I bought my Sigma back in September, Thanks to California's laws I picked it up just after labor day.
About a week after I got it I took it to the range. To say this gun is frustrating is an understatement. The trigger is horrible, and heavy. I shot two different types of ammo, some reloads from underwood ammunition, and Winchester Ranger, both 40 cal 180 gr (the reloads were JHP, where as the rangers were 180 gr ball). During my first range trip out of 100 rounds I had 24 rounds that failed to fire.
After the range I took it straight back to the shop I purchased it from, the owner of the shop and myself looked over the gun, field stripped it, and came to the conclusion the firing pin had somehow mushroomed at the tip, and bent...
Gun went off to Smith and Wesson, came back a few weeks ago.

Went to go shoot today. Same problem, 100 rounds through it (mix of reloads, and new winchester ranger) And again, 20 rounds failed to fire, the last fail to fire locked up tight in the gun. So I field stripped the gun, took it to the ranger officer, and asked for his assistance in removing the round (live round in the chamber, and it's locked up tight).
The RO takes the gun back onto the range (behind a wall from me) and somehow manages to remove the round.
He hands me the gun, and it is now completely locked with the action open, I cannot get it to close, went back to the shop where I bought it, once again we go over the gun, and neither of us can get it to close up.
So back off to warranty again!

To say this gun has been a frustration is an understatement... It will not site in for anything! I will adjust the site, and there is no rhyme or reason to where the rounds go. I can be high and right one time, low and left the 2nd time.
Normally I would blame myself and say I'm a horrible shot, not the guns fault... However with my friends XD-40 I can make a 1-1/2" group at 15 yards. I can make a 2" group with my Wife's 9mm Kahr CW9 at the same distance.

I would love to send this sigma through a shredder, but I'm sure there is some CA law against that too...

When it gets back from warranty is there anything I can do to make this gun usable? Or just toss it in the safe and get pissed off everytime I see the thing?

I understand your frustration, S&W usually does much better than this!

The Sigma trigger, like any double action trigger, takes some work to master, but if/when you master it you will be a better shooter.

First, STOP adjusting the sight until you are shooting a consistent group, this may take several hundred rounds.

Search this site for training tips to a better achieving a better trigger pull.

Do not remove or alter any springs.

Do a lot of dry fire practice working on a smooth steady trigger pull.

If you are willing to do this you will be a better shooter, if not, sell the gun, and move on....

Get rid of it and buy a Glock.

Just a thought.
After shooting my Sigma. My cousin liked it so much. He ran out and bought one. And was having the same problems as you.

When he brought the gun over for me to look at. I noticed that he had been seating the guide rod on the wrong place at the bottom of the barrel. After seating the guide rod on the correct notch. He had no more problems.
That's not to automatically say that is your problem. But I find it hard to believe that S&W didn't test fire. Before sending it back to you.

There are two flat spots that the guide rod could rest on. But only one is correct.

Hope this helps.

If it comes back and still jams or locks up I would ask for a new gun. As far as accuracy, make sure you tell them it's all over the target. They will probably say (politly) it's you but they atleast will check for mechanical problems. Good luck!

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US Army 1965-1971

just curious but i thought the sigmas had FIXED sights not adjustable correct me if im wrong im new to this gun also

The rear sight is adjustable for windage only.

oh ok cool thanks for the info

Agree. Unless you are hitting all 14 left or right then do not adjust the sight. If your group is bigger than 6 inches, don't adjust the sight. 2" groups are very difficult as it is. At 15 yards I shoot about 6" groups and will occasionally push or pull one in a mag. Remember these are self defense and home defense weapons. Practice like you would use it, draw and fire on silhouettes, turn and fire, point and shoot, and shoot from barricades. If you can hit center mass on a silhouette 4 outa 5 shots the weapon has done it's job.

Also adjusting the sights over and over again is going to loosen them up. Then you are in real trouble as they will begin to walk.

Sure wish I could afford to shoot nothing but hollowpoints as target rounds.

Get some FMJ and quit buying someone else's reloads, especially in a new pistol that isn't even broken in yet.

