I’m not a giant M1911 fan. Positive, they’re enjoyable and historic, however their excessive weight-to-low-capacity ratio makes them a enjoyable gun to me. That doesn’t imply I can’t admire a extra trendy tackle the M1911’s strengths. The S&W CSX is actually a mini-1911, but it surely doesn’t have the capability downside. The S&W CSX is a micro-compact that makes use of SIG P365-inspired stacked and a half magazines.
The unique CSX was a neat gun when it premiered in 2018, but it surely lagged behind the competitors. It had some minor points with a false-resetting set off, no optics functionality, and simply didn’t strike the identical chord as different S&Ws just like the Protect Plus. S&W has re-released the CSX because the E-Sequence and launched a brand new 3.6-inch mannequin. I’ve my arms on the CSX E-Sequence with the three.6-inch barrel, despatched by S&W for take a look at and evaluation.
Getting the CSX E-Sequence In Hand
The CSX E-Sequence represents a mini, modernized M1911. The gun is a single-action-only, hammer-fired gun. It has an ambidextrous security, an ambidextrous slide lock, and ditches the grip security of the traditional M1911. The CSX E-Sequence retains the skinny nature of the M1911 however shrinks every part to a extra concealable platform.
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So far as I can inform, it’s the one all-metal, single-action-only, hammer-fired micro-compact available on the market. The brand new E-Sequence comes with an optics reduce that accommodates the Protect RMSc footprint optics, which is the usual for micro-compacts. My solely grievance in regards to the optic’s design is being compelled to take away the rear sight to mount the optic.
The E-Sequence comes with three magazines. We get a flush-fitting 12-round journal, a 15-round journal, and an extended 17-round journal. The CSX E-Sequence comes with an extremely modular grip design. First, you may preserve the unique grip size, and every journal comes with a spacer to connect to the journal to kind an extended grip.
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That’s high-quality, however I desire an extended grip. My fingers pin the journal in place after I go to reload. For guys like me, we get the choice to swap the backstrap with a grip-length extension. That is good and makes the 15-round magazine match flush, and the 17-round pokes out only a hair. It doesn’t assist you to use the 12-round journal, however that’s high-quality with me.
With the three.6-inch mannequin, I don’t thoughts a barely bigger journal. If I had been rocking most concealment with the three.1-inch mannequin, I’d preserve the 12-rounder and cope with it.
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On the Vary With the CSX E-Sequence
What I would like from a 1911-like pistol is a unbelievable set off. I would like my single-action pull to be mild and crisp. That’s what I get with the CSX E-Sequence. It’s a flat-faced set off with a set off security dingus. The set off has some take-up, then a crisp pull with an ideal break. It’s brief, which makes it straightforward to tug quick.
I may pull this set off quick and ship a number of rounds on the right track extraordinarily quick. Hitting double faucets in lower than a second with just some inches between impacts was straightforward. I shot a couple of 10-10-10 drills and hit them in lower than six seconds, with all of my pictures within the black.
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I nailed IPSC-sized metal at 50 yards greater than I missed, and will do that pretty rapidly, and I credit score this accuracy to the good set off and prolonged grip. That longer grip permits for higher recoil management and accuracy. For a extra standardized take a look at, I used to be capable of hearth 5 rounds right into a two-inch group at ten yards.
For a small, concealable pistol, that’s greater than correct sufficient for me. The meager 9mm doesn’t create any substantial recoil. The gun stays straightforward to shoot rapidly with good impact on the right track.
Chew The Hand
Ergonomically, the controls are fairly good. The protection is massive and straightforward to succeed in. The ambi design is a pleasant contact. The slide launch is dinky, but it surely sits far sufficient ahead that my thumb doesn’t press it down whereas taking pictures. This makes reloads straightforward and fast.
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The grip texture is that M&P aggressive, hand-gripping kind. It’s beastly and clings to your hand. It’s positioned in panels across the grip, and whereas there’s a lot to grip, I do want your complete grip had been coated with this texture. It helps preserve the gun positioned in my hand with minimal motion throughout recoil.
The place I run into issues is with slide chew. It hits my large arms exhausting. A couple of hundred rounds in, and I’m bleeding. That is pretty frequent for me with small weapons, and I’ve come to just accept it. Fortunately, slide chew by no means induced any failures.
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Talking of, the gun eats and eats with no downside. My main testing ammo is Academy’s least expensive steel-cased stuff, and it cycled by all of it with no downside. The gun extracts, ejects, and feeds flawlessly.
What’s Previous Is New
The CSX E-Sequence is right here to remain. S&W polished the platform and delivered a gun that’s dependable, straightforward to shoot, correct, and really succesful. The E-Sequence platform is filled with updates wanted for the unique CSX. It’s now a prime contender within the micro market that provides one thing a bit of completely different than the polymer-frame, striker-fired plenty.
