thinking a lot about taking it to a local gun shop, telling them everything that happened with the gun, and trading it in on something I can trust. If I trade, do I go up to a subcompact, or do I stay around the same size with revolver that may (or may not) be less prone to issues? I will probably try it out again first, because it is just so easy to carry. Then again, it was less dependable than a paperweight if I needed it. I just keep going back and forth. And, now I am rambling.
I own a P380 black slide. It is my gun when I can’t carry a gun. It pretty much only lives in an Alabama pocket holster in my right-front pocket. In my experience, though, I can’t bury the front sight like every other gun I own. To make hits, I’ve got to line up the top of the rear sight with the bottom of the front sight. This was my experience with another P380, too.
I have a Kahr P380. After several hundred rounds it stopped going into battery. Replaced recoil spring. Didn’t fix it. Sent to factory. They “fixed” it. It still occassionally doesn’t go into battery. OTOH, my new generation Colt Mustang Pocketlite has about 1,000 rounds through it and almost never hicupped.
YMMV.
Sold my P380 and bought a CT380. Love my Kahrs. P380 was just too small for me. It’s dinky, which is why I bought, of course, but, well, just a little too dinky when I was shooting it. CT fits my hand perfectly ( I’m medium/small hand sized). It’s my goldilocks sized gun, just right.
>> The lock breech, modified Browning type recoil lug CW380 is one of the smallest and lightest .380’s money can buy.
Huh?
CW380 – 13.9 oz
Taurus TCP – 10.2 oz
Ruger LCP – 9.6 oz
Kel-Tec P3AT – 8.3 oz
Notice the outlier…
the Kahr is 10.2 Oz unloaded. I noticed another “outlier” on the bell curve
Anyone know how the CW380’s trigger is when compared to a Ruger LCP Custom’s trigger?
I used to be a caliber snob until i got my carry permit, packing two .45’s during my morning 2.5 mile walk wearing warm weather clothes wasnt going to happen. A nice chat with Tim Sundles at Buffalo Bore about what ammo to stuff in my LCP;s fixed my snob issues.
800 rounds. Figured out what ammo works. Diligent on the cleaning and lubing, leaving the CW open for days. Also, working with the magazines and new springs for em. Now, It is LOVE< The little Kahr carries So well. Love my Sticky Holster, in the pocket. It NEVER comes out with the gun. At least it never did in 400 real "strokes." XTP Hollowpoints are the way to go, makes it as lethal as a 9mm x 19…… (Luger). It is proven. I saw the test.
My Cw380 is the worst gun I have ever owned. Its so bad I wont sell it ensuring no one else ends up with it.
I felt like I won the lottery when a round would chamber, fire, and the next round would chamber.
I talked to Kahr about the issues and was promptly and rudely informed the warranty paperwork included with the gun clearly states it is the owners responsibility to pay for shipping the gun back for warranty work so I decided to fix the gun myself. What I found is the machining is so crude Kahr makes the customer run several hundred rounds hoping the gun wears the surfaces smooth but some are machined so bad that simply wont happen (like mine). After careful examination I found the following needed polishing – breech face, chamber, back of extractor, underside of mag feed lips. I also noticed the extractor was square causing rounds to hang instead of smoothly sliding up a progressive ramp, so I took a file and rounded the extractor end. I also had weak recoil springs straight out of the box causing the pistol to not return to battery. I also reduced the hump in the mag follower and reprofiled the feed ramp allowing all ammunition types to feed. After doing all these things the gun ran like a gem with any ammunition. Now after about 400 rounds I’m having light primer strikes. I anticipate the firing pin to break any day now judging by all the reports online
I would never trust this pistol for self defense. A Taurus TCP would be an upgrade.
I really wanted to love the Kahr CW380. Its tiny, fits my hand well, striker fired low bore axis pocket pistol. When it works its accurate and soft shooting BUT its unreliable and the company knows they are unreliable and don’t want to fix them on their dime. There are to many reports similar to my experience to take a chance.
Do yourself a favor and skip this one.
