i purchased a s&w 9mm sigma any thoughts? It is my first gun purchase

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Hi Dio

Hi Dio,

Welcome to THR.

First off I believe the S&W Sigma 9mm to be a great 9mm. You're going to hear alot of ppl on here complain about it's trigger. It is about the same lb. trigger as a DAO 5 shot revolver. From a defensive aspect your gun is perfectly seated to your need, if that is your need.

Did you already shoot it or do you have to wait one of those stupid waiting periods?

Frosty
 
Congrats, you should be pleased. Don't listen to any of the bad press on any of the boards about the sigma (most of them have never even shot one). It's amazing they go bang when you pull the trigger, and they still complain :cuss:.
 
Sigma's are great bargains. You can dry fire them to smooth the trigger a bit and you can remove a small pig tail spring to lighten it up a bit more. I have an all-black version with night sights. I like it, matter of fact I am carrying it tonight.
 
I have a .40 Sigma with Meprolight night sights and a Hogue grip glove. I also removed the pigtail spring mentioned earlier. It took the trigger pull from (guessing) 12 pounds to around 7 pounds.

I have more expensive guns (Sigma was my first), but I still enjoy shooting the Sigma. You made a good choice for a first gun and look at it this way as far as the trigger is concerned. Learning to shoot the Sigma will make you that much better on the better guns later on, it did for me.
 
The best gun for the money on the planet.Don't do any messing around taking out springs the gun is just fine as it is. Trigger is long but for the price not bad. It's safety is the trigger pull don't want a hair trigger. Enjoy a very fine first gun.
 
I teach concealed pistol license courses and just bought a Sigma as a "loaner pistol" for the course. For the price (especially with the 2 additional free mags) and S&W's warranty, it was a no-brainer.

I know another NRA instructor who is also picking up a couple for his course.

Don't forget to send in your rebate paperwork, the rebate has been extended to April 30.


http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CustomContentDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&content=755001&sectionId=10002
 
ive had and carried the 40VE allied forces model for the last 3 years now. i can make a nice 4inch group at 7 yards with all 14rnds without a issue. only thing i did was remove the pigtail spring.

Grandfather Oak makes a awesome IWB kydex holster for $35 or so.

enjoy your new pistol.
 
I'm guessing that you bought the latest generation (3rd). Great inexpensive pistol for what it was intended. It's an entry level DAO that had solid ergonomics. It's not a SIG by any means, but it does go bang every time I pull the trigger. I have 5 of them for various purposes. My best with the Sigma is 1" to 2" groups offhand at 7 to 10 yards. My average is about 3" at the same distance. I don't mind the trigger but I'm very used to revolvers in DA mode.

dio
i purchased a s&w 9mm sigma any thoughts? It is my first gun purchase
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If you find after shooting it that you don't like the trigger, you can always call S&W and send it in for them to work on it. A while back my dad bought one and the trigger was gritty like sandpaper. S&W smoothed it out and lightened it a considerable amount, at no expense to my dad.
 
Don't do any messing around taking out springs the gun is just fine as it is.
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I disagree, I did a trigger job on mine in about 20-30min and it was simple as can be. It was pretty heavy but the grittiness is what bothered me because you could never tell when the shot was about to break.

I removed the little pigtail spring because it serves no purpose, and I removed one of the heavy springs in the grip that returns the sear and replaced with one out of a pen that was about the same size just a little lighter. I see no need in those being that heavy all they do is reset the trigger. As long as they reliable reset the trigger you are OK. I left the striker spring as is because I didn't want to take a chance on light strikes.

I would say the most important part of the trigger job is not the heavy springs so if your worried about that just leave them in, the part that really needs attention is the sear. It is rough and has machine marks on it. I polished basically the whole thing but the most important part is where it rides against the plastic housing. Another spot you could clean up just a little is where the sear and striker contact each other. Remember you want to polish the metal not remove it.

The trigger in my Sigma is not bad at all now, still just a little bit heavy with the stock striker spring, but smooth all the way through and breaks clean with no light strikes.

Here is a link to a YouTube video that is pretty good in explaining what needs to be done in detail. The link mainly concerns the sear but I would watch all four segments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwM5JI3woeI
 
I've had two of them. You can't beat the price for the money. Just go shoot it loads and becone really good. Buy some inexpensive 9mm ball and go to it. Welcome here to the forum!
 
the Sigma was my first carry gun too, and i kept it for many years, until i traded it last year for a Taurus 85UL. the Sigma's a good, solid gun for self defense. it won't do for IDPA, but who cares? the trigger pull is fine, and it lightens up and smooths out on it's own.
 
