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S&W Sigma 40

4K views 14 replies 12 participants last post by  vburke 
#1 ·
I ran a search and did not find anything. I was wondering your personal opinions on the Simga .40 Cal. I want to know how you feel about it as a carry gun and how reliable they are. Would you trust your life with it?
 
#2 ·
I don't own one but a friend does. He bought a Taurus 24/7 .40 a few weeks ago and had it and the S&W .40 at the range. I fired both. I like the S&W and believe they are totally reliable and very accurate. Ditto for the Taurus. The noticeable difference was the recoil. S&W was much heavier.
 
#3 ·
Hi Magilla--

I don't have the .40 Sigma, but I do have the 9mm version. I have somewhere near 4000 rounds through it with no issues at all. It's a very reliable gun that I have carried and trusted in the past. The gun is about the same size as the Glock 19/23, so it carries very well.

From what I've heard the .40 cal is just as reliable as the 9mm. Here is a write-up on the 9mm Sigma from Gunblast.com.

Smith & Wesson’s Improved Sigma 9mm Auto
 
#4 ·
I have and use to carry my 40VE. It is 100% reliable with over 4500+ rounds down range. I trust it completely and mostly it is my night stand gun with a light on it so it is my "Bump in the Night Gun".

Right priced and you can find used Smith 40VE mag for under $20 in either 14+1 or 15+1 (original Sigma mags).
:smile:
 
#5 ·
I have a sigma 40ve with lots of rounds downrange. I also carry it quite a bit in a Don Hume IWB holster. IMO the sigma is one of the most dependable, go bang everytime guns out there. The internals are almost identical to Glocks and Glock has an excellant rep for dependability. How are they different. Smith redesigned the safety action trigger mechanism after the glock lawsuit. The firing mechanics were not changed so remain almost identical to glock. The grip is IMO more comfortable than glock, however the grip has nothing to do with dependability. Personally, I feel when you buy a sigma you are getting the same level of reliability you get with glock.

I would be the first to say the sigma chic if there is such a thing is about non existant while glock has an aura about it. That's fine with me because glock revolutionized handguns when they introduced polymer pistols years ago. They also have 20 years or so history of building great weapons. Bottom line, the sigma is a great and very dependable weapon even though a lot of people put them down.
 
#8 ·
I would nt trust my life to the one I had. Yours may differ . I hope if there is a bump in the night it will go bang! Good luck.
 
#11 ·
I'm with Sixto, I bought one of the early Sigma 40V models. First time out, after 2 mags of factory ammo, 5 parts broke in the gun. S&W fixed it and I sold it. Trigger was nasty too.

I used to know someone who worked at S&W on that line and he confirmed that they were a disaster for the old S&W company. QC was obviously non-existent!

You couldn't give me one for free!

The M&P, on the other hand, looks like S&W is getting it right!
 
#12 ·
I don't have an M&P but the problem with the magazine dropping out of the weapon and the magazine rattling around while inserted in the grip are quite common. There are no such problems with the VE series in the Sigma. Yes, early Sigmas had many issues but those were early Sigmas. The VE series is rock solid. I'm not saying I would refuse an M&P if it were given to me but I would not purchase one until the bugs are worked out.

On the other hand I would not hesitate to add a 9mm VE to the 40 that I already own. I may very well do that. The biggest rag on the gun is the heavy 10lb or so trigger pull. A lot of people are accustomed to the 4.5 lb glock trigger or the similar single action trigger pull of a 1911 so they dismiss the Sigma out of hand. That's fine. We all have our preferrences. I have a CZ 75 with a very light single action trigger but that doesn't keep me from appreciating my Sigma. The heavy trigger has presented no problem for me regarding accuracy or any other use of the gun. If you really want to know how dependable the gun is go to the S&W forum. There are numerous comments there regarding the go bang everytime quality of the gun. I and other members of my family have thousands of rounds downrange of many different types of rounds in my 40VE. The only malfunction occured when my wife limp wristed while using my own reloads which were loaded to the maximum recommended powder charge. I immediately fired the gun with the remaining loads with no problem.
 
#14 ·
+1 to the above except I have the 9VE vs. the 40. I got it because my wife was interested in the SIGMA as a BUG for her LadySmith 38, but after shooting 400+ rounds through it to see how reliable it would be as an inexpensive "car" gun for her, I was so impressed with the little gun I decided to use it myself. As a bonus, I also got a $50 rebate and two 16 rd mags from S&W as well. When you consider the gun already came with two mags and it only cost $275 NIB BEFORE the rebate, I consider the SIGMA an OUTSTANDING value and about the best buy in a hicap pistol available today!
 
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