Gentlemen,
After 2 years of having a permit to purchase, I will be finally be utilizing it this week. I have 200 down on a Sigma 9VE at Gander and will be picking up Friday. My father got me into the idea of carrying and home defense. This is my first firearm that I will "own". I tossed the idea around of a Glock 19 and had my mind set for a little over a year, just didnt really have the funds lying around. Looked at a XD-40, S&W M&P, Glock 19, and the Sigma 9... After a couple days of pondering, pros/cons, and talking it over with the wife, I've decided to start with a Sigma. The 299 price after $50 rebate is pretty enticing compared to the $540-$620 for arms stated above. Consider me a hang around, as ill be popping buy and keeping up on as much new info i can possibly retain. I've read thru the entire thread of Sigma posts already...

Welcame to the forum & congrats on the purchase.
If you have read the forum then there is not much I can say that you haven't heard.
Practice, practice, practice!!
Keep us posted on the purchase & the first trip to the range!

Come back often!!

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~ "JJ"

Just hang in there if at first you aren't shooting as well as you think you should be. Remember to practice dry firing and watch the front site. I tell people if you can shoot a sigma well you can shoot anything well. Sigmas do make better shooters.

Welcome to the forum. If you are planning to carry a weapon [concealed or not] for self defense, practice your intention. One very good way to do this after you get comfortable with range firing is to get involved in your local IDPA group. You can imagine what it is like to draw and fire in self defense. I believe it is actually better to do it a lot of times so you don't act like Don Corleone's idiot son trying to respond to an assassination.

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SW40VE Sigma
Ruger SR9c

Welcome to the forum. There is a lot of great guns out there. The Sigma is one of them. As stated above, dry firing you help you a ton and you won't break the bank on ammo. The Sigma in a great gun to learn on. Once you master it, you should be able to shoot anything.

Good luck and keep us posted.

.357 mag

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The kool-aid Sigma drinker

Congrats and welcome!

Sigma Rocks!

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SD9VE, American perfection!

Thanks for all of the warm welcomes. I did in fact pick the ol gal up this afternoon at about 4:30pm. I spent the most of the day riding 2011 Harleys as HD had their demo fleet in town. As soon as the last ride was over, I headed north to Gander Mtn. I filled out the paperwork and had a new Sigma 9mm in my posession within 30 min. I have now read thru the owners manual twice from cover to cover word for word, and field stripped it twice. I'm planning on heading back to Gander in the AM to pick up some lube (which I didnt know I was going to need right away), give her her first rub down, and put 50-100 rounds thru 'er. I do however have a question for you guys already. I have 10 acres of land that I would be able to shoot on, and not have to run all the way to the other side of town to visit the range. How does one go about making a good, solid backstop? I know my dad always used a stack of 3 hay bales for his bow when I was a kid, what does one use for a fire arm?

Welcome to the forum from another new member. You will get good use out of your SW9VE, mine has served me well for almost 1000 rounds so far. As far as a backstop, hay bales are certainly not sufficient! I think your best bet would be to shoot into a dirt embankment somewhere on the property (if available).

"permit to purchase" *shudder*

Glad I don't live in such a state. No offense, MNWildFan.

Heres a mini update... I stopped down at the local range yesterday and became a member. Put 50 rounds thru the ol' gal on the plinking range at 15 and 25 yards. The Sigma trigger, under power, is definately a "different" feel. This evening I went back with 150 rounds and ran em thru with a grin ear to ear. I'm still trying to get used to the trigger action and feel. I have noticed that I'm grouping low left and I think thats partly due to a jerky finish to get the trigger "over the top". I hope this can be chalked up to OE and I can change my fundamentals, approach, and follow thru on the trigger. I sure as hell don't know enough to be tearing this thing down further than field stripping and attacking it with a dremel, but it sure sounds like a majority of you all have had really good luck with the polishing and smoothing of the trigger mechanisms. Now who lives the closest so I can take a day and bring the thing over and have her "all dolled up?"

All in all, I like the weapon. Not bad for a start to the collection. :-)

Welcome to the forum.

