Smith and wesson Sigma SW40VE

[Stradawhovious]

There's two trigger springs, only one is required to function and be safe. Remove the small coil spring in the back of the trigger, or in the trigger group in the rear of the frame, I don't remeber where exactly the spring is, but the compression coil is the one that get's tossed.

The spring you are talking about is called the "pigtail" spring by those posting the tutorials. There arer also reports of occasional light strikes from people who have done this. Its recommended that if you are using it as a carry piece to leave the spring in place.

[mnnate]

This should be a big help too. Although there are some mixed reviews. Did the 3 1/2 pounder in my g19 with no issues. I will have one of these coming with my next order from midway. I have the 9mm and use it as my carry gun.100% reliable for me. http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=295637

[FJ540]

Thanks for the insights on these. Like I said, when I shot it I didn't feel it was a bad unit (for the money).

I also converted it's owner to 1911's and he sold it almost the same day. Like you guys are saying though, for a dirty carry gun, I wouldn't have any issues with it. It shot minute of bad guy without effort, and the groups tightened up nicely if I aimed.

[monschman]

there are two springs in the sear mechanism. An inner longer lighter one and a heavy sumbiatch outside it. Removing the outer one will drastically lighten the trigger pull to about a solid six pounds, however, it may cause the trigger to begin having reset issues. You can cut a couple of coils off the outer one also and bring it somewhere between 7 and 9 ish pounds but once again maybe encounter trouble with trigger resetting. Also, the gun is crazy easy to detail strip, re-assembling all those under tension offset single hinged non contained sear parts is an absolute hoor though, as is getting the trigger pin re threaded without the s&w slave pin. Even after lightening the trigger, all one would have is a light very long and creepy trigger. I would be more of a fan of the stock trigger which is actually o.k. once all the bumps and grinds have been polished off the metal to metal surfaces, yes its heavy, but it is also very smooth and crisp. it not nuch different than my 642. Overall this is a much underestimated gun, for the money one of the better cheap guns

[Stradawhovious]

I guess I haven't put enough rounds through one to make an informed personal opinion on this particular model, but in researching them a few things stand out.......
#1. It's not a Glock. A lot of the complaints about this firearm stem from the notion that it is trying to be something its not. Yes, they are similar..... Eerily similar. There is tale that the first generation 9mm Sigma could take a Glock 19 slide and function to the point of cocking and releasing the striker when the trigger was pulled. The internals and takedown are almost identical (with the exception of the trigger group and sear). As a result there was some sort of legal action taken by Glock against S&W to make some changes, and Glock make changes in turn by removing the SW off of the slides of their .40 models in later production.
#2. There are some inherent differences that I prefer over the Glock.
- The grip angle is almost the same as a 1911, which makes the pistol point very naturally for me.
- The barrel uses the standard style lands and rifling, which makes the weapon safer for firing lead bullets.... and as we all know, Glock with the polygonal rifling strongly recommends against it due to reported safety issues with increased leading.
- The chamber is "fully supported" where as the Glock is not. (The main alleged factor in the notorious Glock "KaBoom")
#3. It's cheap. Affordably so. Many people will take a look at the price of these pistols (in many cases, less than $300 brand new from a retailer) and use the price as a reflection of quality, damning them outright.
#4. It is made right here in the USA. 'Nuff said.

I will be spending some quality time with this at the range in the near future, sending a few hundred rounds through it, and post a personal review. I hope to have this done in the next week.

And before anyone goes blaming anyone about this thread being split from the original sale thread, I am the one that requested it. Complaints can be submitted to me directly, via PM, and will be filed accordingly.

[shackleford]

That sucks about Frank at LSG! Must have been recent, I got mine back probably around 3 months ago or so. Anyways, enjoy the new addition!

[Srigs]

In stead of modifying the 40VE, just learn how to shoot the heavier trigger (I did and yes Ii have a 40VE). Lots of dry fire practice and shooting rounds will smooth out the trigger and side benefit it will make you a much better shot (trigger control and site picture) for all your other handguns! Win-win in my book!

Congrats Strad on the 40VE.

[Stradawhovious]

OK, I went to the range on Saturday and put some more rounds through the Sigma. My report here won't be as pretty as some of the reviews you will read, but at least I can convey my thoughts on it.

First thing about the Sigma..... It's ugly. Very blocky construction, but makes up for it a little being that it's two tone. You can tell it was designed for function rather than form. The feel on the other hand is great. I didn't know what to expect with the grip on a firearm designed for a double stack magazine (being used to a single stack frame and all...), but it fit my hand really well. The grip angle is almost exactly the same as my 1911, so the gun pointed very naturally, and the sight picture made finding the front sight and target acquisition a breeze. The lack of an external safety also threw me for a moment, since I'm so used to having a safety to plop my strong hand thumb on while shooting.

Firing. With all of the other .40 cal weapons I have shot, the recoil was snappy to say the least. I used to equate the .40 to .380 as far as how jumpy it is, and the felt recoil, but with the Sigma, it was noticeably different. the recoil was extremely manageable and light. Muzzle flip was minimal, and putting the sights back on target for follow-up shots was quick and easy. This surprised me quite a bit! The trigger, however, will certainly take some getting used to. It has a very long, very heavy pull. It's heavier than my 625, but not nearly as heavy as my 642.... probably right in the middle. If I had to guess it's about 8-9 lbs. The up side is that the pull is smooth and consistent for each shot. The first magazine I put through it was minute of bad guy, but hardly impressive. By the third mag I was putting nearly all the rounds in a 3 inch circle with an acceptable flier every fifth shot or so. It's nothing that one couldn't get used to, and for the DAO revolver folks out there, it would be like stepping into a well worn pair of shoes.

The action is similar to that of a Glock in that it acts like a DAO, but does need to be "cocked" in order to fire. It also has the same type of trigger safety that Glock employs in that if your finger is not firmly on the trigger, it cannot be pulled back. Internally it's visually identical to a Glock 19, but there are differences in the FCG. It can be field stripped the same way as the Glock as well.

Through the 100+ rounds I put through this one, it fed, fired, and ejected reliably without a hiccup of any sort, all with using cheap blasting ammo. This will eventually replace my Kimber as a primary carry, since it is cheap enough to be disposable, and I won't cry over beating the heck out of it, I'm just tired of watching a $1200 gun get beat to hell through daily carry. It has all the good features of a Glock, and none of the features that keeps me from buying one.

If anyone here wants to give it a whirl, bring some expendables and meet me at the range. It's a fantastic gun for the money.

[monschman]

glad you like it, our cookies over here on the dark side are so much better though.

[EAJuggalo]

I also had a chance to shoot this gun on Saturday and found it to be quite acceptable. The only issue I really had with it was the heavy trigger and long reset. I've been shooting Glocks for a little over 6 years so I'm used to where the reset is on those, it's probably another 1/4 inch or so on this. The Sigma has a nice well formed cut out for the strong hand thumb that just seemed to snap into place for me. I can't really speak about the recoil since I haven't shot anything other than 9mm and .45 in a year and a half. All in all would I buy one, yes for what Strad payed for it. Would I pay as much for it as I do for my Glocks, no but that is just my personal preference not a knock on this gun at all.

[WelcomeD]

I have owned a Sw40ve for year and half shot probably close to 1000 rounds through it, about after about 300 rounds the slide stop sheared off right smooth with the polymer. On the trigger I guess you just get used to it. Its cheap reliable and gets the job done. Don't have to worry if your out on the farm and you fall in a gopher hole and use your pistol to help you get up as it dirty i fired out about 50 to 100 rounds no problem with dirt and debris it still functions to this day properly and safely. I have never had any jams.