Just bought a new SD9VE, but I haven't shot it yet. I wanted something I could put in the car or truck, and not have to worry about it too much. With a healthy dose of arthritis in my hands, I wonder about the trigger pull? Any thoughts?

The trigger pull is better than the original sw9ve, lighter and smoother about 8lbs. You should go to your lgs and see if you can check one out dry fire it a couple of times to see how it feels...

There is a spring kit for the SD9VE that lowers the pull to 5.5-6 lbs. https://apextactical.com/store/produ...php?pid57.html

Big T:

You're the only one who can answer that.....

Spring kit plus polish striker face that sear pushes against gives me just over 5lb.

A little grease on striker face helped.

Good Luck

Thanks for the input, I hope to get a chance to run a few hundred rounds through the gun in a couple of weeks.

Finally got to shoot my new SD9. For the first couple of clips, the trigger was a little stiff and by the 8 or 10th, either it had loosened up or I was used to it. Gun shoots very nice and accurate. After 200 rounds of 3 different types of ammunition, not the 1st hiccup!

Glad to hear of another SD9VE owner with no complaints. I may pick one up in the future.

In Massachusetts we have to use the Apex kits for all of our new S&W pistols. All new pistols must be approved by the attorney general and have a 10 + pound trigger. My new SD9 VE has a trigger pull of more than 12 pounds.

Bottom line if you want a light trigger get a SA

In Massachusetts even single action pistols are 10 pounds. My new Ruger Mark III 22/45 is 14 pounds and will have to go back to Ruger to reduce to 10lbs.

One of many reasons to not live there

I had a similar experience with my 40VE... 12lb trigger pull, it was horrid... I couldn't hit an outhouse... but, wolf spring, has this 3.5 pounder, sent it to the gun smith, and walla... wow, this thing is awesome... Butttt. and there is always a butt... you must remember, you loose the intended built in safety with any liter trigger spring... I'm shoving a government developed round through the gun, Winchester Ranger in a 145grain hollow... they were an over run on this ammo, and this round too, makes 2nd and 3rd shots really easy to make... my experience is 20 years Army, my hands have been on numerous wheel and autos, both foreign and domestic...this weapon is light weight, very responsive, no pipes or failures... the heavy grained ammo doesn't allow for fast back on target shots... and if you are aging, arthritis setting in or carpel tunnel syndrome, seriously consider a trigger job... it will work to your advantage...

For those of you who installed the apex kit in their sd9ve, have you had any problems with the striker spring not functioning right after putting several hundred rounds through it? I had heard this starts happening. Can anyone tell me their experience?

no problems here at least 400rds through the gun. If you are worried just don't change out the striker spring. I feel that the the trigger return spring and safety plunger spring do more anyway. The trigger pull will still drop 1.25-1.75lbs from the two springs

Somewhat true, but "light" is subjective. A striker fired gun for me is good at 5.5 to 6.5 lbs. Anything over that is excessive. Single-actions I want closer to 2 lbs, which is what I'd consider "light".

I think the SD40VE with the Apex kit installed makes for a great gun. I've put 350 rounds through mine so far. Only issues I had were with American Eagle ammo. Everything else has ran fine.

I have considered doing just that, but I'm not sure that will reduce the pull enough. I guess I need to get it checked somewhere and see what the pull is now and then decide. Thanks for your reply. I may just wait for the dude to get his sear unit replacement springs back in late June. 18 bucks and reduces the pull just as good or better than the Apex kit. He used to have a youtube video on the sd9ve and 40, but has taken it off until he gets the springs back. He sold 1000 in two weeks and had to order more. From what I saw, he reduced the coils in the spring considerably.

I have about 600 rounds with my complete APEX kit with no problems what so ever. It really smoothed out the trigger pull. No problem balancing a coin in the front site when dry firing.

