I have a SD 40 VE and was having trouble hitting where i am aiming. it was hitting about 18-24 inches low. i shot my brothers Springfield to make sure it was not something i was doing wrong, and hit every time where i was aiming. i sent my gun in to S&W and they looked at it and sent it back with an ticket that said they replaced the sights. when i got it back i went to the range and had the same problem. i figured out that if i line up the dot on the front sight with the top of the rear sights i hit my chosen target spot. does anyone know if this is just the proper alignment for this gun, or should i send it back again?

Hey Hog,

A lot of fixed sights seem to be zeroed in at 25 yards these days.

I know S&W does so.

So you should not be shooting low at all unless you go out further than that.

My SD40VE drives nails at 25 feet. If you are shooting 1 1/2 to 2 feet low, something is drastically wrong. And at that distance, ANY way you line up the 3 sight dots (within reason of course) will not result in a difference of 1 1/2 to 2 feet. It would be just a few inches.

The SDVE has a fairly long, heavy trigger (which is why I got the Apex springs and trigger) compared to the Springfields I have. Are you positive this is not affecting your point of impact?

One trick that I did with my sister when she was sure she was shooting correctly, was taped a thin wood dowel to the frame of her gun and if she pulled the gun when pulling the trigger, it became obvious.

She was quickly able to stop the habit when she saw it happening.

If you are positive you are not pulling the gun down, then I would say call them and get them to take it back and duplicate the result, not just change out the sight. I am sure that is what they did without even trying to see if anything else was wrong.

Doc

What distance are you shooting?
Are you shooting from a rest?
A large percentage of shooters new to the Sigma/SDa in my classes shoot low at first, sometimes very low.
Many want to change the sights, even on my loaner guns. I sometimes have to demonstrate with the guns to show the sights aren't the problem.

__________________
Science plus Art

i am shooting roughly 15-20 yds. i was not using a rest. i will give the wooden dowel and rest a try and if i am getting the same results i will return the gun again. thanks for the input guys

Pure and simple. It's you. Your "pulling" the trigger too much. Instead of sending it back. Practice.
For yearly LEOSA qualification we shoot from the 1 yard line to the 25 yard line. My SD is on the money. A consistent 98-100% shooter. Practice.

OKFCO5 has been giving excellent support to this forum for a long time. Shooting from a rest is a good test.

Another good test is to see whether you can see exactly what sight alignment you see just when the trigger actuates. Look and pull slowly and you will be able to see just where the gun is pointing when it fires. It does take a little practice but it will work.

You can even do that exercise when dry-firing, but I only dry-fire in a safe place and with snap caps in the chamber.

Has anyone else shot your gun? You might ask an experienced shooter to give it a test.

Another dry fire trick I've used is to put a penny on the slide, and keep it balanced there while pulling the trigger. Now, in all honesty, I lay it flat down on the slide...but someday I might get good enough to balance it on edge.

i have had other experienced shooters shoot it with the same results. this is the only gun that i have any problems with. i can consistently hit head shots at the same yardage with other guns. i will definitely try the tips that you guys have offered. thanks.

Would a Boresighter be of use in situations like this? Bass will be selling a Laserlyte model for $40. Do some gun ranges have them available for loan? Does a gunsmith ever use one in the shop?

They must have some benefit or they wouldn't still be on the market. I've never tried one but I do have a laser pointer that is very stable over time.