Smith & Wesson SD9. Any thoughts?

I don't know why it gets a bad rep. I am sure others on here can explain why. I have the SD9, shield 9MM, and Taurus pt111. I like and enjoy all 3. I carry the shield. I would carry the taurus. It depends on what you are looking for in a gun. the SD9 is big and bulky and heavy. I put the apex trigger in mine. I am okay with how it shoots. Trigger pull doesn't bother me. Got the Taurus for $225 and absolutely love it for the price. Nice little gun. If you are looking to carry then I suggest your caliber choice in the shield series. Many others can, and I am sure will, back me up on that one.

BTW I also use PSA for my pistols. I'd get one of the shield 9MM. One is cheaper than the SD9. One is $10 more. Depends on if you want a thumb safety or not.

It's prob the best of the shite guns, but just say no. The extra $120 you have to save for a real gun goes a long way

My "bud" at the LSP Crime Lab says the SD9's are a lot more reliable than they were when they were sold as "Sigmas." But they do have a lousy trigger (which makes them hard to shoot accurately). By the time you install an APEX trigger kit, you've got a lot invested in a pistol that won't really hold its value.

I strongly suggest getting an M&P 9 (full size or compact) instead of the SD. You may even be able to find a police trade-in like we see on Glocks.

Another option is a used Glock 19. There are several factory refurbished (with factory refurb trigger guard sticker) G19's on GunBroker right now for ~ $400. Shipping is $15-20, no credit card fees. Pretty cheap way to get a "like new" pistol at an affordable price.

I would have said "yes" without reservation a few months ago. But I have been reading assorted reports on gun forums about the slide locking back on some of the latest Shields (before the gun runs out of ammo).

S&W may have manufactured so many, to meet really strong demand, that their quality control slipped.

My 9mm Shield has been fine. I bought it a few years ago and have it as a BUG. I have close to 1000 rounds thru it, so i consider it to be reliable.

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Love my SD9. It is a glock clone

As far as the trigger goes, it is a long pull but it has not affected my shooting, thats a lame excuse IMO

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Actually the Sigma was the Glock clone -- and S&W paid a huge settlement to Glock when they got caught.

The SD VE versions are the newer "evolution" of the Sigma. They are considered to be more reliable than the Sigmas. But they are still a lower tier pistol. (The M&P is a top tier self defense pistol).

But the triggers are equally bad. It's a matter of trigger weight more than it is length of travel.

Saying "it has not affected my shooting" doesn't mean too much until you tell us (a) distances at which you're shooting and (b) how many shots per second you're shooting.

No offense was intended. I apologize if I hurt your feelings.

My point was that if someone (not you personally) is shooting 1 shot every 5 seconds, it's pretty easy to be accurate with just about any handgun.

If, on the other hand, someone (again, not you) is shooting 5 shots per second, having a decent trigger (better than what comes on an SD) becomes a lot more important (Unless your name is Jerry Miculek -- in which case you can probably shoot just about any handgun at a rate of 8-9 rounds per second.)

I've never shot the .45 Shield, and I don't know anything about its reliability. Others here have shot them, and would be far better qualified than I to evaluate recoil.

As a general rule a 9mm will do as well as .40's and .45's in pretty much any SD role.

Another general rule is that the smaller handguns (for example a Glock 43) won't be as reliable as the "full size" version (for example a G19). It's just physics. This doesn't mean that all small guns (e.g. all G43's) are unreliable, nor does it mean that all full-sized guns (all G19's) are reliable. In this instance we're talking probabilities.

They get a bad rap, but my dad has a first generation, Sigma SD.40, and it has been extremely reliable. He has owned it for 20 years, and it only jammed once. That jam only happened because he shot several hundred rounds through it in the first few years without ever cleaning it, and then he let it sit in his safe for 10 years without pulling the trigger or cleaning it. He finally shot it again 3 years ago, it jammed once, he cleaned it, and voila...it runs as smooth as you could ever want a gun to run.

But that being said, unless you simply want a full-size, buy a S&W Shield 9mm with the $75 mail-in rebate they currently have on them. Its a fantastic price for a great gun.