boy those small little tabs on the side are unreal to pull down together for my fat fingers. I cant get a grip on them. Ok so I know there is an extended slide release for $10-15 available but i just hate to spend that on S&W's mistake, plus the few i know that have bought them the extended ones hit on their holster.

So looking at the prob its obvious they dont stick out enough. Now looking at a glock those small pull down levers stick out about the same as the S&W but on those guns the area around the levers are recessed. Seems like that would allow my fingers to begin to grip them much better.

So my question is has anyone took a dremel with the appropriate sanding disc and recessed the frame around the take down tabs allowing better access?

I think I've read about some on this forum doing that, but I wouldn't recommend it. For one thing, it could void your warranty. For another, if you ever do decide to sell or trade your pistol, it may seriously impact the value, or completely turn off some prospective buyers.

There are several models of extended take down levers, and the one I like best is made by Galloway Precision. It is tapered, wider at the bottom than the top, making it very easy to grasp and pull down. It's only a little wider than the OEM lever, but it's just enough to make it easy to grasp. I've never had a problem with it snagging on anything. For every SDVE pistol I've owned, and there have been a few, this has been my first and must-have accessory that I installed.

If you don't want to use an extended lever, try using a very soft cloth, like a microfiber towel or a flannel dusting cloth, to help you grasp the lever. Just drape the cloth over your hand, and you'll be able to snag the lever easier.

Nope. I use my fingernails to grab and pull the tabs.

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I changed mine to the Galloway on both of my SD9VEs. They do not catch on any of the three different types of holsters that I use.

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Finger nails and the same goes for my Glock. It is not markedly better.


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You do know that pulling the slide back, just the tiniest bit, takes pressure off that plate, and makes it a lot easier to pull down...

I got an extended lever, just .9mm longer, and it works just fine.

If you don't want to get a longer lever, use use a washcloth or something similar between your fingers and the bar. Worked for me.

There are threads & I thing a youtube that will show just how easy it is if you grab the slide the right way & pull it back just a little while at the same time pulling down on the levers.

after second thought and reading the replies think i will just leave it alone and do as some have suggested. After all its not like I have them apart everyday. Have 3 of these so maybe one day i will get the extended lever for my EDC, but then again prob not. Never was fond of the idea of hacking into the frame but just looked like it might help but as one said here the glock isnt that much better on the take down.

This is the absolute only thing on these guns i see could have been improved with just a little thought from S&W, other than that i really like them, triggers and all.

The trigger ain't bad, it's just different than what the tacti-cool crowd thinks they need.

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I have not tried the extended lever YET, however the way that works best FOR ME, is to hold the pistol UPSIDE DOWN and PULL the lever that way. It gives me a slight mechanical advantage and works every time. My fingernails are very thin and soft, so I keep 'em cut short. They also break VERY easily, usually with lousy results !!! Gonna take a slight break here.........OK, had to try the cloth approach and I think I'll stick to my method !!! This,, BTW, is one of the things I like about this forum. A wonderful IDEA exchange. Thanks for the tip !!!

The extended lever made all the difference in the world for this old man. My crooked fingers do it correctly everytime now.

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I have the cheap extended takedown on mine. I take my gun apart about once a week and clean the lint out. Anyway, it did dig a pretty decent gouge into the leather side of my MK1 Alien Gear. But I don't care, nobody sees the holster anyway, especially the inside of it.

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I've posted at least once before about the precision extended lever from ndzperformance.

It works well and, as I probably mentioned, is less than 1 mm longer than standard. I was surprised at the small difference when I got around to making some measurements.

Let me be specific:

Stock length: 29.50 mm
NDZ length: 28.52 mm

Did you by chance transpose those numbers?

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Indeed I did. It proves that at least one person read the post. Here is what I have written on the packet now holding the original part-

Stock: 28.52mm
NDZ: 29.50mm

I should mention that I believe the NDZ website said their part is laser cut stainless. I do see that the original S&W part is stamped.

Now. looking at the NDZ Performance website I see many extended slide lock levers for Glock but none for the SD series.

As with all budget-priced guns an SD9VE is nearly worthless as a trade-in or used gun even when left unfired. I really would like to stipple the backstrap on mine to improve the traction, but I know if I do it'll forever be mine from that point on because nobody else will buy it. This isn't a mark against just the SD9VE, but against pretty much every firearm that sells for a cheap price when new. You'll have to choose between making it the way you want or worrying about whether you can sell it again later down the road.

I own a few Gen 4 Blocks and have installed the 3rd party Extended Slide Lock onto all of them to make field stripping for cleaning significantly easier. They do not stick out appreciably and if they are already installed when a holster is made for the firearm, the tiny bit they stick out beyond the OEM lock will be allowed for in the new holster. I would strongly recommend installing a similar device onto the SD VE's.

That's true...of course, it they are unfired, you might get close to what you paid, by selling them privately. If they are used/fired, and modified, then you won't.

>>I changed mine to the Galloway<<

Yup, did that on my SD9 today and it works like a charm. The stock plate was almost impossible to get hold of, finger nails or not.

At first, I had considered a replacement takedown bar. But practice has led me to decide to leave it alone. For me anyway, after getting used to gripping the slide and frame together in slightly retracted position with my left hand allows me to concentrate better on getting a good downward pull on the takedown bar with my right thumb and forefinger. I get it down usually in one attempt, occasionally it takes two.


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