It's cheap, and on the surface it's a bit generic, but this new take on a classic and no less very convincing offering from Smith and Wesson is extremely praiseworthy- particularly given its low price yet high quality.
Table of contents
Introduction
Polymer-framed, striker fired pistols (a.k.a "poly-strikers") are the most popular handguns in the world- their light weight and ease of operation combined with their generally lower cost and lighter triggers makes them more appealing to many people compared to older hammer-striker fired pistols (which often have aluminum frames and are usually considerably more expensive).
When it comes to poly-striker pistols, Glock pistols are clearly and unarguably at the top of the heap in terms of sheer numbers sold and overall popularity by a wide margin, but by no means is the Austrian firm holding a monopoly on poly-strikers, and indeed, Glocks are far from unique in terms of both overall quality and basic function (their popularity is also largely attributable to them being the first truly successful poly-striker pistol and their subsequent trend-setting as a result).
Among the firms muscling on Glock's turf in the poly-striker market is famed American manufacturer Smith and Wesson. While their most popular poly-strikers- the M&P (Military and Police) series of pistols- are at the forefront of this competition between the two firearm giants, another offering from Smith and Wesson can just as easily compete with a Glock and at only a fraction of the cost.
Enter the SD9 series- affordable, yet still well-made, this is an excellent pistol especially for such a low price point, and unless you just want a Glock for the sake of owning a Glock, you may have more reason to buy a pistol like this that has all the same reliability and functionality- yet is considerably less expensive.
And just last year in 2023, it just got improved even more.
This week, we'll be giving a quick review of this updated version of a remarkable offering from Smith and Wesson. Without further ado, let's read.
Hands-on experience (function, features, shooting, and more)
How it feels and handles
When you first pick one up, it feels very much like a Glock- lightweight, polymer-framed and almost toy-like. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but some people don't like it. On the other hand, this does lend itself strongly to everyday carry, especially if you like to wear loose-fitting clothing.
The grip is a more obvious clear step up from the first generation SD9, as it feels more natural and fits with the contour of the palm quite well. Angled at 18 degrees, it points naturally and doesn't feel awkward to aim, either (the first generation SD9 felt a little odd in this regard).
The SD9 2.0 has a much better trigger as well- like many, more expensive single-action poly-strikers, it has a light, crisp trigger pull. However, while I wasn't able to measure it directly the one time I've shot it so far, it felt ever so slightly heavier than that of a Glock- maybe around ~6-7 foot-pounds. In other words, it has slightly heavier pull than the trigger of many other mainstream striker-fired pistols (which average around 5-6 foot-pounds), but it seems to be consistent and felt surprisingly tact- dare I say, even somewhat satisfying (although this all comes down to personal preference).
Overall, it's certainly an improvement from the original SD9's noticeably heavy and somewhat creepy trigger pull, and I definitely don't see it causing any problems for anyone.
The external controls on the gun are few, and for people who are new shooters or just want something simple that goes bang, you've found it in the SD9 series.
Everything feels adequate in this regard- the magazine release, slide and other moving parts may need some breaking in out of the box (as with all pistols), but they aren't placed in hard-to-reach places and are large enough to get a firm handle on while still being not invasively large.
The slide in particular has also improved compared to the first generation SD9 and have both fore and rear serrations that make gripping the slide somewhat easier.
The stock sights on the SD9 2.0 are decent, but nothing to write home about- just three simple white dots. Aftermarket sights (as well as all other accessories that fit the first generation SD9) are available, however, so you don't have to settle for these if you don't want too, but they should be just fine for most people in most situations.
Function and features
One thing people love about poly-striker pistols is how simple they are both from a mechanical standpoint and from the user's perspective, and the SD9 is no different, but that doesn't mean it doesn't incorporate any unique or well thought out features.
Perhaps one of the more notable ways in which the SD9 2.0 makes itself stand out (beyond its low price point) is the fact it uses both a stainless-steel slide and barrel straight from the factory- normally, this would unquestionably indicate a more expensive gun due to the material and manufacturing methods involved, and yet, as we've said before, the SD9 2.0 is a relatively cheap and affordable pistol.
