Opinion Of Sigma?

[TeamPrecisionIT]

I have a SW9VE on my hip right now and will trust it through hell and back.

The trigger can be garage gunsmith'd with some polishing of the trigger system, as well as removing an extra spring that doesn't do anything. Both of these 'mods' will make the trigger both much smoother and just a little lighter. If I had to do a self test of the weight of the pull, I would say it's between 6-8 pounds or so at the moment.

I have easily shot over 10,000 rounds out of it and had two FTE's that whole time. Both times I had shot over 1,000 rounds out of the gun and the extractor was gummed up from shooting Wolf ammo. The only part I have replaced, thus far, and not because it broke was the extractor. I have put about 3500 rounds of steel cased through the gun and steel is hard on the extractor claw, so I chose to replace it before it breaks, if it would have.

Unfortunately, I have no experience with SW customer service other than when I thought I had messed up the trigger spring in it by seeing the little pad in it fall out. That was my mistake and does not reflect on the gun's reliability at all. After replacing the 'pad' with some compressed steel wool (which is all it was in the first place per S&W), it has been good to go.

Does it make your shooting buddies awe? Nope. Does it work when their gun doesn't? Yes, it does. Would I trust my life to it? I am doing it right now, so that has to be a yes.

As far as the accuracy of it goes, the gun is plently accurate if you do your part. I can shoot a 3 inch group from a full magazine at 21 feet consistently with it, off hand. No, it doesn't put everything in one ragged hole but it does have plenty of accuracy. Most of the problem with 'accuracy' with this gun comes from shooters not being able to overcome the supposed issues with the trigger. If you have any experience shooting a revolver with any kind of accuracy, you can shoot this gun with no problem.

Damian

 

[chuckusaret]

I had one and the only complaint I had was with the trigger, I sent it back to the factory, they reduced the trigger pull to 5 lbs or so. The SW9VE, IMO, is a much better gun than the weapon it is was designed to compete against. The SW9VE does not have a Kaboom problem as did the handgun it was designed to compete against and it also sells for half the price. Would I buy another, Yes.

 

[atlanticfire]

I got sucked into the price thing on a first gen .40. I shot two mags out of it and traded it that day at the shop for a cz40b. The trigger was just horrible, if I had know that I could send it back and have it reduced for the cost of shipping I might have done so. All I know it that at 14lbs it was just bad. As for the CZ (even tradefor the Cringma) I still have it and love it.

 

[Ed Ames]

Grr... I've had the last word in this thread for almost two years... why'd you go and wreck that????

Seriously though... since I posted that back in '07 I have installed tritium sights (meprolight), burned through a lot of ammo, the price of Sigmas has gone up, I still haven't learned any secret handshakes, and my opinion of them is about what it was 2 years ago. Says something good about the gun...or sad about me. Either way, it's a good value.

 

[possum]

inexpensive (not cheap) accurate enough for defensive work and reliable.

 

[againstthagrane]

You get what you pay for... That's the nicest thing I can say about them.

 

[Kingofthehill]

You get what you pay for... That's the nicest thing I can say about them.

A quality firearm by a company who backs their product and is a staple in history of firearms.

Seems like a good deal to me.

Trigger's heavy, Boo Hoo.... Man up.

JOe

 

[Kingofthehill]

I don't like the looks of the sigma or the feel of the trigger but the gun is fine. I wouldn't use it for anything but self defense if I had to though. The trigger just made it really unpleasant to shoot when I just wanted to play around at the range. My friend doesn't like it much either and keeps saying he wishes he would have gone with another XD(like he sold) or a Glock(like me). He never had issues with it as far as misfires and recoil was better than on my G19. It didn't smack me in the face with casings either. I might get flamed for it but... Glock or XD trigger on this gun and I would be happy to own one for the price. I only paid $50 more for my G19(new) than I would have for a new Sigma though so I am definitely happy with this purchase. If I only had $300 to spare for a gun I would probably buy a Sigma, but it would only be if I needed one and couldn't come up with the extra cash for anything better.

My opinion:

Pros: Never failed to fire, fed anything we put through it, pretty accurate once you get used to the trigger, not too heavy, comfortable, and better recoil than my G19.

Cons: Trigger is annoying, not the best looking, slightly larger than G19, ugly rail.

The trigger made it somewhat annoying to fire too many rounds through and required me to adjust my hand to get it to fire. My main complaint wasn't in the weight of the pull but in the length of the pull. I wouldn't use it as a range gun if I could avoid it. It just didn't fit my hand too well as far as my fingers are concerned however it fit my hand in the sense that it felt good to hold.

I laughed my butt off when you say you don't like the looks of the Sigma, yet you own a Glock.

They look identical, LOL

 

[geophysicishooter]

I had one and it was ok..

I ended up trading it in and adding the last Bush stimulus to the value I got on it (I got $225 for it, I think) and bought an AR. Thanks, W!!

As for the Sigma.. I had the .40sw VE version..

I didn't like it much, mostly on account of the trigger pull being so heavy and never feeling like it was going to break..

