C27, so yours was a SW40VE then right? The model that's out now is the SD40ve and SD9ve. They are $299.99 at Academy and the cheapest I've seen. I fully intend to get one. Can't beat the price for a Poly Frame Gun. I'm just stuck with , do I want the 9 or the 40? Normally I'd go for the .40, but I"m thinking cheap gun, I want to shoot cheap ammo too. That's kind of the purpose for it, is CHEAP. When a Taurus Millenium Series is $379, I'll take the S&W for $80 less anyday of the week. Not a Taurus fan at all. I HAD 2. A buddy did have a SW9VE, not an issue one with it and he said he shot all the ammo thru it, from cheap, foreign, domestic and all and never a problem.
I did look for reviews hoping to find something bad and didn't find anything bad other than complaints on the heavy 8lb trigger.
My purpose for cheaper is to have a sidearm when I'm ATV riding. We did have a family member lose a gun while trail riding before on my dad's property. Luckily it did get found along side the trail about a year later. It had laid out in the weather for year.