Smith and Wesson 40 SW SD VE

IJS · Mar 16, 2020

Hey folks,

Wondering if anyone has any experience with this hand gun.

I've had my eye on it for awhile because it just seemed like such a great deal for a relatively high caliber weapon and also had the look and feel of a Glock; which I'm also a fan of. So, I went ahead and bought it from Academy a couple weeks ago

Anyway, took it to the range and had some problems with it right out the box.

1.) Mag rattle. As far as I've read, the mag rattle is just annoying but other than that harmless. It's like there's space in between the bullets in the mag and they rattle when it's in the gun.

Haven't seen much in the way of actually fixing this issue? Some bad suggestions about using tape but nothing else. Do the mags that come with the gun just suck? Should I switch to a single stack magazine, would that make any difference?

2.) Misfire/jam. I was using pretty cheap ammo so I'm wondering if maybe this gun is just a picky eater? But, even so, should it be jamming or failing to feed a bullet with cheap ammo even brand new out the box? It jammed quite a bit like at least 10-15 or so times with about 80-100 rounds fired.

I know a lot of semi automatic weapons have a "break in" period up to 500 rounds where malfunctions can happen. So, is that what's going on?

Anyway, just looking for some advice on how to deal with this. Should I clean my mags? I've heard people mention that packing residue could cause this? So maybe clean my gun? Try better ammo? Or should I just reach out to Smith and Wesson and try to replace it?

All guns I've owned and used have been solid and remained so through maintenance and care so I've never really had an issue like this till now, so I'm kinda lost lol.

Thank yall, any help and input on this weapon is appreciated

Beau Etienne · Mar 16, 2020

First, field strip, clean and lube, magazines too. Get a can of Ballistol (Walmart or Academy should have a can) and spray down good, then wipe. Use q-Tips for crannies. That should be good for your first range session. You get better lubes later.
It should feed cheap ammo, but not just any cheap ammo. Try, after cleaning and lubing, some Winchester white box fmj's or Federal fmj's. They should feed.
You can try the steel case stuff, but while some guns eat it up, some don't. Get her working with the ammo mentioned first.
See how she goes.

PS You might find this a good watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cleMs8xmqc

oppsImissed · Mar 18, 2020

I've had a few. Mag rattle is never gonna stop. Just have to deal.with it.
Picky eater? Yes. Most were. After 350 or so rounds of winchester white box it now eats anything.
All in all a good pistol. But it needs lube. Run it wet and it will improve.

Magdump · Mar 18, 2020

I bought a slightly used one super cheap from a member here. It’s an older model and wound up buying extra mags for it from CDNN on a sale like 10 bucks each or something cuz the thing ran like a champ. All I’ve ever shot in it is the cheap ass aluminum cased stuff tho. Maybe a little Winchester bulk brass and UMC last time out. I was just gonna use it for a hide out/truck gun or spare whatever. I never really did my homework on them. I just know they’re a sub $300 shooter. I bought an old Sigma in 40 S&W that was about the same. 200 bucks and ran like a faucet. I have a weakness for cheap pistols that I can shoot and not worry about scuffing up.

IJS · Mar 18, 2020

Beau Etienne said:
First, field strip, clean and lube, magazines too. Get a can of Ballistol (Walmart or Academy should have a can) and spray down good, then wipe. Use q-Tips for crannies. That should be good for your first range session. You get better lubes later.
It should feed cheap ammo, but not just any cheap ammo. Try, after cleaning and lubing, some Winchester white box fmj's or Federal fmj's. They should feed.
You can try the steel case stuff, but while some guns eat it up, some don't. Get her working with the ammo mentioned first.
See how she goes.

PS You might find this a good watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cleMs8xmqc

Thank you for the reply and suggestion.

Definitely going to clean the mags and gun; feed it some Winchester white box, which I've heard recurringly is good ammo for this gun. Hopefully all issues are fixed.

Should I be cleaning magazines even if I purchase a new one? Also, in the case this doesn't work, do you happen to know the process of getting it fixed through Smith and Wesson?

Fingers crossed I won't need it but just wanted to see if anyone had any experience with dealing with them in these types of cases. Thanks again for your response!

Cheesy Lasagna · Mar 18, 2020

Just a thought.
It may not be an issue with the pistol at all.
Are you an experienced shooter?
Handling skills also come into play here.
Is your grip firm and consistent?
Are you using both hands?
Not saying anything negative about you; just good practice to look at every variable when determining functionality of a firearm.
My suggestion would be to have another person who is experienced with semiautomatic pistols fire a few mags.
Use the same ammo that is malfunctioning.
If it runs right you may need to practice your physical mechanics a bit more.
If it continues to malfunction it could be ammo/magazine/break-in causing the issues.

IJS · Mar 18, 2020

Definitely a fan of reliable, economical pistols myself.

This is def gonna be my rough n tough gun that I mod and play with

IJS · Mar 18, 2020

Cheesy Lasagna said:
Just a thought.
It may not be an issue with the pistol at all.
Are you an experienced shooter?
Handling skills also come into play here.
Is your grip firm and consistent?
Are you using both hands?
Not saying anything negative about you; just good practice to look at every variable when determining functionality of a firearm.
My suggestion would be to have another person who is experienced with semiautomatic pistols fire a few mags.
Use the same ammo that is malfunctioning.
If it runs right you may need to practice your physical mechanics a bit more.
If it continues to malfunction it could be ammo/magazine/break-in causing the issues.

I honestly thought about this myself. I'm relatively experienced but I'm by no means an expert shooter. I have been shooting since I was young, although not super consistently. I THINK I have good form and I was using a firm grip with two hands but I'm not above thinking that it could be user error and that I'm potentially doing something wrong.

I'm gonna be mindful of my shooting technique next time I take it out and make sure I'm not the problem. Any suggestions or videos you'd recommend on how I can improve from?

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