What To Expect From A SW40C

[thehumphries]

Greetings All!

I recently purchased a used SW40C for $179. it looked in pretty good condition other than being a little dirty. I also purchased the 1-year warranty with it for $30.(Gander)

From a young age I always hunted in my home state of Idaho, but never used a handgun. I feel out of touch with shooting and such as school, wife, kids etc. My wife and I recently felt the need to purchase a handgun for protection. That is how I came across the SW40C.

We have a class lined up in April, so I have not shot the gun yet. I have the handgun along with one 15rd mag.

I was wondering if anyone else out there has the 40C, give any advice, tips, special instructions, etc? My before hand research said these guns do have issues, that you either have a great gun or a terrible gun. I plan on using this gun to get my grounding then move on up.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated and thanks in advance!

 

[smith mod 66]

Welcome, If the class you are taking is handgun saftey thats a good start.. Best bet is get a few brands of ammo and see witch the gun like's , I love my sigma, and just added a sd9 to the family

 

[thehumphries]

Hi All,

Yesterday I was able to take out the SW40C. Put 105 rounds threw it. Worked like a champ, NO ISSUES. For Sub $200, I think I made a great buy. I had a blast first time ever shooting a handgun and can't wait to do it again!

I believe the sights are off by a large amount. I seemed to have to hold it pretty high and left to get it near target. Any advice on the sights? Can they be adjusted?

Will post a video soon.

thanks!

 

[thehumphries]

YouTube

Here is a video of me letting loose some rounds..
(bro-law had his finger over the mic, thus its muffled)

Nick SW40C - YouTube

 

[retired_diver]

the rear sight can be adjusted, the front plastic one cannot. Since the rear sight is in a dovetail notch, you can drift it to correct for left to right error. Do not hit the rear sight directly with a hammer. Use a brass punch and hammer. you can mark the sight's location before you adjust it with a pencil, you do not need to move it very much. Operation should go something like this: safely shoot at paper target 20-25 feet away. do not adjust your aim shoot at whatever mark you used. when you get a "grouping" in your case low and to the right, move the rear sight in the direction you want the grouping to move. In your case example to the left. Then try it again and see where the new sight picture places holes. Then repeat the process slowly. Adjust the rear sight in the direction that you want the bullet group to move. In other words, if the gun is shooting to the left of where you are aiming, you will want to move the bullet group to the right. Move the rear sight to the right and your group will follow. Most hitting low on original sights is the shooter and is called flinching. this is especially true with the distance I asked you to shoot at. Velocity matters but not at 20 feet.

 

[mrchuck]

I have the original pistol that started this discussion. sw40c.
I love it. never a problem firing.
I little hard to dis-assemble as I have a hard time getting the slide in the right place to slide it off.
Our "armorer always did the work and maintenance.
So, I "rotate" my carry piece, but I always carry when out of my house. Even when I'm on the lawn tractor.
It is very safe where I live, and my city has only a few malcontents.
East Texas is like that.
So, I am a fan of this Smith and Wesson pistol.
Also, my first revolver was a Smith and Wesson top-break 38sw. Got it when I was 12 year's old.

 

[OKFC05]

I had a blast first time ever shooting a handgun and can't wait to do it again!

I believe the sights are off by a large amount

It probably is not the sights that are off. Many of my beginning students find that with instruction and practice, the gun starts shooting where they are trying to point. When a student starts insisting one of my loaner guns needs the sights fixed, I shoot it for him to show its not the gun. The worst I ever had could not hit a B8 target at 5 yards with a pistol that would remove the X at that distance.
Oddly, women believe me when I tell them the gun's OK, just hold the gun still and press the trigger straight back.

 

[ou1954]

Sights. etc.

It probably is not the sights that are off. Many of my beginning students find that with instruction and practice, the gun starts shooting where they are trying to point. When a student starts insisting one of my loaner guns needs the sights fixed, I shoot it for him to show its not the gun. The worst I ever had could not hit a B8 target at 5 yards with a pistol that would remove the X at that distance.
Oddly, women believe me when I tell them the gun's OK, just hold the gun still and press the trigger straight back.

This keeps coming up again and again. As OKFC05 says, the bullets usually go where the gun is pointed when the bullet leaves the barrel. Some folks have reported errors that are actually larger than the adjustment range of the sights.

If they simply hold the gun on target and just squeeze the trigger they will do very well. In my limited experience it works for me.

 

[scattershot]

Heck of a buy, but that doesn't look at all like my 40c. Anyway, the above posts are correct. All my life I have thought that factory sights shot low and left. I'm almost 70 now, and just within the last year or so discovered that I wasn't pulling the trigger properly. The problem was especially bad with polymer striker fired pistols, but once I figured out what was wrong, the problem cleared right up.

Hang in there, the journey is half the fun.

Good luck!

 

[ou1954]

Sights. etc

Heck of a buy, but that doesn't look at all like my 40c. Anyway, the above posts are correct. All my life I have thought that factory sights shot low and left. I'm almost 70 now, and just within the last year or so discovered that I wasn't pulling the trigger properly. The problem was especially bad with polymer striker fired pistols, but once I figured out what was wrong, the problem cleared right up.

Hang in there, the journey is half the fun.

Good luck!

Great post! I'm 84 and a relative amateur to pistols and don't know enough to comment about the relative effects of striker fired vs hammer fired and polymer vs steel frames but I have found that the most accurate shots happen when you don't anticipate when the gun will fire.

Now that's when target shooting. I've never been in a defensive situation and don't ever plan to be, but I sort of doubt that in a stress situation the design of the gun will play just a minor part in the outcome.

Pistol shooting is great fun. I spent my youth in the Midwest and had a rifle starting in childhood. We could hunt and shoot just about anywhere except in a neighborhood. Returning here to retire, most places are developed and there are very few outdoor ranges so some of the fun is gone. [Well, as it turned out my carry qualification shooting was on an outdoor range with metal disk targets . . . nice!]

I did carry a classic 1911 in the Navy, but the operative word is "carry". Very few opportunities to shoot one. I did have the opportunity on the NROTC rifle team, to check out a 1911 .22 on weekends and that was great fun. We shot in canyons and the primary target was mistletoe, now a vanishing option. Anyhow, I did buy, recently, a .22 1911 replica and it's fun and cheap to use.