Chiefs Special CS9 vs. Walther PPS

Dear folks. I currently have a 342 pd revolver (.38 +p, pre lock) and want to get something with a bit more capacity. I'm thinking of either the Chief's Special CS9 or Walther PPS. I want something of superb quality, concealable and fun to shoot. (I am a police officer so this will be for off duty carry). Any suggestions are appreciated. Also, any idea of what a 342pd (pre-lock) in good condition is worth? Thanks to all who respond.

Acroreef

Not even a contest for me. I have a cs9 and it is great . The 9mm
Is a better round and it's cheaper than 380. If you can't
Find a cs9, check out the Ruger lc9. Very light and go for
Less thAn 400

>The 9mm
Is a better round and it's cheaper than 380.

The PPS comes in 9mm and, I believe, .40 as well.

Both are nice pistols. For concealed carry, I'd probably go with the PPS for it's extremely slim profile -- but either will serve well.

I thought I wanted a PPS too (in 9mm) until I handled one. Here's my advice: Go handle or even shoot one if possible. For me there was more than one show stopper. The bottom of the trigger guard is also the mag release. Different from every other semi auto I have. The mags for the PPS are around $50. Why?? Maybe being a LEO you can get them cheaper. Also, I didn't like that the backstrap is tied into a locking mechanism. As in, with the back strap removed the gun is inoperable. And then I just simply came to my senses and realized that I can get a single stack 9mm that's as thin or thinner than the PPS for a third the price (Kel-tec PF-9 or Ruger LC-9). I didn't end up with either in the end. I went for a M&P9c. 12+1 of 9mm in a package that's not really any herder to conceal, in a gun that just runs and runs no matter the conditions, and about $200 less expensive than the PPS where I am. There's my $0.02.

I have a CS9, and when the PPS came out, I really wanted one. That is, until I held it. Yeeeccch.
I'll stick with the CS9.

I have a PPS in 9mm and love it. It's worked flawlessly for me through the first 1200 rounds.
There are a lot of alternatives.
The Ruger LC9 looks nice, I got my PPS before there was an LC9 or I would have given it serious consideration. If I was shopping today the LC9 would probably be at the top of my list to try out.
The Kahrs... the only one I tried was the CW9, side by side with the Walther I much preferred the Walther. The 9mm PPS is comfortable to shoot for me, I could put hundreds of rounds through it without fatigue. Practice is important.
There is also the new SIG P290 and Kimber Solo offerings as well as Kel-Tec PF9.
The Springfield EMP is a work of art if you want a 1911 style carry 9mm. These a really fine pistols, almost too pretty to carry around and get scratched up.
There are still HK P7's around, these are different than most pistols. The drawback is the weight and that they get hot when practicing. I was pretty much limited to 50 rounds when practicing with a P7. The P7M8 has a heat shield so is better in that respect. I replaced my P7 with the PPS because of the weight and ability to fire more rounds in practice.

If you go a little bigger there are the SIG P228 and P239 options. But these are almost as big as a S&W 39xx, another great option.

Making the choice amongst these and a CS9 will be agonizing, but at least at the end you're likely to have a winner no matter which one you select.

CS9 & PPS

I have the CS9 and the PPS in 9mm. I like both and here's my take on the two.

The CS9 is a great little gun. It is a traditional DA trigger setup (especially nice if you're looking for second strike capability) and both DA and SA pull are very good right out of the box. Sights are traditional three dot and are easy to acquire. All external controls are very ease to reach. Grips on the CS9 are rubber Hogues and give a very positive grip (although they make the gun a bit chunkier). Accuracy of my CS9 is very respectable. Recoil on the CS9 is very manageable, which should make your follow up shots a bit quicker. While my CS9 will digest any factory ammo I give it, it sometimes will FTF with cheapo target ammo.

I find the PPS to be a love/hate relationship. When it's good, it's very good - and when it's bad, it's a b****. The good about the PPS is the size. It's extremely slim. All the external controls are very low profile and (as mentioned by another member here) the ambidextrous mag release is integrated into the trigger guard. Since the frame of the PPS is polymer, the grip is also very thin. The grip texture is a series of little nubs. I personally prefer a more positive grip texture so I opted to add a Hogue slip on grip. You can further change the grip shape by changing out the backstrap for a different size one. And if you need some more grip length, 7 and 8 round mags are available with grip extensions. All in all the size and weight of the PPS make it a good choice for CCW - you can even pocket carry it. The sights on the PPS are typical three dot setup and are very easy to pick up. Accuracy with the PPS is very good. I find I can shoot tighter groups and hit targets out much farther than I can with my CS9. My PPS will also shoot whatever I feed through it - even cheapo range ammo.

As for the bad in the PPS, it's the trigger. It is very heavy (worse if you have a MA compliant version) and a bit gritty out of the box. Although it does get a better with good cleaning/lubing and lots of dry fire practice. The trigger itself is also uncomfortable (at least in my opinion). I've shot a bunch of other pistols with integrated trigger safeties and none of those models left my trigger finger feeling raw after an extended range session. The other negative point of the PPS is the felt recoil. Between my G26, CS9 and PPS, the PPS has the snappiest recoil of the bunch.