soon to be SW40VE owner with questions

[cambo357]

I am about to purchase an SD40VE from a buddy. I have never owned any S&W pieces before and looking forward to joining the club.

havent put hands on the gun yet. but between the killer price, knowing how well my buddy takes care of things, and what I have read about the sigma, I am not worried about the purchase at all. I did go to a LGS last night and checke out a new one in person. speaking with the people there, it lead me to have a few questions that I am sure the experts here can do wonders with.

the LGS said that the one they had was a brand new model, and was just recently added to our roster (yeah, CA roster BS to deal with....). because of that, the one I would be purchasing is quite different than what is in the store. I liked that it had novak style sights on it. they said that the older one has proprietary sights instead. also, that the frame on the newer one is much thinner than before as well. from my limited research, there has not really been any major changes in the last few months. is there in fact a very new model that has come out? I am thinking it might be that he was trying to get me to buy the new one in the store instead. but being so new to the platform, I honestly would have no idea. of course I will check out in person the one I am purchasing in the next couple of days, so not a huge issue.

the LGS also said the trigger is much improved. the new one I dry fired felt just like I had read about. fairly long, not light but not overly heavy for most of the travel, with the last bit of take up being heavier. so not sure if what he said is true or not. my buddy said that is exactly how his is as well.

I have no issue with what I will be getting. just looking for some info. trigger issues are not really issue, just something to adapt to.

Thanks for any input.


Edit: had it as SD40VE by fat finger mistake.

 

[AnthemBassMan]

-I just got mine yesterday. Haven't gotten a chance to hit the range yet. But this pistol just feels good in my hand, with what seems like a natural aim to it. The trigger isn't as bad as some would lead you to believe. I've done a lot of shooting with revolvers over the years, so the double action only trigger pull is nothing to me. Is it a tuned 1911A1? Nope, no where near it. But it's not trying to be. Hate to hear about the restricted models you have to be stuck with. Mine came with two 14 round mags.

L8R,
Matt

 

[dajogejr]

Mine is newer..the bullet that came with it was fired by the factory in December of 13.
Looks the same as others I've seen recently. Are you sure it wasn't a shield? Did it say SD40VE on the slide itself?

Put 600 through mine so far, zero issues. Points great, good feel. I am going to put some talon grip material on it...

With a little practice, the trigger is acceptable. I put the apex trigger and spring kit in mine...I like the blade style safety and much less travel.
You will not regret the purchase.

 

[cambo357]

Mine is newer..the bullet that came with it was fired by the factory in December of 13.
Looks the same as others I've seen recently. Are you sure it wasn't a shield? Did it say SD40VE on the slide itself?

Put 600 through mine so far, zero issues. Points great, good feel. I am going to put some talon grip material on it...

With a little practice, the trigger is acceptable. I put the apex trigger and spring kit in mine...I like the blade style safety and much less travel.
You will not regret the purchase.

my bad, I meant SW40VE. total fat finger on that. 100% sure it was SW40VE I handled in the shop, as well as what my buddy wants to sell me. he has several handguns and knows what he has (and is willing to let go, lol). I really didnt think the trigger was that bad. I figure I will put a few hundred rounds through it to start off with, get to know it. if I am not digging it, I can always go with an Apex.

 

[cambo357]

-I just got mine yesterday. Haven't gotten a chance to hit the range yet. But this pistol just feels good in my hand, with what seems like a natural aim to it. The trigger isn't as bad as some would lead you to believe. I've done a lot of shooting with revolvers over the years, so the double action only trigger pull is nothing to me. Is it a tuned 1911A1? Nope, no where near it. But it's not trying to be. Hate to hear about the restricted models you have to be stuck with. Mine came with two 14 round mags.

L8R,
Matt

I agree that it is a good trigger for what it is trying to be. def not like that of the Kimber and Wilson 1911s I have had, nor a glock trigger. but I have dealt with things that were much worse, almost unusable. so the Sigma will be just fine.

 

[madbuyer]

I have owned mine for a few years.....maybe the first model S&W got sued over. Mine just got the Apex Tactical trigger and sear spring treatment as well as I polished the action to a high mirror finish.

See youtube, there are several videos.

The gun is much smoother after....something to consider.

 

[cambo357]

Thanks for all the good info guys.

now about there having been a newer model that just came out, with new sights and thinner grip, anything to that? looking at pics, it seems as though they have always had the novak style sights. the grip being thinner is tough to judge by pics though.

the other thing I did notice that would lead me to think that there is a newer model was the rail. it was the same as what is pictured on the S&W site, with the front of the rail open and the cross cut, like a standard rail. most pics I see here are of the older type, where the accessory had to be clamped "around" the rail, rather than slide on from the front, and no provision for a cross bolt.

