Kahr announced the new CW380 at the SHOT Show. Â The new pistol is chamered in .380 ACP and continues the budget line of pistols the company has been putting out for several years. Â Other calibers in this line include the CW9 and CW40 in 9mm and .40 S&W respectively.
The CW380 has a 2.58″ barrel and is less than 5″ in total length. Â Height is less than 4″. Â Throw in an unloaded weight (no magazine) of 10.2 ounces and you can see how someone wanting a very lightweight, concealable firearm might like the new Kahr.
Unlike some of the .380 ACP pistols on the market, the CW380 is not a simple blow-back gun. Â Instead, it uses the locked breech action that Kahr uses on its other pistols. Â This means less recoil and greater reliability in this small handgun.
The frame is polymer and the slide is machined stainless steel. Â The sights are the bar/dot combo found on other Kahr pistols.
I previously reviewed the CM9 pistol, and I found it to be a reliable, easy shooting gun. Â I expect the CW380 to be the same.
Kahr officially named the company’s less expensive guns as being part of the Value Series. Personally, I think these guns are a very good value. Some companies make a cheap gun and call it a value. Kahr produces very good guns – even at lower price points.
MSRP is $419, so figure a street price of upper $300’s. As compact .380 pistols go, this is one I would consider carrying for my own protection. I like the Glock 42 a lot, but this gun is a close match as far as quality and pricing.
Update – Good friend and occasional contributor Randall had a chance to shoot one of these at Media Day. Read his impressions of the gun here. Randall is a long time shooter and takes a very practical view of guns. I think you will enjoy his perspective.