As to the accuracy, are you firing these other pistols dual action only? If not, then you can't compare your accuracy with them to the Sigma as it's apples and oranges. You get the DAO of the Sigma only because of it's long trigger pull that is designed to work in place of mechanical safeties like SA/DA semi-auto's have.

Reloads are not what I would be shooting if I was trying to set the sights...

And like adnahoundsman says, seating the recoil rod in the wrong spot can sure increase your vocabulary fast.

Thanks for all the responses I appreciate it.
I'm fairly certain this single action trigger isn't for me. When the Sigma comes back I think I'll move on to something else. I just can't get the hang of this thing, and with the ongoing warranty problems, I would rather not trust my life or my families life to this gun should I actually need to defend myself with it.
I must have received a lemon, or defect. I'll write smith and wesson and see what I can do to get them to either accurately repair the gun, or replace.

Thanks again everyone!

Actually it's a double action trigger (cocks and fires with one pull). Technically it's a Double Action Only (DAO) since it doesn't have the option of single action.

I agree it takes time and practice to master the Sigma. My first time ever shooting my Sigma 9 was at a police range. (outdoor) Only distance they have is 25yds. First time out wasn't so good. Made some adjustments. Second time was MUCH better. Was putting all rounds on target. Sometimes low, sometimes right or left, but was on target. Makes the indoor range seem easy from 5, 10, and 15yds. My advice would be keep at it. Practice and put more rounds through it. Do not get frustrated.

GOOD LUCK!

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Sigma 9mm/XD 9

Then you can get rid of the Glock and buy a Springfield XD-M.
Just Saying...


Learn to master what you have... When you master the Sigma, you will be a better shooter.
Dry fire the hell out of it. Practice holding gun on target, you tend to pull off target with heavy trigger.
Master the gun, don't let it master you. When you get pissed-off walk away from it. Clear your head and try again.

I can't say I care much for Glocks (I don't like the way they feel in my hand)
I would love to get an XD-M but as far as I can tell they aren't legal in california. an XD-40 is what I would prefer to get. I have an XD-9, my wife has a Kahr 9mm. I wanted to step up and get a 40, however this Sigma has been nothing but a nightmare. I have over 1,000 rounds sitting in my closet for the 40, So I should probably find something reliable I can shoot them out of LOL.

Try the S&W sd 40 a much better gun than the sigma.I had the sigma 40ve shot it well but like the sd40 much better

My apologies, I stand corrected.
Thank you for the clarification.

I'll stop by the gun store and see if they have one available to try out.
So far my experience with Smith & Wesson has been less than stellar.

I will double check when I get the gun back that's it's seated on the correct notch.
Thanks for the advice!

I had many problems too, and sent it back for a redo. They replaced the trigger assembly and the retractor and polished the feed ramp. About a month. It's good now.

The trigger pull is hard. Although I've fired my BB pistol 9000 times the trigger pull is still hard and affects accuracy.

I had many problems too, and sent it back for a redo. They replaced the trigger assembly and the retractor and polished the feed ramp. About a month. It's good now.

The trigger pull is hard. Although I've fired my BB pistol (with the same long hard pull) 9000 times the trigger pull is still hard and affects accuracy.

I'm about a month now after sending it off, and not a peep from smith and wesson or the gun shop in regards to what's going on with it...
Is there a number I can call to see what's going on?

When I had my .40 Sigma, it was failing to fire quite often. I was using reloads exclusively, so I did some careful checking of load dimensions. I found out that Winchester brass was consistently about .005" shorter than any of the other brands. Once I culled these out the misfiring problem wnt away.

I no longer have the Sigma. It was shooting 12" high at 25 yards and after a trip back to S&W it shot 8" high at the same distance. That, and a horrible trigger made the "get rid of it" decision easy.

In my experience Glock and Springfield XD are very much superior to the Sigma.

All guns are prone to problems. Including glocks. I personally know at least 5 people who have had catastrophic failures or the gun wouldn't consistently fire a magazine. One of my friends is in a low suit against glock right now because his G22 exploded in his hand and caused significant injuries. I'll take a heavy trigger over kaboom.

