I'd not necessarily write off the ability of the ammo companies to make hollowpoints that offer the potential for expansion at the lower velocities usually obtained in the shorter barreled .45 pistols. This isn't the 60's-90's anymore.

It's been a while, but I loaned out my CS45 for some in-house testing when one of the local distributors offered to arrange a gel-shoot.

The round which interested me at the time was the previous generation of Winchester's T-Series (SXT/RA45T). It's been so long I can't remember whether the +P version used for the gel event was the RA45SXTP or the RA45TP (and my notes are buried somewhere in a box).

Anyway, these are a couple of the test rounds recovered from that session, fired from my own CS45, in the 4-layer Denim/Gel test. I do recall the velocities being 802fps for the standard pressure load and either 837fps or 839fps for the +P, with quite similar penetration/expansion. (Guess which is which in the pictures. )




FWIW, the loads I typically carry in my CS45 are usually the standard pressure 230gr RA45T or the Rem 230gr HPJ BJHP (Golden Sabre/non-bonded), and maybe some Speer 230gr GDHP if one of the remaining boxes I have makes its way to the top of one of my ammo cabinets ... and I don't lose any sleep worrying about it.

I prefer not to carry any of the USA 230gr JHP's, as those are old-style hollowpoints, but I've done so when the more modern HP's weren't available.

I tend to keep the +P loads I have for my larger/heavier .45 pistols, as they can be a handful in the little CS45 when it comes to producing some muzzle snap/whip. I just don't see an over-riding advantage gained from the increase in recoil.

BTW, although the CS45 uses a mag body with added indentations near the lips (to help prevent displacement of the top round under the increased recoil in the little gun), the reduced slide mass & travel and fast cycling of the little gun still requires a firm grip and locked wrist. Every now and again I've seen someone unintentionally relax at the wrong moment and experience a feeding stoppage.

There was a time when a CS45 owner told me how he had to be careful if using one of the 185gr +P loads, as the snappy recoil could cause a functioning problem if he didn't pay close attention to his grip.

I remember talking to one of the factory techs just after the stainless versions were being released, and he said that all of the R&D testing had been done with standard pressure 230gr loads, as their marketing surveys of the major ammo companies indicated that 230gr loads outsold the 185gr loads by a very significant margin, so that was their intended customer base.

Someone brought a CS45 to me for inspection a few years ago, complaining of feeding problems. Although the recoil & mag springs were several years old (and I replaced them), I couldn't find anything wrong with the gun, and it functioned normally when I fired it with budget W-W 230gr JHP's. I had a couple other instructors fire it, with similar results, until I asked them to let their wrists lightly break/flex as they fired it, while I watched ... and then the gun would have a feeding stoppage. The "problem" didn't occur when they tightened their grip/wrist.

Then again, I know another guy carrying an early CS45 and his gun has never choked on anything we've ever used for qual ammo in the years he's qualified with it ... and when I asked him about his springs one time, he said he hadn't replaced them since buying the gun.

From what I've been told by the factory and a couple of distributors, the CS45 was one of those real sleepers. It was very popular among LE shooters as an off-duty weapon, and never required anything in the way of advertising.

My own CS45 has been fired a lot. I usually replace the recoil spring either every 1-2 years of frequent shooting, or every 1-2 cases of ammo fired, and I've replaced the recoil spring at least several times. (The mag springs about every other recoil spring replacement.) Last time I asked, the normal replacement recommendation was the same 5 yrs/5K rounds as the larger 3rd gen's, but I tend to lean toward a rather conservative side of replacement with the smaller guns.

Oddly enough, I tend to prefer my CS9 to my CS45, when all is said & done. Fits my hand better, and the recoil has less snap & whip to it, even when I'm shooting issued 124gr +P or 127gr +P+ loads.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer