Trust CS9 With My Life???
I do, but that's just me.
Of course, I also maintain my pistols, which means inspecting them during proper cleaning, after shooting them, and cleaning them before resuming carrying them.
Improper maintenance, including using excessive amounts of solvents/CLP's during cleaning, and then excessively lubricating (especially in the wrong locations) them, can potentially introduce more 'problems' than some folks might suspect.
I've watched folks literally drench their pistols in solvent, and/or CLP, and then wonder why they experienced light strikes when the firing pin channels became excessively fouled with wet or semi-wet sludge, grunge, debris and mystery crap which interfered with their firing pin's freedom of movement, and the normal functioning of the firing pin spring. I've seen extractor recesses become excessively fouled by liquids, too.
As a bit of trivia, in S&W 9mm & .40 S&W metal-framed pistols the bottom of the extractor recess in the slide is 'open' via a thin 'slot' visible on the bottom of the slide, to the right side of the stripper (or pick-up) rail. This open machined slot, as well as all around the outside of the actual extractor, on the right side of the slide, is where excessive and unnecessary liquids can be introduced into the extractor slot recess.
I was watching a fellow earnestly cleaning his issued 9mm pistol the other day, and saw he was using way too much solvent to 'scrub' his pistol with a brush. Before he reassembled his pistol I suggested he use a nearby air compressor (which we have available for such purposes) and point the nozzle up under the slide, directly at the exposed slot under the extractor. For some reason he appeared genuinely surprised by the amount of black liquid that was repeatedly blown out all around his extractor with successive applications of the air nozzle.
Unfortunately, it's not as easy to blow out the firing pin channel, so it's a better idea to avoid introducing excessive and undesired liquids around the firing pin hole in the breech face (point the breech face muzzle down, so gravity can help keep liquids from entering the hole, too), as well as around the rear of the firing pin, the safety/decocker assembly body (on the sides as well as the bottom, where it rotates around the rear of the firing pin) and around the metal & nylon plungers in the bottom of the slide.
Unlike the Beretta pistol, though, it's relatively simple for a S&W armorer to remove the firing pin assembly and clean everything out. I do it for a lot of our folks at the cleaning table while they're cleaning the rest of their pistol.
I've been carrying issued and personally owned S&W TDA pistols for about 16 years, and I've been an armorer for many of those years. I've always been very impressed with the quality and reliability of S&W TDA pistols, even the early '3rd generation' pistols, and even when abused by cops. The increasingly newer production models are even better.
Granted, they're no more perfect than any other manufacturer's pistols, but their quality control and finish can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any other manufacturer of quality service pistols when it comes to similar price ranges, and their customer service is pretty much an industry 'standard'. I've heard the management of a L/E firearms dealer (for two different major firearms manufacturers) easily and unabashedly admit that S&W's customer service is the best in the industry. I won't presume to disagree ...
I happen to prefer to replace the short, flat-wound, single recoil springs in my CS pistols sooner than in my other pistols, but that's just me. We were told in the last couple of armorer's classes that S&W now recommends replacing recoil & magazine springs in L/E service pistols every 5,000 rounds, or every 5 years, whichever occurs first ... unless, of course, an armorer encounters an apparent spring-related problem sooner.
I tend to replace my CS recoil springs sooner than that, around 800 rounds, give or take, simply because I feel the subcompact pistols are subjected to a bit more of a beating than the larger models, especially with the shorter recoil springs. I'm probably being a lot more conservative than a lot of other armorers/owners/users of the CS series ... and I freely acknowledge that ... but recoil springs are really inexpensive, and I consider it relatively cheap insurance to help reduce the expected wear and tear encountered in normal usage. It makes me feel better, if nothing else. I replace my magazine springs in the little CS pistols sooner than the 5,000 round recommendation, but not as often as I replace the recoil springs.
I think the CS9 is an outstanding subcompact 9mm defensive pistol, presuming the user/owner properly maintains it. I actually prefer it to my CS45 for a few reasons, although I've put a lot more rounds through my CS45. Matter of fact, I don't think I've exceeded 2,000 rounds through my CS9, although I've more than doubled that number in several of my other pistols.
In recent years I've found myself carrying my CS9 & G26 more often than my 3913 & SW99c, but not as often as my 642 J-frame, and all for reasons of ease of concealment when it comes to some various carry methods, especially when it comes to personal comfort regarding off-duty weapons and various activities. I'll admit I'm a bit lazy when it comes to 'dressing around' a full-size off-duty weapon on my own time nowadays, especially in warmer weather, although I'm
not lazy when it comes to practicing and maintaining my skills with all of the various compact & subcompact weapons I chose to carry.
My CS9 is easier to shoot rapidly and accurately than my 642 ...
My G26 offers me a slight recoil management and controllability advantage compared to the CS9 ... from the perspective of a slightly 'slower', softer 'feeling' felt recoil ... but the CS9 offers
me a preferable trigger design, since I prefer TDA triggers, and hence the CS9 offers me a slight accuracy advantage over the G26. Also, the overall slightly smaller profile of the CS9, compared to my G26, actually makes for a small advantage when it comes to some of my preferred carry methods. FWIW, the slide cycling of the CS9 'feels' faster, which makes it feel as though I'm coming back on target faster.
Perception is such an interesting thing, though, and can easily vary from one person to the another.
My 3913 & SW99c are both a bit easier
for me to shoot rapidly and accurately than my CS9 (or G26), although when I can take my time I can shoot the CS9 as accurately as either. It's the recoil management and controllability advantages of the 3913 & SW99c that seem to make it easier for me to experience an advantage with them over the little CS9, especially while engaging multiple targets, and/or during movement.
I feel the same way about the excellent, but discontinued, 6906 pistols. I really liked the issued 6906's I carried for several years, and estimated I fired more than 45,000 rounds through one of them. Great pistols, and someday I'd like to find a little-used 6906 of late-production vintage (with the rounded trigger guard, MIM hammer/trigger and wider barrel tab).
I'll finish this rambling post by saying that once I had finally gotten around to ordering my own CS9, and had spent some time at the range with it, I was kicking myself for not having bought one sooner.
The only other defensive handgun that ever made me feel that way was my 642.
While I'm sure there are some very nice, knowledgeable folks working at gunstores and the sale counters of ranges which also sell firearms, I learned long ago to mostly discount the expertise and recommendations of gunstore clerks, range staff, cops and a lot of 'experts'.
I'm nobody's expert, but I can mostly figure out what I like, and what I'm prepared to believe from other people, especially when based upon my own observations and experiences.
I'm even skeptical about some of my own opinions, sometimes.
Just my thoughts. Dunno any definitive answers, though ...
