Hello,

So This is my first thread here as I am new so if this is the wrong place to put this please let me know.

I have 2 quick questions. I recently bought my first pistol, a Smith & Wesson SD9VE and I'm planning to get my CHL with it.

1st, I was curious what a good OWB holster would be that isn't going to cost me a ton of money and would fit a pretty big guy. I'm about 6' and roughly 320lbs. I have a leather holster that doesn't fit the gun very well(it rocks back and forth and even sometimes falls out of the holster all together) and I also have a holster for my Glock 26 that fit's it but it's almost impossible to pull it out of the holster without using two hands because it fits so tight and there's no way to adjust the retention on that particular holster.

2nd, I was wondering what a good solid self-defense ammo is? I haven't had a chance to shoot a lot of ammo out of it yet (I've put roughly 250 rounds through the gun since I bought it on the 1st) and it's mostly been Winchester FMJ. I've been doing a little bit of research but I'm still not 100% sure what's going to be effective. I've heard that Hornady make's a decent Hollow point round for self defense but besides Hornady, is there any other good ammo manufacturers out there?

First off, welcome to the Forum and congrats on your new SD9VE. I have one also and have been carrying it daily.

I have a Fobus SWMP holster, a De Santis Speed Scabbard and a Serpa CQC. All fit the SD9VE perfectly. Lots of options out there!

So far, all my ammo has been FMJ, still looking into other options.

I use the desantis speed scabbard and hornady 147gr xtp. im 6'5" and 265. carries nicely.

Can't help on the holster but for SD ammo, I find the Remington Golden Saber JHP feeds reliably and can be found online for under $30 per box of 50.

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JR
SD40VE and Shield 9

Welcome to the Forum!

You need to get a holster that is made specifically for your gun. There are many different options available and holster type is a very personal issue.

Some holster makers to consider for your SD9VE...

PJ Holster LLC | Simple, Practical, Affordable Holsters.

IWB Holster w/Adjustable Belt Clip - Cook's Holsters, LLC

The Original | 1441 Gear

For ammo...

50 round box - 9mm Luger Speer Gold Dot 115 Grain Hollow Point LE Ammo - 53614 | SGAmmo.com

50 rd box - 9mm Hornady Critical Duty LE 135 grain standard pressure hollow point ammo 90235 | SGAmmo.com

Federal Premium Tactical HST 9mm 124 Grain Hollow Point Ammo

Also consider for your SD9VE...

https://apextactical.com/store/produ...php?pid57.html

Hope that helps!

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Centennial Every Day

Awesome! Thank's for all the advice, I really love the Desantis Speed holster, I'll definitely have to save up for one in the near future, for now I'll have to look into something a little bit cheaper cause the only one's I'm finding online are $75+.

I'm gonna go to the gun shop today so I'll pick up a box of the Speer Gold Dot and a box of the Hornady Critical Defense rounds. I've never tried Federal ammunition in this SD9VE yet, but I've heard it'll eat anything you put in it so I might have to pick up a box of those as well to see which I like more.

This is the holster I currently have it in. I originally bought this for my Glock 26 and it does fit the holster very tightly, however, it's so tight of a fit that you can't even draw the weapon without using one hand to hold the holster in place and the other to draw the weapon.

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I love the function of the Hornady Critical Duty which is 135 grains. I have seen many ammo's fired thru gelatin blocks and the Hornaday is my recommendation for non + P ammo. I agree with those who say to not fire +P too often thru the pistol, that being said, WTSHTF, +P may give you a tad bit more knock down power. I like the Winchester PDX1 Defender ammo as well as does the FBI.The PDX1 is a P+ round. For a medium to large pistol such as the S&W SD9VE, this is another great self defense load. So I would try either the Hornady Critical Duty or the Winchester PDX1 Defender. Remember the Winchester is both non-P+ and +P, so only use for self defense, not too much at the range, get the P+ for Self Defense. It weighs in at 124 grains . Remington makes an Ultimate Defense, but I have not seen too many great reviews on this ammo. I am just going by others who test with gelatin blocks, and have thankfully not had to use any in self-defense! Alien gear makes a nice pistol holder for the SD9VE which can be concealed carried in a few places for those not 140 pounds. I am 215# and love their ability to have a nice retention, but great ability to draw very quickly. It also seems safe for pistols w/o a safety such as the S&W. Have fun, be safe!

The SDs really do seem to eat anything. Holsters are a personal preference which is why they make tons of them. Alien Gear is what I use. Ammo, I just have Remington UMC 115 grain JHP from Walmart. They say you should practice with your carry ammo. I like Hornady, but with 16 round magazines, two mags and you've spent almost 50 bucks.

FOBUS makes a cheap reliable plastic holster.
COMP TAC or Blade Tek are a step up in OWB kydex

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Science plus Art

For ammo, I now carry the Federal HST in 124 grain (std pressure). AmmoQuest has an excellent youtube video showing the penetration and expansion of this round out of a 3" barrel!!! So am guessing it may be better out of the longer sd9ve barrel