New SD9VE owner - first gun purchase!

[Mikeobie1]

Hey all, I've been lurking and absorbing for a while now. Just bought my first gun this past weekend. As per the title, it was the SD9VE. There has been some shady stuff going on in my neighborhood, and finally was able to talk the wife into getting one for home defense.

So far I'm blown away by the value of the gun. To walk out of a gun store with a lock box, and a brand new pistol for $330 is unreal. I haven't been to the range yet, but my wife is getting me a membership to a gun range this weekend. (Can't wait!)

I have three children, 10, 9, and 5. I sat them down last night and had the talk with them. I hope I covered all the bases with them. Any advice on what I could add, out of the ordinary?

I got some snap apps to dry fire without damaging the firing pin, and am just really anxious to be able to get out on the range and get a few boxes through this baby. Sorry for the long post, wanted to get it all out at once.

Mike Obie from Northeast Philly

 

[star1]

You will love it. Kids can be very curious about guns . I'm very concerned about my guns and my grandkids, so far I'm keeping the guns unloaded and locked up separate from the ammo which is also locked. Not sure which lock box you got but do look at some reviews / videos about kids bypassing the locks especially the electronic lock boxes....scary stuff as kids can look up the same videos pretty easily
Norm

 

[RJJ 1971]

Welcome to the forum.
You should enjoy your sd9ve.
I have 2 and like them both very much.

Get a safe, and always have the key on you. That's my best advice.

 

[micocyco]

Hey all, I've been lurking and absorbing for a while now. Just bought my first gun this past weekend. As per the title, it was the SD9VE. There has been some shady stuff going on in my neighborhood, and finally was able to talk the wife into getting one for home defense.

So far I'm blown away by the value of the gun. To walk out of a gun store with a lock box, and a brand new pistol for $330 is unreal. I haven't been to the range yet, but my wife is getting me a membership to a gun range this weekend. (Can't wait!)

I have three children, 10, 9, and 5. I sat them down last night and had the talk with them. I hope I covered all the bases with them. Any advice on what I could add, out of the ordinary?

I got some snap apps to dry fire without damaging the firing pin, and am just really anxious to be able to get out on the range and get a few boxes through this baby. Sorry for the long post, wanted to get it all out at once.

Mike Obie from Northeast Philly

I start with the most important thing your kids that I am thinking you got the gun to protect.
& the thing that only you can decide because no one here knows your kids better than you , you have to find the sweet spot between having it safe from your kids & still having access to it if / when it is needed. There almost no end to the options.
Now the pistol , are you new to shooting ? If so the range will no doubt have a training class , should be no more than $75 & well worth it.
Many find this to be a great first gun because they have no preconceived notions of how a trigger should feel , it does as you have seen have a stiff trigger & that is for a good reason ,,,, it has no safety as you also know. THE SAFETY IS ALWAYS BETWEEN YOUR EARS
Shoot it as much as you can afford & dry fire it a lot you will see the trigger will smooth out a lot & your finger will learn where the break is.
Be safe , have some fun & let us know how your range trip goes.

 

[earthtone31]

Nice, these guns are very good guns for the price of them for sure. As you already know be very safe with the gun around children please, no one knows your children better than you obviously. Proper storage of a firearm with children is so crucial.
Now before you head out and start putting rounds through the gun make sure you give it a good cleaning and lube, if your new to cleaning and lubing this gun or any gun watch youtube videos on how to do it, there are many cleaning/lube videos on this specific gun. The gun will run better and more reliably with a good clean and lube job.

 

[koine2002]

That was my first handgun, as well.

Teach your children the 4 rules if you haven't already. I don't let anyone touch one of my guns until they can recite the four rules from memory without error. I'd suggest, with the older ones, at some point, take them to the range so they can get the curiosity issue dealt with. Keep the keys ready to go, however. You can keep loaded mags ready to go if you're not comfortable keeping it locked with the mags.

Be sure to clean it before taking it to the range. Put a good 500 rounds through it to break it in.

