S&W Chief's Special CS9

[18DAI]

I picked up one of these last year. Yes I was late to the party. An aquaintance was getting a divorce and dumping some guns to feed the divorce attorney. Most of what he was selling was striker fired plastic - which I have no use for - but I saw one plastic blue box and after examining the little black CS9 inside it, decided to help him out and at least buy one gun off him.

And I am VERY glad I did. It came with 3 mags and was wearing Big Dog grips. The original rubber grips were in the box as well. I shot it a few times until the round count showed me it was indeed malfunction free and as reliable as all my 3rd gen pistols.

The size of the CS9 is about perfect, for me. It serves me as a deep concealment gun. A gun for those times I "can't have a gun". Like in Church on Sunday or at social events with friends and family.

In the miserably hot and humid weather it serves me as a primary carry gun. I have a neoprene DeSantis holster for the CS9 and in my cotton khaki pants it works very well inside my front or rear pocket. A mode of carry I was neither fond of or familiar with. But with this gun, I am quickly becoming fond of.

I have always considered myself a "revolver guy" - until recently. The threat has changed. Particularly over the last decade. I am no longer comfortable, at all, with a 5 or 6 shot revolver. And I prefer the ballistics of a 147 grain 9mm JHP out of a short barrel to those of a 38+ P out of a short barrel.

With the CS9 I get 8 rounds of 9mm in a thin, light weight, small package that is easily concealed. If the small compact and subcompact 9mms we have seen crop up over the last 7 or 8 years have not indeed killed the sales and usage of 5 shot J-frames, then they have at least put them on life support.

The CS9 shoots extremely accurately. It is also easy to shoot and get good fast hits with. I have shot it in two local BUG matches and did very well indeed. I am extremely fond of this little gun and find myself carrying it more and more. To the exclusion of my other carry guns. Are there any other CS9 fans here? Anyone else carrying one of these fine little 9mms?

 

[Plan2Live]

A couple of years ago I ran across a local gun store that still had several of these new in the box. Blued and stainless. But he wanted collector prices for them. My first pistol was a S&W 459, which I still owned at the time. I mulled it over, knew it was getting nearly impossible to get parts for my 459 from S&W, knew it would be nearly impossible to find spare mags, I wasn't finding a lot of options for belt holsters (my preferred carry method), decided that the frame mounted decocker didn't work well with my preferred overhand method of cycling the slide so I passed. At the same time I acknowledge that these are/were great little guns, just not right for me now.

 

[Tirod]

The worry about parts would have stopped a lot of others from carrying a multitude of other guns already. Plenty have posted they still carry Firestar 9mm, the HK P7 owners aren't too worried about it, etc.

A carry gun isn't a range gun getting thousands of rounds thru it for many. And a lot of the smaller S&W owners carry regardless. Until that gun actually does wear out a part it's not a major worry. A thread on another gun forum by a rental range owner in Vegas sorts out that a lot of guns will go tens of thousands of rounds before parts become a problem.

S&W may not say they publicly support the older design now, but the guns are still being made, and parts can be had. Magazine prices have gone up due to collectors buying them but they are as available as .22 during a panic. What stops some are the prices - not the lack of magazines. What some prefer are a dozen priced under 20 each, which is fine for a practice gun. A CCW doesn't need a dozen mags, just two or three good ones. And a lot of folks do exactly that - they keep their carry gun requirements in line with what it does and their practice guns are another issue.

That lets you carry a high reliability gun with a lower round count that isn't being shot up blasting away on a range, and use a commodity pistol with cheap ammo and mags for consuming ammo. Best of both worlds for a lot of us.

I almost was late to the party on S&W's, the CS9's were already going up, but picked up a .45 just in time. It would be hard to pass up any others if the price was good and I had cash in hand. S&W's are now rising in demand as collectors late to the game are bidding them up on auction boards. I don't think we have seen the end of it yet.

 

[Gary A]

Until that gun actually does wear out a part it's not a major worry.

And that is another reason to hang on to at least some of those superseded, no-longer-carried, obsolete snubbies. I don't rely on my air weights nearly so much these days but they're not going anywhere.

 

[18DAI]

I have heard that parts argument before. Thing is, having been issued, owned, competed with and shot for fun many different examples of 3rd gen pistols for the past 25 years, other than recoil springs and mag springs (both currently available from Wolfe springs as well as Midway) Ive yet to break anything or need a part. Seems a silly reason to avoid some fine pistols, to me.

