S&W sigma .40 cal ?

[Zodiac.]

A friend at work has a fairly new one that I have not seen yet. Its only been owned by 2 coworkers and its clean.

I've hunted a couple of times and killed a couple of deer but am new to firearms and this will potentially be my first handgun. I'm curious about any opinions of this gun that are out there. Its 3 years old, fired rarely and comes with the case, 3 extra clips, a harness and a box of ammo for $250.

[matt18920]

people are gonna give you hell about the trigger pull, nothing a good trigger job cant fix a little. it sorta keeps the lawyers off your back if you ever need to shoot an intruder.

[kef3stlmo]

If all you want to spend is 250... handle it and see how it feels, put a snap cap in and try the trigger... most Sigma owners I talked to back when those came out were NOT pleased with them.

If you can spend $100 or so more you can probably find a gen3 Glock model 22 or 23 , 40s&w law enforcement trade in since many departments are trading in for the gen4's right now. Much better pistol, tried and true with an abundance of magazines and accessories available.

[jandg]

I'm generally not into trashing things, but I'll be happy to sell you my nearly new VE model for less than that. (Well, not yet, it's currently back at the factory for another issue).

Not only is the trigger pull very long (which can't be cured with trigger job) and heavy the damn thing nearly breaks my thumb when I fire it.

With 14 rounds in the well and a relatively short and light barrel, the center of gravity is so far back that it pivots hard into the thumb. I shoot other .40s, .45 acp and .44 magnum so the problem isn't because I'm limp wristing it.

There are much better choices out there.

[richis7]

I just bought that pistol in 9mm on saturday. I haven't shot it yet but have snapped the trigger w/ a snap cap. The reason I bought it was because it felt great in my hand whereas most of the plastic guns felt too big to me. It will serve as my carry gun, so as long as I can hit a man sized target at 3-4 yards with it, I dont care about anything else. It will probably spend most of its time thrown in my center console and forgotten about. If you are buying it as a target gun, dont. If you want it for personal protection I think it is a fine choice. The trigger pull on mine isn't that bad. Its a lot longer than any of my other guns, but I'm fine with it. For a carry gun it suits my needs fine.

If it feels good to you, and you dont mind having $250 tied up in a gun that isnt good for much other than close range self defense situations, go for it. I have several other handguns that I can use for good quality target shooting so it doesnt bother me that the sigma isn't a target gun... if that is an issue for you, I'd stay away from it.

[sarge912]

Originally Posted by matt18920

people are gonna give you hell about the trigger pull, nothing a good trigger job cant fix a little. it sorta keeps the lawyers off your back if you ever need to shoot an intruder.

Who is doing a trigger job or replacement on this gun? Everyone I have talked to said get used to it or get rid of it, nothing can be done to improve it.

It is not a quick shooter (we have one in the safe so this is not idle speculation)
and I would rely on it out past 10 yards or so for reaction shooting.
Other than the trigger it is well built and works OK. We got ours for $175 with 8 high cap and 3 regular mags. I would not recommend it as a starter gun as it will not train you well on trigger control.

[greasetrap]

I would save a little extra and look into the S+W M+P instead, just a little more and much better. I have friends that took the sigma route and hate their and want to upgrade to the M+P. Tehy also have 3 different interchangable back straps so you can personalize the feeling in your hand. S+W is also doing a special right now if you buy is new with either $50 mail in rebate or 2 free clips (normally cost $40 each anyways). I love my M+P and if you get it is .40 you can up in a 9mm barrel to shoot for cheaper, I wish I knew that when I bought mine.

[sarge912]

Originally Posted by Zodiac.

A friend at work has a fairly new one that I have not seen yet. Its only been owned by 2 coworkers and its clean.

I've hunted a couple of times and killed a couple of deer but am new to firearms and this will potentially be my first handgun. I'm curious about any opinions of this gun that are out there. Its 3 years old, fired rarely and comes with the case, 3 extra clips, a harness and a box of ammo for $250.

for about the same money I would get a Ruger 22/45
http://www.thegunsource.com/item/492...CMKIII_Ma.aspx
After you learn the basics you can sell it or trade it. (or like most of us, add it to the collection )

[MarksInnerDemon]

Originally Posted by sarge912

Who is doing a trigger job or replacement on this gun? Everyone I have talked to said get used to it or get rid of it, nothing can be done to improve it.

It is not a quick shooter (we have one in the safe so this is not idle speculation)
and I would rely on it out past 10 yards or so for reaction shooting.
Other than the trigger it is well built and works OK. We got ours for $175 with 8 high cap and 3 regular mags. I would not recommend it as a starter gun as it will not train you well on trigger control.

Contact S&W I believe they will do a trigger job for free. Regardless its wroth the call, because they pay for all the shipping costs.

As for trigger control. If you have the hard trigger its no different then a DA revolver pull, and will train the snot out of you. Heavy triggers can be good for trigger control because it trains you not to squeeze your hand. Its harder for a novice to learn though.

A new Sigma I would be ok with, but it would be nice to have a more modern one. The lock up is better then a glock at least, although in comparison I think both are about the same.

[sarge912]

Originally Posted by MarksInnerDemon

Contact S&W I believe they will do a trigger job for free. Regardless its wroth the call, because they pay for all the shipping costs.

As for trigger control. If you have the hard trigger its no different then a DA revolver pull, and will train the snot out of you. Heavy triggers can be good for trigger control because it trains you not to squeeze your hand. Its harder for a novice to learn though.

A new Sigma I would be ok with, but it would be nice to have a more modern one. The lock up is better then a glock at least, although in comparison I think both are about the same.

Have you had this done? If it is correctable I wonder why the new ones still stink?

