Sigma 40VE
- Thread starter Buzzard
- Start date
buck-hunter
New member
Same problem
I have the same problemwith my SW40VE. Shots are always low and to the left.
I have the same problemwith my SW40VE. Shots are always low and to the left.
before you spend any money...
My Dept issues this weapon, and when I first tried to qualify, I had the same prob. ou need to get more trigger time on this piece as the WAAY heavy pull takes a lot to get used to. Also, you may be anticpating the shot as the pull is so long and heavy. If you have access to a DA revolver, try shooting that for awhile to get used to SIgma trigger. After enough practice(yes you can dry fire it too) all your shots should be in the black w/a 6 oclock hold. Another prob I was having(THO not sure if it is involved in this case) is that I was bringing my eye to the gun, not the gun to my eye. If at all possible, take a spotter to the range with you, Preferably one who is a good shot. Have him/her shoot and see if the problem is YOU or the GUN.
My Dept issues this weapon, and when I first tried to qualify, I had the same prob. ou need to get more trigger time on this piece as the WAAY heavy pull takes a lot to get used to. Also, you may be anticpating the shot as the pull is so long and heavy. If you have access to a DA revolver, try shooting that for awhile to get used to SIgma trigger. After enough practice(yes you can dry fire it too) all your shots should be in the black w/a 6 oclock hold. Another prob I was having(THO not sure if it is involved in this case) is that I was bringing my eye to the gun, not the gun to my eye. If at all possible, take a spotter to the range with you, Preferably one who is a good shot. Have him/her shoot and see if the problem is YOU or the GUN.
Called S&W and was told to try different ammo.
So here is what I did....
Took the 40VE to the range today.....results...
Lawman 180 gr all over, fiired 3 rounds from sandbag first was 11"
low from poa, 2 nd was 6"low and 3rd was 5" low.
Winchester white box 180gr 3 rnds
1st & 2ND 7.5" LOW AND 3RD WAS 1.5" LOW
Remington 180 gr 3 rnds 1st was 1.75" low 2nd & 3rd 4" low.
Reloads 180 gr 4.6gr HP-38....3 rnds all grouped in 1inch group
that was 1.75" low.....
So I am going to work on reloads and see if I can get it a little
better.
All shots was from resting on solid sandbag.
.....I would still consider a local trade if it was interesting...Hmmmm
.44mag....????? some other .40 (something with a hammer)
So here is what I did....
Took the 40VE to the range today.....results...
Lawman 180 gr all over, fiired 3 rounds from sandbag first was 11"
low from poa, 2 nd was 6"low and 3rd was 5" low.
Winchester white box 180gr 3 rnds
1st & 2ND 7.5" LOW AND 3RD WAS 1.5" LOW
Remington 180 gr 3 rnds 1st was 1.75" low 2nd & 3rd 4" low.
Reloads 180 gr 4.6gr HP-38....3 rnds all grouped in 1inch group
that was 1.75" low.....
So I am going to work on reloads and see if I can get it a little
better.
All shots was from resting on solid sandbag.
.....I would still consider a local trade if it was interesting...Hmmmm
.44mag....????? some other .40 (something with a hammer)
My father in law, who is a Deputy Marshall just purchased two new Sigma SV 40's, one for him, and one for me. He paid $350 for each, with both guns coming with four 14 mags.
I haven't shot a pistol in 12 years (formerly qualified "expert" in the USMC with a Beretta 92F) and our first trip out to the range we each put 200 rounds thru our Sigma's.
My first attempt at the Indiana State Police qualifying shoot I shot a 207, 212, and 217 respectively.
Now as you can see, I'm hardly a range hound, or competitive shooter, but I must say, I'm pretty impressed with this out of the box Smith.
We also put 100 rounds thru his service Glock 22, and I must say, I prefered the Sigma over the Glock. IMO the trigger on the Glock is way too touchy.
We were using Winchester white box 165g .40 S&W Ammunition.
I haven't shot a pistol in 12 years (formerly qualified "expert" in the USMC with a Beretta 92F) and our first trip out to the range we each put 200 rounds thru our Sigma's.
My first attempt at the Indiana State Police qualifying shoot I shot a 207, 212, and 217 respectively.
Now as you can see, I'm hardly a range hound, or competitive shooter, but I must say, I'm pretty impressed with this out of the box Smith.
We also put 100 rounds thru his service Glock 22, and I must say, I prefered the Sigma over the Glock. IMO the trigger on the Glock is way too touchy.
