S&W SW9 Chief's Special Opininons Wanted

[rauburg]

No comments on the company please.

I am looking for a concealed carry 9MM.

I am a left handed shooter and thought that I wanted either a Kahr P9 or PM9 until the other night.

The shop had a Chief's special. The slide release was easier for me to operate than the one on the Kahr.

The Kahr grips seemed a bit too narrow for my hand, but . . . the Chief's grips were a little larger than I prefer for concealled carry.

Weight advantage goes to the Kahr of course.

I don't know about differences in quality, accuracy, or reliability though of the the S&W though, there just isn't much out there on that specific model. I would appreciate comments on these issues.

Thanks.

 

[Cortland]

I think you'll find a fair amount of info on them here by searching for CS9 or CS45. Also check out www.smith-wessonforum.com, you'll probably find even more there.

For what it's worth, I've got a Chiefs Special in .45 and have been nothing but pleased with it.

 

[COK]

I have a CS9 with about 500 rds through it with out a single problem , good accuracy and seems to be well built.

 

[Byron]

This is a very accurate and dependable pistol. It functions flawlessly with any ammo I put through it. Ten yard accuracy very good. I gave my son in law one as a gift I was so impressed by it.

 

[caz223]

From what I've seen and shot, the CS9 is the only non performance center auto I would buy from s&w.
The CS series is good.

 

[fastbolt]

I finally bought a CS9 ...

I didn't think I'd ever find a little 9mm pistol that handled & shot as well as my favored 3913 ... until I handled & shot a couple of CS9's.

It's a near perfect "match" for my hand, and it'll shoot every bit as accurately as my 3913.

I've only got a little under 1,000 rounds through it so far ... mixed 147gr JHP, 124gr +P GS, 115gr +P, 115gr +P+, 127gr +P+ T Series, 115gr FMJ, etc. and it's functioned perfectly since I took it out of the box, cleaned it, lubricated it and started shooting it ...

I have no reason to expect it'll perform any differently, either, after having fired many, many, many thousands of rounds through various 9mm S&W "3rd generation" pistols over the years.

The only negatives, if you want to consider them as that, is the heavy DA trigger ... the CS series uses the shortest hammer spring of the S&W pistol models ... and the stock rubber grips used to help dampen the recoil from this little pistol (some folks dislike "soft rubber").

Personally, I find the DA trigger to be a simple training issue, and all of my other S&W pistols are TDA, anyway ... and the tendency of soft rubber grips to "grab" clothing is just something to take into consideration when determining your method of carry.

The ambidextrous decocking/safety levers of the latest production CS series pistols is much friendlier to left-handed shooters, and the slide stop lever is easily managed by left-handed shooters, as well.

I disliked the shooting characteristics of the little PM9 I shot at the range the other day. Shooting a selected end of a wooden clothespin at 7-10 yards is no problem with my CS9, but the PM9 just wouldn't group tightly enough in my hands for me to attempt it ... which just means it doesn't fit my hands well, is all ...

You ought to rent both at a range and shoot some quality ammunition through each, to see if either "fits" your needs better than the other ...

By the way, as much as I like my CS45, the CS9 is even better ...

 

[benEzra]

My sister has a CS9 and loves it.

It's essentially a scaled-down 3913, and my 3913LS (daily CCW weapon) is fantastic--as accurate as a Glock longslide and has never malfunctioned in maybe ~2000 rounds.

One reason I chose the 3913 is I really like the concept of a DA/SA auto with a manual safety. Safety on when handling, inspecting, or holstering the gun, safety off when in holster. DA first shot to reduce risk of an ND, but SA followups for increased accuracy and speed if you find yourself in a gunfight. The one drawback of the 3913 is that it is bigger than some of the newer compact 9mm's, but the CS9 remedies this nicely.