Glock 19 head to head with an SD9VE

[IronMonster]

I have SV9VD I picked up second hand as a "cheap" second gun to my M&P. They feel very similar but after 300 rounds or so through the SV9VD it's apparent I can't shoot it as well as either my M&P 9 or 9c.

With either M&P I can put a mag worth of rounds in a 3-4" group at 15 yards. With the SV9VD it's more like 5-8". I have had others shoot it and not faired much better.

The gun has less than 600 rounds through it, has been cleaned and maintained.

I think as a cheap gun to throw in a backpack or leave at a cabin it's fine, as a carry gun though I don't know why you would not spend another $150 and get a M&P


I have three Glocks as well and I will probably never get rid of them, but since I moved to the M&P's I've never shot them. Nothing wrong with them, the M&P's are just more fun and I like them better. I own both full size and compacts in 9MM and .40, at some point I'll buy the .45 as well.

 

[Glock Jock]

The Sigma is an exact copy of the Glock. The lead at S&W was so discouraged that they couldn't compete with the Glock he said "copy the mother-father" which gave them a crappy second-hand version of the Glock. They copied it so much so, Glock sued them and got a "undisclosed " out of court settlement. GLOCK - The Rise of Americas Gun is a good book about the history of Gaston Glock and that court case also.

To say the new S&W is better is like someone painting another Mona Lisa and claiming their new version is somehow better. The Sigma wouldn't exist if the Glock wasn't invented.

 

[spookshack]

The Glock pistol wouldn't exist if the Glock curtain rod wasn't invented.

 

[Glock Jock]

Or the Glock radiator

 

[mkwerx]

So with a few hundred rounds down range from my wife's SD - we made a few observations:

Her gun needed a break in period - badly. It took about 200 rounds to smooth out and not malfunction multiple times per magazine.

Her SD was actually more accurate in my hands than my M&P 9 compact, more accurate for me than my Sig - and was very pleasant to shoot, when it wasn't malfunctioning.

Despite the trigger being heavier than the M&P, I found myself really liking that trigger after a while. The positive reset had a lot to do with that. Not the world's greatest trigger by any means, but leaps and bounds better than any previous iteration of Sigma.

Still have a hell of a time getting 16 rounds in the mags - 15 is about it.

I personally like the ergos and feel of this gun. My wife on the other hand decided she would rather have an M&P shield. We're keeping the SD9, and will eventually get her a shield. Probably a pair of them, because I discovered I like that gun a lot too.

We also discovered one thing that wasn't a huge surprise, but almost lead to bad times: The gun will fire when it's an 1/8th inch out of battery. Thankfully I was the one shooting the gun, not her, when it happened.





Felt like someone smashed my hand with a hammer - guessing it was the gas blowing out from between the slide and frame. The bullet exited the barrel, the brass went straight up out of the chamber and came quickly back down, bounced off the slide and into the dirt next to me. Had a bruise on my hand for a day or so as well. The gun was fine.

 

[Glock Jock]

Wow! That is not good. Glad nobody is hurt

 

[spookshack]

I would send that back to S&W. They need to fix it.

 

[mkwerx]

I would send that back to S&W. They need to fix it.

Not sure what there is to "fix" - the gun is essentially Smith's copy of the Glock 19. Every Glock I've ever owned will also fire when out of battery to some extent. I guess it's a flaw of the original design. My M&P disengages the trigger with about 1/32nd inch of rear movement.

I didn't realize the slide was out of battery when I pulled the trigger. I stripped the gun down and nothing was damaged. Call me crazy, but I inspected and relubed the gun and shot another four mags through it after that "boo boo" and the gun ran just fine, except for one hard primer. We were shooting a mix of Remington, Federal, and Winchester factory new ammo that day.

 

[Medic!]

Every polymer pistol is compared to a Glock.

When was the last time you went to a gun store and the guy behind the counter said ''This here Glock is just as good as a M&P''.

Hey.........Nothing wrong with buying the one all other ones are compared to. $300-$550 is still cheep.

And what is with this angle crap! My wrists bend in all directions! I have never had a problem .Or noticed any disparaging difference. With any pistol grip angle. I just line up the sights and press the trigger! You guys are so pampered.

And I've had surgery on my wrist, elbow, and neck three times? Heck, I'm held together with more titanium, screws and pins than most handguns! And if you hand me a luger, 1911, or a Glock. I will shoot the $hit out of it.

Angle shmangle!

I wonder what my drill Sargent would have said if I told him my 1911 or later, my 92fs didn't feel right in my hand? I'm pretty sure when he was done slapping me up side the head. He would have told me to go to Burger King, If I wanted it my way! Titty baby!

 

[mjbskwim]

"You can do some trigger work on it. But if you are going to use for self defense or carry, I being an Internet Legal Expert [1], advise against that. Other than smoothing out any roughness."
If your lawyer can't get you by this in court he needs fired
'I have tune the gun to make it more accurate as to lessen the chance of collateral damage'
Same argument goes for using reloads/hand loads for self defense

 

[Glock Jock]

I have heard too many people talk about modifying your gun will get you in trouble in court, but have yet to hear about it actually happening.

 

[mjbskwim]

How many pages can you find on the weberneter, written by real professionals touting good triggers for accuracy?
Or the same for hand loads?
Easy peasy counter

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

One important factor missed is it is also made in the USA.

my glock was made in usa

 

[John H]

my glock was made in usa

Only some are now .

