[lang=yi]In late 1994 I received an invite to meet some other LE folks for a first look at a new pistol. A nearby distributor hauled in a half-dozen Sigmas along with lots of ammo & spare magazines. We proceeded to shoot up his ammo and grin a lot. After a couple of magazines I was destroying Copenhagen cans out to about 20 paces; point shooting at closer ranges came quick & natural. The Sigma's trigger reminded me of that found on High Standard or Dan Wesson DA revolvers; sorta short, quick and all business. Our 'test' Sigmas chewed through nearly a case of ammo and never bobbled.
For the first time in my life, I able to 'not puke' when handling a rubber gun. The Sigma had potential, yet S&W's good name was not enough to pry the LE market away from Glock. The line suffered some early problems but by the time they were resolved, the die was cast. There were also some 'pocket gun' Sigmas which broke left and right. These things contributed to Sigma's 'also-ran' status, which haunts it to this day. If you believe half the internet prattle you read about the S&W Sigma, you'd be inclined to rate them about three points above Bryco and two points under a good homemade slingshot.
I handled a SW40VE recently and it felt even better than I remembered the guns we shot in '94. I begged and cast about for one to try; but what I came up with was this old SW40C, a short-lived compact version of the original gun. I grabbed a handful of my .40 pest load, which uses a 170 grain Missouri Bullet SWC over 4.0 grains of W231 for roughly 800 fps. I figured if it'd feed these, it would feed about anything and the SW40C didn't disappoint. It's only quirk was that it dropped brass, from the light load, right on the brim of my hat. Full snort .40s, however, ejected smartly over the shoulder.
The trigger takes a little getting used to, unless you're an old DA revolver man like me. A straight back press results in a surprise break; done consistently it produces good results, as the cluster suggests. Do it inconsistently and you get fliers, like The Wild One at One O'clock. I just treat the Sigma like an ugly, 14 shot DAO revolver and get along with them pretty good. The grip sure suits me better than its Austrian cousin.
I also tried some 165 grain UMC/FMJ in the SW40C and I was able to keep 3-4 of five, in the bottom half a 3" orange target dot at 25 yards- most of the time. The fact is that I don't shoot my G23 much better, standing unsupported at 25 yards.
While the early Sigmas were almost the size of a G22, the later guns are about G19-size. I laid this old SW40C over my much-carried G23 and you could pretty much carry one where you could carry the other.
So what, if any, advantages does the SW40C or SW40VE have over a G23?
Are there disadvantages? Sure. Glock enjoys an amazing aftermarket support system that the Sigma will never have. The Sigma's trigger is 'harder' although there are end-user mods to get around that; or, you could just learn to shoot. Oh- people will make fun of you on the internet. That's OK... These under-appreciated pistols have a lot going for them.[/lang]
For the first time in my life, I able to 'not puke' when handling a rubber gun. The Sigma had potential, yet S&W's good name was not enough to pry the LE market away from Glock. The line suffered some early problems but by the time they were resolved, the die was cast. There were also some 'pocket gun' Sigmas which broke left and right. These things contributed to Sigma's 'also-ran' status, which haunts it to this day. If you believe half the internet prattle you read about the S&W Sigma, you'd be inclined to rate them about three points above Bryco and two points under a good homemade slingshot.
I handled a SW40VE recently and it felt even better than I remembered the guns we shot in '94. I begged and cast about for one to try; but what I came up with was this old SW40C, a short-lived compact version of the original gun. I grabbed a handful of my .40 pest load, which uses a 170 grain Missouri Bullet SWC over 4.0 grains of W231 for roughly 800 fps. I figured if it'd feed these, it would feed about anything and the SW40C didn't disappoint. It's only quirk was that it dropped brass, from the light load, right on the brim of my hat. Full snort .40s, however, ejected smartly over the shoulder.
The trigger takes a little getting used to, unless you're an old DA revolver man like me. A straight back press results in a surprise break; done consistently it produces good results, as the cluster suggests. Do it inconsistently and you get fliers, like The Wild One at One O'clock. I just treat the Sigma like an ugly, 14 shot DAO revolver and get along with them pretty good. The grip sure suits me better than its Austrian cousin.
I also tried some 165 grain UMC/FMJ in the SW40C and I was able to keep 3-4 of five, in the bottom half a 3" orange target dot at 25 yards- most of the time. The fact is that I don't shoot my G23 much better, standing unsupported at 25 yards.
While the early Sigmas were almost the size of a G22, the later guns are about G19-size. I laid this old SW40C over my much-carried G23 and you could pretty much carry one where you could carry the other.
So what, if any, advantages does the SW40C or SW40VE have over a G23?
- For one, you get an extra round although it'd take an awful gunfight to need it.
- Second, you get a trigger that is heavy enough for any sane carry mode, yet light enough to shoot well- if you'll only practice with it.
- Third, you get a grip angle that points naturally and dials the sights on target without effort.
- Fourth-and it may just be a function of this particular gun-but I have noticed that this Sigma recoils less than the G23, with any given ammo. It is enough to notice and if you're a recoil-sensitive shooter, it just might be enough to matter.
- And finally, you get a conventionally-rifled barrel with excellent chamber support. Frankly I like lead SWC's for all my non-duty or CCW uses and I wouldn't hesitate to employ them for defense if that's what was in the gun.
Are there disadvantages? Sure. Glock enjoys an amazing aftermarket support system that the Sigma will never have. The Sigma's trigger is 'harder' although there are end-user mods to get around that; or, you could just learn to shoot. Oh- people will make fun of you on the internet. That's OK... These under-appreciated pistols have a lot going for them.[/lang]
The more you shoot the SIGMA the better it gets.
