Smith & Wesson Sigma Series Trigger FIX!!! (SW9VE, SW40VE)

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Recently, my wife and myself took the Texas CHL class as a step to prepare to carry weapons with us as we begin traveling on our bikes. We started last year pulling a trailer and camping out and realized how exposed we were to the cazyness of the world. Nowhere to hide on a motorcycle or in a tent. She just got her license in the mail yesterday. Right after the class, she had hastily went out and bought her/our first gun by the feel in her hand only. It is a Smith and Wesson Sigma 9mm. It has had alot of problems jamming and went back to the factory within the first week and was gone for two weeks. We have it back now and it still has problems but not as much. She has,from the beginning had to use both of her first fingers on both hands to pull the trigger. S&W said they would not alter the trigger when they took it in for the jamming. She gave up on it and now it is "mine". I have no problem with the trigger and since I have not really done any shooting, would not even know how hard it is to pull compared to others. It groups well, it is just the jamming that is so frustrating, especially since S&W took a close look at it and declared it good to go. We have shot about 500 rounds through it and have had about 25 to 30 jams, sometimes several in a row. The CHL class advised against modifying for a "hair trigger" below factory specs because past legal cases indicate intent if it was used in a shooting. All new to me!
 
Somewhere in the realm of 500 rounds through mine, and I've yet to have any sort of malfunction, shooting loads between 115 grains and 147, FMJ and HP both. For the $250 I gave for the gun, it does all I could ever ask it to
 
Ok, I am now a part of a six year old thread. I purchased my Sigma 40ve over a year ago and shot about 1000 rounds through it with no problems. I let a friend take it to the range and he brought it back broken (go figure). I called S&W and they emailed the shipping label to send it back. I enclosed a note in the case asking them to also smooth out the trigger pull action while they had it apart. I received it back in approx. 3 weeks. It works fine and the trigger pull is a lot better now. The grinding grainy feel is almost completely gone. They must have done the same polishing that others are talking about. I now like it as well as my 2 Glocks if not better. S&W will still work on the trigger mechanisms if you ask nicely!

I will return to this thread in 6 years to update everyone...if I'm still alive!!!!
 
I just traded my Rossi 461 .357 for a SW40VE, and I must say I'm pleased with the deal. The gun feels nice in my hand (although I do plan on getting a slip on grip with finger grooves) and balances much better than the Kahr I looked at before this piece. The trigger, as noted many many times before, is fairly heavy, and as a safety feature I don't disagree with it however as a carry piece, I am considering the polish job outlined here in a few different places. I also want to find some night sights (these white dots are just as invisible as the rest of the gun in the dark!) and do some artistic polishing on the outside of the slide for a "custom" look. I'm in the process of polishing the exposed portions of the barrel to a mirror finish using sandpaper and eventually metal polish and I've already got what is shaping up to be a great gun.

The only quibble I have with it is that the frame seems to turn up just a little bit right at the end of the barrel starting midway down the accessory rail area... Any ideas or advice about this?
 
Add me to the list of 'got here by Google'. Well, I have nothing substantive to add, but I thought it would be entertaining to continue this marathon thread. Today I did though put 20% down on my new SW9VE. I'll be paying $370 total, plus I get two free mags or $50 back -- and that's in California. Not bad. I did a little research before I opted for the Sigma, and so I know about the trigger pull and the problem with the slide locking on the last round. From what I've read, the latter problem is mainly owing to mags. The trigger problem, if it is a problem, can be remedied fairly cheaply, if not free, so I'm excited about getting to the range. It'll be the first time I shoot a handgun since 1986, in bootcamp. Thanks for the info from everyone. Yes, I read every one. I'll come back to report after the my first outing.
 
ha ha, I made it from boot camp (RTC Orlando) in 1986 until Bosnia in 2005 without shooting anything other than a 12 gauge "qual" off the fantail of the USS America. I realize this has nothing to do with the Sigma trigger, but it does match well with the post above.
My son says the trigger on his Sigma 9mm has become better over time.
 
re: Sigma trigger "fix"

call S&W customer service

tell them your trigger is rough and gritty

DO NOT tell them it's "stiff"

they email a shipping label

ship frame to S&W

two weeks later they return a vastly improved trigger system

end
 
I have a SW99 40 cal. DA/SA. I replaced the sear block housing with one from Walther. Anyone think that might be a problem. It installed easy, and everything works, but I have not been out to the range yet.
 