We were using Winchester white box 165g .40 S&W Ammunition.
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I used to own a sigma .40. It was actually my second handgun. I had the same issue with it firing low. When I used some sandbags to see if the sights were bad, I discovered that the sights were right on target. I think that the issue was the heavy trigger pull. I would always end up pulling the gun down as I fired it. I called the local gun shop to see if I could have the trigger worked on but was told that they could not be modified. I did notice that the more I used the gun the looser the trigger became, just like any gun. At the time I was still new to shooting handguns, but was having much better results with my stepfathers glock 17 and my rossi .38sp. After a few months of my sigma gathering dust in my closet since I sucked at shooting it, I sold it and bought a beretta 92FS (best decision I've made in a while, I love my 92!, cheaper ammo as well). I'm not going to say that the sigma is not a good gun, I think it is a well made gun for the price. Mine only jammed once the entire time I owned it due to a mag issue, but other than that is was reliable. Only problem with this gun was that it did not work well for me. I was originally attracted to this gun because of the price, but ended up being sort of unhappy with it. I think that this gun would be well suited for an experienced shooter, but would not recommend it for novices. While this gun can be accurate in the right hands it is difficult to be effective with and didn't help me gain any confidence in my shooting. Once I had fired a larger variety of handguns I simply decided that this gun was not for me and went another direction.
I had the same problem with my Sigma 9mm. It was shooting low to the left. I file the front sight down a little at a time until it shot to the POA. I also drifted the the rear sight to the right. It is very easy to drift.
MMC makes a very good rear adj combat sight for the Sigma.
I also did a trigger job on mine and now it has a nicer 5 lb trigger pull. It is still long but lighter. It is very easy to do.
GC
MMC makes a very good rear adj combat sight for the Sigma.
I also did a trigger job on mine and now it has a nicer 5 lb trigger pull. It is still long but lighter. It is very easy to do.
GC
First thing to check is your technique. Usually when low shots are encountered it is because of what has been suggested- The heavy trigger pull has you overpowering your grip and aim point. You are PULLING your trigger hard which causes your hand to drop slightly. Try SQUEEZING your whole hand to drop the hammer. You should see an improvement.
If all else fails, fire the weapon from a machine rest to remove the "Human" factor and ensure it is the sights.
Most of the time it is the Human factor.
If all else fails, fire the weapon from a machine rest to remove the "Human" factor and ensure it is the sights.
Most of the time it is the Human factor.
I'd suggest spending $18 and getting a pack of good metal snap caps and doing some dry fire practice with it. Do 25 firings per session with a 10 minute or so break in between. After a few hundred shots you'll see a huge difference. The nice thing with the Sigma is you only have to move the slide back about 1/4" to reset the striker so you don't have to keep ejecting the cap.
Pick a target inside the house about 20 feet away. I like to use the corner of a shelf or something similar so I have a top and side edge to line up with the site. Concentrate on squeezing the trigger until you get to the point where the sights don't move at all when the trigger breaks. Part of the improvement comes from the gun breaking in (the pull weight will decrease by a shockingly large amount) and the other part comes from your finger getting stronger. The Sigma trigger is very much like that of a DA revolver.
If you still end up wanting to sell it you'll have the caps for whatever you replace it with. Dry fire practice with snap caps is good with any gun since it lets you work on the fundamentals of your trigger control for free. Once you have trigger control down then it's good practice for improving target acquisition speed.
I have the Sigma in 9mm and have no complaints about the trigger, but then I usually shoot DA revolvers in DA. I did the dry firing drill I suggested and had good results. At first, even when I concentrated I would always pull the front sight down a fair bit when dry firing. Now it stays right on target.
Pick a target inside the house about 20 feet away. I like to use the corner of a shelf or something similar so I have a top and side edge to line up with the site. Concentrate on squeezing the trigger until you get to the point where the sights don't move at all when the trigger breaks. Part of the improvement comes from the gun breaking in (the pull weight will decrease by a shockingly large amount) and the other part comes from your finger getting stronger. The Sigma trigger is very much like that of a DA revolver.
If you still end up wanting to sell it you'll have the caps for whatever you replace it with. Dry fire practice with snap caps is good with any gun since it lets you work on the fundamentals of your trigger control for free. Once you have trigger control down then it's good practice for improving target acquisition speed.
