Weird Sigma Discovery?

[Fastbolt]

You know, you're entitled to your opinion and deciding whether or not you want to own any particular firearm.

It's just that other folks are similarly entitled.

S&W engineers decided that the trigger return spring on the Sigma Series and M&P Series pistols provide for a better service life when fitted with a fiber buffer.

Colt feels likewise about their extractor spring, but they use different densities of plastic.

FWIW, I remember when Wolff first developed the Trigger Conversion Unit for the Beretta Model 92/96 Series pistols. They did so to resolve a trigger spring breakage problem that was observed in some .40 Berettas being used with the hard recoiling 155gr JHP load favored by one large fed LE agency. They use a steel insert.

This is a review of some info from their webstite:
"This product was developed at the request of INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), the largest federal law enforcement agency in the country, to solve the problem of trigger spring breakage in their duty weapons. Now, after more than a year of development and tens of thousands of rounds of punishing testing by INS and Wolff Gunsprings, we are pleased top make this available to everyone."

More info can be found at their website looking under the Beretta section in Pistol section. http://www.gunsprings.com/1ndex.html

I was told by a couple of folks from Glock that they changed the way their springs are hardened to try and extend the service life of their trigger springs.

Different strokes.

You can choose to like/dislike anything in whatever manner pleases you, you know. There are a lot of products from which to choose, after all ...

 

[Texas Rifleman]

I know this is an old thread but it is important.
I bought a SW40F from a friend and after reading the manual decided to clean it. I used a Q-tip around the trigger return spring and cleaned everything up really nice. I used a Q-tip to get some powder out of places I couldn't get with my fingers. I didn't want to spray gun scrubber on a poly frame. After I was finished I noticed there was some "cotton" inside the trigger return spring. I was sitting there saying, "Holy crap. I must have really worked that Q-tip into that spring. Look at all the cotton I got in there!"
So I spent the next fifteen minutes getting all of the fiber out of the spring. Hmmm. Looks like if it were important it would have been mentioned in the manual. I've been shooting mine without the dampener. So, now after reading this thread I'm a little worried that my pistol is going to fail on me.
I agree. If this part is essential it should be stated in the manual. Consider what could happen if my situation happened to someone who never found out. Not good.

 

[Rick-F]

Why don't you get a new trigger spring and stop worrying?

 

[Texas Rifleman]

Do you have instructions on how to replace it?

But that's not the point. The point is if someone does what I did and doesn't know any better it could be a potentially deadly situation when their firearm fails to work when needed. So, I'm not worrying about myself necessarily, but everyone S&W failed to inform about this. There's not really anything to debate about.

 

[senecaap]

Buy a pistol designed by J.M. Browning or a revolver, those designs use STEEL. When picking out a firearm that you will use to save your life, it should not have cotton as an integral component to its functioning...maybe I'm crazy.

 

[blastfact]

Do you have instructions on how to replace it?

But that's not the point. The point is if someone does what I did and doesn't know any better it could be a potentially deadly situation when their firearm fails to work when needed. So, I'm not worrying about myself necessarily, but everyone S&W failed to inform about this. There's not really anything to debate about.

No there is nothing to debate about this. At some point commonsense needs to kick it. Who ever took a Q-Tip to the spring than then thought they placed the martial there should have figured out looking at there Q-Tips,,, they could have not deposited the martial in the spring. And should have noticed a dampen spring the first time they field striped there pistol. It's right there and easy to see. I noticed it the very first time I took the slide off mine and made a inspection of the works and basic action function. And made a fast mention of it in one of my videos on the Sigma. And for the record I took my packing out once and fired the pistol. It did not change a thing. But once I gave a moments thought to vibrations and harmonics. I reinstalled it pronto.

Just repack it and move on.....

 

[smithman]

S&W is really slipping. In my opinion; they added self-locking locks that aren't needed to their wonderful revolvers, and now, they are putting cotton balls into their springs that will break without cotton balls. That is just SO weak. I'm glad I own a Glock and S&W 3rd generation pistols and none of these jury-rigged plastic 'Smiths...except for my SW99 which I like quite a bit.

 

[Texas Rifleman]

Sorry but I've never seen a dampened spring before. I normally don't use a q-tip to clean up but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Since I was cleaning around the spring and noticed my mangled q-tip head and cotton coming out of the spring, one's logical conclusion would be that I put cotton in the spring. The pistol was used so when I was cleaning the spring I didn't notice there was cotton in it at first because it was black from oil. Therefore it was pretty invisible. I only noticed it when a piece of my q-tip cotton got stuck in the side of the spring and upon further visual inspection I noticed more cotton inside the spring. Since I was using Hoppes No. 9 on the q-tip I figured the cotton in the spring had come off my mangled q-tip. If I had bought the pistol new I would have noticed the cotton inside the spring and figured it must have had a purpose. Either way I replaced the dampening material with q-tip cotton! Ironically I also used a piece of the q-tip stick as a slave pin to both remove and re-install the trigger assembly. Hopefully this works.

 

[blastfact]

Sorry but I've never seen a dampened spring before. I normally don't use a q-tip to clean up but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Since I was cleaning around the spring and noticed my mangled q-tip head and cotton coming out of the spring, one's logical conclusion would be that I put cotton in the spring. The pistol was used so when I was cleaning the spring I didn't notice there was cotton in it at first because it was black from oil. Therefore it was pretty invisible. I only noticed it when a piece of my q-tip cotton got stuck in the side of the spring and upon further visual inspection I noticed more cotton inside the spring. Since I was using Hoppes No. 9 on the q-tip I figured the cotton in the spring had come off my mangled q-tip. If I had bought the pistol new I would have noticed the cotton inside the spring and figured it must have had a purpose. Either way I replaced the dampening material with q-tip cotton! Ironically I also used a piece of the q-tip stick as a slave pin to both remove and re-install the trigger assembly. Hopefully this works.

It will work and your slave pin must have worked also.

Please understand a stuffed spring is not of bad design. It's there to control harmonics. And you can bet it's there with Smith knowing it will get blasted with powder res., cleaning solutions, micro metal and other insane things we can only cop to think we know about. I would not want to be a microb laying there when you and I pull the trigger. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. Repack it as you have done and watch it. You can't really have to much. But not enough could be a small problem. If you don't know if you have enough. Inspect the curled end of the spring. I know it sucks. but a basic dime store mag. glass will be all you need. Look at your current wear patterns. Put 500 rounds through it then inspect the ends of the spring again. If you see sharp wear in a set area,,, not enough pack. If you see extended but genital wear. To much pack. It it shows next to ot no wear,,, you nailed it. Also look at the mounting points of the spring. Same wear patterns should be seen there also.

Good Luck,,, Shoot the fudge out of it.

 

[Texas Rifleman]

I will! Thanks.