# Smith & Wesson 'Sigma Pistol



## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

Does anyone have any insight about this pistol in either 9mm or 40cal?

It is on sale at gander mtn with a laser sight for $350 after a $50 rebate.

Seems like a fair price if it is reliable? It has a polymer frame. Is that a good or bad thing?

I would think 40cal is a little bigger than 9mm. Is that correct thinking?

Is Smith & Wesson a good brand of pistol?

Thanks for any help or advice.

brownegg


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## wigglesworth (Nov 11, 2009)

the later sigmas are perfectly serviceable self defense guns. It depends on what ya want to do with it whether or not its worth having. As a strictly self defense gun its fine but its not a huntin or target gun by any means.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

think almost exact glock nock off made by smith and wesson 
they are very servicable , trigger pull is a little hard for some , it is not a true double and yet not a single , very much like the glock it is a partial set double or saftey action i belive it is called 

i have shot an older 40s&w sigma, some complained about them but the one i shot has always been fine , my understanding is that they were popular with police departments and some cops looking to have the glock but at 1/2 th price and they suffered form some issues in early versions after several thousand rounds 

i also hear they had to change some things as they were sued by glock early on but the sigma has been around for almost 20 years if it was a bad gun s&w would have discotinued it , they discontinued plenty of good guns that wern't selling the numbers or were to expensive to produce somthing

this post on the high road says there is a way to lower the #age of the trigger pull
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-99483.html


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## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

I picked up one in a trade, 9mm.
Seems to shoot pretty good, but I haven't put too many rounds thru it yet.
I did see it in Gander Mountain's flyer, thought it was a good price?

I not planning on running right out and buying one, but hey, if your looking for a 9mm or 40 SW, I would consider it.

As far as what caliber, a friend of mine is a city cop, and they went from 9 mm to .40 SW, but then again who know why. (Lot of politics?)
Think 9mm ammo is cheaper in general than the .40 SW?


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## Dutch 106 (Feb 12, 2008)

Hi Guys,
The 40 S&W is literally .40 inches in diameter or 10mm if that makes more sense for you. 9MM is .355 caliber or .335 inches. The 40 S&W its a shorter case built when the FBI could not shoot the hotter 10 mm. they built what I snobbishly IMNSHO 10 mm light. it has the same much improved accuracy that the full 10 mm shows with much less recoil and and muzzle blast after the massacre of the FBI agents by two armoured guys carrying full auto AK's shot up a bunch of agents who couldn't even get there attention with 9mm handguns.
Then discovered the agents were not pistolero's enough to handle the new cartridge they had designed.
So S&W built what has turned into a really good modern cartridge for people who are not full time pistolero's (like most cops).
9mm is cheaper but 40 S&W isn't really all that bad and is a much better cartridge for self defense and accuracy shooting. There are a lot of full time pistolero's who will tell you that the best self defense cartridge must start with a 4 in the caliber
Cops are using this quite a bit so reloads and brass are much more available than most other handgun cartriges.
I'm with most of the other guys I've heard good things about the Sigma (better than Glocks in General) And 350 for a new handgun these days is a great price. See if you can get them to throw in a hard case for your new toy or a box of ammo with it too boot.
Cheers,
Dutch


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

all Smith's come with factory hard cases , gone are the days of carboard with metal corner reinforcments and wax paper around your gun , molded plastic is the norm

i noticed you ask if polimer frame is good or bad , +lighter , +don't scrach or wear off bluing, +suposidly they do better with recoil and are less prone to cracks than aluminum because the flex + you can run them over withh a truck and they still work, +they don't rust 
on the negative side they are ugly , colt lovers make fun of them, they melt if your house burns down and all you find is the firing pin and barrel but were you realy going to shoot that 1911 after it was in a fire 

also yes S&W is a good brand of pistols they have been in the hand gun buissiness a long time if you asked your grandfather what cops carried when he was a boy he would say smith and wessons or colts they are the 2 old timers in american handguns both started in revolvers but made lots of good autos thru the years 

Elinor Roosevelt was shooting S&W revolvers as a girl ,many US army officers in the first world war carried a S&W


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## wigglesworth (Nov 11, 2009)

Dutch 106 said:


> Hi Guys,
> The 40 S&W is literally .40 inches in diameter or 10mm if that makes more sense for you. 9MM is .355 caliber or .335 inches. The 40 S&W its a shorter case built when the FBI could not shoot the hotter 10 mm. they built what I snobbishly IMNSHO 10 mm light. it has the same much improved accuracy that the full 10 mm shows with much less recoil and and muzzle blast after the massacre of the FBI agents by two armoured guys carrying full auto AK's shot up a bunch of agents who couldn't even get there attention with 9mm handguns.
> Then discovered the agents were not pistolero's enough to handle the new cartridge they had designed.
> So S&W built what has turned into a really good modern cartridge for people who are not full time pistolero's (like most cops).
> ...


Where do some folks get their BS?

The fbi shootout that started the change was in miami and the guys had a mini 14... the silvertip nine mm rounds were thought to be part of the issue but accuracy or lack there of played a big role. That fight was ended by an agent using a well placed .38 spl round.

it was not that the FBI could not handle the gun but the few small men and women could not and in this PC world and one of uniformity the 40 Short n Weak was developed. 

As far as the round being more accurate thats BS also- the fact is the guns built to take the rounds tend to be more accurate than the sister models etc. A sig p210 in 9mm will tie knots on a target with the best of them. It may be harder to find a accurate 9mm load but they exist. 

