S & W SIGMA SERIES

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I’m contemplating purchasing my very first semi-auto pistol for home defense and am considering buying a S & W Sigma Series semi-auto as they’re very reasonably priced under $500. I’m looking for information or experience on the reliability of this weapon as I’ve always been a revolver guy for home defense purposes due to the “jam factor” and am still very concerned about it. It’s obviously very unlikely that I’ll ever need to use this weapon, but if I do I really need it to work properly! Also, it comes chambered in 9 mm or .40 S & W, which is superior for stopping power? Thanks all.
 
From what I remember reading in G&A, there were some reliability issues with the early (1990's) Sigma pistols. I am sure those issues have long since been resolved. With that said, the current production Sigma looks like a perfectly good gun. As far as stopping power, I would choose the .40 over the 9mm. If the Sigma suits your intended application, I say go for it.

I'm partial to Glock myself, but they are a little more expensive and you didn't ask about them....so I won't mention Glock (wink, wink).
 
A well placed shot will be needed with any caliber for a good stop. I am not sure about the Sigma. There is a S@W chat site.
 
Originally Posted By: MADMIKE
I’m contemplating purchasing my very first semi-auto pistol for home defense and am considering buying a S & W Sigma Series semi-auto as they’re very reasonably priced under $500. I’m looking for information or experience on the reliability of this weapon as I’ve always been a revolver guy for home defense purposes due to the “jam factor” and am still very concerned about it. It’s obviously very unlikely that I’ll ever need to use this weapon, but if I do I really need it to work properly! Also, it comes chambered in 9 mm or .40 S & W, which is superior for stopping power? Thanks all.


Under 500 bucks will get you a lot of pistols that are superior to the Sigma. S&W's own M&P series of pistols aren't much more than a Sigma and are MUCH better.

For around 500, you get a very nice Sig Sauer P series pistol in CPO condition (certified pre owned) that has been gone through from the factory and even refinished.

Also the XD from Springfield is in that price range along with Glock.

I'd stay away from a Sigma unless you want an absolutely horrible trigger pull and cheap materials. And I shoot a lot of guns, so I know what I am talking about.

I won't comment about which round is better than that round, etc. It will all boil down to anecdotal evidence and everyone advocating that the round that is best is the one they own the most guns in. Pointless.
 
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I agree with Saturn_Fan...I'm also not a big fan of Sigma. In this case, you really do get what you pay for.

In terms of "stopping power," conventional wisdom seems to give the edge to .40cal. I'm a sucker for the classics so I stick to boring ol' .45ACP for a "home defense" role...psst...a basic Springfield Armory milspec 1911 should be do-able for $500-ish.

Good luck with whatever you end up getting.
 
I have two Sigmas in my battery both 9mm and found both to be fine pistols for the money. They resemble in shooting only a Glock like ability and reliability.

Durango
 
The thing is, this gun is going to literally sit in a drawer and never be used, so the finer points like trigger pull and cheap materials, etc aren’t a concern, just cost and especially reliability for the 1 in a million chance that I need to fire it on my property some day in self defense. I just want to make sure it doesn’t have a reputation for being a jamming machine before buying it. As far as which caliber to select, ballistically speaking, is one of these rounds significantly superior to the other in terms of muzzle energy? Thanks again!
 
MADMIKE,

Don't worry about the Sigma pistol. They'll work when you need it. Just keep it clean/oil it like you would a Glock. I suggest you spend some bucks and shoot 50 rounds through it annualy.

In reality the only concern you have is having it outlawed...not to interject any politics into it.

Durango
 
If cost and reliability are the main factors you might look at the Ruger P95, it can be had for around $300. I as well as several friends have one and I can attest as to the reliability.

The .40 is going to have the edge in muzzle energy mostly due to a heavier projectile.
 
Originally Posted By: Durango
I have two Sigmas in my battery both 9mm and found both to be fine pistols for the money. They resemble in shooting only a Glock like ability and reliability.

Durango


Glock = Sigma for reliabilty and ability? No way, no how.

Your Sigma trigger pull is horrendous. Glock's trigger pull comes in at 5.5lbs factory and can be lightened in 2 minutes to 3.5lbs.

How do you figure a Sigma is as reliable as a Glock? Because your two Sigmas haven't jammed? That doesn't hold water.

OP: It is your money, but if you are paying anywhere even remotely close to 500 for a Sigma, then you have not done your proper research.

Get an M&P, Sig, Glock, Springer 1911 or an XD and be done with it.

And if you ever decide to sell your Sigma because you don't like it, you are going to be extremely lucky to get 175 bucks out of it. I got tired of a Glock I had and sold it for 450 bucks after several years of owning it.

Friends don't let friends buy Sigmas.
 
