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SW40VE Report
I have almost 700 rounds through my SW40VE and I thought I'd post my impressions in case anyone was interested. Cost was $330. Included two 14 rd mags. Looked at and handled a lot of other pistols that cost up to twice as much (with concealed carry in mind) before settling on this one.
Ergonomics: I have a medium-to-large sized hand and this pistol fits like a glove. Full four fingered grip. You can tell S&W spent a lot of time researching the grip size, shape and angle. It felt well balanced empty in the store and I've found that it feels equally well balanced with a full clip or anywhere in between. Very comfortable gun to hold.
Shooting: Almost 700 rounds through it without a single glitch. Mostly Winchester USA 180 and 165 FMJs with a few Cor-Bon JHPs thrown in. The gun is fairly light and recoil is about what you'd expect from a poly framed pistol. It kicks and there's some muzzle rise but nothing uncomfortable or uncontrollable. No hand discomfort whatsoever after a 150+ round session. One minor nit is that the brass seems to fly in random directions sometimes, actually hitting me square in the forehead occasionally.
Trigger: Hard DAO pull when new and somewhat jerky and uneven. It now seems to have lightened up a little and has definately smoothed out. Maybe a little of me just getting used to it too. I'm happy with it.
Sights: I still haven't figured out the white dot sights yet. Putting the front sight dot on the bullseye of a 50' pistol target at 10 yds results in the front sight covering about 2/3 of the entire target. Holding the dot on the bullseye is a guess. I'm probably expecting too much from the sights on a pistol designed primarily as a self defense weapon.
Cleaning: Takes down very easily with no tools. Powder residue wipes off the poly with just a rag and of course the stainless cleans up nicely. Wipe the poly down with a silicone rag and it looks brand new.
Carry: Some sites refer to this pistol as 'compact' but at over 7" long with a full grip I don't see how it can be called that. Know that I have been using an inexpensive Fobus paddle holster while I wait for my FIST #2 and belt to arrive. I can conceal it no problem with a shirt jacket or a regular light jacket (I take a 'long') but I can't kid myself that no one will be able to tell with just a untucked shirt. I have to wear it at 3 o'clock on the seam or the grip pokes out too far in back. The new holster should pull it in closer and higher so that should help.
Sorry for the long post. Hope this helps a little if you're thinking of getting one. I'm happy. I'd buy it again.
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I've had the 40VE, it is a nice pistol. Lots of people complain about the long trigger pull. Just takes some getting used to it that's all. I actually liked it better than the G23c, as it felt better in my hand. Mine was very accurate, and the muzzle rise is a 40.S&W cal. thing. It is a very snappy round, in either poly or steel frame. I traded mine for the CZ100, I just had to have that little pistol and I have a G23c that I can put the G32c barrel in when I want to shoot 357sig. I carried the SV40 more then I did the G23c. After you shoot the pistol awhile and it smooths up more you can tell when the trigger will break. I like the longer pull, as it more of a safety than any thing else. You get nervous and this gun is not as likely to go off when you jump. In a nut shell it's a very well designed pistol for CCW. As a matter of fact Glock took S&W to court over the design of it. Not as many options for it as for a Glock, but it is a very nice carry piece. Almost forgot, get a holster with around 20 deg. cant and this will make it almost disappear I carried one under just a tee shirt all the time. A McDaniel II from Sam Andrews where you can adjust the cant to suit yourself works great.
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I carried my 40VE this weekend. Got a chance to shoot it at the cabin with over 3000+ trouble free rounds with all ammo I have tried with it. Great gun for the money. Dry fire it some more and the trigger will smooth and lighten up. :yup:
This is what I carried this weekend with 15 round mags (F series).
http://esrigs.home.comcast.net/guns/40vea.jpg
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good review ! I've always been leary of purchasing one from hearing all the stories of the first year models. Thanx !!!