As for snap caps, dry firing with an empty chamber is necessary to take it down. Dry firing won't really damage this gun. However, snap caps are really good to have. They're also great for working on flinch issues by randomly loading them into a magazine at the range.

As for ammunition, since you're purpose is home defense, don't rely on full metal jacket ammunition. Get some quality Jacketed Hollow Points or frangible ammunition. You don't want, in the unwanted and unlikely scenario of actually using the weapon, it to go through whatever you're shooting at and through walls. A 147 Hornady, Federal Premium HST or Hydra-Shok, or Winchester PDX is what I would use in a home defense scenario.

If you keep it locked up for long periods of time, be sure to take it down and clean and oil it per directions (a grand total of about 6 drops if I remember right) every couple of months.

 

[thines01]

I got one also (a month ago) and already have my CCW.
A class would never hurt and lots of range time.
I still need some practice for better-than-self-defense accuracy.
Collect ammo! Look for sales on ammo (like Winchester) and get to shootin' (and cleaning).

If you're going to conceal, get used to the weight. In winter, the bulk is not much of an issue, but I bet by summer, I will have added a smaller pistol to the mix.

 

[labworm]

I hope you are not a Flyer fan.

Welcome to the forum and enjoy that new firearm.

 

[JaPes]

Along with getting a safe, another key to safety is to satisfy children's curiosity. Anything expressly forbidden adds to the allure of an item. I don't have kids (that I'm aware of). My friend does. He put his kids through the Eddie Eagle NRA program. He also took the "forbidden fruit" aspect away. The children can't handle a firearm on their own. The guns are always locked away in a safe. If the child wants to see a firearm, the child has to ask. Dad takes the firearm from the safe, reviews safe firearms handling, reinforces to the child how to make sure the firearm is clear and safe, then the child can handle the clear & safe firearm under supervision.

At first, the kids were always asking to see something. Once they figured out that the item wasn't forbidden and all they had to do was ask, the mystery and novelty faded. They hardly ask anymore.

 

[Monkeyzero]

Along with getting a safe, another key to safety is to satisfy children's curiosity. Anything expressly forbidden adds to the allure of an item. I don't have kids (that I'm aware of). My friend does. He put his kids through the Eddie Eagle NRA program. He also took the "forbidden fruit" aspect away. The children can't handle a firearm on their own. The guns are always locked away in a safe. If the child wants to see a firearm, the child has to ask. Dad takes the firearm from the safe, reviews safe firearms handling, reinforces to the child how to make sure the firearm is clear and safe, then the child can handle the clear & safe firearm under supervision.

At first, the kids were always asking to see something. Once they figured out that the item wasn't forbidden and all they had to do was ask, the mystery and novelty faded. They hardly ask anymore.

This is exactly what I did with my 10 and 4 year olds. Worked as described. My 10 year old now loves to go shooting with me and has a healthy respect for the tools. We have a great time and I'm saving for his first rifle. He has chosen a Henry 357 octagonal barrel lever action. Of course he has. It's only $800. Lol.

 

[Mikeobie1]

So just to give an update. I was FINALLY able to get to the range, and am planning to go after work one day next week. God, almighty it is so fun. I did have 2 fail to feeds, and I believe 1 fail to eject, and they were on the first round of the mag. All in all, I can't believe how fast 100 rounds went, but I had a blast.....pardon the pun.

I took it home, cleaned it and was....and still am thrilled with my purchase. When I get my taxes back, I'm looking to maybe get a Ruger SR9, Springfield XDM9, or Walther PPX. I know I'm in the wrong forum, but anyone have these, and do you like em or hate em?

I added a friggin awesome picture I took at the range.

Thanks all!

 

[GreyOwl]

Awesome picture! Care to add specifics on how you took it.

 

[ou1954]

Next Purchase

So just to give an update. I was FINALLY able to get to the range, and am planning to go after work one day next week. God, almighty it is so fun. I did have 2 fail to feeds, and I believe 1 fail to eject, and they were on the first round of the mag. All in all, I can't believe how fast 100 rounds went, but I had a blast.....pardon the pun.