And even if the current company posing as s&w refuses to support the 3rd gen guns (so much for the "lifetime warranty") another company will step in and produce them. Rumor is Apex Tactical, the company that currently gives those m&p pistols all the things the factory couldn't be bothered to, like good triggers and accurate barrels, will soon be producing replacement parts for the 3rd gen guns.

No matter, to me. I will continue to use and enjoy mine regardless. As I find them superior to anything else being made today. By anyone.

 

[phil dirt]

The CS9 is my everyday carry pistol. For as concealable as it is, it's very accurate and reliable with NO bobbles of any kind; it feeds everything I've fed into it. Right now, I'm carrying 124 gr. Federal HST but considering going to the 147 gr. HST. Do any of you have any opinions as to which bullet weight would be preferable through the CS9's 3 inch barrel?

 

[cal44mag]

I just bought a bunch of 124gr. Federal HST for my new (old) 3913LS. The 3913 is essentially a big brother (or the case of my gun, big sister) of the CS9. Slightly longer barrel and one more round.

Anyway, I did a lot of reading on the 3913 and most people find the guns shoot to point of aim best with the 124 gr.

It's about 2" low at 10 yards with the 115 gr I tried.

The CS9 is likely similar, so if it shoots to point of aim with the 124 you might find it a bit high with the 147 gr.

Dave

 

[bannockburn]

Thaddeus Jones

Sounds like a win/win situation with you helping your friend out and getting a great pistol in return. The CS9 was (and still is), a well made and compact semi-auto, perfectly suited for concealed carry.

 

[18DAI]

I use Winchester 147 grain RA9B in my CS9. Back in the day when I still wore a star, we had a Winchester rep demonstrating the then "new" Ranger ammo for our agency.

I was particularly impressed with the 147 grain bonded. Especially when fired out of sub 4 inch barrels.

Several of us at the time had 3913s for off duty use. During the smoke and joke withvthe rep after the demos were over, he suggested to us that the 147 grain was the best choice for us to use out of the sub 4 inch tubes of our 9mm compacts.

Earlier this week I was invited to shoot at a privately owned range. I wound up shooting my 3914. The fellow shooting next to me was using an XD9s. He was using Federal 115 grain ammo. I was using up some discarded carry ammo. All of it RA9B. My rounds impacted the steel plates on the plate rack with AUTHORITY!. The plates promptly going down upon being hit.

The lad next to me would hit a plate and it would topple over. But not at a high rate of speed as when being struck by my rounds. The young man noticed and commented on this.

So, while I would feel very well armed indeed with Federals 124 grain HST, I am quite satisfied with my 9mm ammunition choice. And I love the little CS9. The small gun that doesn't know it is a small gun.

 

[cc-hangfire]

I had a CS9, & sold it a couple of years ago. It is one that I miss. Ah, so many guns, so little money (and room in the safe)! I chased one in .40s&w on gunbroker a few weeks ago, but the bidding surpassed my desire.

I still have a few wonder nine Smiths (6906, 5946, 59), but the single stack Chief Specials are nice.

 

[rskent]

I also had one. It was a good shooting pistol, for sure. At that time, I just couldn’t find any grips for it besides the rubbery ones that came on the gun.
It seemed like those grips gripped my shirt better than my hand. I think if I could have found some good grips for it I would still have it. O well.

 

[Bbra]

I carried a CS9 during the Texas summers, although I also used a 908S. That pistol is stainless and a smidge larger than the CS9. It was well nigh perfect for me. In a moment of foolishness, I sold both guns. Bad idea. Maybe the folks at S&W can find a way to make an occasional run of these neglected pistols for those of us who aren't in love with plastic.

 

[.455_Hunter]

I had a CS9 for awhile, but it was one of a few guns that neither the flat or extended base plates fit my hand. I also had a hang-up with the squarish slide machining and plastic mag release button. My 3914 and 3953 are an entirely different story, with perfect hand fit with the 8 rd extended base plate. What I would have wished for was a 3914 with the shorter CS9 length barrel & slide.

 

[SteadyD]

The CS9 is my everyday carry pistol. For as concealable as it is, it's very accurate and reliable with NO bobbles of any kind; it feeds everything I've fed into it. Right now, I'm carrying 124 gr. Federal HST but considering going to the 147 gr. HST. Do any of you have any opinions as to which bullet weight would be preferable through the CS9's 3 inch barrel?

From the tests I've seen they both perform well in 3 inch barrels. I personally favor the 147 as they are a little less snappy.

 

[C0untZer0]

I think the 124gr HST performs slightly better than the 147gr. HST




Another round to look at though is the 147gr Winchester Ranger "T" Series - RA9T: