Some SD9VE improvements

Claven2

Claven2

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I got this gun pretty cheap on the EE for $250 shipped (used) with the original 2 mags. It was honestly not as bad as I have read, and I had tried the trigger on one in the store previously, so knew it would be heavy and long.

But at the price I acquired it, I was willing to try some stuff. It now has the APEX spring set installed as well as the APEX Glock-type trigger. The trigger has been fitted to have virtually no over-travel, and the take-up is about half the stock trigger setup.

I also added tome TruGlo night sights, front and rear. These sights are steel and made for the M&P, but they fit the SD series just fine. The sights are NOT as nice as meprolight or Trijicon. The vials don't look to be as high a quality as other makers (from a size and fit perspective), but the sights were cheap at around $100 for the set, are all steel, and are actually really bright.

Overall, these changes made the gun dramatically better. I'm happy with the trigger pull, now around 5.5 lbs with a shorter take-up and reset than stock. I also got some extra mags from firearms outlet canada.

These guns truly are a great little bargain and take a few simple mods really well. I'm glad I tried this one, as I now rather like it. Great gun for the price, even after mods.

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I have one for my wife, haven't shot it yet, can you tell me where you got the trigger/spring kit? The Canadian suppliers that I have seen so far are double or more, the price in the U.S. Thanks.
 
I got my spring kit from Select Shooting Supplies in Cambridge Ontario. It's a great little store that carries lots of small accessories and mods.
 
Just bought this pistol on Thursday. Tried the trigger in store and didn't find it that bad. Look forward to bringing it home as it will be my first striker fired pistol. Nice to see the upgrades are easily done. Nice work!
 
Did the same to mine when they first came out. Tried it stock and it was fine, but it did have the intentional heavy trigger pull. Not an issue for us old DA revolver guys. Changed over to Apex just to see what/if a difference it would make. To my surprise it went from a consistent 8# to a consistent 4#. Aging eyes meant a change to TruGlo FO sights and the thing is awesome. Reset is pretty much trash but the rest is dandy. Great little gun..
dB
 
IM_Lugger said:
I've never shot one but thought it looked pretty decent when I handled one. Trigger didn't even seem that bad.
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It seems 1000% better with the full APEX treatment. I also stoned the striker to get rid of an ugly casting line on a rough bearing surface, and also polished the contact points between the trigger bar and sear. All told, huge improvement and the trigger is not only lighter, but smooth as butter.
 
Some people say that this gun is more of a compact size like a Glock 19 and other’s say it’s still big ..... how does it feel for you? What do you think of the overall feel when it shooting it?

It seems like on CGN most people hate this gun, but on YouTube or American sites, it has a pretty big following for being reliable and affordable.

The $250 you paid is a steal.
 
My dad picked up an SD9VE from tenda for his first striker pistol and I shot it.. I was impressed for the price! Definitely makes me consider one as a budget project
 
I can help with that.

Here is my full-sized Glock 22 Gen 2 (same size as a Glock 17, and there is no size difference between generations) next to the SD9VE.

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So some observations:

- The slides are both the same width.
- The S&W slide is a good 1/2 inch shorter than a full sized Glock.
- The S&W grip does not end up parallel to the slide along the bottom, so it has space where your pinky finger wraps the grip, but is shorter at the back where the extra length is not very useful. I suspect this would make it print less in a concealed carry situation.
- The S&W mags are thinner because they are just chromed steel and the extra thickness of a plastic coating (like a glock mag) isn't present. As a result, the S&W grip is noticeably thinner except where there is a gentle palmswell halfway up the grip.
- The overall actual length of each pistol is about the same because the barrel protrudes. Linda like how a Glock 19 ends up being as long as a Glock 17 once you install a 107mm barrel. But the gun does feel overall smaller because of how short the slide is.
- because the beavertail is less thick and the trigger guard has more undercut, you can choke up slightly higher with your grip on a Glock.

I will say, that even after mods, etc., the Glock has a much better trigger right out of the box. The Apex parts will make the pull weight about the same as a stock glock and removes overtravel, but the pre-travel and reset remain much worse than on any glock pistol. If they were the same price, you;d be stupid to not buy the Glock - but the glock costs 2 to 3 times the price of a SD9VE, FWIW.
 
Thanks Claven2,

I really appreciate your pictures and comments. I’ve been curious about the size differences .... not really interested in paying the $900 or so for a Glock 19. I’m tempted to get one of these; there are a lot of good sales for these recently.

I’m interested in trying a more “compact” size just for a variety of shooting experiences, but I’m also interested in a da/sa metal gun .... just for variety.

Currently, struggling with my one in and one out rule and my budget lol.
 
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City Boy said:
Thanks Claven2,

I really appreciate your pictures and comments. I’ve been curious about the size differences .... not really interested in paying the $900 or so for a Glock 19. I’m tempted to get one of these; there are a lot of good sales for these recently.

I’m interested in trying a more “compact” size just for a variety of shooting experiences, but I’m also interested in a da/sa metal gun .... just for variety.

Currently, struggling with my one in and one out rule and my budget lol.
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If all you want is to try a Glock 19 size, then the SD9VE is basically Glock 19 dimensions and has a clone of the Glock triple-safety striker system inside it. But it's not as well optimized for a good trigger experience as any Glock is.
 
The similarities to the Glock 19 are clear..After all, this used to be the Sigma, which S&W was sued over by Glock due copyright infringement. The fact that it fits in a Glock 19(or 17/22) holster is a bonus as well as the plastic guiderod can be replaced with a steel G19 if u wish. S&W is announcing some interesting additions to the lineup later this year. One will be an all black SD vs the present 2 tone. Stay tuned :)
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I played around with a sigma back in the day, this little SD is an improvement over the sigma imho.

The trigger is better out if the box than a sigma, grip more comfortable, slide easier to grip too.
 
If they come out in all black Im in.....tweek it a bit and it will be a great pistol.....Hell for the price of a glock maybe ill buy two one for me and one for my wife!
 
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