Thanks for relating your experience. May have to get one. No way I can balance on now dry firing.

i just took my sd9ve out this morning to fire it the first time since the apex spring was put in. it took a few rounds to get used to it, the first few shot off a little unexpectedly with the lighter pull haha

Update: I have been practicing my breathing and dry firing with a coin, which I could not do the first few days without the coin falling to the floor. Now I am able to do it and I have not put in a kit. The trigger pull has lost some of the sponginess, if you will, but I still want either the sigma trigger guys kit, the apex kit, or the galloway kit, as I don't expect much more improvement from just dry firing.

The Apex kit helped my SD9VEW considerably. However, the trigger still isn't smooth. It's easier to pull now, but there's a lot of "stiction." I don't know if there's an easy way to improve this.

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Personally I think the trigger on my SD9VE is just fine, I wouldn't want anything lighter on a SD gun w/o an external safety and with lots of dry practice, its very predictable. The only thing I've done to mine is cut some grip tape up to add traction in different places where my hand wants some; asymmetrically placed but I didn't do it for aesthetics, this is a gun that's meant to be used and not looked at anyway.

Edit: Oh and bright green nail polish on my rear sight dots, lol.

Just a check-in to say that after at least 650+rounds of multiple brands, bullet types and grains (90 to 158) I haven't had any problems whatsoever from my stock SD9-VE and the trigger seems a bit smoother, but I can't be sure of that. I had no reason to complain if it wasn't smoother when new 5-6 months ago. I'm probably jinxing myself dammit.

I have at least 400 rounds through my SD9 and I have an Apex kit installed.

No problems whatsoever AND I pick up a few pieces of brass every 50 rounds or so and look at the primer strikes on the empty's. The primer strikes are still strong and deep so I'm very happy.

If you have any concerns look at your primer strikes and if they're deep-don't worry about it.

I have tried to sabotage my newly purchased SD9VE by feeding every cheap ammo known to mankind, from Ultramax reloads to Federal 9mm. I paid $329 at the Academy (on sale now for only $299), and it outperforms my other two pistols (Ruger P95 and Reming 1911 A1. My SD9VE is so dependable that is I have designated it as mi casa protector. As for the trigger pull, I wouldn't change anything. Its success is in its simplicity (no safeties), and the trigger pull is just right for when in a stressful situation. If you want a lighter trigger pull, buy another gun. I can't say enough great things about this gun. As for carry, I ride a motorcycle and I find it a tad too big. Again, it's for the home, ranch, vehicle, etc. Buy it and you won't go wrong.

I put the Apex kit in my SD9VE, but left out the trigger return spring since it barely pushed the trigger out for reset. That was awhile ago, but I recently went to the range and shot some Tula through my SD and got several light strikes. This only happened with Tula, but the lighter striker spring took away the ability to reliably shoot any and all ammo through it, so now that's out. Now all that's left in my SD is the striker block spring.

As a note, I keep everything cleaned, lubed and make sure the striker channel is free of debris and lubricants. IMO, save your money and just learn the stock trigger.

I love mine as is for now after I get more used to it may ad the apex kit

The stock M&P trigger return spring is a little lighter than the stock SD spring but stronger then the apex spring and fits the gun just fine and is only $3

I think the factory trigger pull is fine how it is.

I installed the apex trigger spring kit on my sd9ve, and I am now experiencing a large amount of misfires and rough movement when I pull the slide back. Any advice to avoid having to install the original spring kit?

I've tested a lot of trigger's right out of the box and they varied from 8 to 12+ lbs.

The average was almost 9 lbs.

So you can't really say that I like the factory trigger pull because they vary so much.

I presume you tried the trigger before you purchased. If so, did it work for you? If not, why did you purchase the pistol?

The SDVE trigger is better than the SIGMA/SWVE trigger, but not as good as an M&P or Glock or a 1911.

With serious arthritis, I would worry more about the ability to grip the slide hard enough to rack the slide.

If you are unable to rack the slide, then the only real choice is a discontinued pistol from Beretta, which allows chambering a round by a barrel which is on a hinge, so operation of the slide is not required. That pistol is chambered in .380 ACP, which is also an advantage for a shooter with arthritic hands.