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Originally Posted By: MADMIKE
I’m contemplating purchasing my very first semi-auto pistol for home defense and am considering buying a S & W Sigma Series semi-auto as they’re very reasonably priced under $500. I’m looking for information or experience on the reliability of this weapon as I’ve always been a revolver guy for home defense purposes due to the “jam factor” and am still very concerned about it. It’s obviously very unlikely that I’ll ever need to use this weapon, but if I do I really need it to work properly! Also, it comes chambered in 9 mm or .40 S & W, which is superior for stopping power? Thanks all.


Your statement, "It's obviously very unlikely that I'll ever need to use this weapon" is way off base. Shooting skills are not something you just tap into once or twice just in case. You are going to have to put at least 500-1000 rounds of practice through the pistol you are using for home or self defense.

If you don't practice shooting your home defense weapon you are doing yourself a big disservice. In the middle of the night with your adrenaline pumping and no shooting experience, you are likely to run into some problems. Training is needed to be proficient with your chosen weapon. Anyone telling you differently is leading you astray.

Magazines and guns both jam. Off the rack brand new guns and mags can and will jam. When you buy a new pistol, you buy several magazines and ammo types until you figure out which combination is the best for accuracy and reliability.

An encounter with a home invader is not the time to find out that a magazine in your rotation has a spring or a follower that sticks.
 
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Originally Posted By: Buffman
If you just want it go to bang and it's going to sit in a drawer, then get a hipoint...


Good luck with that mentality.

People that actually practice still aren't often going to be 100% when the chips are down in an HD situation, so how well do you think someone that has one in a drawer that he's fired a few times is going to do in low light conditions with an attacker closing in?

Google the term Tueller Drill and get back to me after reading how long it takes a guy with a knife to cover distance towards you while you are armed with a firearm.

If you some of you guys don't know anything about proper training and firearms, that's fine, but do not lead the OP astray like you're doing.
 
Originally Posted By: Saturn_Fan
Originally Posted By: Buffman
If you just want it go to bang and it's going to sit in a drawer, then get a hipoint...


Good luck with that mentality.

People that actually practice still aren't often going to be 100% when the chips are down in an HD situation, so how well do you think someone that has one in a drawer that he's fired a few times is going to do in low light conditions with an attacker closing in?

Google the term Tueller Drill and get back to me after reading how long it takes a guy with a knife to cover distance towards you while you are armed with a firearm.

If you some of you guys don't know anything about proper training and firearms, that's fine, but do not lead the OP astray like you're doing.


This is coming from the same guy, who doesn't like XDs because they're made in Crotia, hmmm.. It could be questioned your knowledge based on your past assumptions of the springfield XD line, but we won't go there. I don't own hipoints, but I know many people who do. They're ugly as sin, but guess what, they'll go bang everytime. I'm not advocating the OP just go out and buy some cheap POS, but he seems to have the mindset that he just wants one to shoot a couple times and then throw in his drawer, just in case. I've never been much a fan of some S&W models, but if you want a serious recommendation, I'd recommend, an XD, or Glock, or even S&W M&P semi-automatic.. You'll find failures no matter how expensive or well known a firearm is. The only way to trust your firearm is to shoot it and shoot it quite often (as you mentioned).
 
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I can't comment on Hi Point handguns, but I own a 995 carbine and it has over 2k rounds through it without a malfunction.
 
Originally Posted By: Saturn_Fan
Originally Posted By: Durango
I have two Sigmas in my battery both 9mm and found both to be fine pistols for the money. They resemble in shooting only a Glock like ability and reliability.

Durango


Glock = Sigma for reliabilty and ability? No way, no how.





Actually the newest Sigmas have many enhancements that Glocks did not have, like a fully enclosed barrel for the .40 and the triggers are much better then the older models. They're as reliable as a Glock, maybe even more so in comparing certain models from certain years to one another.

But as has been stated, the first gen Sigmas were paper weights!
 
If I am going to own a gun that will sit in a drawer for a long time, loaded, and I want the most reliable jam free operation possible.............then I am going to get a revolver. Jams happen, and are rare as [censored] in a properly functioning pistol. That being said, clearing a jam in a life threatening situation is something I wouldn't want to try, even if it is a 1000-1 chance.

If you are willing to run a few hundred rounds through a weapon, verifying the pistol works OK, and the ammo is compatable and doesn't jam up the works, then I might be more open to a semi auto. I just trust no weapon until I have broken it in and determined absolute reliability, or as close to absolute as any mechanical device can be.
 
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Academy Sports + Outdoors sells the Sigma in 9mm and .40 S&W for $319.00

http://www.academy.com/index.php?page=co...0357-03425-0023

I've thought of getting a Sigma to stick in my desk to free up a revolver to use somewhere else. The one person I have talked to that had a Sigma didn't like it very much. He said it jammed and was inaccurate. The Sigma's I have looked at are double action only, and I don't like that.

Academy also has the Beretta Px4 Storm in .40 and 9mm for $519, and a Px4 compact in 9mm for $519. I have a .40 cal Storm and it is a nice gun, feels well made, and feels good in the hand.

I think if 9mm and .40 S&W are the same price, and stopping power is the issue, it makes the most sense to go with the .40.
 
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