I would put the P210 or my sig 226 against any of your 40 Short n Weak guns in an accuracy match  

As far as the sigma being "better" than the glock- there are plenty of glock haters- heck I used to be one before I bought one then anoth and another....

Now having said that the .40 S&W is not a bad round and I had one pistol chambered for it until I gave it to a friend in need of a SD gun. I reload for most of the common pistol rounds and did not "need" another round to set up for 

I will get one or more eventually but in all seriousness the original 10 mm is interesting me more. I can get an accessory barrel for it to shoot the cheaper Short n Weak and take advantage of the cheap brass as you said then. 

The idea of a 16 shot 30 oz 10mm appeals to me as a SD and "woods gun" but it is not a "beginners gun" by any means


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

Thanks for all the input and help here about the sigma pistol. Everyones post was a big help and cleared up a number of things for me. Didn't know about the hard case either.
I don't REALLY need this gun, but want one. You know what I mean, eh!

I'm glad I took the time to post my questions. Thanks for taking yours.

brownegg


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## Cornhusker (Mar 20, 2003)

I have the Sigma SW9VE 9mm, and while it does get some bad press on the triggers, it's not that bad.
The stiff trigger is actually a safety feature.
Mine holds 16+1, and is plenty accurate. In fact, our CCW instructor split a playing card with mine from about 25 ft the first time he shot it.
It'll shoot as well as you do.
$350 after rebate may be a little high, I paid $329 for mine and got the rebate on top of that, but I took the 2 extra mags instead of the $50.
Buds gunshop online has them for $333 delivered.
Another thing to consider is that 9mm ammo is way cheaper than .40 S&W


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## Billin (Nov 24, 2009)

If the trigger bothers you Wolff has a 3.5# spring thats an easy change out. There will still be some creep however. Best bet is to upgrade to an M&P-


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

Good Evening...well I made the decision to go with the S&W 40. I have to wait til friday to pick up the new toy.

I was suprised to see that you do indeed have a choice between the $50 or two magazines. I'm also going to go with the two free clips instead of the money. Now Ineed to decide if I want the 10 shot or 14 shot clips. I'm thinking prolly the 10 will work, although 14 can be stuffed with only 10 too.

The hard case was indeed part of the deal.

I wasen't aware of the $13 background check fee for handguns. Buying from friends comes with a $13 coupon, I guess LOL!

hunter63...does this mean my Christmas list is filled? Sure wish Santa had deeeep pockats.

brownegg


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## wigglesworth (Nov 11, 2009)

brownegg said:


> I was suprised to see that you do indeed have a choice between the $50 or two magazines. I'm also going to go with the two free clips instead of the money. Now Ineed to decide if I want the 10 shot or 14 shot clips. I'm thinking prolly the 10 will work, although 14 can be stuffed with only 10 too.


The magazine cost was a big reason I went for a glock in honor of the upcoming elections last year.... smith and every one else was 35 and up for high capacity/normal mags and the glock mags were sub 20.00.

I had loaned my dad my S&W 5906 and felt I needed another 9mm with high capacity and while I was never a glocker the magazine costs and the reputation of reliability caused me to try it. Funny thing is I liked it and got a bunch of mags as I planned.

As far as the 14 0r the ten rounders.... if legal in your area/state you are a fool to get the 10 rounders vs the 14's etc... you may not always have that option and if they ever restrict them again prices on the high caps gets prohibitive. 


In the case of your gun the 14's don't stick out past the grip more than the ten rounders so you gain nothing going smaller ands as you said ya don't have to load them fully do ya?

The only reason to buy ten tounders if the full capacity versions are available is if theyare A LOT cheaper and they are for practice use to save your others for serious use. If theycost the same or even close why bother? 

Have fun with your new tool/toy !


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## Cornhusker (Mar 20, 2003)

Absolutely go with the higher cap mags, they are the same size and shape as the lower capacity and will keep resale higher.


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## Jolly (Jan 8, 2004)

I don't find the Sigma series to be particularly accurate, but they are good enough for the intended purpose.

As for caliber...I've been present at more than my fair share of autopsies. Bigger is better. Faster is better.

Shoot the biggest, fastest round you can control in rapid fire.


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

Thanks once again for more help on the magazine issue. I was waiting to send the rebate in until I was sure which way was the best to go....now I know, and will get it sent in. Glad I waited... :banana02:

Your advice makes perfect sence.

brownegg


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

and if you really want 10 rounders i will trade you 2 10s for 2 14's any time you like

the gun balances better with a full mag gets a little top heavy on the last few rounds, with 14 it will be a longer before it changes balance not that if your emptying the mag in the heat of the moment you'll notice the balance anyway.


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## coonripper (Jan 8, 2009)

i had one of these in a 9mm. I was glad to sell it for 200.00 It was junk from day one. I tried many brands of ammo and nothing shot well through it. I am a police officer and shoot a lot and qualify at 98% but with this gun im anywhere from 65% to 85%. Not a good handgun in my opinion


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## Cornhusker (Mar 20, 2003)

coonripper said:


> i had one of these in a 9mm. I was glad to sell it for 200.00 It was junk from day one. I tried many brands of ammo and nothing shot well through it. I am a police officer and shoot a lot and qualify at 98% but with this gun im anywhere from 65% to 85%. Not a good handgun in my opinion


Was it an early one?
The first generation was apparently total crap, but the new ones seem to have the bugs fixed.


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