I was going to pick up an SD9VE for around $220 just to have a gun I could fiddle with and upgrade (trigger, sights, etc.) myself without sending it out to a smith.

Then I realized that if I got it and did all the work and laid out another $150/175 plus the FFL, tax, and shipping, I'd be into this for $450ish, and it wouldn't be really any better than the Sig 320 I have (Sig did additional work on it when it went back for the complimentary "fix" a while ago).

So now I'm wondering if there are any other pistols (striker or hammer-fired) that are:
Relatively inexpensive (dare I say "cheap?")
Easily worked on (I'm not ham-handed and can pretty much follow basic YouTube and Apex repair videos),
Upgradeable, insofar as there actually are aftermarket parts (guide rods, triggers, sights, etc.) that aren't a bear to install,
And will give me a better product than when I started and not duplicate a gun already in the safe.

I'm thinking maybe a SD40VE or Sigma in 40 as I don't have a striker-fired in that caliber, but I don't know if it would be any better than the SW99 full-size .40 in the safe or a surplus M&P.

Any suggestions?

Maybe a police turn in Glock, at about $300.00? Plenty of aftermarket parts and upgrades, easy to work on, and not a lot of $$ if you screw something up, or decide you don't like it.

A used Sigma / M&P might also work, but I believe the aftermarket parts / upgrade selection is not as good.

Larry

I picked up a gen1 M&P 40S&W in Jan 23 for 247.00.
I was going to do the bells and whistles thing on it.
It was a police trade in.

Turns out, it had decent night sights so that was out.
I looked up on the web how to do the equivalent of the
glock 25 cent trigger job and bought a 9mm barrel from
Midway USA.

After doing the trigger job effectively there is nothing left
to do to it.

Gun cost 247.00, 84.94 for the barrel. So I've got under
350.00 in it. Now to go onto the next.

I've only ran 250 rounds thru it in 9mm and 300 40S&W.
runs fine.

Get an M&P they are fun.

__________________
never get out of the boat

Maybe buy a Glock frame and build the whole thing from scratch. I know a guy that can build a Glock 26 for $320. I think retail is $500.

Since this is a Smith & Wesson Forum the M&P 1.0. Easy to install trigger kits such as APEX, front and rear sights and flashlight or laser. (We tried a laser and didn’t like it).

Of course the Glock has about every aftermarket part under the Sun. Heck you don’t even need to have a Glock frame in order to build a customized clone.

The two handguns with the most aftermarket support are the Glocks and 1911's. I'd go with one of those.

GLOCK in 40 S&W can be had in the low 3 hundys that are as NIB and unissued condition from several vendors. A much better choice then any Sigma on this planet. A lot more parts if you feel that you have to “improve it”, and you can spend days on boobtube looking at ways to “improve it!”

I believe you got it right after adding up the cost of all the extras you will have more in a SD than it is worth. You could have just bought a M&P, Sig 320 or Glock. I did sights and trigger on a SD for a buddy and he was under water with his investment.

__________________
S&W factory revolver armorer

Yes it’s easy to get underwater. But to put it in perspective your underwater a couple hundred.We’ve all overpaid for guns just because we wanted it or we’re going to have fun modifying it. In the world of hobbies this is not a terribly expensive one.

Springfield XD, just to be different. The XD is the forgotten mass produced polymer pistol of the last 25 years, despite about 6 million of them having been made (source: Forgotten Weapons video). I have a coworker who owns several that he has customized. You would probably have to start with an older basic 4" model, although the 5" Tactical model often turns up cheap because of the unpopularity of long barreled pistols.

__________________
Release the Kraken

Another vote for a Glock of some kind for the reasons stated above. If the goal is to get some experience working on a pistol, the end value wouldn't matter to me as much as the satisfaction of doing it myself.

I suggest you go with something you already have magazines for. Otherwise you'll be stuck with 10-rounders thanks to our last state legislative session. The lawsuit isn't scheduled to be heard until the end of 2023.

Thanks all. Glock it will probably be if I can find a "cheap" one, as I don't own any. (I've tried 3 times -- 2 19s and a 17 -- to fine one I liked. None lasted more than 3 weeks.)

And while I was looking in the safe I rediscovered a Beretta PX4 in .45 I'd nearly forgotten about. Which changed my plans.

It's going off to Langdon Tactical for a trigger job and a bit of other stuff. Might as well invest in what I already have than bring in something new.

After that....I'll do a Glock. Again.

The Tisis !1911 is a decent basis for a handgun. Otherwise would Legos and tinker toys not be cheaper?

Not a bad route at all. Those Turkish guns are well made.

If you are really up to the challenge get the milspec model.

Cut a front sight dovetail and upgrade sights.
Swap the hammer and fit a wide bevertail grip safety.
The new hammer will want an upgraded fire control group.
Checker the front strap.
Bob the mainspring housing.
When you are done with all that, then re-blue with some Mark Lee Express #1.

Yup - that should keep you busy for a while.

How about a CZ like the P07? Relatively inexpensive and lot's of tuning and upgrades possible. Check out Cajun Gun Works to get an idea of what sort of upgrades are out there.
Another possibility would be a Sig P229, P226, or P220 LE trade in. If you watch sites like Aim or Classic Arms you will see them pop up for $400-$500 every few weeks. You get a $1200 pistol that has been carried a lot and shot a little with a lot of "garage gunsmithing" potential.

Now there's a forgotten gun if I ever saw one. I guess it got trampled underfoot when the P-10 came out.

__________________
Release the Kraken

Taurus G series. Lakeline offers very reasonable upgrades for the entire G series inc. trigger upgrades, fiber optic sights, recoil springs, etc. Bought my G2C for $275, and $75 of upgrades = more fun to shoot than the Glocks I have owned other than the G48, my fave of the Glock series.
Taurus copied the Glock so closely with their G series, they had to pay Glock a settlement for patent infringement. The gunsmith at my LGS calls them the best budet semi on the market.