I purchased a CS45 back in December of 2016. It was languishing (yes languishing! 
) on GB with no bids. Probably because it had some handling marks, was dirty and had no magazine with it.
As the early 4513TSW with the 6 round mag is my favorite 45 carry gun, I had purchased 6 round mags when I came across them. An excellent mag tutorial by Fastbolt educated me and showed that the 6 round mags differ from the 4513TSW mags by virtue of the stamped indentations on either side of the mag. I went through my mags after reading that and found I had 3 CS45 mags. So naturally, I needed a pistol for them. I bid and won on Christmas day. Merry Christmas, to me.
What followed was a long trial period with the CS45. I tried to like it and it tried my patience. It is the only 3rd gen 45 I have ever come across that was difficult to live with.
My first issue with the CS45 was holsters. The CS45 would not work with ANY of my 3rd gen 45 holsters. None of them. Thankfully, a very generous member here, who wished to remain anonymous, sent me a VERY nice IWB holster. He makes holsters and is VERY talented. (Thank you again!) I later found an outside the waistband Don Hume on Fleabay and later aquired a Bianchi model 100 for the CS45. Holster problems solved.
The next issue was the grips. While the OEM Hogue grip makes for a good firm hold on the CS45, it takes away from its concealability. The grips make the little 45.......bulky. And the ones on my pistol were sticky too. Despite repeated cleanings with 409 and rub downs with a silicon cloth. In fact, they grabbed at my undershirts to the point that they caused the CS45 to rise up out of the holster. One day at the market I reached down into a case and the CS45 came out of the holster an almost fell on the floor. I caught it due to my Chuck like reflexes. Disaster averted.
TercGens excellent grips solved that problem for me. They thin the CS45 down VERY nicely. And it is no more difficult to shoot when wearing TercGens excellent product. The CS45 is more easily concealed as well. And it no longer pulls on cover garments. Thanks again TercGen!!
The next issue was ammo. I have used Winchester RA45T as my duty round for over a decade. In retirement, I saw no reason to change. My 3rd gen 45s all shoot this round reliably and accurately - except for the CS45. It shot the RA45T accurately, but shortly after completing my reliability testing with the CS45 it developed a tendency to misfeed the last round in the mag - or kick it out along with the next to last casing being ejected. At first I thought it might be my grip, or a weak mag spring.
So I tried it again with fresh mags and concentrated on my grip. Same problems. So I did what I always do when I have a problem with a gun - I contacted Fastbolt! We discussed the issue and Fastbolt suggested a couple of other 45 JHPs that my CS45 might like better as they were not loaded as hot as RA45T. I have finally, after MUCH testing and research, settled on the 230 grain Speer Gold Dot Short barrel load for the CS45. It shoots this load accurately and reliably. No issues. And I like the ballistics on this round out of the CS45S short barrel. One more problem solved.
And one problem left. The basepads on the CS45 mags. The CS45 fits my hand, BARELY. And the finger rest baseplates crowded my fingers on the grip. Not much of a problem during slow fire on the square one way range, but not what I required in a fighting pistol that would be needed in a hurry and probably at very close range. So I purchased two mags from my friend Redcardinal. He had shaved the finger rests off the baseplates and rounded them. Sort of like my 4513TSW mag baseplates. This enabled me to get a fast four finger full grip on the CS45. It also helped in controlling it during fast strings of fire. Thanks Redcardinal!
So, the CS45 and I now get along. Very well. I carry it every night I am on duty amd during the day at my partime job it alternates with the 457.....and sometimes the CS9. My long search for a very small, reliable and accurate 45 for daily use led me to the CS45. And although it took some effort and a bit of modification and several times I came close to selling it, in the end it became one of my most carried guns. And it was worth the effort. Regards 18DAI
) on GB with no bids. Probably because it had some handling marks, was dirty and had no magazine with it.As the early 4513TSW with the 6 round mag is my favorite 45 carry gun, I had purchased 6 round mags when I came across them. An excellent mag tutorial by Fastbolt educated me and showed that the 6 round mags differ from the 4513TSW mags by virtue of the stamped indentations on either side of the mag. I went through my mags after reading that and found I had 3 CS45 mags. So naturally, I needed a pistol for them. I bid and won on Christmas day. Merry Christmas, to me.
What followed was a long trial period with the CS45. I tried to like it and it tried my patience. It is the only 3rd gen 45 I have ever come across that was difficult to live with.
My first issue with the CS45 was holsters. The CS45 would not work with ANY of my 3rd gen 45 holsters. None of them. Thankfully, a very generous member here, who wished to remain anonymous, sent me a VERY nice IWB holster. He makes holsters and is VERY talented. (Thank you again!) I later found an outside the waistband Don Hume on Fleabay and later aquired a Bianchi model 100 for the CS45. Holster problems solved.
The next issue was the grips. While the OEM Hogue grip makes for a good firm hold on the CS45, it takes away from its concealability. The grips make the little 45.......bulky. And the ones on my pistol were sticky too. Despite repeated cleanings with 409 and rub downs with a silicon cloth. In fact, they grabbed at my undershirts to the point that they caused the CS45 to rise up out of the holster. One day at the market I reached down into a case and the CS45 came out of the holster an almost fell on the floor. I caught it due to my Chuck like reflexes. Disaster averted.
TercGens excellent grips solved that problem for me. They thin the CS45 down VERY nicely. And it is no more difficult to shoot when wearing TercGens excellent product. The CS45 is more easily concealed as well. And it no longer pulls on cover garments. Thanks again TercGen!!
The next issue was ammo. I have used Winchester RA45T as my duty round for over a decade. In retirement, I saw no reason to change. My 3rd gen 45s all shoot this round reliably and accurately - except for the CS45. It shot the RA45T accurately, but shortly after completing my reliability testing with the CS45 it developed a tendency to misfeed the last round in the mag - or kick it out along with the next to last casing being ejected. At first I thought it might be my grip, or a weak mag spring.
So I tried it again with fresh mags and concentrated on my grip. Same problems. So I did what I always do when I have a problem with a gun - I contacted Fastbolt!
We discussed the issue and Fastbolt suggested a couple of other 45 JHPs that my CS45 might like better as they were not loaded as hot as RA45T. I have finally, after MUCH testing and research, settled on the 230 grain Speer Gold Dot Short barrel load for the CS45. It shoots this load accurately and reliably. No issues. And I like the ballistics on this round out of the CS45S short barrel. One more problem solved.And one problem left. The basepads on the CS45 mags. The CS45 fits my hand, BARELY. And the finger rest baseplates crowded my fingers on the grip. Not much of a problem during slow fire on the square one way range, but not what I required in a fighting pistol that would be needed in a hurry and probably at very close range. So I purchased two mags from my friend Redcardinal. He had shaved the finger rests off the baseplates and rounded them. Sort of like my 4513TSW mag baseplates. This enabled me to get a fast four finger full grip on the CS45. It also helped in controlling it during fast strings of fire. Thanks Redcardinal!
So, the CS45 and I now get along. Very well. I carry it every night I am on duty amd during the day at my partime job it alternates with the 457.....and sometimes the CS9. My long search for a very small, reliable and accurate 45 for daily use led me to the CS45. And although it took some effort and a bit of modification and several times I came close to selling it, in the end it became one of my most carried guns. And it was worth the effort.
Regards 18DAI
