To modify or not to modify?

[leejack]

You already know what I voted Lee!

No doubt in my mind.

Great to be back in the saddle again!

 

[rhino56]

I added the Apex Tactical Trigger spring kit to my SD9VE and never looked back. The trigger is now much smoother and I am deadly accurate in the 7-15 yard range for which the gun was intended. Also, I added the Apex +3 mag extensions to both my factory magazines. Now, I can greet a BG with less than honorable intentions with 20 rounds of +p 9mm to try and dissuade him. I say modify.

 

[growr]

I voted to leave them stock...maybe I should clarify....I have no problem with changing sights, or grips, but every gun that I have seen puke at a USPSA/IDPA match have had something done to the trigger/action to make it BETTER....so THAT part I leave stock.


Randy

 

[AnthemBassMan]

Then I got an idea, pulled one of those fancy new "work gloves" from the cubby in my vehicle, has the padded palm, and BAM, back on target again! No glove, horrible. Add glove, consistency. So my next step is to find a way to change the grip on the pistol.

Other than these issues, I love the pistol!

-That's what I just found out about mine. Even with a very firm grip, the pistol just moved around in my hand too much during firing. Either a Hogue slip on grip, or a Talon friction grip tape kit should fix me right up. Besides that, I love this pistol!!

L8R,
Matt

 

[GKC]

I voted "Other" and here's why.

I haven't left mine "stock" in that I have changed out the take down lever, sights, and I've added a grip sleeve. (I have used a Hogue handall - didn't like it; a Pachmayr - liked it OK but it tended to move; and now, I'm trying an inexpensive product that seems very grippy, and I'll do a review after a little more experience.)

I see no need to add mag extensions, which often can induce malfunctions. If I can't do the job with 16 rounds, then I'm in more trouble than I can handle!

I've gone back and forth over modifying the fire control group...my preference is no, don't do it. The trigger is OK, the gun isn't a target gun, or a 1911, and it works...so, I probably won't mess with it.

I have a Galloway Precision stainless steel recoil rod in stock weight; as funds permit, I may order one in a different weight "just to see." That is easily changeable, though.

 

[brchambersjr]

I tried the Apex spring kit and the AEK trigger and they all worked flawlessly. I did start to get light primer strikes after a few thousand rounds and put the original striker spring back in. After a few thousand more I remembered what i bought the pistol for. Self defense. I ended up putting all of the factory springs back in as well as the trigger. The way I look at it is it works good for me that way and if I ever did use it in a self defense situation, and it was used as evidence, it would not seem as though I was trying to "modify" my pistol to a court room. Hopefully I will never have to use it on someone but I don't want to look like the bad guy to a jury if I did. You just never know.

Edit: I do have an extended take down lever and tritium sights still installed.

 

[mptaylor]

Where to look at various modifications? Is there a site, book, or forum? Thanks!

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

[HalfStack]

All I did was removing the torsion (pigtail) spring and the trigger's still hard enough for safety's sake. I also greased the sear cam/housing for smooth pull.

Oops, it's the Sigma 9mm.

 

[rhino56]

Gentlemen, here are my additional thoughts on modification. I added the Apex spring kit to reduce the trigger pull effort and make it smoother, that it did. I don't see that improving performance or function is a negative thing. As far as the extensions, I would agree that it could led to malfunctions. I haven't experienced them yet.

Next, I live in a part of Texas that borders with Mexico. We have some less than honorable people that make this their home. Mainly, drug or gang-related. My SD9VE was purchased for self-defense. My prayer is that I NEVER have to use it on a human being to stop a threat to myself or family. However, if I am ever in that position, I want as much firepower as possible to neutralize that threat. Believe me, the BG's do. If I have 100% reliability with my modifications, I will keep them until this becomes an issue.

I have spoken to a couple of defense attorney's in my area and the consensus is that If I truly use my weapon in a self-defensive manner to neutralize a threat to my car, home, or life with my "modified" gun that I shot someone with intentionally, it will most likely make no difference in my legal defense. The shooting was not accidental, it was intentional.

