The CS45 magazine
is hard to load/unload manually.
The reason is the set of narrow, angled pressed indentations ("dimples") added toward the bottom/rear corner of the pressed lips. This second set of indentations is tighter than the rest of the magazine body and requires some noticeable force in order to push the rounds into the magazine between them. Trying to remove the rounds manually to empty a loaded mag (outside the gun) can be
very difficult.
This secondary set of indentations is intended to create increased pressure & resistance against the rounds as they rise to the top of the magazine body
during recoil. Enough extra pressure to keep the "top" round firmly under the lips (during recoil), for proper feeding "timing".
In this picture a standard 3rd gen .45 mag is on the left, and a CS45 mag is on the right. The arrow pointing upward on the left (standard) mag is pointing to the pressed lips of the current standard design 3rd gen .45 mag ... and on the CS45 mag there's an arrow pointing (right) to the additional indentations, or dimples.
S&W engineers discovered that without the extra indentations (or dimples), the increased recoil forces developed in this diminutive .45 might create feeding problems. The next "top" round might be ejected with the case of a just-fired round, or it might jump forward too far, out from under the lips, and not be in the proper position to be picked up and fed by the slide's pick-up rail.
It's not unusual to remove a loaded magazine from a CS45 and see the top round remain just below the feed lips (where it was pushed by the slide's pick-up rail when the magazine was fully seated in the gun). The added tightness of the dimples pushing against each side of the case is sometimes enough to prevent the mag spring from pushing the rounds up past the dimples
without recoil forces occurring. Sometimes for a second or two, and sometimes longer.
As it was explained to me many years ago, the forces generated during recoil ... (with the rapid cycling of the slide creating a jarring impulse) ... create enough extra force (acting on the gun and magazine load), to jar the rounds and let them rise up between the dimples. (I'm probably not doing justice to the explanation I was given many years ago when the CS45 was brand new and I was asking a lot of questions about it as an armorer.
)
Now, it's not uncommon to hear it said that as a .45 pistol design becomes increasingly smaller, it can become less tolerant of shooter & ammunition influences. Increased slide velocities and reduced slide travel distance in the smaller guns can make them more susceptible to shooter grip issues and ammunition power levels which may affect feeding "timing".
A
less-than-firm grip and/or an unlocked wrist can increase the potential for both feeding & extraction/ejection "problems" ... meaning these "problems" are often the
symptoms of a "shooter problem". Usually it seems to involve a grip technique deficiency, and perhaps balance/stance (leaning a bit backward at the shoulders, instead of forward, from the hips) ... and occasionally shooter fatigue during long range sessions.
I've seen it happen with a number of diminutive pistol shooters, including the CS45. I had a CS45 brought to me a few years ago by another instructor with a reported owner complaint of feeding problems. The gun ran just fine in my hands, using some standard 230gr JHP loads we were using at the time (the owner was from another agency, though, and he hadn't sent any of his ammo, so I could only use what I had). I replaced the recoil & mag springs as a normal precaution, but I didn't notice any difference in feeding & functioning with either set of springs.
I asked a couple other instructors to shoot the gun while I observed them. No problems.
Then I asked both of them to relax their grips and wrists a little ... and both experienced some erratic feeding problems.
As soon as they returned to using their normal grip techniques (firm grip/locked wrist) ... no more problems.
I sent the gun back to the owner, via the instructor, with a suggestion the instructor discuss the importance of using a proper grip ... or perhaps getting a larger .45 that might be less susceptible or sensitive to grip-induced influences for
that owner.
You might have some weakened/worn mag springs, too. I replace the mag (and recoil) springs in my own CS45 more often than the normal factory recommendation to armorers (5 years or 5,000 rounds fired). If it were me, I'd replace the mag & recoil springs in a used 3rd gen gun as a matter of simple preventive maintenance. They're relatively inexpensive to order from S&W.
It's may also be a good idea to check any magazine to make sure the spring is
installed properly. I've seen several new production .45 3rd gen mags that have had the springs installed either upside down and/or backwards ...
new, from the factory.
If the spring isn't installed correctly, the front of the follower isn't going to be tensioned/lifted upward in the manner intended. This can lend itself to feeding problems, especially as the spring lengthens (decompresses) and exerts less tension as the mag load decreases.
In this picture is a mag spring & follower oriented as if in an assembled magazine, with the "front" of the follower & spring pointing to the left. See the small looped coil at the highest point of the spring, on the left in the picture? That's the "front" of the spring, and it should be under the front of the follower.
In this picture you're looking at the top of the mag from the left side (front is facing to the left). You can see the small looped coil visible in the open cut of the black plastic follower.
In the improperly assembled new 3rd gen .45 mags I've seen, the springs were upside down (small looped coil at the
bottom of the mag, facing
backwards), with the steel mag butt plate catch (insert plate) threaded onto the looped coil (instead of just on the long open coil winding). Weird.
Naturally, making sure the inside of the mag is clean and dry, free of any dirt, grit, fouling or other contaminants is important.
It's also important to make sure the butt plate catch ("insert") is present at the bottom of the mag spring, inside the mag. This is the part that contains the "post" that snaps down into the butt plate (also called the mag base by some folks). It may be either a black metal plate that's looped onto the bottom spring coil (via a bent tab at the rear of the part), or a black plastic plate that has a raised center piece that snaps/slips "up" into the bottom coil of the spring base (no tab at the rear). In both types there's still a round "post" facing downward that fits into the butt plate's hole (holding the butt plate onto the mag body). Sorry I don't have any pictures of that part.
As far as "known problems"? Not really. There was a time, though, back after the CS45 had been first released, that a small number of magazines seemingly had some slightly offset secondary dimples stamped in them. I was told this was because the dimples had been stamped in the mags after they'd already been manufactured ... done by hand, by a vendor ... before the engineers had determined the dimples were necessary and had them incorporated during normal manufacture.
It was explained to me that if a set of those early hand-stamped dimples were too unevenly placed, it might result in a round snaking or wiggling upward between the dimples, instead of evenly straight up, which might adversely affect feeding timing. I was also told the company replaced any of that small number of very early mags that might have been affected when it came to their attention. (I had some, of course.)
Naturally, not being there to see
your mag(s) and gun, there's no way for me to know what's actually occurring with your CS45 & mags.
Sorry for the rambling, which is probably much more than you wanted to read. I didn't mean to write this much, but I'm not going to delete it after writing all of it (this time
). These are just some thoughts that occur to me as a longtime owner of a CS45, and a S&W LE armorer for the 3rd gen guns.
Let us know what S&W says ...