My first handgun four years ago was a Sigma 40ve. I liked it so much I bought a 9ve a couple years later. I now have several other handguns but the 40ve is still one I carry often. Of course the 9 and the 40 have identical dimensions. I carry mine IWB in a Don Hume H-715. Nice rig. Being polymer the guns are lightweight. Accuracy is very good. Reliability is 100%. Bottom line, it's a glock with a well designed grip and a much lower price tag.
 
congrats on a good handgun, and more than that your first.

i was raised on the sigma (in .40) and it was teh first striker fired gun that i ever shot, and i liked it then, they were 100% reliable, and that is the biggest thing i look for in a handgun, i think they are a great value.
 
For the money, it is a good quality firearm. Do not regret it. I would buy one if I wanted another handgun and was looking to keep my investment low. It is probably #12 on my list, but if the price and rebates were right it would quickly jump to near the top.
 
My last gun was the SW9VE and it a most unreliable pistol. It tends to jam though after about 12 rounds in the mag and it is a clean jam. The round simply drops through to the deck and you can get back to battery rather quickly. I am hoping that mine improves with usage. They have very bad press that I would think is well deserved. At this time I do not trust it for CC.
 
Rented one, but never owned. For $250 new, they are very hard to beat. They also have a lifetime warranty, which is good if you ever have problems.
 
Ok, not a Sigma lover or hater, but a few thoughts.

Don't listen to any of the bad press on any of the boards about the sigma (most of them have never even shot one). It's amazing they go bang when you pull the trigger, and they still complain
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Ok, so it's all lies? It's good advice to learn from others who pulled said trigger and bang did not happen.

No problem with the gun, just with the comment. The boards are set for dialogue and not just the talk you like.

I disagree, I did a trigger job on mine in about 20-30min and it was simple as can be. It was pretty heavy but the grittiness is what bothered me because you could never tell when the shot was about to break.

I removed the little pigtail spring because it serves no purpose, and I removed one of the heavy springs in the grip that returns the sear and replaced with one out of a pen that was about the same size just a little lighter. I see no need in those being that heavy all they do is reset the trigger. As long as they reliable reset the trigger you are OK. I left the striker spring as is because I didn't want to take a chance on light strikes.
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So you altered a gun in your infinate wisdom over the smiths at S & W? Wow, you should get your application into them.

OP, don't do this. It's stupid to remove springs in guns, and replace them with what you think belongs. This is maybe why S & W offers to do this free of charge with competent smiths who know what they are doing. If it was so simple, they would tell you what to do.
 
I've owned a Sigma SW9VE since 2004, and love the thing. It's been solidly reliable, and very accurate - usually I pull down and to the left because the trigger pull is kind of heavy, but I prefer the heavy trigger. I find the longer the trigger pull, the less chance that I accidentally discharge the gun. It reminds me of a double action revolver trigger pull. My trigger was never gritty or anything, always smooth with a clean break. It did get smoother over time though.

Good choice for a first gun, it was my first gun, too!

The best part is the S&W warranty - if anything goes wrong, send it in!

You may read some complaints about the Sigma, and like any pistol there are lemons. The early models of the Sigma had issues, but those have mostly been worked out. However, it did tend to create a bad rep for the poor little Sigma when it was first introduced.
 
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I'm personally not a fan, and saw one frame break in half at the range (a buddy's while he was shooting it - no injuries). S&W replaced it for free. He sold the new gun.

However, my brother swears by his as his carry piece.

Either way, congrats on getting a handgun. It's an important step in life.
 
So you altered a gun in your infinate wisdom over the smiths at S & W? Wow, you should get your application into them.
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I guess first of all with my infinite wisdom I will teach you to spell INFINITE.:evil: But as you suggested I will go ahead and send my application and while I'm at it I'll go ahead and tell the other few thousand people who have successfully done it that YO MAMA said to send theirs in too. Your right what was I thinking trying to modify my handgun by myself from the factory to make it better I'm not a real gunsmith. We all know that S&W engineers and lawyers got together to decide what the best design is for me and why would I want to change that? I guess if nothing else I should have sent my $250 handgun to a real gunsmith so he can charge me $100+ to do the same thing in 15-20 minutes.

OP, don't do this. It's stupid to remove springs in guns, and replace them with what you think belongs. This is maybe why S & W offers to do this free of charge with competent smiths who know what they are doing.
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In case you didn't know it's not free because everyone who bought a Sigma was calling in asking about the free trigger job they heard about on the net.
 
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