I purchased a Sigma 40 today. My next door neighbor bought one in April and we went out to shoot it. wOw was it accurate. So S & W ran the same rebate now and for the same $299 before taxes and after rebate I bought one. When I said to the salesman I was interested in buying it (after I had spoken to him over the phone) he said the trigger is like 12 lbs. I said "that's odd, I don't remember it being stiff when I shot it". Sure enough, it was not only stiff but looooong. I tried them all and some were really hard with a shorter trigger pull, some had a really long pull, one had a lot of upfront creep, and one was moderate with a shorter trigger pull. So I bought that one. It still has a little creep but the pull is not that hard and only requires a little over a half of its' available trigger-travel for it to go "bang".

I will get to the range with my neighbor's Sigma 40 and compare the two. It sure shot sweet enough for me to buy one experiencing even better accuracy than my Springfield XD-45 Compact. And that's saying a lot since the latter is the most accurate handgun I have ever owned.
 
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I've had a Sigma 40 (SW40VE) for about a year now. I've never really noticed the tirgger pull affecting my accuracy, maybe the speed it can be shot accuratly. But other than that it's a great pistol without breakin' the bank.
 
I smell something.

All of the sigma love postings are from people with extremely low post counts, some even as low as one. When I google a firearm and see a post on a forum that I disagree with, I don't sign up just to spout some technobabble to compare the trigger to a Glock.

If they're legit, then I apologize. But I don't think they are.
 
@killchain, I dunno about any of the others but I own a Sigma .40 and I like it quite a lot. No, I don't work for S&W.

@Black Butte, because even poor people want their guns to look nice.
 
killchain said:
I smell something.

All of the sigma love postings are from people with extremely low post counts, some even as low as one. When I google a firearm and see a post on a forum that I disagree with, I don't sign up just to spout some technobabble to compare the trigger to a Glock.

If they're legit, then I apologize. But I don't think they are.
Click to expand...
I've gotta low count....for a coupla years, something was amiss on the internal post count on this site....
 
I have what I consider to be a low post count, but then have been pretty busy with life over the past few years to spend a lot of it yapping on forums of any type... but I do own a Sigma, the SW40VE, and I have no problems with the trigger as it came from the factory, but then I have a bit of experience shooting revolvers in DA and find it pretty comparable to that. Mine isn't 'gritty' or anything like that, just loooong.

And Black Butte, nothing wrong at all with the Hi Points for some decent inexpensive shooters. While definitely not to be considered for concealed carry, my C9 Comp in 9mm and JCP in .40 have proven to be accurate and reliable in the hands of someone with experience in firing and maintaining firearms.

Here's a 15 yard target from the SW40VE yesterday. Wanted to check out the POA after replacing the stock front sight with a HiViz fiber optic one made for a Glock. I'm happy with it.

scan0001.gif
 
9mmSigma said:
so after reading many posts regarding removal of the "pigtail" spring, I did so and also highly polished all internals. Just to note, this "pigtail" spring has nothing at all to do with how hard the trigger pull is!!!! That spring is there to reset the sear when the gun gets cocked back from shooting a live round, and resets the next cycle. By removing that spring, if you were to hold down the trigger, the next round would not be cocked since that sping is not there to "KICK" back the sear for the next round.

Experiment: Cock the gun, pull back the slide, pull the trigger, hold the trigger down and recock the gun. Nothing will happen!!! It will not rearm itself. Why, because the sear has no spring to push it back!!!