You can call the Customer Service number and see if they can track your gun's status. For what it's worth, we recently sent my wife's Beretta NEOS in for a recall, and they said up front to expect a minimum of a 6 week turnaround.

While you wait for its return, I will suggest that you rent a .22lr revolver. Yes, an Old School wheel gun. The barrel length does not matter, since what you need to experience is the revolver's double-action (DA) trigger pull. The Sigma trigger was designed with a long, heavy pull similar to DA revolvers that many law enforcement personnel were still carrying, making it easier and faster for them to cross-train. Then too, just like a revolver, the Sigma was ready-to-use when drawn from a holster without the need to disengage 'safeties' before shooting, and the first shot and each follow-up shot required the same DA pull. Very revolver-like!

It takes time to get comfortable with a DA revolver trigger. It takes a bit of time for your trigger finger muscles to develop, and to pull the trigger in one smooth, continuous, deliberate action while keeping the gun steady. With the any DA .22 revolver you can practice all day for next-to-nothing in ammo costs! Then, once in a while, you can relieve your boredom, give your trigger finger a break, and cocking the hammer back to use the shorter, lighter SA trigger pull.

For these reasons, an S&W 617 .22 revolver is on my list of Guns-To-Buy.

Well, you are welcome to toss it into my safe, and I'll get pissed off for you...

Kenster, couldn't agree more. Good point!!

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Sigma 9mm/XD 9

I bought my Sigma almost 3 years ago. I couldn't hit the target with it. I kept hitting the dirt left & short of the target. It was bad. I hated the trigger & the gun. I stuck with it until I could dry fire the Sigma without knocking a nickel off of the barrel that was resting there. I took it to the range again and grouped a mag 3" @ 10 yards. I now shoot every gun I have better because of the Sigma.

Last summer the gun stopped firing so I sent it in to get fixed. S&W fixed the stryker problem & tuned up the trigger . Now I'd rather shoot the Sigma than any of the other 8 guns I have. As a matter of fact it is in my night stand right now because my Glock 21sf is at the factory because of the ambi mag release problem. Who would have thought that my Sigma would be my "go to" gun?

ET,

Great news! I agree the Sigma took some getting used to. As I've said before, practice!! I've come to really enjoy taking my Sigma 9 to the range. I'll be at the range next weekend with my buddy SW9VE.

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Sigma 9mm/XD 9

I finally got my sigma back from warranty!!! (Wednesday 12-8-10)
I'm taking it to the range this weekend, I'm really hoping that it's fixed. I was told to try some different ammo, they fired 50 rounds through it with no problems.
I'll let ya'll know how it does at the range, I've thoroughly cleaned and lubricated it, so it's all good to go.
I also bought a XD9 Sub Compact as a Christmas gift for my wife, she's going to love it!

Thanks for the advice everyone, I'll be dry firing it and working on building up trigger control (obviously after first verifying it's unloaded!)

Good to know... But now that I know, witch 1 is the correct 1?

__________________
$NC Country Boy$

Hi everyone!
So after getting my sigma back from warranty I was still having the light strike issue, discussed with Paul @ Smith and Wesson and they determined that it was the striker assembly.
I sent my pistol in for a 3rd time last week, I received a call from Mark @ Smith and Wesson this morning.
Mark was very nice and straight forward with me (as well as Paul whom I spoke with previously) I was told that essentially they could be chasing their tails forever on this pistol and the best option was for them to send me out a brand new sigma.
I agreed that it would be a great option, and thanked him for everything. About 20-30 minutes later I emailed Paul and asked if it was possible to upgrade me from the sigma series do to all the issues I've had.
I received a call from Mark about an hour later letting me know I would have to pay 200$ to move up to an M&P 40, I hesitated a little bit, but I would really like a nice reliable gun, so I gave Mark my CC info and I thought that was the end of it.

A few hours later while I was on my lunch break at work I got a call back from Mark, he made me aware that Smith & Wesson wanted to make things right with me for all the issues I had with my sigma and they would be sending out an M&P40 for me free of charge to my local gun store (after he assured me that all of my CC information had been destroyed).
Needless to say at that point my jaw was on the floor, I had given my CC info and approved the charge, they called back and said we're taking care of it, sorry for the troubles.

