victim of comfort: CW9 vs. LCP

[mr.72]

My Kahr CW9 finally developed a big enough problem to send it back to Kahr. I have been comfortably carrying this gun IWB 4:00 in a FIST K3 for about 8 months now, and unless sitting in a car for a long period of time, I pretty much forgot I was even wearing it.

I briefly toyed with the idea of carrying my SW9VE while the Kahr is in the shop. I have an old Crossbreed Supertuck for that gun and it is comfortable but man that gun is a big thing to have stuffed in your waist band! The Crossbreed is not exactly compact. I think a FIST K3 for this gun might make it tolerable but the size of the Crossbreed plus the hassle of getting it on and off made this a no-go.

So I bought a Ruger LCP to fill the gap. This one came with a pocket holster. First I tried carrying it in my front jeans pocket. This is almost OK, but it's pretty huge to carry in my pocket. I know many of you think pocket-carrying a G26 is doable but you must be in a different weight class or fashion category than I am because the LCP in a Blackhawk pocket holster is absolutely the maximum that I could put in my jeans pocket. Not to mention, I hate having anything in my pocket. I mean, I carry the smallest wallet I can find with just my DL, CHL, debit card only in one front pocket, and the smallest-thinnest cell phone on the market in my opposite front pocket. My keys go in my messenger bag or in my hand. The gun in my right pocket forced my phone into my left pocket with my wallet and I this was just too much. I couldn't really see how I could cleanly draw the weapon this way so I tried it in my back pocket of my jeans. It fits better there but it pulls my jeans down constantly and since I don't have anything in my other back pocket it sticks out like a sore thumb. Then just before my quick beach vacation, I elected to velcro a belt clip onto the pocket holster so I can carry IWB (no time to go locate, order, etc. an IWB holster). This worked better but frankly the CW9 in the FIST K3 is much more comfortable.

So I really want my CW9 back. But I haven't tried to carry a gun through the Austin summer yet. As long as I am wearing jeans the CW9 is no problem to carry.

Right now I am looking for a comfortable, thin, lightweight straight-drop IWB holster with a belt clip that will allow me to carry appendix-style without needing a belt. Maybe I will roll my own. This might make this LCP a keeper, if I can carry in board shorts this summer. Can't do that with the Kahr. I am also still contemplating a belt clip on the gun itself and forgetting about a holster. Spare me the chorus of warning, I've heard it all and like I said, I am just contemplating.

[wilder]

Try a Uncle Mike's Sidekick Size 10 IWB as an easy to find and inexpensive option for the LCP. I get by fine with the pocket holster, but the UM Sidekick does fit the LCP and is available at just about any gun store.

[biggyin]

Still have this one available for the LCP!!

http://estore.websitepros.com/1565531/Detail.bok?no=351" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good little holster, also tuckable (handy for those more dressed up occasions), adjustable cant and height (height only with the tucker clip). Still have the original clip for it, just now it has a kydex clip on it from tucker gun leather. They are belt clips for 1 1/2" belts. I carried alot with beach shorts with no belt and it was pretty good, it has that handy extra bit of holster that lets you use one of your fingers to keep the holster put when you draw and don't have the full belt retention on the holster.

[AggieMM]

My Kahr CW9 finally developed a big enough problem to send it back to Kahr. I have been comfortably carrying this gun IWB 4:00 in a FIST K3 for about 8 months now, and unless sitting in a car for a long period of time, I pretty much forgot I was even wearing it.

Not to hijack the thread, but what was the problem? I've been carrying a CW9 IWB/OWB for 2 years now, and love how it fits. Just curious what happened.

Ryan

[mr.72]

I guess I'll accommodate the thread hijack.

From day 1 the CW9 would do two things intermittently: 1. drop the magazine (about 1mm, but enough) sometime in the middle of a magazine, and 2. fail to lock the slide open on the last round in the mag (due to the fact that the magazine was not fully seated). You only ever noticed that the magazine was not fully in once it didn't lock the slide back on the last round... it would continue to fire just fine.

Kahr sent me a RA# for this issue and then I talked them into sending a new magazine release and spring, which I installed myself. This fixed it about 95%.

Then I started to notice that about 1 in every 100 rounds of WWB would be a light primer strike. First couple of hundred rounds, I figured it was just a hard primer, and none of my carry ammo (Federal LE Tactial JHPs) had ever had a light strike so I kind of ignored this issue. Finally the last time I was at the range, it would light-strike about 70% of the time, so given this new catastrophic problem and the original issue with the magazine release, I sent it back to Kahr.

Hopefully they replace the slide or the whole gun.