I own both the SW9VE & SW40VE guns. My son just recently upgraded to an M&P.40,so, he sold me his 4 month old SD9VE.
I am going to use this gun as a project gun. Meaning, I am going to start upgrading it!
I ordered the Glock 19 (20#) Galloway guide rod in stainless steel. It should be here next week. I am a Prime member but this was not a Prime item. But, it's still FREE shipping.

I have to do a little bit at a time, being I am disabled and live on SSDI. 32 years of working in my trade and at age 49 I wake up one morning to go to work and realize that was when I became disabled. I have Faith in my Savior up above!
Anyway, my next item will be an rear slide cover plate. There are so many good ones to choose from, but, I think I have found the one.

After that, I should be healed enough to do some kind of part time work and make more money for better upgrades; APEX trigger kit, night sights, and maybe I will have a melonite job done to my slide.
As this project unfolds I will keep the SD forum updated and provide pics as well. It won't look like this after awhile;

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Also a member of Amazon Prime and have gotten lots of things from them.

I got a take-down plate, rear cover plate(wolf howling at moon) and the Galloway 17# slide spring and rod for my SD9VE.

Disabled1, if you notice some ammos not feeding/ejecting correctly from short stroking, it will be because of the 20# spring rate. The heavier the slide spring, the more force it requires from the powder to operate the slide from off-the-shelf ammos.

Same as me..Amazon Prime...20#guide rod, US Flag back plate, Apex trigger, glock take down bar, cerekote matte black and bead blasted the frame so it is not so shiny.

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Hmmmm, it looks like someone beat me to the finish line.
Your slide looks great! But, I would still like to have the S&W factory etching on mine.
Is the Glock take down bar wider than the SD? I was going to order one made by Galloway.
Does the 20 # guide rod cause any FTE or FTF (Fail To Feed) problems with ANY grain ammo?
Well, I guess I can still continue my project and we can share any upgrade advice/tips with each other.

It depends on the recoil impulse of the ammo (not just bullet weight) and the grip of the shooter. I put a 15# recoil spring in an M&P 9 (stock 16#) that was short stroking on beginners; I never had any trouble with the stock spring.

Personally, I think a 20# spring in an SD 9mm is a bit much unless you intend shooting a steady diet of +P. On the other hand, the stock SD 9 is nominally 19#, so its not much over.

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Science plus Art

Still don't know what number the spring weight refers to.

Could be:
1. Spring rate in pounds per inch.
2. Initial force in battery, that is when sitting in a normal position.
3. Something else, maybe a combination of the above.

Sorry to ask this question again but I think it's worth understanding.

ISMI, the manufacturer of S&W factory springs, defines their rating as the standard spring constant (commonly called spring rate) in pounds per inch of compression. This is what I was referring to in my comment that 20# is a bit much for standard 9mm.

As I'm sure you know, the actual force applied in a handgun depends on the installed length and decreases exponentially with use as the physical free length of the spring decreases. For example, a decrease of 1/2 inch in the free length of a 1911 spring causes about 23% decrease in slide force, which is why the old rule about discarding 1911 springs that have lost 1/2 inch off their new free length.

The flat wound springs used in the SW/SD and M&Ps lose their free length extremely slowly, which is why their service life is very long: many tens of thousands of cycles. They have been tested to 100,000 cycles, although nobody recommends using them that long in service.
Frequently Ask Questions

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Science plus Art

Yes, I think we have touched on this, from a technical point of view, some time ago.

The IMSI website makes a good point about why piano wire springs are inappropriate for most compression, or other crigical applications. Interesting that they say that a valve spring in an INDI 500 race goes through 2,500,000 cycles in a race. Wow!

The missing part of my understanding is how much pre-load is on a spring in an SD9 and related guns. Clearly there is some, enough to almost hurt the fingers when you set the spring/guide rod into place.

I've never measured it and have never had a spring off the guide rod so I don't know the free length. Maybe, some day, if I buy a metal guide rod, I'll know the free length and thus the pre-load.

I don't have a spare SD 9 spring on hand, but I do have the M&P, so let's use it as an example.
M&P full size captive installed spring length: 3.1"
M&P full size stock 16# free length: 5.7"
Amount of compression installed: 2.6"

2.6" times 16# per inch = about 42# preload

I put a 15# spring in one FS loaner for beginners, which lowered the preload to 39#, which doesn't sound like much, but it eliminated ejection problems with cheap commercial 9mm ammo and limp grip beginners.

The "green spring" that is on the new M&P 40s is an 18# spring, with about 47# preload installed.

Hope this helps

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Science plus Art

It helps a lot and shows that preload is an important issue beyond the spring rate. Clearly preload will affect recoil action. I haven't seen preload discussed or disclosed here or in the vendor listings.

If I were a vendor I would include that value, and not just the free length and rating because, I assume, most shooters just want to get to the bottom line without having to analyze and/or compute preload, etc.

I believe it's important but have no idea how vendors should address this issue.

It may be that OKFC05 and I are discussing non-issues but I wonder whether other folks on this forum consider preload to be about as important as spring rate.

Ok, now that the thread hijacking is over, (or, is it? ) does anyone know if a Glock take down bar will work in the SD9VE?

The guide rod has not caused any FTE/FTF issues. I went with the 20# based on a recommendation that it would reduce recoil a bit and make it easier to shoot for my girls. Doesnt seem to be much different so now I consider the stock one a spare.
The take down lever is slightly wider so I can get my fingers on it a lot easier. It is an easy shooter right now and very smooth.

I just ordered a S&W M&P factory rear sight & set screw from Brownell's for my SD9VE. My wide take down bar should be here by no later than this Wednesday.

http://www.brownells.com/handgun-par...00+TO+29xzzx99

i recommend dropping an Apex trigger spring as i find the stock 8LB trigger to be a bit heavy, drop in an apex trigger for a more rugged trigger(find the hinged stock trigger a little flimsy) and also a more positive/audible reset. Galloway 17lb spring/guide rod is a good bet as well, i'm unsure about the reliability but others on this forum have insured me that replacing the polymer guide rod with a stainless steel one wont affect reliability.

I installed the Galloway Glock G19 20# SS guide rod. Since the install and well over 500-600 rounds of various grains, NO problems yet!