My worst as well. I love my CW9; assumed the CW380 would be deficient only in caliber. Will not let my wife use it, even though it fits her. Lots to like about it when it actually cycles the next round, but that doesn’t happen. Have 250+ rounds through it, all sorts of ammo. FTF or failure to go completely into battery. Bought a second magazine and same problems. I will never sell this to anyone else either, just take the loss.
Because it’s too hard to send it to Kahr for warranty repair. Call them. They send you a box. You mail it off. They fix it and mail it to your door depending on what state you live in.
Get a PM9, I have been carrying 43 years, and using this for the past 7, it has never failed ti fire, or eject. I initially fired 6 different mags with 7 or 8 types of ammo, not one problem. I have heard that the 380 is tempermental, but the PM is not that much larger and it’s a 9mm. I have several guns, 4 glocks, but for all day carry, “even around the house and outside walking my dog. I trust this as much as any gun I own. But clean it, like one guy said, they don’t like dirt.
I bought a used Kahr P380, thinking if I didn’t like the gun or had any of the issues I had been reading about, I could always sell it. I applied the “cardinal rule” of always loading the chamber by releasing the slide lock and have not had a single issue with the 200 rounds I have fired through it so far. The trigger is smooth and recoil light. It is fun and accurate to shoot and so light it conceal carries without any discomfort. It is my go anywhere CCW and despite my early skepticism I can confidently recommend it.
I don’t agree
http://www.guns.com/2013/02/11/taurus-m380-mini-revolver-how-to-lighten-the-trigger-video/
I’ve had mine for a couple of years. Very accurate. Never any reliability issues. Bought it new for under $270. Gold dots are not the best anmo for this weapon. Fiochi Extrema with Hornady XTP. Watch the reviews on you tube channel Shooting the Bull. Extensive testing to find the best ammo for pocket .380’s. Gold Dot was nowhere close. This is a great gun that can be bought for a great price.
I carry a Taurus PT709 Slim which could be called the little sub-compact brother of the highly successful and universally-praised compact PT111 G2.- which I also own. The two guns are operationally identical and since they both shoot 9mm x 19 ammo, I also save money by only having to buy boxes of Lugers to keep on hand.
I never made it past the first few paragraphs of whining about the .380. Try covering guns in the calibers you like and leave the guns in calibers that you don’t like to people who like them.
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I love my CW380, When it works. I sent it in two times now for the same problem. Light strikes. The customer service is really a problem at Kahr . They have had it since 12/28/17. When I sent it the lead time was 4/6 wks. I contacted them with a email and now its 8/9 wks. They probably didn’t like what I had to say. It its not correct this time I will sell it & carry my Sig238.
I love my CW380, When it works. I sent it in two times now for the same problem. Light strikes. The customer service is really a problem at Kahr . They have had it since 12/28/17. When I sent it the lead time was 4/6 wks. I contacted them with a email and now its 8/9 wks. They probably didn’t like what I had to say. It its not correct this time I will sell it & carry my Sig238.
I have a Kahr P380 that I absolutely love, and never dreamed that such a mouse gun could be so accurate and reliable. I’ve fired fired over 1200 rounds of inexpensive Russian steel case without any problems worth repeating. This with only two cleanings. I carry my P380 daily.
My cw380 was reliable for 3 years and then, light strikes. Got new springs from Kahr, Didn’t help. Finally called them and they sent me a shipping label and off it went. I got it back and was dryfiring it and the forth racking it locked up. Took it down and the firing pin was now a 2 piece. Called Kahr and they sent me a new one. Its back to its old reliable self once again. I also bought a SS firing pin from Kahr that is machined & is excellent quality. Much better than the original. Also installed a Keltek mag spring for feeding.
This is a most peculiar gun. People who have them either rave about them or curse them… I had a CW9 for a while, it worked flawlessly. I’m not a fan of the “you pays your money and takes your chance” firearm buying style. Of course in January of 2021 there’s very little chance of doing any buying….
Maybe there wouldn’t be all the negativity about the .380 ACP caliber if it was called by its other name 9 mm Kurz….
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