Greetings All!
Well I am thinking about trading in my Taurus PT111 G2 for an SD9VE. I love shooting the Taurus and it is fairly accurate. But I have had it a month and have been having issues like mags sticking in the mag well and slide releases by itself. About 175 rounds through it so far..
Would love to hear from some SD9VE owners. Thanks!
I've owned several Taurus pistols and revolvers, including the PT 111 G2, and I've sold or traded them all. I don't care for Taurus' poor QC and their customer service (warranty) is slow...like, government slow...and about as effective. The PT 111 G2 I had also had one mag that stuck in the mag well, brand new out of the box, and while Taurus did replace the mag they should have checked it before they sent it out.
The SD9VE is a great pistol, in its category (budget firearms.) In fact, I'd say it's the best in that category. S&W has a great warranty, and they pay for shipping. My favorite accessories include an extended take down lever, made by Galloway, as well as a stainless steel guide rod assembly, also made by Galloway. You can get a steel rear sight that is made for the M&P pistols. I order magazines from Greg Cote LLC. A Pachmayr grip sleeve makes the pistol very comfortable for me.
I use FMJ ammo for practice. I don't use the cheap stuff like Tula...I've found that Remington and Federal work well for me. I like Hornady Critical Defense 115gr JHP for defense.
Personally, I prefer the trigger to be heavier on a gun with no external safety. If you've ever shot a DA revolver, or a DA pistol (like a SIG) the trigger pull is lighter than those, IMO. A lot of dry firing will smooth it out...of course, so will a lot of live fire, but that costs more and isn't recommended when you are watching TV. A lot of people here suggest the Apex trigger and/or spring kits, but I don't like to mess with the fire control group. It might void the warranty, it might cause problems, and I personally feel that if a gun doesn't have the firing mechanism that you like, get a different gun. That's just my opinion, of course, and that plus a few dollars will get you a small soda somewhere.
What I really like about the SD9VE, besides its reliability, is that you can easily remove the striker to clean out the channel...no roll pins to knock out. There are a number of videos on YouTube that show the process, if you need them.
As you can probably tell, I am a big fan of the SD9VE. Are there "better" pistols? Sure...but you will have to pay more. For $300ish (Academy Sports has them in my area for $320, and sometimes has them on sale for $290) it's very hard to beat this pistol, price-wise. There is a comparable pistol to consider, the Ruger 9E (the budget version of the Ruger SR9, but has some better features than the SR9, IMO) but it sells for about $50 more and only comes with one magazine. It's worth considering for a comparison...Ruger has great service and also pays for shipping. I've owned both, and I prefer the SD9VE, but again, that's my opinion.