I did a little google on this issue and it turns out that the trigger used to worse than it is now. Mine was made after the update and I will stick by my assessment. I have started many good shooters on a Ruger Mark I, II and III.
They have been able to transfer this knowledge to a host of other pistols.

[Goethic]

If you are new to firearms, what is your end use for this pistol? If it is for CCW, home defense, or as a back up, and it checks out mechanically, it is a decent proce.

If shot the Sigma quite a bit in both 9mm and .40. I agree with everyone who has stated that the trigger is on the stiff side.

That being said, it is a nice compact, flat package, fine for CCW. Secondly, I found that it was a good shooter despite the stiff trigger and the recoil, even in the .40, was relatively mild.

I have found both to be very reliable (I only fired factory FMJ ammo).

[MarksInnerDemon]

Originally Posted by sarge912

Have you had this done? If it is correctable I wonder why the new ones still stink?

I did a little google on this issue and it turns out that the trigger used to worse than it is now. Mine was made after the update and I will stick by my assessment. I have started many good shooters on a Ruger Mark I, II and III.
They have been able to transfer this knowledge to a host of other pistols.

The redone trigger was closer to the M&P then I thought possible. While not the best trigger, I think the update was compribable to a glock. My friend did the change over. I agree a 22 is nice to start with, but you can train anyone with about any trigger.

[walcott]

dont want to sound like a hater, but its gone around the office so much for a reason. that reason is that they are NOT, i reapeat NOT good guns. if this gun was the last gun on earth, i would use a hammer to defend myself. the guide rods break constantly, i have seen the sights just fall out for no reason, the trigger is horrible, the grip feels like it was made out of old G.I. joes, OEM parts are hard to get, even for me and im a FFL with 10 differant distributors behind me. This gun is a Glock clone, and a bad one, if you like the style, spend the few extra dollars and get a used Glock, it will serve you better for longer. I have alot of experiance with this gun (i dont even stock them anymore in my store) and all of that experiance says that this gun is JUNK. PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS GUN!!!!!!!!

[Wild-Will]

My first semi auto pistol was the Sigma 40VE and it is a fantastic handgun! I like it so much I bought another S&W, the M&P that time, I like the S&W handguns!!
I've never had any trouble from it, it has always done exactly as it should and I have shot it several thousand times with every type load that can be found for .40S&W.
The grip is perfect for my meat hooks, I have some ginormous hands, and the trigger pull is as sweet as any pistol I've ever shot. Comparable to my DA revolver and that's just fine. The M&P is a little bit lighter but, that's OK.
I practice with it and can keep 4-5" groups consistently at 35 yards and tighter closer in. Likely center mass will be a cake walk if that ever happens.
I carry it every single day and have absolutely no worries that it will ever fail me.
It's an excellent handgun.

[BroPaul]

With the $50.00 rebate that is going on right now you can just about get a brand new one for that price.

[Zodiac.]

Originally Posted by Goethic

If you are new to firearms, what is your end use for this pistol? If it is for CCW, home defense, or as a back up, and it checks out mechanically, it is a decent proce.

I don't have one specific use in mind going in. A versitile gun would be ideal. Something good for close-quarters defense/offense but with decent range for longer shots. A gun that is relatively simple to maintain. Readily available parts and accessories are a must. I don't have a ton of money to sink into one piece at this time,but I will spend what I need to in order to have a quality piece. I'm working on educating myself in "worst-case" preparedness and on collecting various survival essentials and even a few extras and a bargain is something I search for which is why I initially considered this sigma .40 cal. I know the owners and the price is a bargain. I do not like whats been said about the trigger stiffness and parts availability.

[Zodiac.]

Originally Posted by Wild-Will

the Sigma 40VE and it is a fantastic handgun! the trigger pull is as sweet as any pistol I've ever shot

Originally Posted by walcott

dont want to sound like a hater, but its gone around the office so much for a reason. that reason is that they are NOT, i reapeat NOT good guns. if this gun was the last gun on earth, i would use a hammer to defend myself. the guide rods break constantly, i have seen the sights just fall out for no reason, the trigger is horrible, the grip feels like it was made out of old G.I. joes, OEM parts are hard to get, even for me and im a FFL with 10 differant distributors behind me. This gun is a Glock clone, and a bad one, if you like the style, spend the few extra dollars and get a used Glock, it will serve you better for longer. I have alot of experiance with this gun (i dont even stock them anymore in my store) and all of that experiance says that this gun is JUNK. PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS GUN!!!!!!!!

Conflicting reviews!

[Wolfe]

I've heard quite a few negative things about the sigma. I'm not really sure but I personally would avoid guns like this one until there is a bit more concensus in the tactical community about it.

[walcott]

Originally Posted by Zodiac.

Conflicting reviews!

my review comes from experiance with over 100 of these handguns, the seem to be very hit and miss (mostly miss, as most of the ones i dealt with were broken, or getting a trigger job done) im not trying to say that my opinion is more right than the next guy, or that i am an expert,becuase i am most certainly not, but i have personally made expensive repairs on alot of these guns and by the time i was done fixing it, the guy could have bought a Glock, so why not buy the glock to begin with, and have a gun you know will work? All personal opinions aside ( like trigger pull, and grip) the Sigma series handguns are junk. i would own a hi-point before another sigma( atleast you can pull the trigger on the hi-point), maybe even or lorcin or a cobra, or a sword, or hammer, or tooth pick , or devlop a mean scary stare that frightens ppl away ok maybe i overexagurated a little at the end.....but you get my point. i restate my original post. PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS GUN!!! i apologize ahead of time if i offended anyone with my posts( i know how ppl are about their gun choices)

[walcott]

as a disclaimer, please do not go buy any of the guns i listed in my previous post as an alternative to the sigma, that portion of my post was meant for humor and effect and in no way is a claim that those companies produce a better firearm *end fine print*