Massad Ayoob on the S&W CSX E-Series

Did the internet kill the Smith & Wesson CSX? Massad Ayoob says no. He liked the original from the start. Some reviewers he respects hated it, and he explains why, then shows what Smith & Wesson changed for the 2025 E‑Series.

The Internet Tried to Cancel This Gun Watch on YouTube — Massad Ayoob - Facts and Firearms.

What he covers: the CSX is a single‑action 9mm carried cocked and locked, with an ambidextrous manual safety and slide stop. He puts the trigger pull on the original at six to seven pounds. He likes that the safety can stay on while you work the slide. Shooters who ride the reset felt a tick on the original that was the firing pin safety, not the sear, and the next pull went dead. He names Chris at Honest Outlaw and hickok45 as two reviewers he respects who disliked it for that reason. He lets the trigger come all the way forward and keeps his finger on it, so it never bothered him. He carries the CSX because sciatica made a heavy hip gun painful. He calls the original 21 ounces, about like an old Colt Detective Special, with 10 to 13 rounds of 9mm. For 2025, Smith & Wesson changed the internals so you can ride the reset like most semi‑autos, and he credits that feedback. He can’t say the new trigger feels smoother. He calls both good. The E‑Series adds a 3.6 inch barrel next to the original 3.1 inch, and he still prefers the 3.1 because he carries it in a pocket holster. He says the rear of the slide clears a trouser pocket where a blocky striker slide can snag. The new gun comes with 12 and 15 round magazines, plus a sleeve that fills out the 15, or with a 17 round magazine. The grip shells come off. He has not put many rounds through the E‑Series yet. Across a lot of rounds and a lot of hands on the original, he has not had a malfunction. His one complaint on the original is that a full 10 round magazine has to be pounded in with the slide forward, so he loads it one short. Specific claims in the video are his, not ours. It is one talk‑through of about ten minutes, with no group size and no round count for the new gun.

Here’s our take. Buy the E‑Series if you want a small single‑action 9mm with a manual safety and you plan to carry it cocked and locked. Skip it if you want a striker gun with no safety to think about, or a long round count on the new model before you buy. His closing advice is to shoot one at a range that rents them before you decide. That is ours too.

We stock the CSX E‑Series he is covering. On the shelf: the CSX E‑Series with the 3.6 inch barrel, 17+1. Related: the 3.1 inch, 17+1 and the 3.1 inch, 10+1. The 3.1 inch is the barrel he prefers. Capacities are from our listings, not his magazine count. Complete firearm. Indiana FFL transfer through Wulfy’s. Ask us for current fees.