In my opinion Smith & Wesson stepped up to the plate here and made a very upset customer happy again.
I can't wait to head out to the range with my gun and see how she does.

So now I'm left with a few questions as I've never been in this situation before... (I'm in Ca. by the way)
1. Do I have to do another 10 day waiting period since it's a new gun?
2. Do I have to pay for a DROS / Background check again?
3. How do I get the Sigma & the serial number out of my name since S&W is destroying the gun due to it being faulty?

Thanks everyone!

WowJW, that is one heck of a story!! I live 10 minutes from S&W, for obvious reasons prefer their guns. But I have to tell yo, I love everyone of my S&W guns, I shoot the heck out of them regularly. My favorite gun is my M&P 40fs!! I beleive you will be more than impressed with it out of the box, it is in my experience as good or better than anything in it's class. The only work I have done to my 3 M&P's is replace some of the trigger parts, the sear and a few springs from a compamy called Apex Tactical. If you feel the need for some trigger work, check em out. Otherwise, good luck, safe shooting and if I can help ya with anything, drop a line...

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Jack C

First, I'm glad to hear that they continue their fine Customer Service.

Then, can you call them back and ask for a letter stating that the gun was destroyed, and then follow up with state 'officials.' Probably not much here to worry about, since that gun can never be used by evil-doers...

Still, I'd keep that letter forever in case the 'state' ever asks you about that gun.

I see a lot of advice about dry firing the Sigma a lot to both make the gun and the shooter better. To do this though, the mag needs to be out and the slide reracked each time or am I doing something wrong?

You are not doing anything wrong.

I guess you've been leaving it out to keep the slide from locking back...

Well, if you like, leave an EMPTY magazine in the gun and move the slide only about 1/4 inch or so to the rear. You do not need to pull all the way. You will hear and feel the striker reset, and can confirm this as the trigger works again. This saves your arm.

Turbo,
I would assume there is only one model of the M&P 40 series legal in Ca. SKU #109200 (M&P40  .40S&W - Smith & Wesson)
If it shoots as good as I've heard it sounds like it will very quickly find it's way into my favorite gun category. I've seen a few video's on youtube in regards to the Apex trigger, is it a noticable difference? Can you recommend a good website to get the parts?

Thanks!
John

That's why I like good forums like this one, there is always someone ready with a good answer or good advice. Thanks JIM H!

Fed-Ex just delivered my SW40VE after I sent it back to Smith & Wesson for "adjustment".

Yeah ------- the trigger was a bit heavier than my other SIGMAS I have owned.

True to form --- it came back with the trigger ABSOLUTELY TRANSFORMED and (as far as I am concerned) --- PERFECT.

Yet again, they (S&W) confirm what I have learned after so many years as a police officer, and now in Executive Transportation and Protection -- they are a class act and will do everything they can to make the consumer happy.

I carry both my Sigmas for my "work" weapons, and now with the modified and reworked triggers --- I would pit them against anything else in the marketplace and world.

One thing for sure, Smith & Wesson knows how to change the trigger "workings" if need be --- and BELIEVE ME --- these changes make the SIGMA something to reckoned with as a completely new (and improved) firearm.

----------- Just wanted to post a tid-bit of information for those SIGMA owners who may have some reservations about sending their weapon for a trigger "revamp".

LTMEMORY

OOPS! Question was already answered. Never mind.

Hello all,
I have a Sigma 40VE, at first I hated this gun. Shot low and left every time. Had a local smith do a "trigger job" smoothed out a bit, but still had accuracy issue. I knew it was me and not the Sigma. Well today I am very pleased with my grouping. I believe the Sigma has made me a better shooter, I carry the Sigma every day and would trust my life with it. I have never had an issue, it feeds every type of ammo with no issues. I personaly like the heavy trigger for CC. Next purchase will be the M&P 40c.
Glad to read the OP was taken care of by S&W customer service.