Another thing I didn't like it was that the plastic pin that holds the trigger safety lever to the main trigger assembly kept working loose during range trips. The first time I noticed this happening, the pin had worked its way almost completely out of the assembly. I poked it back in with the tip of my car key but I always kept an eye on it after that day.. Most trips to the range consuming a box of ammo or more would result in the pin ooching its way loose..

That I didn't like and once I had gotten my hands on the STI Ranger I found, the sigma 40ve ended up collecting dust.

Even the glock 36 i now have do I prefer shooting to the sigma..

It was a decent gun to have when I didn't have a pistol but it's a stepping stone pistol. You'll graduate from it soon

 

[againstthagrane]

No, you get $250 worth of gun.

"man up" and get a quality firearm.

 

[mljdeckard]

BY FAR, the worst gun I ever owned. YES, OWNED. Not "listened to the rumor mill and repeated what I heard", OWNED.

If I was fighting for my life, and I saw a good sized rock lying on the ground next to a Sigma, I would probably get killed trying to decide which one to pick up. (At least I can trust the rock to do what it is supposed to.)

 

[Ed Ames]

LOL

"Man up" misses the mark.

The Sigma is the least expensive new pistol I've ever bought, by a pretty decent margin. I bought it pretty much on a whim, thinking it could serve as an emergency stash gun if nothing else.

Imagine my surprise when I took it to the local indoor range, ran the target out as fas as it would go (20-25 yards), and ran the first 100rds through it punching a ragged 4" hole out of the center of the target. Oh there were other holes, the actual group was probably 10", but that's because I'm not that good a shot. When I did my part the bullets hit inside 4". Good combat accuracy? Check. And not only that... it ran without any failures. A fluke? No, it has gone through a lot more ammo since then and has never failed in any way.

So I'm left asking... what real benefit do I get when I pay twice as much for a gun? Three times as much? I've paid more than that even... but what, in an objective way, did I really get?

A better trigger? That's worth something.

 

[Kingofthehill]

No, you get $250 worth of gun.

"man up" and get a quality firearm.

Not everybody can drop major coin on a firearm. I think of the sigma as a great way to get into shooting or introduce someone into shooting.

To rag on them is just rude and insulting. People who buy these usually tend to move up from there, but starting with a Sigma isn't a bad way to go about it.

Now i have guns from $50-2500.... I can appreciate the Sigma for what it is. Is it going to go punch for punch with one of my sigs? Xd's? M&P's, Dan wesson's? SURE... they all go bang and put holes in paper, some may be more accurate and have more features but the Sigma is a great bang for the buck at $250.

The people who rip on them are, dare to say.... Gun Snobs...

Like i said... maybe $250 is all they have to spend... there may be "better" but thats subjective to your opinion.

JOe

 

[Kingofthehill]

mljdeckard- You owned a first generation model. Your hatred for this gun goes back 3+ years.... Get over it. I looked at some of your old posts regarding the sigma and the pure hatred you have for it is disturbing to say the least. You seem to find a way to jump into any thread with the word "Sigma" in it and just do everything in your power to pursuade the poster to avoid it like the plague... many times giving your rock analogy.

Get over it already. Do you not think that the product gets better? That company's learn from mistakes? Colt, Springfield, S&W, Taurus.... ALL have had problems and came back from it.. why is it so hard for you to understand that the sigma may have done the very same? I own a couple, friends own them, numerous people here own them... Are we all making it up? are we getting paid by S&W? dang... just drop it already.

 

[mljdeckard]

No.

This is why people ask for opinions. They are welcome to take or leave them. This business is too competitive for second chances. It sounds so absurd to hear; "It was the first generation model". I would think that a company with the history and resources of Smith and Wesson would FREAKIN' GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. I not only won't give later generations of Sigma a chance, I won't touch a M&P or S&W 99 either. Exactly how many models are they going to go through before they decide the have figured it out? Yes you do get what you pay for, and if they were so consistently reliable and worth the money, S&W wouldn't have to give them away PLUS put coupons for free magazines in the box to get them out of the factory.

You might have time to crawl through old posts, I sure as hell don't. And yes, every single time I hear someone ask for an opinion on a Sigma, I will flame them, and I won't have to lie to do it. My experience is just as relevant as anyone else's, and I would not want anyone to experience what I did with them.

Buy a freakin' used Glock, you'll be better off.

 

[Ed Ames]

The question isn't whether you are entitled to an opinion. The question is whether your opinion is relevant.

Your story is this: "I bought a S&W 14 years ago, a model they no longer sell, it had problems, they fixed them, but I was so upset that a mechanical device had mechanical issues that I have been unwilling to move on for 14 years now, and never will."

Ten or twelve years ago your opinion was relevant. Now?

How would you answer someone who said this:"I bought a Toyota in 1972, it was total junk that was in the shop repeatedly before it hit 50K miles. The auto market is too competitive for second chances and I am not lying when I say that toyotas are junk, I owned one and am speaking from experience. I have a right to my opinion and toyotas are junk." You would laugh in their face. I would, anyway, and I don't like toyotas. Same deal. Unless you have a relevant current experience it's just sour grapes.