All I did was highly polish all my metal on metal contacts, on the sear, the trigger arm and alittle on the slide itself. This substantially decreased the trigger pull!!!
Click to expand...

I've removed my pigtail spring, and I did your experiment. It works fine. :what::confused:

Dunno.

But then I'm just another guy with a low post count.
 
Amazes me how others who have very little to no experience with a Sigma trash it. I am very happy with my SW9VE. Takes practice, but don't all firearms? I don't bad mouth other makes or models. I just talk about how happy I am with my Sigma 9mm. Accurate and reliable. :D
 
I smell something.

All of the sigma love postings are from people with extremely low post counts, some even as low as one.
Click to expand...
killchain, I hope it's not your upper lip.

I was an owner of a SW40VE and the trigger pull was firm, but not 12 lbs. It shot very accurate but I wanted pistols that did fast double-taps so I traded with someone who was used to heavy DA revolver trigger - he's happy and accurate with it.

My M&P45 came with 7 lb trigger from the factory and it shot OK. With a trigger job, it is now around 4.5 lbs and produces consistent tight double-taps and 1.5"-2.0" groups at 20 yards. Although I did not try a trigger job on the Sigma, I am sure it would have transformed into a different gun.

I think S&W maybe thinking that they are marketing to revolver converts to semi-autos, hence the "heavier" trigger. Had I done a trigger job on the Sigma, I may still have it.
 
Too much creep and still gritty

First off, I like my SW9VE. When I first got it, I took it to the range and put about 200 rounds through it. Trigger pull was about 10 to 12 pounds as advertised, which was too heavy for my liking. The gun, though, was rather accurate -- even though the hard trigger caused me to drift to the right on the pull. Anyway, I did the trigger fix of removing the pigtail spring and swapping out the outer of the two springs for a lighter one. I used the spring from a pen and cut it down to size.

I put 150 rounds through the gun afterwards with no problems, and I like the trigger pull now. I'd say the trigger pull is between 5 to 7 pounds now. But it has way too much creep and is awfully gritty.

Do any of you know a fix to shorten the creep and smooth out the grittiness?
 
Not excellent nor bad

Before I dive into this issue, here are my creds: I have 10 years of prior military experience dealing with weapons. I'm presently in law enforcement and currently a Firearms Instructor.

I'm just posting my opinion on certain topics that have been stated on this long long issue of the SIGMA being a good or bad weapon. And while my creds do not make my statements golden, they are educated statements.



So here we go:


I bought a SIGMA in .40 about a year ago for my wife. The price and rebate ( I chose the free mags) were too enticing and a bargain IMHO. Prior to purchasing the SIGMA, my wife and I tested the Glock 27, 23, 23C; H&K P2000, P2000SK; Sig Sauer P229 and the Springfield XD compact. All in .40 cal.

I carry both of the H&Ks since they're supplied by my employer. Personally I'd rather carry the Springfield XD for dutysince I find it more accurate and the trigger pull is just right for me.

I'm not gonna try to compare the SIGMA with any of the above weapons since that'd be comparing apples to oranges. But I will tell you that the SIGMA is a good weapon, it may not be an excellent weapon as the ones forementioned but a good one nonetheless. I have found it to be accurate, more so than my H&Ks. Don't ask me how, I just know that I have used it and put it through the same quarterly qualification course and performed better with it, with better groupings except from the 25 yard line. Does it have a stiff, grittier trigger pull? Abosolutely. Is it horrible? Well, that all depends.

The topic of reliabiltity, trigger pull and others will have a different spin depending on who you ask and relative to the operator/critic's experience.

I don't think the SIGMA was designed for field use, Fed Agencies, PDs, etc. This issue is evident when you examine the construction of the weapon. But, I do believe the SIGMA will be a good weapon when it comes to home protection ( I know..Iknow...for home protection a shotgun is where is at) and personal protection for your average firearm purchaser.

