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Smith & Wesson Sigma
The Smith & Wesson SW, better known as the Smith & Wesson Sigma (named after the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet: Σ), was the company's first polymer-framed, striker-fired pistol line. The Smith & Wesson Sigma was introduced in the mid 1990s after the company took serious market losses when Glock began taking a huge majority of law enforcement contracts that were formerly secured by Smith & Wesson. The two biggest blows to the company came when Glock beat S&W to the market with a .40-caliber pistol (the .40-caliber cartridge was developed by Smith & Wesson) and the FBI chose to go with the .40-caliber Glock 22 instead of the Smith & Wesson 4006, which the company had designed specifically for the FBI. In response, a humiliated and desperate Smith & Wesson created the Sigma line as a budget alternative to the Glock. The Sigma pistol was offered in several calibers. The Sigma 9 (9x19mm), Sigma 40 (.40 S&W), Sigma 357V (.357 SIG), and the subcompact Sigma 380 (.380 ACP). However, the two designs were so similar that certain parts (such as barrels) could actually interchange and function. Glock immediately filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Smith & Wesson. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum, which is theorized to be around 5 to 8 million dollars. As if this wasn't enough, the cheap build quality of the Sigmas resulted in them being notoriously unreliable and with heavy, gritty triggers. Because of the lawsuit, Smith & Wesson ultimately discontinued the original Sigma models, replacing them with the improved SW VE ("value enhanced") line. Smith & Wesson finally discontinued the SW/Sigma line in 2012 after introducing an improvement of the design, the SD VE line, which is still being produced today. In 2005, the Smith & Wesson M&P, a similar but substantially improved design, was introduced. Unlike the Sigma, the M&P became hugely successful and finally secured Smith & Wesson important law enforcement contracts, including the LAPD and DEA.
The Smith & Wesson Sigma and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Smith & Wesson Sigma SW9F
The SW9F/SW40F was introduced in 1994 to compete with the Glock 17 and Glock 22. These so-called "first generation Sigmas" are easily distinguishable by their lengthy slide, lack of an accessory rail and smooth grip texture. Also notable is that these guns originally shipped with a 17-round magazine, which can be identified by its larger baseplate. The 17-round magazines were later replaced with the 16-round magazine that is commonly associated with Sigmas (and is still being used on the SD line today). The SW9F was initially intended as an affordable Smith & Wesson handgun to compete with the similarly priced Glock, however its poor reliability did not make it a serious competitor for the law enforcement and self-defense markets. The SW9F found unfortunate success with criminals, and the gun's similarity to the Glock (even down to the rectangular firing pin) stumped forensic investigators who only could tell the difference because Sigma barrels did not use polygonal rifling. Because of these similarities, Smith & Wesson was sued for patent infringement by Glock the same year the guns were first released, 1994. Smith & Wesson settled the case and quickly discontinued the SW F in 1996, replacing them with the improved SW VE. Because of their short production schedule, the SW F models are some of the rarest Sigmas.
Specifications
(1994 - 1996)
- Type: Pistol
- Caliber(s): 9x19mm
- Weight: 1.625 lb (0.737 kg)
- Length: 7.5 in (190 mm)
- Barrel length(s): 4.5 in (114 mm)
- Capacity: 17, 16 or 10-round Magazine
- Fire Modes: Semi-Auto (DAO)
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Substitute | Tom Berenger | John Shale | 1996 | |
| American Dragons | Michael Biehn | Detective Tony Luca | 1998 | |
| Scarred City | Jalil Jay Lynch | A robber | 1998 | |
| Outside the Law | Peyton's henchman | 2002 | ||
| Belly of the Beast | Steven Seagal | Jake Hopper | 2003 | |
| Norman Veeratum | Captain Suthep | |||
| Bangkok police | ||||
| Torque | Ice Cube | Trey | Stainless slide | 2004 |
| Casino Royale | Thug | 2006 | ||
| Haunted Forest | Maris Racal | Mich | 2017 | |
| Jon Lucas | Andre |
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breaking Bad - Season 4 | Seen in case; "Thirty-Eight Snub" (S4E02) | 2011 | ||
| Longmire | Bailey Chase | Branch Connally | two-tone | 2012 |
| Better Call Saul - Season 2 | Vincent Fuentes | Arturo Colon | "Bali Ha'i" (S2E06) | 2016 |
| Jonathan Banks | Michael Ehrmantraut | |||
| Better Call Saul - Season 3 | Vincent Fuentes | Arturo Colon | "Lantern" (S3E10) | 2017 |
Smith & Wesson Sigma SW40F
The SW40F was the first model of the Sigma to be released, intending to compete with the Glock 22 for law enforcement contracts. The SW40F was so similar to the Glock that its barrel would function in a Glock 22 and vice versa. The SW40F even had a plastic magazine catch. The SW40F is essentially identical to the SW9F but it has lower magazine capacity due to the larger width of the .40-caliber round. Because the Sigma line was initially designed around the .40, it was easy to engineer a 9mm version of the design and have it be safe to fire. The SW40F lasted longer than the SW9F, but it was also quickly replaced in 1998 with the SW40VE.
