SD9 vs. Taurus G3C??

I'll share my experience with the SDVE'S and Taurus pt's. I had 2 SDVE'S A 9MM and a 40 sw. The same calibers in a Taurus 111 and 140. I was more accurate with the 2 Taurus's. Despite them having shorter barrels. The SW'S i traded even up for a 1911. My experience with the 2 smiths tuned me off to their semi auto center fires. I took a chance later for a 380 ez. I love it. Maybe you should think about a SW MP 9MM OR the MP9MM EZ.

I think it will be worth the extra 100 bucks for a MP series. Oh and welcome on board.

YW.

Google - Smith & Wesson SD9VE fail , and then Taurus G3C fail .
No experence with the SD9VE.

Bought two G3C guns. One failed when magazine release broke. Put parts back in. Fired 50 rounds ok. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?media/albums/taurus-g3c-9mm-luger.317/

The S&W factory should provide better service, if a repair is needed.

My 2 are gen 2's. I had to look lol. I sent my one SDVE for a last round hold open failure. It took 3 months to get it back. This was way before covid hit.

I have both.The G3c and the SD9VE are wonderful guns. The G3 is my daily carry as my SD is my truck gun.
Had the SD since 2014 and the G3 since the beginning of 2021. No issues with them. They go bang every time, they feel good in the hand and that's what I require of a weapon, feels good and shoots every time I pull the trigger.
If I had to choose one. It'd be the SD

Of those two, G3c.
My recommendation: Gx4.

I own multiple SD40VEs and have shot many rounds through them, but not highroad normal round count, I use them as SD guns, I've replaced the trigger springs and that helped the trigger pull. I also have multiple M&Ps and there is a difference in them, a used M&P at one time was priced about what a new SD was.
The only Taurus G line I shot was a compact and it had a long trigger pull and felt a little mushy but I was able to hit the target at 10 paces.
I would definitely try to hold each and dry fire them or find a rental range

entropy said:

My recommendation: Gx4.

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Me also. Because the magazine release/spring as been redesigned. May eliminate this to common failure?

JoeFossis said:

You all may have other options, but for the sake of answering the question, if those two firearms were in front of you, and they were your only options, which one would you purchase?

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The Taurus. I have 2 G3C's. One for carry and one for the truck. My reason for that is I like the ergonomics of the G3c more than the S&W. The SD9VE I had wasn't as good in hand (my hand) as the Taurus.

JoeFossis said:

Maybe you should think about a SW MP 9MM OR the MP9MM EZ.”

I’ll look into them. I will say that in the reviews I’ve watched the G3C looked awfully spry.

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i recently finished up a hard-thought search for my one and only 9mm semiauto pistol. i wanted an inbetweener, i.e. for both carry and shooting range. i’m recoil averse. wanted to spend under $300. wanted no more than ten round mag capacity to increase its cross-state travel range. wanted something simple and easy. i got a s&w ez. i’m happy and searching no more.

No experience with either of your selections. For my money (if you want full size or compact) shop around and find a M&P. I think in the long run you will be much happier. You could also think of a Glock police trade in 17.

Get the Taurus G3c over the
SD9. You can find bad reviews here and there from both guns, but the overwhelming reviews are positive. The only difference is many have a bias against Taurus because of lemons they released decades ago. The features, ergos, and aftermarket support is better on the G3c. Unlike the SD9, the G3c also has the option to use 10, 12, 15, 17 round mags.

I also believe the G2-G4 series is more popular and has sold many more than the SD9 series. I have not heard of any ongoing issues with QC or safety with the Taurus services. Just mostly people bashing it only on the merits of who manufacturers it.

I am not a fan of the Gen 1 S&W M&Ps at all. They had an issue with the frame, no one liked the trigger, many complained about it's accuracy, and the ergos aren't that good IMHO. The 2.0 M&P is much better and fixed all of those issues; however, they cost almost 2x as much as the G3c. The 1.0s also do not have an option for optics.

The one and only con I see with the G3c is with the turnaround times with Taurus when it comes to warranty work.

I had a Taurus PT-111 G2. I didn't like the trigger or the finish. The trigger was inconsistent. Maybe the newer versions are better. I've never owned a SD9VE. I have shot one. The only thing I didn't like about it was the trigger is a bit heavy. If I bought one or owned one I would have to spend some time on dry fire to get used to the trigger pull.

Before I bought either of those I would spend some time digging around online & see if I could find a deal on a M&P 2.0. I have the 4" compact version. They come with interchangeable backstraps & you can use full sized magazines with a spacer if you like.

Edited to Add: When I am looking to buy I tend to watch gun.deals a lot. You can also search there to find the good prices.