The trigger pull issue is also relative to the operator's experience. Take me for example....I have been carrying nothing but Double Action pistols and I started with a Beretta 92 and from there moved onto a Beretta 96D. Both of those have a heavy trigger pull, even though I do admitt that not the grittiness of the SIGMA. I'm sure if you ask some gun owners whom are used to Single Action only their reviews of the trigger pull would be horrible. Kimber owners come to mind for the above statement. (BTW, Kimbers are sweet weapons.)

I thought about doing some of the trigger mods and striker pin mod to the SIGMA but after reading contradicting reviews from several forums and from sites that sell the Wolf springs, I decided against it.

I'll just get my wife to the range more often. BTW, she's 5'3" and in average fitness condition and she doesn't have any difficulty pulling the trigger. This said, I think that after 200 rounds she may start experiencing some finger cramping but I'm mainly concerned with her ability to squeeze the trigger when the absolute need arises.

All in all I think the SIGMA is a good weapon that in my opinion won't fail you if you are the average user. And for a weapon that sells for a couple of hundreds of dollars less than the ones that are usually mentioned is this forum....well you get the picture.
 
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killchain said:
I smell something.

All of the sigma love postings are from people with extremely low post counts, some even as low as one. When I google a firearm and see a post on a forum that I disagree with, I don't sign up just to spout some technobabble to compare the trigger to a Glock.

If they're legit, then I apologize. But I don't think they are.
Click to expand...

I wonder if there's another thread on THR that has generated as many new members as this one? I know I found the forum because of this thread showing up in Google results while searching for "Sigma trigger fix" or something like that. After reading what existed of this thread then (on 9/1/2010), I looked at the rest of the forum, liked what I found and joined.

I had bought my Sigma a couple of months earlier and had put 200 rounds through it at that time, and my only concern was the trigger pull. It was certainly accurate enough, comfortable to shoot, not too big to carry, and was such a bargain I almost bought another before the rebate ran out, but I found a Belgian-made Browning Lite 12 I wanted more!

I have a suspicion a lot of these "low-post-count" members were in the same boat I was - looking for an affordable yet well-made weapon from a reputable manufacturer. To find a new S&W ANYTHING for around $300 was just a little hard to imagine. Throw in the $50 rebate or two new mags (I got the 2 high-cap mags) and something just had to be wrong with these guns. So, what's the first thing most folks do these days when they want to know about something? Why, Google it, of course!

So there are probably a lot of folks who, like me, bought the weapon because it seemed like such a good deal and they hoped there was a fix for the heavy trigger after they bought it. There are also lots of folks researching their choices before purchase, and I think it's nice to see a thread where people with actual first-person experience with the new Sigmas are giving their 2 cents worth. It balances out the many threads where of a bunch of gun snobs who heard about someone having trouble with a 1997 model Sigma having FT* problems with hand-loads or cheap Russian ammo declare all Sigmas to be cheap pieces of :cuss:. They act like their Glocks, Kahrs, Sigs and 1911s have never once had an issue.

So maybe we haven't all posted several hundred times on THR before posting about our Sigmas, but that doesn't mean the posts we do make are any less valid. I visit THR almost every day, and I learn something almost every time I visit. But I'm not a post-whore trying to make myself feel important by the number of posts I have, so I only post when I feel I have something worthwhile to add to the thread. I hope this post does as much.
 
I own a SW9VE. I have put 1000 rounds through it. Trigger takes some getting used to. All it takes is practice. I don't see what the big deal is. :D I've figured out my Sigma and I'm having some fun with it. I find the Sigma to be accurate and reliable. For me, trigger is not a problem.

Few months ago a friend bought a Glock 17. After putting several hundred rounds through my Sigma, I picked up his Glock for the first time and was dead on at 25 yards. My point is the Sigma makes you a better shooter. If you can figure out the Sigma, you can figure out just about any handgun. ;)
 
I love my sigma! trigger sucks but anyone that knows how to shoot should be able to compensate for that and shoot it fairly accurately.
 
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