I have an SD9VE. Love the weapon, but I can only manage to get 15 rounds into the 16 round magazine. Anyone have ideas? I tried loading 15 and letting them sit for a month, no dice.

I have put about 400 rounds through the weapon and figured it would get easier, but it hasn't. Is this common? Should I just spring for the Uplula?

I'm having the same problem. I even tried a loader and still no go. I have taken the mags apart, no problems there.

They are know for being hard to get the 16th round in them. I can get the 16th in mine but it is difficult.

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Tommytom:)

If you need 16 rounds, you ought to be running.

i have no issues loading my sd40ve mags to capacity of 14 rounds. the only issue the rattle. i usually only put 13 in now. 13 round x 3 mags = 39 reasons to not become a victim

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Fugitive Recovery Agent

The 16th round "is" hard to get in when the magazines are new, but it "will" go in.

I've run across a couple of nay-sayers I've had to prove it to.

I've got about a dozen factory mags of which only 2 loaded 16 rounds from the git-go without the help of an all steel "speed-loader" I own that was originally designed for Browning Hi-Power magazines.

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NULLI SECUNDUS

Most shooters know better than to leave 14-16 rounds in a
mag for a long time.............since it will weaken the spring.

If 15 + 1 is not enough you are in the wrong neighborhood.
Better practice a lot loading the second mag !!

I always put 16 in mine (recently traded it for a M&P). Put about 12 or 13 in then tap the base plate in your palm. This will help position them side to side. then the next 3 or 4 should go in a lot easier.

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MP 9 PRO, MP 9 FS, 9MM SHIELD

that doesn't help on my mags for the sd40ve. ive just grown accustomed to carrying 13+1 and 13+13 in 2 spares on my left hip.

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Fugitive Recovery Agent

Thanks for the responses. I agree that the one extra round shouldn't be a hindrance, but if it is supposed to load 16, it should in my opinion. I have three magazines, so that is enough ammo to make the bad guy want to leave if he is still able.

I'll try tapping the baseplate. I did notice the rounds seemed to be stacking straight up so maybe that will help. I'll report back.

The thing to remember is not necessarily whether the last one will go in (it will), or whether the springs will weaken (they might, but not enough to cause a problem), but whether having that last one in makes positive seating of the magazine with the slide closed difficult, impossible or unreliable.

You may have to, or you may want to, insert a loaded magazine with the slide closed. Some refer to this as a "tactical reload." Because of the pick-up rail on the bottom of the slide, sometimes locking in a fully loaded magazine is a big problem. In that case, I always load one round down. You should test this before you load up your spare magazines.

Not so much leaving the rounds in the mag but the loading and unloading that will wear on the spring. I had a hard time at first but after thousands of rounds (lost count around 4000) they run just fine.

Invest in an UpLula. Works great for me too.

Bill

My sd9ve is about a week and a half old. Had this problem at first but just today at the range started getting all sixteen into my two mags. I like keeping them full for a bug out situation; may not have time to grab my ammo bag, which is heavy, but my pistol bag had the gun and 32 shots. That's enough to get me started.

As for the loading issue, all I can say is mine worked itself out. Hopefully yours does as well.


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Honestly, people who dream up these "scenarios" kinda make me nervous. If the SHTF, you'll be able to find all sorts of handguns and magazines in the "tactical vests" of all the Mall Ninjas lying in the streets.

I have loaded my magazines fully for the last 42 years and have never had a problem with the springs.

So I tried tapping the magazine and that did not work. I do have one magazine that I can load all 16 rounds in and I haven't had any issues with the slide.

I will give it some time. I haven't been out to the range in about a month, so maybe if I get back out there more regularly, it will loosen things up a bit. I may just spend the money on the uplula. It seems some people are having success with it, plus I'm sure it will be around for future firearm purchases as well.

There are Two (2) ways to load you S&W semiauto...
1. With the slide forward.
2. With the slide locked to the rear.

Lock the slide to the rear first, and you won't have any problems inserting a 16 round magazine & chambering a round.

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NULLI SECUNDUS

I thought this was pretty much disproven.

I like to load 15 rounds in my SD9VE mags because the ammo I buy comes in boxes with 5 rounds to a row. So, if I load 15 rounds, that empties three rows, and doesn't leave any partially empty rows. Or I could load 10 rounds, or 5 rounds.

If I want to load 16 rounds, I need to find some ammo that comes in boxes of 4 rounds to a row...or 8 rounds to a row.

Buy the Uplula and it will help with the 16th round being loaded, still tight but I do the tap with the magazine and then the last 2-3 load easier.

+1 on the Uplula loader.