Attached Images

Beretta Model 86 in 380 ACP.jpg (26.7 KB, 93 views)

Congrats on a good pistol. After about 300 rounds, the trigger became a little lighter and a lot smoother.
I really enjoy shooting it now.
I have nicer guns but this one rests on the nightstand.
If for some reason I would have to relinquish my firearm due to a "situation" (remote but possible) I would be relieved it wasn't a more expensive one.

BTW, not a single hiccup.

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Kyle, since you brought this thread back after 16 months to ask a question, I'll give it a shot. I put the Apex trigger and spring kit in my SD9 using the instructions Apex has posted on youtube. Trigger and action were immediately better, but I would experience a light strike every once in a while. It was rare, maybe 1:100, but any failure on a gun for defensive use is something that needs correction. So I put the original striker spring back in, and have had a totally reliable pistol since then. I didn't do any polishing other than what is in the Apex instructions.

That roughness you're experiencing leads me to believe that you didn't get things back together correctly, so if I were you I'd study the Apex instructions until I felt I had every aspect down, and dis-assemble and re-assemble the pistol per instructions. This will give you a chance to inspect all the components in detail, and you may be able to trace you issue to a specific part or assembly error.

The real experts will be along shortly, but in the meantime, HTH! And, do use the search function, you will find a lot of pertinent information.

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I'm clearly not a "real expert" but do have a background of over 55 years of scientific employment. Here are some of my observations:

1. The trigger pull is clearly higher than any of the rifles I have owned over the years and higher than the 1911's I carried in the Navy.

2. There is a slight "takeup" at the beginning of the trigger pull, caused by a 1/16" space between the trigger bar and sear. Some call this "roughness" but I just accept it.

3. The trigger bar is rough on the side that touches the inside of the frame. I cured that by using very fine sandpaper between the frame and trigger bar while actuating the trigger, then put some grease in there.

4. The "sear" and the release prong on the striker are both a bit rough when the gun is new. I haven't decided to polish those and will wait until the gun is used a lot more.

5. There may be more moving parts in the trigger system but I didn't see any that slide against each other during a trigger pull.

The main issue for me is whether my wife can rack the gun. I decided to prepare for that problem by buying a CA listed gun. It will not fire if the magazine is not seated. If she has a problem in racking the gun after more range time, I will be able to put a round in, rack the gun to put a round in the chamber, and then let the magazine down a bit. All she would have to do then is slam the magazine back up.

If folks in the Carry/Self Defense forum read this they will give me a lecture on how much this will slow down her response, but the 1-2 seconds this takes is not a problem in our home configuration.

And no, I don't anticipate changing the recoil or striker springs.

I never thought trigger on my SD9VE was bad to begin with. Now, with a couple hundred rounds downrange and probably just as many dry fire pulls, it has improved noticeably.

Since this pistol does actual HD duty, reliability was paramount. Thus I had no interest in risking that by futzing around with aftermarket parts in it.

Thank you very much for your reply! I will definitely watch the video again. To make sure I'm understanding you correctly, you used all of the apex kit except you used the original striker spring (the large one?).

Bought my SD9VE 8-2-2014 and so far over 1,000 rounds down range.

I didn't think the trigger was that bad in the first place, but I shot S&W revolvers for years. Guess that gave me an edge when I purchased the SD9VE. Now, after 5 months and 1,000 + rounds fired (with NO issues at all), the trigger is smooth and I shoot it accurately out to 15 yards.

No mods at all, completely stock. It's one of my EDC guns (been carrying it the most). Accurate, reliable, dependable-best $300 you can spend for a S&W with lifetime warranty! :-)

It's comforting to see that many posts are leaning towards keeping the SD_VE series stock. Mine works fine for me as is, after a bit of use and cleaning up the trigger bar. I could carry but don't plan to. We will just keep it in a strategic location in the house, which is well designed for warning and protection against surprise invasion. Same for our neighborhood.

If I were still match shooting, as when in College, I would have a proper gun for that purpose.

If the neighborhood changes, we will adjust appropriately.

Yes, that is correct. You could try the Apex striker spring and see if it works for you, but like I said, I wasn't getting 100% reliability with it. Real close, though.