You can use a correcting target to help determine what's going wrong. Here's one in the public domain that you can download.
http://pistol-training.com/wp-conten...chartright.jpg

It does take a bit of time to break in the gun to get it consistant. And it does take time to get used to the trigger. Dry fire the heck out of it. That will get you used to the trigger and it will smooth out the trigger too. It gets better as you put more rounds down range.
They also seem to work better with a steady smooth pull. If you pull it slow or try to stage it, the results aren't quite so good.

You didn't mention what you were shooting out of it. Bullet weight and velocity will affect Point Of Impact relative to Point Of Aim.

I've got a 40VE so I don't know which bullet weight the sights on the 9s are setup for. But a lighter, faster bullet would normally hit lower that a heavier one.

Enjoy the piece and don't let the bashers influence you against the trigger or the Sigma.

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Pete.

Thanks for the chart Pete. Definately something I can use. I was in the mid to low left, Tightening Fingers and/or Jerking or Slapping Trigger sections. Inexperience? Probably... I hope to have 1000 rounds put in over the course of the next week and a half or so. I also have 2 1/2 weeks of vacation coming up in mid September and I hope to shoot every other day, if not daily.

I will be the first to admit that I wasn't paying much attention to what the "specs" on the ammo were... Oops. Now that I think about it though, its starting to make more sense, and something that I will be regularly adding to my field notes. This last trip was Winchester 115 GR. FMJ and the first session was a box of Lawman that the guy in the gun dept. at Gander recommended when I picked up the weapon.

Additionally, I have quite a bit to learn in the overall aspect of handgun specifics, mechanics, and general knowlege.

My next little escapade is is getting firmiliar with a cleaning process and making sure that I am able to firmilarize myself with products and tools needed to complete the job and keep her as pretty as she is efficient.
Thanks to everyone for all of the pointers! I'll take all I can get!!

and am curious about the quality of the firearm. I have nothing other than the price to go by but I wonder if it isn't somehow inferior because it's so inexpensive. Understand, this is my first real firearm and I am not expecting something spectacular for $400 to $500 but I really had to adjust my expectations (as far as what I was planning on getting) when I handled the Sigma in the gun shop. It felt good in my hand and seemed almost too good of a deal to be true.

Any thoughts?

Rob

Hey Rob,

I was in the same boat as well when I was pondering going Sigma.
It is NOT a bad gun.
It is actually a very good gun for the price. It is not finicky about ammo used and is very reliable (You pull the trigger it goes bang).

The biggest complaints you will hear is about the length and weight of the trigger, however if you have ever handled DA revolvers, then you will feel right at home.

Another complaint is the grittiness of the trigger. This can be remedied by polishing some parts, or calling S&W and letting them know and they will perform the polishing for you for free.

Another positive point is the fact that you get a LIFETIME warranty.

Sigma was also my first hangun ever. Since I never handled (for a long period of time) any other handgun, I was never "spoiled" by anything else. When I handle an M&P or an XD or a Glock, I am surprisingly proficient with them, because I learned of a gun that has a longer heavier trigger. Just my thoughts.

Cheers,

you may also consider reloading..shooting a thousand rounds will be pricey...you can reload them at about the third the cost and have what you want..when you want..
a BIG welcome to the forum!

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

I have 16,000 problems with my sigma. It has gone bang everytime and it's costing me lots of money in ammo.

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The kool-aid Sigma drinker

rosborn, I looked at many weapons before I dove into the Sigma. I'll be flat out honest and say price was a huge deciding factor for me as well. 299 vs 549 is definately something to think about. I agree with most when complaints are filed in regards to the heavy, long, gritty trigger. I have owned mine almost 2 weeks now, and I am in heaven. Its a ton of fun! I removed the sear block and polished it to almost a mirror finish with a 3M all purpose flexible superfine sanding pad I picked up at Menards for 1.99. HUGE difference. I like the sanding pad, as it can be folded over and the fold fits perfectly in the countour of the cam. I just finished the final tweaks tonight and I cant wait to see the difference it has made "under power"

kenny, I have tossed around the idea of reloads, however, I know absolutely NOTHING about it so it will be a while til I can get my research done and honed out. something makes me feel that if ya screw it up, concequences could be nasty. :-)

.357, I LOVE IT! Hahah
I got 16,000 problems and a stovepipe ain't one!

What's a stovepipe?? I didn't know this was a cooking forum??

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The kool-aid Sigma drinker