 

[Medic!]

A U.S. built gun is the best? No a U.S. built gun is sometimes the best. Sometimes just OK. And can sometimes be a frustrating nightmare in owning. And a problem to sell!

German made HK91=Awesome build quality and resale.
US made PTR= Hit and miss quality. [What generation? How many flutes in the barrel?]

Russian made AK= Awesome build quality and resale. And a chrome lined barrel.
US made AK= Hit and miss quality. [Oversize bore so the bullets tumble? Magazine fit in the mag well? Front sight on straight?]

IMI made UZI= Awesome build quality and resale.
US made UZI= Just OK.

Belgian made FN FAL= Awesome build quality and resale.
US made FAL= Hit and miss quality. [Aluminum receiver? Unibrow feed ramp?]

Swiss made 550=Awesome quality. Crazy resale value!
US made 556= Hit and miss quality. [Canted rail? Bolt hits the receiver? Poor accuracy? Folding stock breaks off?]

Austrian made AUG= Awesome quality and resale.
US made AUG [Microtech]= The thing cant be made to run! Give up! Go out of business!

Want to buy a gun that's cheep? Or do you want the best gun built?
I found out long ago. I cant afford to buy a cheep gun!

 

[John H]

A
I found out long ago. I cant afford to buy a cheep gun!

+1

 

[mkwerx]

Every polymer pistol is compared to a Glock.

When was the last time you went to a gun store and the guy behind the counter said ''This here Glock is just as good as a M&P''.

Hey.........Nothing wrong with buying the one all other ones are compared to. $300-$550 is still cheep.

And what is with this angle crap! My wrists bend in all directions! I have never had a problem .Or noticed any disparaging difference. With any pistol grip angle. I just line up the sights and press the trigger! You guys are so pampered.

And I've had surgery on my wrist, elbow, and neck three times? Heck, I'm held together with more titanium, screws and pins than most handguns! And if you hand me a luger, 1911, or a Glock. I will shoot the $hit out of it.

Angle shmangle!

I wonder what my drill Sargent would have said if I told him my 1911 or later, my 92fs didn't feel right in my hand? I'm pretty sure when he was done slapping me up side the head. He would have told me to go to Burger King, If I wanted it my way! Titty baby!

The reason every polymer gun is compared to Glock is because they set the standard for polymer pistols. The reason the Smiths get compared is that the grand daddy of the current SD9 was the Sigma - which was a direct ripoff of the Glock 19. So much so that they could swap slides and function. So it's pretty logical to compare them for multiple reasons.

And just because grip angle doesn't matter to you doesn't mean that it doesn't effect others. Checking my gun purchase records, 17 of the over 70 firearms I've owned or currently own have been Glocks. I shoot them relatively well, but the grip angle and shape on other firearms - like the CZ-75, the Smith & Wesson M&P, Browning Hi Power, and Springfield XD's are just different enough that I tend to shoot better and more naturally with those guns.

Applying the fundamentals of marksmanship can score hits with any gun - but some guns make that job easier. If a I put my M&P, my wife's SD, a Springfield XD, a Hi Power, or a CZ in my hands, close my eyes, and extend the gun in a shooting grip, when I open my eyes the sights will be in alignment. When I do the same with a Glock - any Glock, the front sight will sit taller than the rear sight and I must bring the sights into alignment consciously. Why work harder than you have to?

Being issued a firearm by the military or a police agency is one thing - you sign up for a job and you get what you get with little to no choice. Even these agencies are, however looking at more modern, ergonomic solutions. I'll bet that the next sidearm selected by the military has user-configurable grip panels/backstraps. Even the Army recognizes that one size doesn't fit all anymore. And the nice thing about NOT being in the Army? We're free to choose whatever firearm works better for us. Bet that old drill sergeant, if he is still alive and is a shooter/gun toter during civie life picked a gun that worked well for him and fit him best.

 

[acp]

Put thousands and thousands of rounds through it then talk about reliability. I shoot 200 rounds of 9mm an outing twice a month for 6 years. I replace one recoil spring and one striker spring. My gen 3 glock is still ticking and for the most part still looks new. I do like the feel of the SD.

 

[Daughertydylan]

A fix for the slippery frame is sandpaper. If you start with something rough (40-80 grit) and follow up with something more fine(180-220 grit) you can get a decent look and a much better grip without changing any ergonomics or stippling. I spent about 15 minutes and mine had a great increase in traction. I need to finish it out and get in the crevices, but that's just for the looks anyhow.

 

[bivy53]

So with a few hundred rounds down range from my wife's SD - we made a few observations:

Her gun needed a break in period - badly. It took about 200 rounds to smooth out and not malfunction multiple times per magazine.

Her SD was actually more accurate in my hands than my M&P 9 compact, more accurate for me than my Sig - and was very pleasant to shoot, when it wasn't malfunctioning

We also discovered one thing that wasn't a huge surprise, but almost lead to bad times: The gun will fire when it's an 1/8th inch out of battery. Thankfully I was the one shooting the gun, not her, when it happened."

Not gunna bash the sd9ve. The above statements did enough of that. Decent enough piece, affordable price. But, and it's a BIG but, cannot recall having these issues with Glock.
Trust my life to a G26. Don't think I could say that for the sd.
To each his own.