Opinions on Smith & Wesson SD40VE handgun?

I think it'd be a really great hammer.

ETA: Save up an extra $200 and buy something quality

I had one right after they corrected all of the issues and before they made the M&P.

It had a little over 15k rounds through it when I sold it. It had one failure to fire in that entire time. It ws my fault. I was trying to limp wrist low velocity ammo.

Other than that, it handled my abuse well. I kept a black hawk holster zip toed on the front of my old sportsman, and the gun stayed in there through many mud rides. We idiotically got in my swimming pool with snorkles and shot it underwater, it didn't mind. I used it to knock out my windshield when my vehicle was flipped between two trees, it didn't care.

They really aren't as bad as people say. The trifger pull is horrendous, but if you lose one of the springs when cleaning, it gets much better.

Would I own one now? Probably not. I can get a glock for only a few bucks more.

Would I hesitate to buy one as a first gun if I was on a budget? Nope.

If you want a budget handgun, the Ruger 9E is a much better value. It brings much better ergonomics, better quality materials/finish, and a much better trigger. That would be my vote.

But if you're willing to spend just a bit more your options will open up quite a bit.