 

[mljdeckard]

I tell them this. They can decide on their own.

 

[Ed Ames]

No, not really.

You told part of the story, carefully presented to sound as though it applied to the guns being discussed. Someone else told the rest. You can't really claim to be telling people your experience when others must provide the most relevant facts.

 

[DougDubya]

No.
And yes, every single time I hear someone ask for an opinion on a Sigma, I will flame them, and I won't have to lie to do it.

Nope - just misrepresent the time period, and even the particular model - the SW99 has nothing in common with the Sigma other than a steel slide and polymer frame.

Such temporal misrepresentation can be conferred as outright, bald-faced lying, and admitting to flaming is an admission of engaging in unwarranted hostility, because that is what flaming is. Unvarnished, unrefined outright hostility, and such hostility is usually accompanied by intense bias and emotional irrationality.

 

[mljdeckard]

No, I tell them it's a 1st gen, and that I don't care how good the new ones are, they suck for needing more than one try to get it right.

I never said the S&W99 was bad. I said I'll never know.

See, it's not just that it had some glitches. I was pretty forgiving. The thing had to go back to the smith again and again. They were LAUGHING at me. With a front sight that fell out, IT FELL OUT, IT FELL THE #&^% OUT, the feed ramp that needed to be milled, the slide stop spring that broke, the failures to extract, the trigger that felt like a champagne cork, and the mag release that wouldn't hold magazines in correctly, they didn't get anything right on mine at all.

I am entirely entitled to say what happened and how I feel about it. AGAIN, anyone reading it can take it or leave it. My hostility is warranted. My hatred is rational.

If anything, you guys look like you have invested in an inferior grade pistol, and you are desperately trying to shut up anyone in the village who is yelling that the emperor is naked. Keep complaining, I'll keep responding, and everyone who gets a chance to see it will wonder why there is such a fuss if there is nothing wrong with a freakin' Sigma.

 

[Extremely Pro Gun]

I would compare it to a Glock 19/22 on the SIZE ASPECT ALONE!!! You really do get what you pay for. How much is your life worth, 319 with a 50 dollar mail in rebate? Ok... I guess.

Please do not try to justify you purchase by calling it a Glock, Glock replica, Basically a Glock, A Glock with a stainless slide. This gun fails at being a Glock. It is in no way shape or form a Glock. If you want to call it a Glock it is like a ****ty Chinese made version.

BTW even the BRAND NEW SIGMAS, which I handle regularly, flat out suck.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

The Sigma is a decent gun---the one I had was very accurate.

I'd buy another if they were still sub $300----they are pushing $400 around here---at that price point the Ruger P95 is a better gun---Actually the Sigma is more $$ than a blued P95 in this area.

The heavy Sigma trigger isn't really all that bad---it broke cleanly and predictably---mine shot very well and felt good in the hand.

 

[Ed Ames]

Mlj... sounds like you should've sent yours back to S&W.

It also sounds like your biggest complaint is that someone laughed at you. Not sure how rational it is to hate a thing because you think someone laughed at you for owning it.

You make a big deal of the front sight "falling out"... I have some experience there. Mine fell out too.. after I gave it a twist with pliers. It would be easy to screw with someone's front sight if you were a jerk. The good news: The tritium replacement sight, made of steel, screwed right in with some locktite and has been going strong for a long time now. It is sadly possible that your original sight was damaged... maybe accidentally, maybe not.

As for the "how much is your life worth" line... by that logic, anyone who opts for 9mm or .40 is suicidal compared to someone who uses a more expensive round like .45 GAP or .50 GI. The reality is that, if the gun works (and sigmas do) you don't get any extra life from extra money spent on the gun.

 

[Kingofthehill]

As for the "how much is your life worth" line... by that logic, anyone who opts for 9mm or .40 is suicidal compared to someone who uses a more expensive round like .45 GAP or .50 GI. The reality is that, if the gun works (and sigmas do) you don't get any extra life from extra money spent on the gun.

very well said.

I trust my Sigma, I trust my Ruger p95, I trust my Ed Brown!....

Just because my sigma was $250 and Sig p250 was 700 doesn't mean i trust the sig!... My sig P250 was a pile... Are they all? no.. but mine had major issues. So by their analogy, my life is 3x more valuable when i carry my p250 even though its had more issues than my sigma or Ruger P95.

Hmmm.....

JOe

 

[bullbarrel]

I see all these glowing reports on the Sigma but I have one, bought recently, that jams almost constantly. I have sent it back to SW and they modified the barrel and replaced the extractor. There is no change, still constant jamming. The dealer says it takes about 4 boxes for it to straighten out. That's what I have shot so far. I have another SW mailer here to send it back again but I don't know if there's any point. It's the SW9VE. Has anyone else experienced this and should I expect the pistol to improve? Thanks.