I've found that loading a new magazine with as many rounds that you can put in it & leaving it loaded helps but not a lot. What I discovered is load them & unload them either by shooting or stripping the rounds out by hand. Do this several times, leave them loaded for a day or so & repeat. Worked with my Sigma 40VE I used to have, my M&P40 FS & my M&P40C. I still use the Uplula loader because it's faster & easier on the thumbs even with an "easy" loading mag. Great at the range especially if I'm loading 9 mags, 6 - 15 rounders & 3 - 10 rounders before leaving for a range session & reloading them at the range.

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Former USN, Retired US Army

Glad to know I make you nervous. And who do you think shot all those Mall Ninjas, heh? If the SHTF, I want every advantage possible. If it never does, then great; don't see the harm in being prepared though.



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That particular magazine is very stiff brand new.


Here's what I did to make them load 16 rounds with no problem.


1. Place magazine on hard surface and press down on the rounds, the 15th and 16th rounds will load if you use enough force.

2. Keep magazine loaded overnight.

3. Remove rounds from magazine, and spend 20-30 mins at a time loading 15-16 rounds

The bigger problem is actually loading the mag into the pistol, it's a very stubborn fit that requires that you slap it in.

In order to more effectively break the mag in, you have to remove the magazine and insert it using a bit of force. It will be smooth as butter in no time.


My new M&P Shield is currently having the same issues with the 7 round magazine, however it's loosened up a lot in just a few days.


If you wanna load only 14 rounds, that's up to you, however it's designed to handle 16.

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Live free or die.

So I just tried again to load a full 16 round magazine into the pistol with the slide closed and it didn't seat properly. I have noticed the more I manipulate the gun the smoother it gets, so I guess that's an excuse to hit the range! I've been slowly building the ammo stash, so I guess it's time to go put a couple hundred rounds through it and see if I can let it work itself out.

I really enjoy shooting this one. I just a Walther PK380 that I need to break in as well. Bottom line, looks like I just need some more range time.

-My 14 round SD40 VE loads to capacity, but man does it get tight putting the last few rounds or so in. It locks in place easily with a light bump to the bottom of the mag to drive it home. It does look like I may be picking up a mag loader sometime in the future though to help save my fingers...

L8R,
Matt

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SD40-VE owner and proud of it!

Before you spend money on a loader, try just resting the base of the mag on a table top or other hard, flat surface and pushing the round in with your thumb. Works for me, even with arthritis in my hands.

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Pisgah

-Pisgah? Is that name taken from the covered bridge in N.C.? We stay near there in Asheboro every year on our way to Myrtle Beach. Thanks for the tip too. I stripped out the rounds and reloaded them a few times. It's already a bit easier with just holding the mag.

L8R,
Matt

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SD40-VE owner and proud of it!

Mag loaders are a big waste of money, you'd need it for maybe a couple weeks tops.

Slap that mag in, you won't hurt your gun trust me.

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Live free or die.

I didnt have any issues loading my SD9VE mags. Got all 16 rounds into both mags with no problems... Dont get me wrong, I did feel more resistance as the mag was getting full, but I had no issues...

Au contraire! (which is a fancy way of saying "BS" that won't get you punched )

I have been using an UpLula and find that it's highly addictive...so much so, that I don't even try to load broken in mags, much less new ones. I can load a mag using the UpLula so much faster, and I don't have to pick up all the rounds I've dropped because I fumbled them (I am a klutz.) I keep one UpLula in my desk and one in my range bag.

Agreed. Yet to see any load broken in or new mags as easily or quickly as you can with the UpLula. When I put 200 down range on my rig and my GF does the same with hers, that's a sore thumb in the making for sure.

It's from the mountain in western NC, named after the mountain in the Bible.

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Pisgah

-Never been on that side. I'm always passing Pilot Mountain on my way through on vacation. Love the mountains though. Where I live, we just have the lower foothills of the Appalachians. Can't stand flat land one bit! Nothing but ridges and valleys around me.

L8R,
Matt

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SD40-VE owner and proud of it!

Mine were hard to get the last two in, so I used the metal magazine loader from my Ruger. After a while, they get easier to load. A LULA might help.

Pro-Mag makes a loader that fits the SD9VE perfectly.
5.00 bucks + 1.00 shipping way cheaper than an UpLula look around on-line. It's the only way I can get that 16th round in the mag.

There you go. I forgot about that one.

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Ain't this a great signature?

As Clint would say "you got to get mad dog mean"!

16 will go in.

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SD9VE, American perfection!

I had the same problem with all four of my mags and I fixed problem by taking mags apart and cutting four coils off bottom of mag springs. I now can load all 16 rounds with no problems and gun fires 16 +1 prefect now! The springs were bottoming out when loading 16 rounds in mag before shorting by cutting off four coils. I cut off coils by using small dremel grinder with cutoff wheel.