I took it home, cleaned it and was....and still am thrilled with my purchase. When I get my taxes back, I'm looking to maybe get a Ruger SR9, Springfield XDM9, or Walther PPX. I know I'm in the wrong forum, but anyone have these, and do you like em or hate me?

<snip>

Thanks all!

Great picture-

After being away from pistols for many years I bought an SD9VE for home protection. Fun to shoot but not something my budget liked, I looked for an alternative to shoot just for fun.

I thought back to my Navy days (1950's) and decided I would like a 1911 which I routinely carried in port.

A real 1911 is out of my budget range of course so I found an alternative fun gun. I bought a Colt Gold Cup Trophy 1911 in .22 cal. Feels like holding a real 1911 but the cost to shoot is just pocket change.

[Just to clarify, I have always owned rifles but sold them when I retired because I no longer hunt.]

 

[Mikeobie1]

I laid the phone down on the bench, and tried to take a slow-mo video, but wound up taking a regular video. Nonetheless, I was able to pause the video at that frame, and just screen shotted it.

 

[gman51]

I have an SR40c and it won the best of gun for me comparing a G27 Glock and an XDM 3.8 compact. The Ruger IMO had a better trigger action and the it tamed the 40 snappy recoil better also. I sold the G27 and the XDM.
I know friends that have the SR9 and just love them. I liked the light feel of it but never shot it. SR9 can be bought a lot cheaper than the Glock or the Springfield. I would choose the Ruger. Ruger warranty service is second to none.

 

[S&W Rover]

The SD9 is a great first gun, and also a very good gun for the seasoned shooter. They work, and the underlying quality is there.

Good thoughts on a gun box/safe. I have my guns in two relatively inexpensive Stack-on boxes, bolted to a shelf, bolted to the wall -- protecting the grandkids when they visit, giving me some assurance when someone is doing a repair somewhere in the house, and making life a little harder on the potential break-in thieves of the world.

Safety is first and is everything with guns -- its great that you have that in mind right from the start.

 

[sdh91]

As several have already stated, security of the firearm is critical especially with kids in the house. Here is an article and video about several very popular pistol safes that are able to be opened by children:
Forbes Unsafe Gun Safes

I did a lot of research and finally settled on the Fort Knox pistol safe. Be prepared to spend a few hundred to secure the gun. Enjoy the pistol, I have the SD40VE and its a great gun!!!

 

[osbornk]

Great picture-

After being away from pistols for many years I bought an SD9VE for home protection. Fun to shoot but not something my budget liked, I looked for an alternative to shoot just for fun.

I thought back to my Navy days (1950's) and decided I would like a 1911 which I routinely carried in port.

A real 1911 is out of my budget range of course so I found an alternative fun gun. I bought a Colt Gold Cup Trophy 1911 in .22 cal. Feels like holding a real 1911 but the cost to shoot is just pocket change.

[Just to clarify, I have always owned rifles but sold them when I retired because I no longer hunt.]

I did it slightly differently. I bought a SD9VE and then bought a Ruger 22/45 Target to practice with. I liked it very much but it gave me the itch for a 1911. I bought a RIA 1911 in 9mm. It feels, aims and shoots exactly like the 22/45 but with mild recoil. My under $300 22/45 ended up costing me almost $800 ($300 for the Ruger and $500 for the RIA). Love them all.

 

[tosadnick]

new sd9ve as well!

Just took my new sd9ve to range yesterday. It shot great and no issues at all. Better yet, was able to spend time with my 3 sons.... who enjoyed shooting as much as I did! I'm gonna need more guns and cheaper ammo.

 

[Texastaz75]

Just took my new sd9ve to range yesterday. It shot great and no issues at all. Better yet, was able to spend time with my 3 sons.... who enjoyed shooting as much as I did! I'm gonna need more guns and cheaper ammo.

Walmart right now has the perfecta ammo for $9.78/box. Brass case and my sd9ve loves it.