The gun is a tool, nothing more. I didn't purchase it to become a world-class marksmen, I purchased it to protect myself and family. If I can improve the functionality of that tool, all the better. Just my two cents.

 

[GKC]

I have spoken to a couple of defense attorney's in my area and the consensus is that If I truly use my weapon in a self-defensive manner to neutralize a threat to my car, home, or life with my "modified" gun that I shot someone with intentionally, it will most likely make no difference in my legal defense. The shooting was not accidental, it was intentional.

The gist of the argument from those who want to make it an issue is that the prosecution will paint a picture of you to the jury as someone with reckless disregard for safety. Not necessarily that you accidentally shot the "victim" but that you had such disregard for safety that you modified a handgun against the manufacturer's recommendation (and you can bet that if the prosecutor is so inclined, he or she will probably ask S&W if such mods void the warranty, etc.) Since you have little regard for safety, you by extension have little regard for human life...blah, blah, blah. If the jury is composed of people with little to no knowledge or experience with guns, they might buy that argument.

Whether or not that's a valid argument in Texas is very debatable. Since we have the castle doctrine, and Texas is in general a gun-friendly state, I'd say that it probably wouldn't be an issue in a self-defense shooting in your home or on your own property. It might be a very different matter if you were involved in an accidental shooting, or someone (like a child) in your home accidentally fired the weapon. Then a lightened or modified trigger pull could very well be an issue.

While I am aware of these potential negatives, the main reason I don't like to mess with the fire control group is simply that I don't want to chance malfunctions and I don't want to void the warranty. That's just me.

 

[james45]

I removed the pigtail spring from my sw9ve and the gun works great.Only problems I ever had was 2 failure to fire with rem umc and 5 failure to fire with tula,I suspect ammo was the problem.I have been thinking about getting the apex spring kit but I'm concerned about reliability considering this is my primary weapon for home defense.

 

[HalfStack]

At any rate leave the firing pin spring alone.

 

[pawpaw1967]

I voted modify I've been tinkering sence i was 8 and got my 1st minibike lol got a single barrel 12ga. HR at 12 yrs and it spilled over. i did keep my sd9ve stock till 1700 rounds only cause this is my 1st gun with no safety. but to be honest the second thing i think about when i shoot a gun for the 1st time is if theres anything i need to look for to make it better for me. the 1st is how does she feels in my hand....that being said a guns just a tool, the better it does its job the more valuable is to me. i dont push others to modify tho my attitude is to each his own.... shoot safe and alot!!

 

[fbcmrjrtykr]

I only did the spring kit and the wider take-down lever.

 

[turbo6]

Personally I'll keep mine stock, save for perhaps a tac light.

The trigger ain't pretty but to me mastering it is part of the fun. :thumbup:

Sent from my SGH-T769 using Tapatalk 2

 

[micocyco]

Stock I say, i read about the trigger before I got it & think I tried a little to hard to compensate for it at first. Now the only time I even think about the trigger is when I am read about them here.
For me the SD9ve is just what I wanted.
But that said , your gun is your gun tinker with all you want.

 

[MOONDAWG]

"All things simple are good" Mikhail Kalashnikov

"STOCK"

 

[Nakanokalronin]

I put the Apex spring kit in my SD9VE and took it back out 2 range trips later. It was a little lighter, but the reset was bad. It barely pushed the trigger back out for reset with the Apex kit in and it wasn't really bad at all with the factory set-up. S&W made the trigger even better than the SD9 so I think it's time to stop calling these 3rd gen Sigmas since they're far better on looks, better rail, better trigger, better ergos and just an all around better gun. If S&W wanted to keep calling them Sigmas, they would have. Is'nt this section called Smith & Wesson SD & Sigma pistols?

 

[Starfire88]

I bought an SD9ve and replaced the striker spring, the trigger spring, the plunger spring, and the sear spring. Put in a new trigger (apex) and extended takedown lever. Removed the mag disconnect safety (Calif) and now the gun is GREAT!

 

[panthers314]

apex trigger kit in my sd9ve....want truglo sights next......some sya MP sites will work