I recently picked up this gun, slightly used, and haven't had a chance to get to the range with it. Does anyone have any thoughts on what ammo seems to run best through this thing? In the past, I've found different guns seem to like certain manufacturers better than others. Any input on this one?

Start with cheep range ammo.

At this point, start with the lowest price, don't worry about brand.

Don't over buy quantity ( no more than 50-100 rounds of cheep stuff), see how it works and then either move on to something else or buy more.

I love the SD9VE. I bought one for my wife as a HD gun because she didn't like the ergonomics and stiff slides on my Glock and 4513TSW. If they made a .45, I'd own one. If they made a compact, I'd own and carry one.



To your point, I've fired Win. White box, blazer brass, online bulk reloads, and Federal 147gr HSTs through it and they all have performed fine.





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You'd have to try that gun. No way to know first

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I own all of the fantastic plastic S&W's in this class (SW9VE, SW40VE, SD9VE, SD40VE, and a SD9). You can feed them ANY kind of ammo (well, mine anyway) and they will eat it like candy!
For home defense I use Hornady 124 gr XTP or Federal 124 gr Hydra-Shok ammo in 9mm. For .40 caliber I use 165 gr Federal Hydra-Shok or 180 gr Hornady XTP.
Go to SGAmmo.com | Family Owned and Operated Ammo Sales, Stillwater OK and stock up. They have the BEST prices on bulk ammo!

Some pistols -- especially small ones -- are finicky about particular ammo brands and loadings. I don't think you'll have this problem with your SD9VE.

For self-defense loads, I have read good things about a number of JHP rounds -- Federal HST, Remington Golden Saber, Speer Gold Dot, Winchester Ranger, Hornady XTP, etc. All would work and work well in a SD9VE.

Less expensive ammo (e.g., full jacket or plated bullets) from almost any manufacturer can be used for the range. I like the suggestion, above, of not buying too much of any one brand or loading until you see what you like. I shoot the same weight bullet (124 grains) in practice that I have in my self-defense ammo. I hand-load 9mm, which saves me a lot of money and makes me less vulnerable to periodic ammo shortages.

You can decide, too, if you like steel-cased (usually Russian-made Bear or TulAmmo) or aluminum-cased ammo. Most of the major American ammo companies are now selling aluminum-cased 9mm range ammo, at generally lower prices. (I believe Winchester has started selling aluminum-cased ammo through Wal-Mart, which means we'll see a lot of it on the range). Nothing wrong with aluminum or steel cases -- although I suspect steel can be a little hard on the chamber and feed ramp if used in large quantities. YMMV. I prefer brass anyway, and I prefer you use brass-cased ammo too, because I pick up a lot of other people's cases on the range for re-loading, and aluminum and steel cannot be reloaded!

Bottom line, your SD9VE should work with almost any ammo.

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S&W Rover

All solid advice so far. For general plinking/target shooting, check and see if your local walmarts sell Perfecta and Federal aluminum. They're both very solid and reliable FMJ ammo, and it's almost impossible to beat the price without ordering in bulk on-line.

I shoot the cheapest stuff I can find and I have had no problems at all. I shoot a lot of Perfecta, White Box and even some aluminum.

Knock on wood, I have not had any issues with any ammo out of mine yet. Only have 1300 through it so far. Mostly Winchester white box. Some aluminium federal and brass and American Eagle.

I just shot 200 rounds of tula and 50 rounds of federal American eagle today. No issues with the steel and the harder primers went off every time even with my lighter apex striker spring. The only issue I've had with ammo is that Walmart federal aluminum stuff, and that was because almost the entire batch was overpressured.

What is the time frame of that bad Walmart ammo? Over-pressure is something I don't need.

About a month ago. The batch ID was H21X6

As others have already said, it eats everything with gusto... ;-)

Eats everything.

Only thing I noticed is some of that real cheap Federal aluminum stuff literally flies back into your face when shooting. That's the only load I've seen do that with this gun so far.

Disclaimer: I've never shot a Sigma, or Federal Al cases.

Federal American Eagle is junk. It blows shi...stuff in your face no matter what caliber. Also, it is the dirtiest factory ammo I've tried. Stay away from it.

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an actual conservative

Yeah I try not to make a habit out of using that stuff but it was range day and I was in a pinch. Only a 50 rd box of that stuff, though.

No kidding. Like I said, I'm pretty sure the tula I was shooting was cleaner. I saw huge puffs of powder out the barrel every time I fired.

I would not worry my head about it , that is all I shoot.
The only ammo I would not use in this gun or any is
Tulammo steel case , I did for a while & got one over sized round that did not fire , stuck in the breach. A brave range worked put it in a vice & knocked it out with a dowel.
,
Any body notice the new guy that started this has not been back ?
Hope he is OK ,

Yeah! I'm okay! Thanks everybody for the input, I really appreciate it> Finally got a chance to take this thing to the range on Sunday. I am very pleased. It gobbled up everything I put through it with no issues at all. That was a big relief. I ran went through 100 rounds of Agilua 115 grain FMJ, another 50 rounds of Magtech 124 grain FMJ, and a few rounds of Sig Sauer JHP. I will say honestly that it's been a number of years since I've fired a gun, and I am a bit rusty. I found the target rounds (FMJ) were not as tightly grouped as the hollow points, all of which I managed to keep in the circle. Part of the problem was it was pretty cold in the range, temp was set at 50....and I forgot to bring my clear glasses so I was shooting in a dark indoor range with sunglasses on! NO excuses here, just telling like it was. While I don't anticipate being as good as I once was (shot expert in the military), I do expect my skills will improve with more range time! I also found the trigger on this gun to be a bit stiff, I'm thinkin I'll have some work done on that! Overall, for anyone considering one of these guns, I don't think you'll beat it for the money. No hesitations recommending it to anyone. I am using this for concealed carry/personal defense; I am comfortable doing so. I've heard others say they wouldn't suggest it for that purpose, but I would.

Good that you enjoyed your SD pistol at the range!

The trigger on the SD pistols is a bit long and "heavy" or "stiff." It feels more like the trigger in a double-action revolver, and definitely is something you can get used to and shoot accurately. The heavier, longer trigger is a safety feature, because you have to really want to press the trigger. A trigger that is too light is easier to activate by mistake. Plenty of members in this forum have installed the Apex trigger for the SD to make it a bit smoother and many report good results with it.

One suggestion is, when pressing the trigger, learn to roll through it in one steady, continuous motion. Don't press it slowly waiting for the trigger to "break like a glass rod" like you hear people say about a high-end 1911 target pistol.

As for ammo, the typical 9mm ammo is 115 grains. I suspect the sights on our SD9's are regulated for that ammo. 124 grain ammo is also common and gives a bit more recoil but hits the same point of aim. I haven't shot 147 grain ammo, not as popular but still able to be found for sale. I suspect it might shoot a little higher than point of aim and have a bit more recoil. So I'd suggest sticking with 115 or 124 grain, although experimenting with 147 grain would be interesting. I'd stay away from +P ammo for regular range shooting; no need to punish the gun doing range work.

My SD9 eats almost anything, including my own hand-loads with various powders and bullets. I am not a big believer in steel cased ammo because I think it can cause wear on the chamber and the ejector in the long run. But there is lots of it being sold, plus more and more of the big brands are making aluminum cased ammo, too. All things considered, I would be willing to use it, but would shy away from it if I was shooting thousands of rounds.

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S&W Rover