CW series life expectancy

[BucketBack]

Wow things have changed a bit since my last visit

[Bawanna]

Not really but we do still have our moments.

[Baklash]

I just reread all the posts prior to his little rant. I didn't see any long winded ill willed sarcastic insensitive smart a$$ replies. Merely witty funny attempts to basically say "nothing to worry about." Nothing to get his panties in a bind. I've seen some "in your face" demeaning responses occasionally on other threads, but certainly not on this one.

[muggsy]

Just last week, one of our firearms instructors made the statement that any .40 cal polymer-framed handgun was prone to fail with a cracked frame after several thousand rounds. He based his statement, supposedly, on what instructors with other agencies told him. Further, he said that was one of the reasons that the FBI was getting away from 40s.

You hear a lot of B.S. in the gun world.

[Short Bus]

I just reread all the posts prior to his little rant. I didn't see any long winded ill willed sarcastic insensitive smart a$$ replies. Merely witty funny attempts to basically say "nothing to worry about." Nothing to get his panties in a bind. I've seen some "in your face" demeaning responses occasionally on other threads, but certainly not on this one.

GlockTalk would chew him up.

[Bobshouse]

Kinda reminds me of the old commercial

"How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop?"

One....two...crunch..

The world may never know....

[spentprimer]

I think the responses to this fellows question is why The High Road Forum exists. Frankly, I have not been on this board since the middle of August. Not because you guys have ticked me off, but, rather, a temporary deviation of interest away from guns and into electronics.

The OPs question is a valid one that I, too, find interesting. Now that I am retired and have not worked in the manufacturing engineering world for a while my curiosity about the design criteria's life expectancy of the polymer frame is a great question. Obviously, predicted life expectancy vs. the empirically derived life of the polymer frame would be worthwhile knowing. I have not had my CW9 very long and have put 200 rounds through it to date. So far, so good.

As a little comparison, back in the '80s when I was shooting a lot of ATA Trap my Winchester Model 12Y Trap went through 250,000 rounds without a problem. It was also cleaned & oiled once a week during tournament season. Is anyone here predicting 250K through my CW9 without a problem?

[Bawanna]

The difference between your post here and the original poster is length of fuse I assume. You are correct in that it is a valid one but one that at this point can only be predicted as no one anybody knows has run a CW9 completely into the ground.
His original prediction of life expectancy (don't recall what that was now but not many for sure) was so ridiculously funny that a meaningful answer would be hard to type under the best of circumstances.
I too have a shotgun with nearly that many rounds though it but again at that number how does one possibly keep accurate count.
That's an incredibly large number of rounds to put through a small daily carry gun generally not used for competition or anything but range proficiency and occasional practice.

With minimal care and lack of abuse I'm quite confident any Kahr would live to be passed on to the next generation.

[Alfonse]

Is anyone here predicting 250K through my CW9 without a problem?

I for one can't wait to hear whether it does or not. I don't think many of us use pistols like a tournament trap gun, particularly little, plastic, carry pistols. Tournament type pistols go tens of thousands of rounds.

[spentprimer]

The difference between your post here and the original poster is length of fuse I assume. You are correct in that it is a valid one but one that at this point can only be predicted as no one anybody knows has run a CW9 completely into the ground.
His original prediction of life expectancy (don't recall what that was now but not many for sure) was so ridiculously funny that a meaningful answer would be hard to type under the best of circumstances.
I too have a shotgun with nearly that many rounds though it but again at that number how does one possibly keep accurate count.
That's an incredibly large number of rounds to put through a small daily carry gun generally not used for competition or anything but range proficiency and occasional practice.

With minimal care and lack of abuse I'm quite confident any Kahr would live to be passed on to the next generation.

I don't have a fuse. I have jokingly told others that they won't live long enough to tick me off, I suppose there is more than one way to take that statement. My overriding rule for life is: Do not over react to anything.

As for keeping track of rounds in the Model 12, there was a scorecard in the case and it got a check mark every time a box of shells went through it. I wish I had kept all those shooting records from those days ... and the Model 12!

I seriously have doubts that my CW9 will get more than a hundred rounds through it annually. With some of the super slow motion videos on U-tube firing polymer framed guns the stresses placed on the frames are plainly visible. Some of the guns are twisted and turned by the act of recoil so much that I am amazed that some of them do not come apart. Most noticeably those that have the spring loaded through the frame take down pin similar to that system used in Glock and some S&W pistols of recent manufacture.