Specifications
(1994 - 1998)
- Type: Pistol
- Caliber(s): .40 S&W
- Weight: 1.625 lb (0.737 kg)
- Length: 7.5 in (190 mm)
- Barrel length(s): 4.5 in (114 mm)
- Capacity: 15, 14 or 10-round Magazine
- Fire Modes: Semi-Auto (DAO)
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Powers in Goldmember | Verne Troyer | Mini-Me | 2002 |
Smith & Wesson Sigma SW9VE
In 1996, after the SW F line was discontinued because of the Glock lawsuit, Smith & Wesson began making changes to the Sigma design to avoid further patent disputes. The company's first alteration was the SW C, or "Compact". The slide and barrel on the SW C was half an inch shorter than the SW F line. In 1997, an improved SW C model, the SW V, or "Value", was introduced. The SW V was the first gun in the Sigma line with a stainless steel slide, and, by 1999, this became the SW VE, or "Value Enhanced". The SW VE has many improvements, including enhanced grip texturing, a loaded chamber indicator witness hole in the barrel, a larger caliber stamping on the breech, a proprietary accessory rail on the dust cover and a steel magazine catch. The SW VE line was produced until 2012, when it was fully replaced by the SD VE line.
Specifications
(1999 - 2012)
- Type: Pistol
- Caliber(s): 9x19mm
- Weight: 1.518 lb (0.688 kg)
- Length: 7 in (177 mm)
- Barrel length(s): 4 in (102 mm)
- Capacity: 16 or 10-round Magazine
- Fire Modes: Semi-Auto (DAO)
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears As | Mods | Notes | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World of Guns: Gun Disassembly | S&W Sigma | laser sight, suppressor, flashlight, Aimpoint scope and tactical grip. | 2014 |
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Better Call Saul - Season 4 | Jeremiah Bitsui | Victor | Two-Tone; "Breathe" (S4E02), "Something Beautiful" (S4E03) | 2018 |
| Better Call Saul - Season 5 | Jeremiah Bitsui | Victor | Two-Tone; "50% Off" (S5E02) | 2020 |
| Better Call Saul - Season 6 | Jeremiah Bitsui | Victor | Two-Tone; "Rock and Hard Place" (S6E03) | 2022 |
Smith & Wesson Sigma SD40
The Smith & Wesson SD (self-defense) line was created in 2010 as a further improvement of the SW VE. While technically an evolution of the SW VE, the SD line contains enough differences to be effectively considered a different product line. The SD line incorporated wider slide serrations with front cocking serrations on the slide, finger rests on the front of the frame, improved ergonomics, a Picatinny rail, an improved trigger and a straightened trigger guard for ease of attaching accessories. The standard model with the melonite slide is simply called "SD" while the more common stainless version is the SD VE (value enhanced). The SD line is still being produced today as the SD 2.0, which includes an improved trigger, deeper slide serrations and serrations in the sight radius.
Specifications
(2010 - Present)
- Type: Pistol
- Caliber(s): .40 S&W
- Weight: 1.419 lb (0. 643 kg)
- Length: 7.2 in (183 mm)
- Barrel length(s): 4 in (102 mm)
- Capacity: 14-round Magazine
- Fire Modes: Semi-Auto (DAO)
Anime
| Film/Television Title | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sword Art Online II | 2014 |
Smith & Wesson Sigma SW380 (Compact)
Specifications
(1995 - 1996)
- Type: Pistol
- Caliber(s): .380 ACP
- Weight: 0.875 lb (0.40 kg)
- Length: 5.8 in (148 mm)
- Barrel length(s): 3 in (76.2 mm)
- Capacity: 6-round Magazine
- Fire Modes: Semi-Auto (DAO)
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury Rising | Bruce Willis | FBI Special Agent Art Jeffries | 1998 | |
| Phone Booth | Colin Farrell | Stu Shepard | 2001 |
See Also
- Smith & Wesson - A list of all weapons produced by Smith & Wesson