I have the Sigma in 9mm and have no complaints about the trigger, but then I usually shoot DA revolvers in DA. I did the dry firing drill I suggested and had good results. At first, even when I concentrated I would always pull the front sight down a fair bit when dry firing. Now it stays right on target.
buck hunter said:
Shooting low left indicates you are either jerking the trigger or squeezing your other fingers when you squeeze the trigger. This is common with a heavy trigger, as you pull harder your other fingers want to move in sympathy with your trigger finger. The dry fire drills I suggested will help to build up your trigger finger strength to allow it to function independently.
I keep a printed copy of this pistol correction chart in my range bag. It helps to diagnose what I should be focusing on correcting. http://www.is-lan.com/challenge/images/Pistol-Correction.pdf
If I were you, buzzard, I'd keep the sigma. They aren't really worth very much used. I got $200 for mine, and I consider myself extremely lucky to have gotten that. It took me a while to find somebody to pay that much; I had to take it to a gun show. Most gun shops were only willing to give me about $100 or $150 store credit. The sigma isn't a great gun, but it's worth more than most people will pay for a used one. Also a .40 to me seems way more useful than a .22 (unless you really want the cheap ammo for practice). I still wish I had kept mine now that it's gone. I think that if you follow the advice given by the other members you might find that it is worth holding on to. As long as the sights are good it has potential to be a great gun. Plus, if you can learn to shoot one of these with positive results, you will have great results with most other guns.
Between my father and me we own 18 hand guns, I can pick up any one of them and place my shots where I want them with the exception of the Sigma.
My father has a Hi-Point 40 that shoots like a dream and also a Bersa 40 that shoots great.
If I can trade the Sigma for a .22 then at least I will have a plinker that I will shoot. As it is with the Sigma I am tired of wasting ammo not hitting where I aim.
My father has a Hi-Point 40 that shoots like a dream and also a Bersa 40 that shoots great.
If I can trade the Sigma for a .22 then at least I will have a plinker that I will shoot. As it is with the Sigma I am tired of wasting ammo not hitting where I aim.
Dr J, You were given incorrect information. The triggers CAN be modified. Parts are sold to do so at Midway. I currently have my trigger pull on my Sigma to around 6 lbs. which is about as light as can be expected on a double action only pistol.
Further, if the pull on the trigger is not glass smooth, that can be remedied as well with polishing of the internal components.
These are great guns for the money right out of the box. Once you modify the trigger, they are an absolute dream to shoot.
There is a post on another forum that has all of the details as to how to modify the trigger. If you want it, reply back here, and I'll look for it and post it.
Further, if the pull on the trigger is not glass smooth, that can be remedied as well with polishing of the internal components.
These are great guns for the money right out of the box. Once you modify the trigger, they are an absolute dream to shoot.
There is a post on another forum that has all of the details as to how to modify the trigger. If you want it, reply back here, and I'll look for it and post it.
I gotta empathize, sympathize, or some kind of "ize" with Buzzard. There are way too many firearms out there for me to spend too much time with one I can't shoot well- or one that does not shoot well for me- OR one that does not shoot well for anybody. He bought the thing, he didn't marry it or father it. That's just me though.
Keep trying, don't give up. Eventually you'll find one that works out well for ya.
Keep trying, don't give up. Eventually you'll find one that works out well for ya.
By that logic, selling the sigma makes perfect sense. I understand completely the desire to have a good plinking gun like a 22a. I wish I had a 22 pistol to shoot, (the ammo is so cheap and they are quite fun). A friend of mine in Florida had a old 22 ruger and it was great; Incredibly accurate too. I also didn't realize that you had access to that many other guns, sounds fun! Now that I know more about your situation, it sounds like you made a good decision to sell the sigma. It was the only gun in the collection that didn't work for you. That's what was happening to me with mine. .40 ammo isn't cheap and there is no reason to waste hard earned money on a gun that you don't like. 40s are sort of strange anyway. They aren't as accurate as 9mm or .45 IMO (.40 lovers, please don't get mad). I like 9mm because it is cheap and available, and .45s are perfect for self defense.
I always sort of thought something was fishy about that guy telling me that the trigger could not be modified. I don't know why this gun shop would lie about that, but why does anybody do anything? In the back of my mind I always knew that guy was full of it, but now I know for sure, thanks for confirming that. Next time I go by that place I'm gonna bring that up.
I always sort of thought something was fishy about that guy telling me that the trigger could not be modified. I don't know why this gun shop would lie about that, but why does anybody do anything? In the back of my mind I always knew that guy was full of it, but now I know for sure, thanks for confirming that. Next time I go by that place I'm gonna bring that up.