[Bawanna]

Everyone has a fuse. Your first sentence indicates you have a very long one.

You'll do to ride the river with around here for sure.

[jocko]

been on this forum since it started, so far have not seen one kahr that is shot out. Seems we want to put some number on a gun that it will shoot before WHAT? nO DOUBT THE POLYMER FRAMES HAVE PROVEN THEM SELVES OUT TO BE durable. I can't remember the model number but some years back Ruger even made a 9mm semi that the lower frame was all polymer, no steel rails to ride on. Not sure that gunwas a failure either.

Your Y model model 12 did well, we sold a few of them back then and one went back for issues the utters were flawless. The model 12 was built to be rebuilt and rebulit again and again Many guns are that way...

[yqtszhj]

.... My overriding rule for life is: Do not over react to anything.

Can you teach that to my wife? She is known over analyze/react to everything (and the older she gets the worse it gets. It has taught me when to keep my mouth shut though.) Fortunately she doesn't take it out on me.

I try to tell her not to let people take up space in her head but I think she just likes to be difficult sometimes.

[spentprimer]

been on this forum since it started, so far have not seen one kahr that is shot out. Seems we want to put some number on a gun that it will shoot before WHAT? nO DOUBT THE POLYMER FRAMES HAVE PROVEN THEM SELVES OUT TO BE durable. I can't remember the model number but some years back Ruger even made a 9mm semi that the lower frame was all polymer, no steel rails to ride on. Not sure that gunwas a failure either.

Your Y model model 12 did well, we sold a few of them back then and one went back for issues the utters were flawless. The model 12 was built to be rebuilt and rebulit again and again Many guns are that way...

If fifty years or so is the standard for durability I would tend to agree that polymer framed guns are indeed durable. However, whether it be the tires on my truck or the engine on the airplane you fly on next there are other criteria that determine durability. Be it miles of tread wear or hours between major overhauls, everything wears out. My aching knees tell me that everyday.

There is little doubt that the performance of polymer framed guns of recent manufacture have fared much better than the polymers that were utilized in the manufacture of many single shot shotgun stocks of yesteryear. Polymers ability to survive many corrosive environments certainly makes for a desirable pistol for carrying daily. And comparing a polymer gun to a timepiece may vary well be appropriate. BUT, the question still remains: How many shots until a frame change is needed?

Obviously, the question is a tough one to answer. Longer than you will live or I have one with X,XXX rounds through mine, while adding to the information available simply do not answer the question at hand. I seem to recall a Remington advertisement many years ago with 100,000 square blocks of wood that had been shot at and hit with the Nylon 66. Quite the achievement. I am certain that I would have malfunctioned before that. The forces exerted by the .22 long rifle cartridge pale in comparison to that of the lowly 9 mm Parabellum or the .40 S&W. As for a test, it would be interesting to see how long a test similar to what Remington did half a century ago ... although I would not want to be the guy loading the seven round magazines.

As for the Model 12, If I could have only one gun ...

[spentprimer]

Can you teach that to my wife? She is known over analyze/react to everything (and the older she gets the worse it gets. It has taught me when to keep my mouth shut though.) Fortunately she doesn't take it out on me.

I try to tell her not to let people take up space in her head but I think she just likes to be difficult sometimes.

I think the answer to that question is probably no. You might be amused to hear that I learned it from my mother before I was 12 years old. Thankfully, for your sake I am glad to hear the beatings have stopped!

Knowing when to not say anything is truly a gift few possess and is skill worth learning.

I have gotten to an age where I rarely share my acidic sense of humor with anyone but my very close friends. While Don Rickles is indeed a funny guy, it seems as though everyone thinks that they are Don Rickles and todays interactions between people are not nearly as civil as they were when I was younger.

Things getting worse as we age is very true. When my Mom was still with us I would drive her to the eye Doctor for her annual examination. Thankfully the drops he prescribed kept her glaucoma in check. She would often put out her hand to "brace for impact" and shout STOP! Of course, I would slow and look in every direction frantically fearing I had just driven over a dog or child. I would then not see anything and would have to ask, what? She would reply stop sign and point to it. But, Mom, that stop sign is three quarters of a mile away. I know she meant well and I am glad she was so observant while in the car, but, I suspect it may have taken ten years off my expected lifespan.