I had a stroke several years ago which has left me a one handed shooter. Looking for owners opinions. Thank you.

As long as you can manage the slide and can
give a decent grip, it should function reliably
for you.

For field stripping it for maintenance, a second
hand will be "handy".

Have you ruled out a revolver? In case of a
misfire, you'd likely cycle to next chamber
faster than you'd manage the slide on an
auto...

Having shot both, I chose the M&P Pro 9mm for action pistol competition, which requires shooting one-handed, in my case both left and right. The trigger settles down at 4 1/4# in the Pro. Course the Pro does cost more than an SD, but I shoot a lot and travel to matches, so a couple hundred bucks for a better gun was OK for me.

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Science plus Art

I have shot it fine one handed, both strong and weak handed. No issues. I agree with Steve912 about a a Revolver instead of semi-auto for your situation.

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I appreciate the insight with a revolver I don't think reloading would be very easy in the field. I am looking at a block that I can wear on my belt to help rack the slide.

With that stated, you would do better with the SD9 or SD40. The grip is more aggressive than the SDVE series. Also, member BlackTalonJHP sells the side grip panel inserts to make it grip even better in your hand.
Also, ACADEMY SPORTS, the ONLY store that sells the SD9/SD40, has them on sale currently for $329.99. The usual price is $349.99.

Smith & Wesson SD9 Self-Defense 9mm Pistol | Academy

Smith & Wesson SD40 Self-Defense .40 S&W Pistol | Academy

I agree with Steve and Papa-D's above recommendation (I was thinking it already) that the OP consider a revolver. Besides the difficulty cycling the slide, there's also the loading of 15 round magazines to consider, as well as dealing with a malfunction.
Even with the (relatively small) challenge of loading the cylinder one-handed, the entire system is going to be simpler and more practical than a semi-auto.

I have told some that had a problem with the same thing with a semi and to go to a revolver and they had it easyer after to use.

I think if you can manage the trigger (and gun) one-handed, a semi-auto is the way to go. Easier to have 14-18 rounds on hand than to need to reload a revolver 2-4 times. Find one with prominent magazine and slide releases for easier manipulation and I think you would be good to go.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Trigger is not the issue. Loading a magazine. Racking the slide. Clearing potential jams. That is an issue and the reason why so many people still run Revolvers. And statistics show that a self defense encounter is generally done in 1-3 shots. So the potential of running a 16 round mag dry in a civilian life defense shooting is slim.

And let's not forget, Revolvers are fun to shoot, inherently more accurate (no tilting barrel means no wobbling barrel when the slide releases during the firing cycle) and just all around sexier than any polymer handgun out there. Have I mentioned how much I love Revolvers before?



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...until he gets a stove-pipe or misfeed...

The revolver cycles next round right up, with another pull
of the trigger.

Edit: BTW, I'm *not* a revolver guy. I trained, qualified and carried a 686, but
my preference is semi-auto. If I knew in advance, however, that I would NOT
have a free hand to cycle the slide and clear malfunctions...I'd be carrying a
revolver, with a few speedloaders.

Do you have ANY use at all with your other hand?

I am more of a revolver guy also, but a totally reliable semi-auto seems to me to be at least even as a one-handed defensive arm. Can't recall the last time I had a centerfire pistol not go through a full magazine, and in thinking about the mechanics of a reload I think a magazine would be easier to drop and change than a cylinder to empty and reload one-handed. Of course, there is always the New York reload for revolvers .

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Limited but some

Have you tried to handle a semi auto pistol? Only YOU know if you can operate one and NOT what someone else suggests YOU buy.
If you have any friends that own a gun similar to the SD/SDVE guns, ask them to let you try to operate it, load, disassemble, etc. I think that if you try to go through the procedures/steps of operating a semi auto pistol then only YOU can decide if it's for you.

Interesting problem. If considering the SD9/SD9VE/etc. for one handed use, the addition of a TacRack might be useful. TacRack Home Page The "wings" on the TacRack can be used to rack the slide on a belt, pants pocket, etc.

I'm not sure what would work best and the OP to going to have to figure this out, but I think I'd favor a pistol or revolver that was a little heavier than a SD9/SD9VE. I've fired various of my handguns one handed -- its a good idea to practice this in case of injury -- and in addition to being less stable for aiming, a handgun fired with one hand experiences more recoil. That means more time between shots. A heavier handgun would mitigate this a bit, so might be an advantage (I'm thinking something with a metal frame and more weight than a SD9/SD9VE).

I like the points about a revolver -- more reliable, in one-handed mode, in terms of getting its 6 - 7 - or 8 rounds downrange. Reloading is problematic with either a revolver or a semi-automatic, and that's where the OP would have to do some experimenting and practicing to see what works. Moonclips in a revolver are without a doubt the easiest way to reload a revolver quickly, without requiring as much manipulation as a speedloader or speedstrip, and might offer a partial solution too.

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S&W Rover