This is mainly beneficial from the standpoint of increased heat resistance and thus increasing the barrel's lifespan, allowing it to fire more rounds before it needs replacing.
As we've previously said, the trigger in the SD9 2.0 is noticeably improved over the first generation SD9, and the trigger has been partially redesigned to have a flat face and blade safety with improved take-up, break and reset in addition to having its overall pull weight seemingly reduced. While not huge, it's a welcoming upgrade nonetheless, as it allows for a more comfortable and accurate trigger.
Shooting it
Like most other poly-strikers, shooting the SD9 2.0 is especially straightforward- with no safety or decoking lever, you just load it, rack the slide and shoot.
But it's more fun than that.
Recoil
The fact the gun is so light makes it very enjoyable to shoot (although admittedly, most handguns regardless of make, caliber, size etc. are) and it was very controllable even when shooting heavier 147 grain loads, which I usually use when gauging the recoil of a gun (since more mass will generally mean more recoil, although it should be noted that the difference in recoil between a 147 grain bullet and a lighter 115 grain bullet- two of the most common weights for 9mm ammo- is only barely noticeable).
Accuracy
While I didn't shoot for accuracy the one time I got a chance to shoot this pistol (so far, anyways, and that was just for testing since it's still a relatively new gun), it seemed like it could compete with any other pistol in that department- even at 25 yards. Although this may not matter much unless you're a competition shooter, it's still worth taking note of.
Reliability
Functionally, there were some issues on the first magazine (although they were most likely caused by the ammo I was using- Lohman arms 115 grain I bought in bulk)- mostly involving stovepipes but there was one round where the slide failed to go into battery, but all of these where corrected with a quick and easy slide rack and did not present themselves with any other ammo I fired (after shooting all the Lohman I switched to my "main" ammo- Federal 147 grain HST, which I highly recommend for self-defense. I also shot loads from Fiocchi and Remington).
In total, I shot about 420 rounds and had 6 malfunctions (all where with the same ammo I previously mentioned, but I used the same 3 magazines and all worked flawlessly and shot the remaining 414 rounds without any incident whatsoever).
While I definitely plan to revisit shooting this pistol sometime (and will probably update this article in doing so), it seems like it's a pretty solid shooter. Don't let the price point fool you- this is definitely a very useable and trustworthy pistol that can easily compete with any other poly-striker on the market.
Pros and cons
Pros:
Highly reliable given quality ammo (duh)
Low cost
Stainless steel construction offers increased durability compared to other similar pistols
Single action trigger is comfortable and consistent
Cons:
Relatively featureless
Overall verdict and final thoughts
So, what you probably want to know is: is the SD9 2.0 any good and is it worth buying? The answer to both, in my opinion, is a solid and resounding "yes".
While it's not some perfect, magic pistol, it should work for pretty anyone in any situation- the characteristically large magazine capacity and reliability is more than adequate for self-defense or anyone who needs to carry a pistol (e.g security personnel and law enforcement), and the recoil is low enough competition shooters could also use them if they wanted too as well.
The SD9 2.0 is also small enough for everyday carry (though it might be a bit large for concealed carry, this is still possible, as it's slightly smaller than a Glock 17). Plus, the large number of aftermarket parts available means you can further tweak the pistol to your liking short of changing its basic function (in which case you're out of luck), but this is still more than you can do with even the first generation SD9- which allows for all the same accessories to be used with the SD9 2.0.
All of these things combined with the SD9 2.0's increased overall quality and functionality makes the offering of about 400 USD for the pistol simply astounding.
If you're on a budget and need a good, reliable gun you can add plenty of things on too, if necessary, but don't want the technicality of a hammer-striker fired pistol or a safety, decocker etc., the Smith and Wesson SD9 2.0 would probably be at the top of the list of my recommendations.
Gun stats
(Statistics source: Smith and Wesson's website)
Caliber | 9mm Luger |
Action | Single action |
Height | 5.5 inches |
Barrel length | 4 inches |
Overall length | 7.2 inches |
Width | 1.29 inches |
Weight | 22.7 ounces |
Magazine capacity | 16 |
Safety | Glock-style trigger safety (gun cannot fire unless the trigger blade is depressed), numerous internal safeties |
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