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Have you tried smoothing the side of the trigger bar that rubs on the frame? Then clean any grit and put in grease.

Also, have a look at the interaction of the trigger bar front prong with the striker blocker. Look at it through the magazine opening. A little grease will help.

Worked wonders on my SD9VE.

I know some people won't like this, but here's what I did to fix the bulging on the frame where the trigger bar pushes on it when trigger is pulled.

I bent the prong that rides over the safety bock in some because it was riding on the outside of the plunger which pushed the trigger bar hard against the frame.

Now the prong rides dead center on the plunger.

I also bent the trigger bar slightly in away from the frame.


I actually had to take the Apex striker spring out because it was to light of a trigger pull for my liking after doing this.

Now the frame does not protrude 1/8 out when trigger is pulled, it doesn't even move out at all now.

It was trial and error, bend a little try the gun ect...

Thanks, you are the first person to confirm my assertion that the trigger bar rubs on, and moves, the frame. (You may have been the person who told me how to see the safety blocker through the magazine area in the grip). Since I may be sending my SD9 in for another issue I'll stick with smoothing and lubing the trigger bar where it rubs the frame.

I think, but can't be sure, that the biggest contributor to trigger pull is the final cocking of the striker. I will live with that since I'm not match shooting. (Is that final pull the reason they call these guns "Double Action"?)

I love my S&W 40. But the only thing i don't like is the trigger it takes way to much pressure to make it Fire to me & is throwing off my accuracy is there any good & on the cheaper side triggers for this gun ?

Polish the side of the trigger bar that rubs on the plastic frame, then clean it and put in some grease.

Then be sure the safety blocker, the round piston moved by the front prong of the trigger bar, is well lubed, again with grease.

Now, work on your grip. Be sure the grip is well-seated in the web of your thumb and your hand is well up on the grip. Grip with your trigger hand as if someone is trying to take the gun from you but keep your trigger finger completely relaxed and lying along the outside of the trigger guard, just parallel to, but below, the slide. Then use your other hand to envelope yur trigger hand with the thumb pointing forward on the frame. Your trigger finger should play no part in holding the gun, NONE.

Now, with that firm grip, use your trigger finger to squeeze the trigger while it plays absolutely no part in holding the gun. Dry fire in a safe place until you can pull the trigger without disturbing your aim.

Once you can squeeze the trigger without changing the aiming point, try relaxing a bit from the white-knuckle grip and practice until it becomes a natural process. The white-knuckle grip must go away or it will cause your hands to shake. Ignore the slight take-up at the start of trigger movement, it's just the trigger bar moving to contact the sear, just part of the design.

Remember, your two hands hold the gun, the trigger finger just squeezes the trigger.

-I bent the finger out on mine just a little bit a few months or so back so it would hit the striker plunger more in the center. But luckily on mine, the frame never pushed out as bad as yours. It still moves slightly, but only if you really look at it while pulling the trigger. That little peek in the mag well really does show you what's going on, doesn't it?

L8R,
Matt

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SD40-VE owner and proud of it!

Yes, a great way to see what is going on. My frame bulge is easier to feel than see but since my SD9 may be going back to S&W for a look, I don't want to bend anything yet.

I did verify, however, that the blocker is cleared well before the striker is released so the alignment can wait. I think S&W felt the same way, no need to spend a few cents to make the tab alignment perfect.

If you remove the back plate and striker assembly then put the slide on the frame you can look into the striker channel and see how the plunger is moved up and out of the way. It essentially moves completely out of the way right at the last little bit of travel before the sear drops out of the way.

Bill

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Glock has available a back plate for armorers that is only half height, measuring from the top. It allows the striker to work normally. It's designed just for that purpose.

If I could get a second one for my SD9 I'd cut it to see exactly that. The downward movement is not great and when you watch it with the slide off you really can't determine exactly where the striker is released. You just can't see enough when you peek in through the clearance area under a standard back plate.

Also, I'd really really like to see just how much a trigger pull retracts the striker before it's released. I think this additional pull is why they call these guns "Double Action".

I've heard from several sources that common folks like me will never be able to order SD_VE parts.