 

[speedyquad]

up until some time last year or so, there was the sigma(sw40ve) line and the sd(sd40). they were very similar and very closely priced.

S&W took the best of both lines to create the sd40ve line. this new line was a replacement for both the sigma and the original sd which are no longer in production.

what the salesman told you was basically the upgrades made to the sigma.

I have a sigma(sw40ve) and i love it. it's fired everything that i have fed it. it's accurate. and it feels good in the hand. with that being said, i like my 40c more and it is easier to carry/conceal. the sigma is a great "nightstand" gun.

 

[hmbiohazard]

sigma series models are branded the sw40/sw9 series with carious sub models. the new age sigmas are called the SD series, the all black sd40/sd9 have been replaced by the VE series. the sd40ve/sd9ve are the latest in the sigma line from smith. i personally own both a sd9ve/sd40ve as well as a all black sd40 which is the previouis model between the sigmas and sd series. all are great guns

 

[silverback50]

I bought the SD40VE a week after Christmas. I have run about 600 rounds through it so far. I love it. The only thing I really had a hard time with was the trigger pull. As advertised it was 8.5 lbs out of the box. I put the Apex trigger spring kit into it, it dropped to 5.5 lbs. So much better now. Much easier to keep on target now. The price was great and it's a great gun. Enjoy it.

 

[Optik]

Get a brand new SD40VE. Lifetime warranty, better trigger, under $300 on sale...

 

[cambo357]

thanks to all for their input here.
a bit of an update. I did the paperwork on the SW40VE on saturday. it has been several years since I purchased a gun, and the CA DOJ has gotten pretty bad since then. I am hoping I pass DROS, and should be able to pick it up on the 11th. not that I have anything that would prohibit me, but with the way things are in our state, you never know. I know a retired LEO who has been denied, even though he has done several purchases before and has a CCW.

a new SD40VE would have been nice, but they are nowhere near $300 here. the LGS has them for $400. mine is in excellent shape, came with 5 mags (10 round), and the original box and accessories, for $300. not a bad deal to me.

I really like how it fit my hand. pretty easy to see how glock went after them, it felt just like the g17 I had. the trigger on this one felt better than the new one at the LGS, I am sure it has just been broken in well.

a couple more questions:

what might I want to think about replacing/getting spares of right now?

what would some of you suggest for upgraded sights? for now, this will be mostly a HD gun, so I am interested in night sights. I have always been partial to red/orange front and green/yellow rear, if that is something available for this model.

what is suggested HD ammo for these? there is a ton out there, but it is pricey. I would rather start out trying something that others have had good luck with to see how it functions, rather than trying it at random.

thanks again for all your help.

 

[Chip682]

Hey there, my first gun purchace was my trusty SW40VE. I love the gun even though it is on the cheaper side it is still very well made. Mine will eat any ammo you want to throw at it. I have a few other handguns now but i still carry my sigma quite often. Great gun.

 

[dajogejr]

what would some of you suggest for upgraded sights? for now, this will be mostly a HD gun, so I am interested in night sights. I have always been partial to red/orange front and green/yellow rear, if that is something available for this model.

.

As far as HD Ammo...any quality name brand hollow point.
Just like Ford/Chevy/Dodge, you'll get everyone's favorite type of ammo with a question like that.

As far as sights, shoot it first with what it has. You can buy a glo-paint for a fraction of the price of sights (about 9-10 bucks a jar, enough to do all kinds of pistols).
Put a dab of that on the front sight and see how you like it.
I'm going to pick some up when the front of my SD40VE wears away.

 

[cambo357]

So I picked this thing up last night, and was even able to get to the range as well. never expected that, just a perfect storm of events that let it happen.

We put 100 rounds through it, not a single malfunction. in firing, the trigger is not great, but not horrible either. my buddy I got it from said it has way under 500 rounds through it, so it could likely use a bit more break in. I will continue to use it as is to see if it gets better. after that, I might look into some of the apex parts for it.

I was not super accurate with it, but it had been a while since I was shooting handguns. on the other hand, I also shot a very nice Cold Series 70 in 9mm, and was great with that. still, I am sure I will get used to the SW40VE in time.

I will likely do the glo-paint thing on this to start off. fairly cheap and easy to see how I like it. I was shooting winchester value pack FMJs, but also picked up a box of Hydra shok to keep for HD use.

 

[AnthemBassMan]

-Yeah, the biggest thing to get used to is the trigger pull if you're coming from a mostly SA or DA/SA pistol. But you gotta remember that the heavier trigger pull is also your safety against an accidental discharge. It does have the hinged trigger safety, but the heavier pull is just a little more insurance that you are intentionally firing the weapon when it goes off...

L8R,
Matt