S&W SD9 VE longevity ?

The SD9 VE is as durable as any other polymer pistol on the market. Polymer striker fired pistols have basically become a commodity product that are all the same to most people. S&W markets it as their budget gun so they have to maintain a price differential between the SD and M&P models. The difference is not durability but things like better slide coating, removable back straps, sights.

Before the SD series came out the SW series was the most popular semiautomatic handgun in police evidence across the country. These guns have seen more street combat then others and have proven themselves. They have street creds.



The SD series has a better trigger then the SW series. Some have complained that over time the trigger on the SD series starts to get harder to pull. The mags are the same other then the floor plate, and will work in either gun.

Yes, the SD9VE AKA Ghetto Glocks are the number one handgun in Police evidence lockers. They also fit my hands better than five previously owned Glock G-19s. I like them. YMMV. tom.

I have had a Shield 9mm and a Ruger SR9c for almost 7 years. Last year I also bought an SD9VE when they had a rebate. Paid about $250 after rebate. I was impressed by the fit and finish. Even the inside of the slide is nicely polished. The mags are polished stainless and you get 2. My initial thoughts were that it was quite a bit nicer than what I was expecting. Sure the trigger is heavy, but I shoot double action revolvers more than semi autos so it isn't a big deal. Mine is my nightstand gun

Also don't forget the SD9VE comes with a lifetime warranty from S&W.

Excellent ergonomics. If you treat the trigger as a DA revolver trigger you will not feel a need for a replacement.

Just a word of advice - if you are going to buy either the Apex trigger or the spring kit - get them both. I bought the spring kit thinking "oh, if this isn't light enough, I'll just get the trigger afterwards and install it later!" Bad idea. The kit was a pain to install, and the springs alone helped but not as much as I had hoped for. I ordered the trigger, but now it's just sitting on bench, waiting for me to install it one day.

I'll get around to it, but damn. I am not a handy person mechanically, and it was like a 6 hour adventure last time getting the SD9 apart and back together, including at least one of those hours where I lost a firing pin cup in the carpet and had to go looking for it (and happened to find out that the SD9's are the exact same size as a Glock's). I could just pay a gunsmith to install the trigger, but it would more than double the cost of it, and I'm a cheap SOB. But then I'm also a lazy one, and a clumsy one...

You get the picture. It's a job you only want to do once.

Along that adventure, I found that a lot of the internals of the SD9 are plastic where the same ones in a Glock or M&P would be metal, and no doubt that will lower the lifespan of the gun when it comes to extreme, five-digit round counts. But they should last for a very long time on any normal shooting schedule.

I really have no complaints about them besides the trigger, and the fit and finish is shockingly good for a $300 budget gun.

The SD9 VE is as durable as any other polymer pistol on the market.

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I simply have no experience with the newer S&W budget guns, but not all plastic pistols are equals. I did have one of the original Sigma's bought in 1999 that broke 3 times before I got through 50 rounds of ammo and had to go back to S&W each time. In 5 months of ownership the gun was in my hands less than 10 days before they finally sent me a new one. That is about the same time they upgraded to a slightly different version and I demanded the newer version as a replacement. When it came in the gunshop that took delivery simply gave me full credit in a trade that I'd paid toward a Glock and I never looked back. I do understand that Smith corrected the issues, but the experience left such a bad taste in my mouth that I just didn't want to try again.

I have tried the newer M&P and think it is a quality gun. And I also own a couple of budget Rugers, a SR9 and LC9s. Both of the Rugers have worked 100% and are accurate enough to give me confidence in carrying them. But they are not built to the same ruggedness as top end guns including the Ruger American, Sig 320, M&P, Glock and others. For a budget gun that is shot a little and carried a lot I think they are fine, but I'd not trust one for high volume shooting that a lot of people do or for harsh duty or combat use. The Budget Smiths are probably about the same.

I’ve had to shoot many SW & SD series guns over the last seven years. Some were like new, some were well used and some were abused. In those seven years there have been only two that I was not able to fire. One was a SW9VE that was missing the parts from the slide, and the other was a SD9VE that had been thrown from a vehicle traveling over 30 miles per hour.
No, they are not a top of the line pistol , but they have been proven as a reliable gun that can get the job done.
I wouldn’t put them in the category of cheap guns. They are an inexpensive gun.

I had the 40 caliber model. I could shoot it okay. It went bang every time. The magazines were very nice. I eventually got tired of the stiff trigger and after a year or two traded it towards something else. I bought it used for $199, put some hundreds of rounds through it, and traded it in. It showed no real signs of wear or any mechanical problems whatsoever.

I have an SW9VE that has been my truck gun for several years now. I bought it when SW had a $50 rebate and two free mags. Mine is all black. Not the two tone look. Mine also came with one of the high intensity flash lights like a Stream Light with extra bulb. I felt like it was a good deal. I have fired less than 500 rounds through mine but from the first to the last it has never bobbled in any manner. All handloads with Remington 115gr hollow points pushed by 5grs of Bullseye powder. My standard 9mm load.

I watched a YT video about doing a trigger job that involved removing two springs. I did it and it does make a difference. I didn't like removing springs so I put one original back and dug around in my Box-O-Springs and found a replacement for the other spring of the same length but lower power and installed that. Much better. And it was easy to do.

Overall I think its a darn good gun for the money. I like the Academy Sports exclusive version with upgrade sights on it. I just never seem to catch them on sale. If I do I will buy one of them. My mags for the SW9VE will fit. I took one in the store and tried it to see.