Hello Everyone.

I'm brand new to the forum but not to Smith & Wesson.

I brought a new Sigma SW40VE in November for $300.00 and I'm still waiting for my rebate. But that's not the purpose of this post.

Will dry firing (dry fire practice) damage the Sigma SW40VE?

Thanks,

Bronco

not to my knowledge. I've dry fired mine a bunch with no ill effects as have others.

No.
There have been few if any reports of dry firing failures.
The good thing is if you get a dry fire failure it is better than facing a bad guy and having a failure.

I had a Sigma .40 and it actually helped smooth out the trigger some. I dry fired the heck out of it with no problems.

I have a new unfired 9ve, and I've been practicing dry fire to get familiar with it.

The manufacturer says it's OK and won't harm the gun, who am I to dispute that.

I'm shootin the kitchen up every day with mine!

Lee

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SD9VE, American perfection!

Lee,
All my kitchen appliances work so I shoot up the computer room and occasionally practice on my biggest annoyance, the telephone.
Charlie
P.S. It feels better with my slip on grip.

In the manual, it says you can dry fire.

I've heard of a few failures, but who can say if the part
was weak, or if the dry firing was the cause.
I've heard of people using snap caps breaking striker pins.
I've heard of people that don't use caps breaking pins.
And I've heard of plenty of each that never have a problem..
Myself, I just about came to the conclusion that more people
that use the snap caps were breaking pins, than the ones who
don't. So I never bothered using them myself. I dry fired mine a
good bit when it was new just to break it in, but I don't do it much
now, except to break it down.
But being as you have to dry fire every time you break it down,
would tell me they designed it to be able to handle the abuse.

Kind of like the Ruger 10/22... I always click on an empty chamber
at the end of the magazine. I don't have the bolt hold open mod
and I don't bother trying to count rounds.
But it can handle it, and Ruger says it's OK.
I think the only models that S&W warns against dry firing are
some of the rimfires. All the rest they claim it's ok. Or as far as
I know anyway..

I've dry fired mine at LEAST a couple of thousand times. Hasn't seemed to do any damage.

They must be doing something different lately because back in the day we broke Sigma firing pins constantly by dry firing them.

My department used to have about 150 Sigmas on the road back then, about half our department was carrying them.

I bought my Sigma .40 new a couple of years ago and while dry firing it to smooth out the trigger I managed to break the striker. Looks like it's six of one and half a dozen of another.

S&W says it is "safe" to dry fire, after all you do have to dry fire it to break it down. BUT IMHO- when I "practice" dry fire I always use a snap cap. FYI. You also do not have to eject the snap cap,- fully rack- the slide with every practice shot. You only need to pull the slide back about a half inch to reset the sear and fire again.
I keep the empty chamber dry fires to minimum, and have well over 1200 snap cap fires - 900 real life shots-with no problems. FTE-FTF
Worth the $12 I spent at midway for a snap cap set. IMO

I dry fire mines a lot without a problem.

__________________
Don't look, reload and shoot!

Charlie, I'm going to post a review as soon as I get her out; hopefully this Sunday.

I've shot up quite a few of my wifes nik naks! LOL!

I can tell you this though; my trigger doesn't feel gritty to me. I don't know how many times I've heard that comment on the internet. As a matter of fact, it feels quite smooth and consistant as I pull it back.

Can't wait till I go shootin! Look for my post!

Lee

__________________
SD9VE, American perfection!

If Im not mistaking I think its ok to dry fire any weapon as long as it isn't a rimfire caliber. Atleast thats what I heard before. Someone correct me if im wrong.

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665: Neighbor of the Beast

I had a Marlin 336 when I was a kid. I learned the hard way that dry firing broke the firing pin. I don't want to go into firing pin designs, etc, but certain rifles, shotguns and pistols should not be dry fired. This is particulary true of collector firearms.

There are some manufacturers that specifically warn against dryfiring. I won't try to list them all here, for I would surely miss some. RTFM (read the factory manual).

Hot off the press from the S&W website; frequently asked questions:

Q: Can I dry fire my Smith & Wesson?

A: Yes, except for the .22 caliber pistols which includes models 22A, 22S, 422, 2206, 2214, 2213 and 41.

.22 caliber revolvers such as models 17, 43, 63, 317 and 617 also should not be dry fired.

Q: Why can't I dry fire my .22 pistol or revolver?

A: Dry firing a S&W .22 pistol or revolver will cause damage to the firing pin.

Hope this helps,

Lee

__________________
SD9VE, American perfection!

Ok Glad you guys corrected me. I wouldn't want to give out false information. I can't remember where I heard it was ok to do it. I guess they were misinformed as well.

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665: Neighbor of the Beast

Anything mechanical can break. A couple of years ago maybe there was a flaw in striker design or the process. Being from the old school of 'don't dry fire any firearm' my opinion hasn't changed. I occasionaly dry fire my Sigma only to practice trigger control which I have down pat my trigger has been smoothed by S&W.

Leejack,
I'll look forward to that range report.
Charlie

I can't wait, myself!

If all goes according to plan, I should be able to go on Sunday.

The trigger is growing on me, more each day!

I'm also noticing that more and more people are writing good reviews on the sigmas! I hope mine is a good one too!

Lee

__________________
SD9VE, American perfection!

If by chance,the striker breaks while dry firing,would S&W repair it under warranty ?

Yes. Lifetime warranty.

Charlie, I'm getting anxious to turn this bad boy loose!

I've killed all the pictures, door nobs, appliances etc.; now I've got to eat that target! LOL!

Lee

__________________
SD9VE, American perfection!

I too have been dry firing my 40ve. I dont do it alot. The info about cocking without ejecting the snap cap is great. Knowing this I'll go pick one up this week, and the dry fire issue will be gone for me.
The best part of dry firing is the spectacular hip shots I get off. I never seem to miss.