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Ok, got it out. Shot the following:
-100 rounds WWB 115 gr. FMJ;
-50 rounds Blazer Brass 124 gr. FMJ;
-10 115 winchester silvertips;
-10 124 gold dot
-10 147 gr. Winchester Ranger T
The Good:
-100% reliable with everything tested. Function was perfect;
-accuracy was excellent (once i figured out the trigger-took a couple mags.;
-great grip, i have to hold a little lower than normal as i think big hands might get a little slide bite but i held a little lower and no issue; Conceals well in my jacket pocket. A little heavier than my old Glock 43, but i have a safety and 3 more rounds in the CSX;
-nice big 3 dot sights,
The "To Note" (notice i did not say "Bad"):
-trigger is a little quirky. Took about 3 mags to get it down. There is really no reset. Pull, let it all the way out, pull again, repeat. If you try to release until reset you will short stroke it. I actually like this because i will carry in a pocket holster cocked and locked and its not discharging unless the safety is knocked off and the trigger gets pulled;
-it was surprisingly a little snappy but not at all unpleasant. It was fun to shoot and i could have had fun putting a couple hundred more rounds thru it just didn't have the time. I think i was surprised only because it was an all metal pistol, and i had in my head it would be less snappy.
-I have 10 round mag here in CT. The 10th round was very hard to load. But i could do it. Once loaded with either 9 or 10 the mag expanded so it did not "glide" (took just a little pressure) in and out but it functioned 100%. I think until the new mags come out i will probably load a round, chamber it, then put 9 in the mag when i carry it for 10 total.
Conclusion:
If you are looking for a reliable, accurate, metal, concealable, with good sights, carry 9mm with a safety then get one. I was and this pistol is a homerun for me.
If that's not your spec sheet then get a Glock 43 (which i had and loved but traded for a 43x MOS) or a Sig P365 (which i had and hated-too small for my hand).
 
Posts: 539 | Registered: August 09, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Nice review.
I'm personally not that interested in that pistol but I'm sure some are and it's a great thing to have choices.
So many new firearms that have come out or are coming out that it's a blessing to be a gun owner these days.


I'd rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I'm not.
 
Posts: 3652 | Location: The armpit of Ohio | Registered: August 18, 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Thanks for the review.
 
Posts: 7 | Location: Texas | Registered: January 09, 2022Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Excellent review. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

The gun sounds promising.
 
Posts: 462 | Location: Illinois | Registered: June 13, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Thanks for taking the time to share...glad it's working for you!
 
Posts: 8541 | Location: In the Cornfields | Registered: May 25, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Thanks for the review!
I have no need for a micro 9mm pistol (I like to carry compacts or full size) but if I did, the CSX would be the one I'd get.


Rom 13:4 If you do evil, be afraid. For he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
 
Posts: 704 | Location: NW Ohio but Montana is always home. | Registered: September 30, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Thanks for the review. I am thinking of getting one and this helps.

rambo


 
Posts: 243 | Registered: December 05, 1999Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by longjohn:
The "To Note" (notice i did not say "Bad"):
-trigger is a little quirky. Took about 3 mags to get it down. There is really no reset. Pull, let it all the way out, pull again, repeat. If you try to release until reset you will short stroke it. I actually like this because i will carry in a pocket holster cocked and locked and its not discharging unless the safety is knocked off and the trigger gets pulled;

-I have 10 round mag here in CT. The 10th round was very hard to load. But i could do it. Once loaded with either 9 or 10 the mag expanded so it did not "glide" (took just a little pressure) in and out but it functioned 100%. I think until the new mags come out i will probably load a round, chamber it, then put 9 in the mag when i carry it for 10 total.

The Humble Marksman had the same problems/notes you did w/ short-stroking the trigger and using the 10rd mag. Even using an UpLula, he could barely get the 10th round in.

 
Posts: 3185 | Location: Texas | Registered: June 17, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Have you shot a 938?
If so, what's your opinion - CSX vs 938?




 
Posts: 10052 | Registered: October 15, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Where there's smoke,
there's fire!!
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Julie Golob did a desktop review of the pistol and when taking about and demonstrating the trigger reset, she said you could feel and hear two clicks. When she said that I decided right there it was not in my best interest to get one. I know I would short stroke it and might do so when I really needed the gun to go boom.
 
