The Sigma from S&W is in many ways THE red headed stepchild of the Smith lineup. Created with a price a few hundred dollars below the M&P, it seems to be a popular choice for the budget-minded buyer who still wants the Smith logo. Buyer beware however, the trigger is something out of a horror movie. A Google search of “Smith and Wesson Sigma Trigger” reveals page after page of forum posts and YouTube videos on how to fix things.
Looking at this 7 yard target, you can see how bad it needs trigger work.
The trigger on the stock Sigma goes off somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 pounds or so. Its gritty, nasty, stiff and horrible. The first step toward something better is to remove the double layer of springs in the trigger mechanism itself. Doing this took a few minutes and a sturdy pick. After removing the springs, the pull weight is a manageable 8.25 lbs. which, for most, is a good place to stop. However, this Sigma belongs to my mother in law and an 8+ pound trigger simply will not do.
A swipe of the credit card and $3.39 + shipping got me a Wolff Striker Spring from MidwayUSA. The package is a little light on frills (like instructions), but a simple search of YouTube and a basic understanding of how striker-fired pistols work allowed me to extract the gun’s guts and replace the spring.
An experienced pistolsmith could probably do the job in five minutes. I did it in about twenty including the time needed to freshen my drink. Wise amateurs will do well to use a non-marring tool to remove the delicate plastic piece holding the guts of the striker system in place.
Initial post-op readings on the trigger registered around 7.25 lbs., but repeated dry firing has that number settled in at just under 7 lbs. The trigger has gone from almost unusable to reasonably decent. It’s still not an Apex, but for less than five bucks and a few minutes of your time, you can convert your Sigma into a nice-shooting little polymer pistol.
The factory trigger on the Sigma simply is not as bad as some make it out to be. There is a technique to it that most people simply don’t take the time to learn. It’s much easier to just dismiss it as junk.
Agreed. I just picked one up for a little more than a song and a dime (I can’t dance) Cleaned it, set up a target at 7 yards and put five rounds on target, double tap, single, double.
Doesn’t Ghost Inc make a transfer bar for the Sigma? I got one for my Glock for around $20 and it made a huge difference
Need to edit the article to say “Bing search” after Google’s removal of gun related items from Google shopping. Good info on the sigma though, always had heard bad things about the trigger. Any potential issues in removing the second spring?
But he didn’t use bing…he used Google.
Most of you useless schleps didn’t even know google had a shopping section until someone turned it into a 2nd amendment mantra.
Even if us useless schleps knew about the firearms results in the Shopping section we would never actually use it. It was (and still is, just not for guns) an advertising gimmick for sellers willing to get in bed with Google.
I used it a lot for a quick search to get ranges for good prices before going to a gun show or otherwise buying something.
Pie: Thanks for the educated, adult response. I was very aware of Google shopping and used it very frequently to check prices on guns, ammo and parts as well as non-firearm related merchandise to find other retailers and give me ballpark price info. I won’t be doing that in the future.
I understand that he used Google, and reported on what he used. My comment was meant to suggest that if Google doesn’t want to support our interests and the focus of this blog, then I don’t think we should continue to support them.
I started trying to quit using Google products when they changed their privacy policy back in January, I believe.
This from Digital Journal that I “DuckDuckGo’d”.
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“Google is facing severe criticism from several quarters after it revealed its plan to link user data across its online services, including email, YouTube and social-networking. Many say Google’s move is an unprecedented invasion of privacy.
The Washington Post says Google is seeking to collate a “massive cauldron of data” about its users. Privacy advocates say Google is violating privacy of its users who have previously not had their information shared across different web services.”
+1 I_like_pie
Why do conservatives always look for a conspiracy in everything? The sky is always falling…..
Why is it that libtards always think they know what conservatives are thinking?
Gotta love broad assumptions. There are crazies on both sides of politics. If you sit in the middle, you will see that every day.
Ha! The 2 biggest “sky is falling” libtard conspiracy theories are the lies about gun control and the environmentalist wacko one about man-made “global warming”; stop calling the kettle black (ie, being a hypocrite, in case your liberal brain doesn’t understand the idiom).
why do liberials never qustion anything? you need to question your liberial selfs because your thinking is flauded
don’t you mean you like HAIR PIE!!! HA HA!!
Tyler,
why does the receipt say may reduce reliability?
good review everyone speaks highly of wolff springs
Because lawyers.
may reduce
reliability for Wolff if there is a problem.I think its probably to cover them in case of light primer strikes. The original spring just demolished the primers. Deep, defined strikes. I bet if you used a harder primer, you’d get some reliability issues. Regular soft pistol primers are fine.
i got lucky with my sigma. after shooting my son’s i wanted one. i knew from his that the trigger was less than optimal. but it was a good fitting, reliable pistol for a sweet price so i bought one for myself. surprise, the trigger on mine wasn’t awful. but i mostly shoot double action revolvers and this seems to make the sigma work better for me. now if i could find cheap magazines for it i would completely satisfied with it.
Pawn shops and gun shows! I was just in a pawnshop that had a tub of $15 mags for a variety of weaponry. Sadly, nothing I needed.
In response to the target picture: the trigger is not the problem, your aim is atrocious at 7 yards. I shot a 3″ group at 25 yards…center mass. As for the trigger pull, there is really no difference between a few “pounds” when pulling on a piece of plastic. The size and strength on one’s trigger finger and hand play a more pivotal role in the firing of any weapon so don’t blame the machine when the operator sucks. : ) I have only put a few magazines through my Sigma but with those few rounds, its accuracy is awesome in the hands of a skilled shooter.
Too many people want to be seen as master gunsmiths from their parent’s basements by gutting weapons and putting them back together in order to get plenty of views on youtube. Stick to Legos and Licoln Logs kiddies.
I would not worry too much about the trigger (wolff spring will improve it). FYI—I would be more concerned with broken strikers on these guns (even without dry firing, heavy loads or thousands of rounds). Prior to breaking, my sigma shot really nice. Will send it back to S&W eventually (apparently, the striker has the be “fitted”—this is what the tech @ S&W told me). Anyway, not pressed, but the gun does shoot well. Tip: if you can find one, use a solid metal guide rod and spring designed for a full sized (F) sigma. Cut the rod to the correct length and measure the spring weight, then cut to length. Have a smith do this if you are unsure. This mod definitely works (changes front-end balance and allows you to taylor spring weight).
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