The positioning of the CW45's slide stop lever and magazine release catch contributes to a smooth outline for snag-free draws.

While none of these changes lessen the practicality of the pistol, they combine to reduce the price, freeing up money that could be spent on accessories and--most important--practice ammo.

I have been a fan of Kahr pistols since they first hit the market, and for the past few years one of my regular carry guns has been a PM9. This is especially true when I dress in a manner that precludes carrying a larger handgun, and since here in North Carolina we have eight months of summer and four months when the sunbathing is poor, I tend to dress light.

Upon first examination of the CW45, I didn't get all that excited. I mean, to be perfectly honest about it, a Kahr is a Kahr. Every Kahr pistol operates in the same exact manner; the controls are in the same locations, and the DAO triggers have the same excellent pulls.

Accuracy Results: KAHR CW45
.45 ACP	Bullet Weight (gr.)	Muzzle Velocity (fps)	Average Group (in.)
Federal Hydra-Shok	165	1,040	1.80
Cor-Bon +P DPX	185	1,032	2.13
Black Hills FMJ	230	777	2.50
Winchester SXT	230	852	2.25
Notes:	Accuracy is the average of four, five-shot groups fired from an MTM Predator rest at 15 yards. Velocity is the average of five rounds measured with a Chrony chronograph 15 feet from the muzzle. Abbreviation: FMJ, full metal jacket.

What I found especially attractive about the CW45, though, was the checkered, hand-filling grip and how the pistol sat low in my hand. You can tell that a lot of thought went into the CW45's ergonomics because when I lifted it to eye level it was pointing where I was looking.

And the sights get my wholehearted approval because I believe that the white dot (front) and bar (rear) system allows the fastest sight alignment of any setup on the market today.

Last, the supplied six-round magazine fell free when the easy-to-reach catch was pressed--empty or loaded, slide forward or locked open.

Since the Kahr's purpose in life is to be a close-range, defensive pistol, accuracy testing was conducted at an intermediate 15 yards from an MTM Predator rest. Considering my past experience with Kahr pistols, I should not have been surprised at the level of accuracy that the CW45 displayed, but I was.

While it showed a preference for Federal's fast-stepping Hydra-Shok load, everything I stuffed into the magazine shot to point of aim and produced groups running in size from 1.63 to 2.75 inches.

After chronographing the four loads, I got down to the more serious (and fun) part of the handgun evaluation process. I belted on a Galco Yaqui belt slide holster and dual mag pouch and, after loading up several spare magazines, I proceeded to run the CW45 through the following offhand drills on a pair of D-1 targets.

Drill 1 Three yards. Draw pistol and fire three rounds on each target with an unsupported (one handed) grip. Perform a combat reload and repeat twice.

Drill 2 Seven yards. Draw pistol and double tap each target with a supported grip. Re-holster and repeat three times.

Drill 3 Ten yards. Draw pistol and fire six rounds, slow aimed fire, on the first target. Reload and repeat on the second target.

Despite the fact that it was firing large, heavy bullets--some at pretty impressive velocities--out of a lightweight pistol, the CW45 handled very well. Felt recoil, while stiff, was very controllable, and I was able to make fast, accurate follow-up shots with no problems. I could reach both the slide stop and magazine release without moving the pistol around in my hand to any noticeable degree, and the beveled magazine well allowed smooth, fumble-free reloads.