Posts: 1773 | Location: Kentucky | Registered: February 16, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Resets on triggers: There's been a lot of talk about it I've read over the last ten years, and it seems the desireable goal is to get the trigger reset to cooperate with a goal to put as many rounds downrange as needed in the least amount of time possible. It's an exploitation of the trigger not going fully forward to reset - getting just past it keeps from having to release another 1/8 to 1/4".


I'm thinking that is less a tactical application than it is race gun. And it's less defensive and more a calculated method to shave a tenth of a second off the clock. That is not saying there is any moral or ethical right or wrong - just calling it like it seems to be. A way shooters are finessing the trigger.

I speculate the design engineers were looking at the pistol as a self defense weapon and less as a race gun for the street. Also goes to small self defense guns when extensively used as a range gun in competition - get a new trigger with the bells and whistles a competitor wants, like trigger weight, reset, etc that are tunable or closer to what they want.

Same for the mags - if they aren't drop free, consider that is more a range practice. In self defense dropping your mag means losing it - if it's partially loaded and you are clearing a malfunction it would be a better practice to pocket it after slapping in the new one. Spare ammo is a good thing. Bounced off a polished concrete floor in the mall isn't making it better especially when it slides right out into the line of fire where you don't want to be.

Glocks were initially not drop free - they conformed to Austrian military specs, only after American competitors complained enough was it changed. Also goes to Euro heel releases - the practice was to remove the mag, not lose it.

Gun reviews often note these two issues and a lot of folks consider them in a less positive light, for others, it's not a defect, it's a feature. It's up to the buyer to decide according to how they plan to use it. I don't take the 3 seconds 3 feet 3 shots doctrine for self defense as being 100% reliable - I carry a P365 with a backup ten rounds - however it's use doesn't mean that I can fan the trigger in a crowded store or gas station in self defense, either. I need to guage what the backstop is - etc and being a split second quicker on a second shot because the reset lets me is more finesse than I need when I have the responsibility to know exactly where I am going to place a bullet.

And it's not "wrong" to report it in a gun test, but it's not "right" to insist it is an absolute deal breaker for everyone, either, as some have in the past. Our concepts of how we want a trigger to work have a lot to do with how we plan to use it.

Thanks for the report, good info leads to good choices.
 
Posts: 613 | Registered: December 14, 2021Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Resets on triggers: There's been a lot of talk about it I've read over the last ten years, and it seems the desireable goal is to get the trigger reset to cooperate with a goal to put as many rounds downrange as needed in the least amount of time possible. It's an exploitation of the trigger not going fully forward to reset - getting just past it keeps from having to release another 1/8 to 1/4".


I'm thinking that is less a tactical application than it is race gun. And it's less defensive and more a calculated method to shave a tenth of a second off the clock. That is not saying there is any moral or ethical right or wrong - just calling it like it seems to be. A way shooters are finessing the trigger.

I speculate the design engineers were looking at the pistol as a self defense weapon and less as a race gun for the street. Also goes to small self defense guns when extensively used as a range gun in competition - get a new trigger with the bells and whistles a competitor wants, like trigger weight, reset, etc that are tunable or closer to what they want.

Same for the mags - if they aren't drop free, consider that is more a range practice. In self defense dropping your mag means losing it - if it's partially loaded and you are clearing a malfunction it would be a better practice to pocket it after slapping in the new one. Spare ammo is a good thing. Bounced off a polished concrete floor in the mall isn't making it better especially when it slides right out into the line of fire where you don't want to be.

Glocks were initially not drop free - they conformed to Austrian military specs, only after American competitors complained enough was it changed. Also goes to Euro heel releases - the practice was to remove the mag, not lose it.

Gun reviews often note these two issues and a lot of folks consider them in a less positive light, for others, it's not a defect, it's a feature. It's up to the buyer to decide according to how they plan to use it. I don't take the 3 seconds 3 feet 3 shots doctrine for self defense as being 100% reliable - I carry a P365 with a backup ten rounds - however it's use doesn't mean that I can fan the trigger in a crowded store or gas station in self defense, either. I need to guage what the backstop is - etc and being a split second quicker on a second shot because the reset lets me is more finesse than I need when I have the responsibility to know exactly where I am going to place a bullet.

And it's not "wrong" to report it in a gun test, but it's not "right" to insist it is an absolute deal breaker for everyone, either, as some have in the past. Our concepts of how we want a trigger to work have a lot to do with how we plan to use it.

Thanks for the report, good info leads to good choices.


