Editor’s Review: Kahr CW380 Pocket Pistol

For the past couple of years my primary concealed carry handgun has been the Kahr CW4543 – their ultra-slim 6+1 .45ACP.  It’s pretty easy to conceal and has a nice flat profile so there’s a reduced chance of it “printing” under anything I wear.  That said, in the summer time, unless I want to wear that extra shirt, a belly band, or an IWB (not a big fan because of comfort issues), it’s nice to have an even smaller handgun that I can pocket carry.  Enter the Kahr CW380.

I’m not going to get into the debate about power, caliber, round count, etc.  Yes, if all things were equal I’d always carry my .45ACP.   If I MUST shoot someone, I’d prefer to do maximum damage so that their lethal threat is stopped as quickly as possible.  But things aren’t always equal.  Sometimes, for the simple sake of comfort and relaxation, “dressing down” is the name of the game but I still don’t want to leave the house without a gun.  That’s when pocket carry comes in handy and my Kahr CW4543 just doesn’t fit in a pocket. SO…

The next argument I often get is twofold:  First, “it only carries six rounds!”  That’s correct.  Six in the magazine plus one in the chamber for a total of seven.  That’s the same number as my Kahr CW4543: seven (6+1).  The capacity debate is sometimes as big as the caliber debate and I refuse to get sucked into it.  There was a time in my career when five rounds of .38 Special was all I had in my gun, so seven rounds in the gun is an improvement.  It’s just a matter of perspective.  Second part of the argument: “it’s only got a 2.5” barrel.  What are you going to hit with that?”  My answer: a threat that is up close, personal and immediate.  A threat so close I can’t miss.  The reality is that, even with these smaller handguns, I still have to qualify according to my state’s standards for law enforcement off-duty guns.  That means I have to shoot 70% or better (state standard – my agency requires 75%) at distances out to 25 yards.  Referring back to that 5-shot .38 again, it had only a 2” barrel and no one accused it of being insufficiently accurate.  The difference between a longer barrel and a shorter barrel is the requisite skill mastering basic marksmanship to be able to shoot the weapon effectively.

Lastly, with the renewed interest in pocket-sized .380s that swept through the firearms industry in the beginning of 2014, my curiosity was peaked and I had to check out several as well.  One of the guns I checked out, and had a favorable outlook toward because of my experience with its “big brother,” the CW4543, was the Kahr CW380.  I requested and received one for test and evaluation along with two standard six-round magazines and one “+1” seven-round magazine.

As with any gun I plan to carry and potentially count on to save my life, I needed to get it on the range both for regular function testing and then for qualification with one of my agency instructors.  Before I get into range results, let’s review the basic gun specifications real quick:

• Caliber: .380 ACP
• Capacity: 6+1
• Operation: Trigger cocking DAO; lock breech; "Browning - type" recoil lug; passive striker block; no magazine disconnect
• Barrel: 2.58", Conventional Rifling, 1 - 16 right-hand twist
• Length O/A: 4.96"
• Height: 3.9"
• Slide Width: .75"
• Weight: Pistol 10.2 ounces (w/o magazine) 
• Grips: Textured polymer
• Sights: Drift adjustable white bar-dot combat rear sight, pinned in polymer front sight
• Finish: Black polymer frame, matte stainless steel slide
• Magazine: 1 - 6 rd, Stainless

The gun really is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand (and I have medium sized hands), thin enough to not print even in your pocket and just long enough to get a decent minimal sight radius.

On the range I loaded up the magazines I had with ball ammo.  I had three different kinds on hand (Winchester, American Eagle and Tula) and tested them each separately.  The six-round magazines worked like a charm with all three.  There were no malfunctions related to feeding or extraction/ejection.  That said, with the extended seven-round magazine, I experienced several failures to feed.  I noticed that with the added length of the magazine, which gave my pinky purchase, I was tilting the magazine ever so slightly in the magazine well.  I can’t say for certain that this caused any feeding issues, but I didn’t experience any feed malfunctions with the standard six-round magazines.

For accuracy testing and to insure that the weapon would also function with “duty” ammo – something not ball ammo – I tested it with the ammo I intended to carry: Remington Golden Saber.  This 102g JHP ammo is, in my mind, just a slightly down-loaded 9mm round.  The .380ACP is sometimes referred to as a “9mm short” for a reason; same diameter, lighter projectile.

With the Golden Saber ammo, from a distance of seven yards, I was able to produce repeatable (and respectable?) six shot groups measuring three inches or less (see photos).  From the fifteen yard line those groups opened up a little bit but stayed within the four-to-five inch range, and from the twenty-five yard line I could keep all the shots inside the 8-ring on a standard B27 target.  That may not be an indicator of what the weapon is actually capable of since it’s probably more accurate than I am and there are shooters out there who could keep the shot groups a lot tighter.  But since I don’t have the ability to walk around accompanied by a competitive shooter bodyguard, I had to determine whether or not the CW380 would suit MY carry purposes and whether or not I could be sufficiently competent with it.  I was satisfied with the results.

Using a variety of holsters, primarily from DeSantis Gunhide, I carried the Kahr CW380 throughout the summer months either on my belt, inside my waistband or in a pocket.  A few times I carried it in a belly band but I felt that access to it was way too slow to be practical for emergency presentation.  Sure, it was better than not having a gun with me at all, but it was the slowest option for getting the gun out when needed.

My typical carry condition for the CW380 was chamber loaded with six rounds in the magazine and one spare six-round magazine somewhere on my person.  That gave me a total of 13 rounds of the Remington Golden Saber .380ACP ammo available comfortably and easily concealed. Of course, that was in addition to the rest of my usual every day carry (EDC) items: wallet, badge wallet, phone, keys, knife, knife, knife, lighter, flashlight… 
I was quite pleased with the performance and convenience of the Kahr CW380.  The .75” thickness is easy to hide in a number of carry locations.  Holster availability for it abounds and enables you to carry in a pocket (above or below your waist), on your belt, inside your waist band, in a cargo pocket (the DeSantis Nemesis rocks for this) and more.  Accuracy is more than acceptable for such a small firearm that is balanced out by a noticeable caliber.  Reliability – with the exception of that +1 magazine which may be MY fault and not that of the weapon – proved 100% in all my testing.
All in all I’d call this an excellent option for deep concealment carry AND it’s a great Back Up Gun (BUG) that is aesthetically appealing to go with my Kahr CW4543 as the primary carry.

Check out more info on the Kahr Website.

Stay safe!