S&W over Taurus, I own a SD9VE that I added an Apex glock style trigger to.



That being said - PSA Dagger would be my recommendation in that price range. You might need to save up a little more cash - a gas tank or 2 more. Splurge and get the model with night sights.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-dagger/handguns.html?product_list_order=price_asc

I've had both, still have the G3c.
SDvE was accurate and reliable, but I don't like shell casings coming straight over my head or hitting my hat brim when shooting from retention.

The G3c is smaller and point shoots more naturally for me. It's been just as reliable so far, but I don't really expect it to survive the same round ct in its life that the SDVE would.

Mike J said:

I had a Taurus PT-111 G2. I didn't like the trigger or the finish. The trigger was inconsistent. Maybe the newer versions are better. I've never owned a SD9VE. I have shot one. The only thing I didn't like about it was the trigger is a bit heavy. If I bought one or owned one I would have to spend some time on dry fire to get used to the trigger pull.

Before I bought either of those I would spend some time digging around online & see if I could find a deal on a M&P 2.0. I have the 4" compact version. They come with interchangeable backstraps & you can use full sized magazines with a spacer if you like.

Edited to Add: When I am looking to buy I tend to watch gun.deals a lot. You can also search there to find the good prices.

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The trigger was difficult but not bad on the G2. If all you can shoot and prefer is Glock like or competition like triggers, the G2 trigger is not for you. It breaks further back and has a slightly longer length of pull. Those who primarily shoot DA/SA, DAO, and/or who have good trigger control won't have an issue with the trigger.

The Blued finish on the G2 isn't very durable unless it's the stainless model, but the newer G3 and newer models have finishes similar to Glocks and M&P or are stainless.

Styx said:

The trigger was difficult but not bad on the G2. If all you can shoot and prefer is Glock like or competition like triggers, the G2 trigger is not for you. It breaks further back and has a slightly longer length of pull. Those who primarily shoot DA/SA, DAO, and/or who have good trigger control won't have an issue with the trigger.

The Blued finish on the G2 isn't very durable unless it's the stainless model, but the newer G3 and newer models have finishes similar to Glocks and M&P or are stainless.

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It wasn't the length of pull or where it broke. I just didn't like the feel of it. It never felt consistent. I started out with a Ruger P-series & put my time in on DA/SA. I also used to carry a Kel-Tec P-11 that had a pretty bad double action only trigger. It shot pretty well once I got used to it. I don't mind a trigger pull that is long or a bit on the heavy side but I do like for it to be clean or at least consistent. It was not consistent.

SD9 is basically a 4th generation Sigma. Now the Sigma had a horendous rep on the internet which was basically nonsense. Heavier and longer trigger than something like a Glock but some of the stories people were saying made it out to be a modern HK VP70Z... which it is not even close. Durability and reliability wise I never have any major problems with any of the Sigma generations (outside the very early production 1st gens) but I dont try to kill them either through torture or abnormal abuse. Never had any problems with Accuracy either in the 9mm, 40S&W or 357sig versions. If you have good trigger control they are fine pistols. I have no problem admitting I like the Sigma line. The only issue I ever had with a sigma is the 1st gen extractors which needed very minor tweeking. Once that was done they have never had an issue and still run completely fine 20+ years.

G3 is not bad. Durable enough that it was made in 40S&W for the G2 so in terms of major components they should be durable. Most regular problem I remember people having was the magazine catch issue which has been mentioned above. I think Taurus has corrected the mag catch issue from what I read on the Taurus forum not too long ago. Taurus G3 also gives you a double strike capability where as the sd9 needs to be manually reset for the sear to grab the striker.

Smith and wesson has better service for life, better quality control, and its American.... So I would go with an SD9. G3C is a nice pistol though. Its origins are with the Millennium series and they have been around for almost as long as Sigmas. Ive shot both, Like them both. SD9 was better for me in terms of .... everything but I am partial to Sigmas. I kinda like those full size G3 pistols and will eventually pick one up and do the DAO conversion on it. Cant do that to a Sigma unfortunately. Original Milleniums were DAO and were safe until they added in the Second sear for SA (then all hell broke loose ending with the massive recall) Somebody mentioned the finish on the G3. Yes... get the stainless. The Oxide finish on the G3c pistol was not impressive.

In the end if I was forced to pick one to defend my life with... SD9. A litle bigger but still easily concealable. Parts are easier if needed for the SD9 and S&W has a pretty good rep for taking care of their customers. If you plan on doing all kinds of modifications to the pistol.... G3 is probably the way to go. Lots of stuff out there for the G3. Lakeline products being the major one.