100% agree. Always retain your mags (pistol or rifle) Too many "bullet golfers" ways are passed off as tactically sound doctrine.
Works great at a match, not so much when the rounds are coming back your way.
As for reset, another gun game skill that is just as Tirod said. When the shooting starts, your not going to worry about reset. You'll let that trigger come all the way back out & mash that trigger again & again until you either win or die.
That being said, with proper training & nerve, one can retain composure & put rounds on target in quick order but it takes experience.
Trying to "ride" the reset is superfluous & not retaining mags can become costly in more ways than just money.
This has been my life experience as a combat Marine & retired LEO. Just my opinion.


Rom 13:4 If you do evil, be afraid. For he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
 
Posts: 704 | Location: NW Ohio but Montana is always home. | Registered: September 30, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I don't mind a long reset. What I don't like is a "false" reset...an audible or tactile click that makes you think the trigger is reset when it's not. I have short-stroked such a trigger in the past, and I don't like them. While I agree that you're not likely to notice the reset in a defensive situation, you can't say that definitively...every situation is different, as is every individual's level and type of training. Someone who has a lot of time behind a particular type of trigger and is used to riding the reset could very well do the same under stress. A false reset is annoying on the range, serves no real practical purpose for the shooter, and has the potential to create problems in real-life. IMO they shouldn't exist.

As to drop-free mags...I like them. If I'm conducting a tactical reload, I'm going to take steps to retain the mag. If it's empty, I want to dump that thing as expeditiously as possible and stick a new one in there that has bullets in it...being able to get rid of the empty one-handed is also a huge benefit.

The idea of a mag-brake retaining the mag after an inadvertent press of the mag release does have some merit, but even a partially retained mag isn't going to feed the gun, so such an occurrence mid-gunfight is going to take some time to correct and isn't something you want to be relying upon. Much better to not eject mags that you don't want to eject in the first place.

I guess to each his own, but I like my drop-free mags and "normal" trigger rest. Neither is a total deal-breaker (my stupid little KelTec P32 does both of these hateful things), but the gun better offer something that I can't get anywhere else if I'm going to put up with them.
 
Posts: 8541 | Location: In the Cornfields | Registered: May 25, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I was pleased with how I like the feel of this new CSX, which we got our first batch in from S&W a couple of days ago. In person it doesn't look that bad at all; it reminds me of a SIG 938 with a somewhat pudgy but very ergonomic grip that feels quite good in-hand. Its trigger isn't bad but I think it could stand to be a smidgen lighter on break; as-is its weight at break is similar to a 938 or a Kimber Micro 9. Though I'm not a thumb safety kind of guy, the CSX safety lever is slight enough to be unobtrusive but still large enough for both solid interaction safety engagement and disengagement. It's good to read that it's doing right for the OP, because at least in handling the gun that's the sort of initial positive impression it gives me.


-MG
 
Posts: 1979 | Location: The commie, rainy side of WA | Registered: April 19, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Good review and feedback. I picked up a CSX in trade. It’s a nimble carry with excellent magazine capacity. Seems like S&W resolved the backwards magazine spring issue & reported false reset. Trigger pull measures just below 7lbs on the scale. My only recommendation to S&W product management if the decide to go with Performance Center variant, a higher tension spring for the trigger safety and redesign the 12rd magazine that doesn’t make use of a spacer sleeve. Accuracy has been acceptable and it’s been reliable with various weights of 9mm ammo.


______________________________________________
Life is short. It’s shorter with the wrong gun…
 
Posts: 13806 | Location: VIrtual | Registered: November 13, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by CQB60:
Good review and feedback. I picked up a CSX in trade. It’s a nimble carry with excellent magazine capacity. Seems like S&W resolved the backwards magazine spring issue & reported false reset. Trigger pull measures just below 7lbs on the scale. My only recommendation to S&W product management if the decide to go with Performance Center variant, a higher tension spring for the trigger safety and redesign the 12rd magazine that doesn’t make use of a spacer sleeve. Accuracy has been acceptable and it’s been reliable with various weights of 9mm ammo.


You hit the key points S&W should address.


JMag
"The truth is incontrovertible; malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is." ? Winston Churchill
 
Posts: 798 | Location: Southeastern U.S. | Registered: March 28, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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all around good guy!
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Thanks for the review, I have had a CSX on my list since I first saw it. I am drawn to the external safety, hammer and metal frame with good capacity.
I have a Shield and really like it, got it when PSA was blowing them out prior to the Shield Plus launch.
 
Posts: 3498 | Location: Tomball, Texas | Registered: August 09, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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