I owned one for a time. There have been some QC issues with them and mine was a victim of that. I hear things have gotten much better.
Mine wouldn't shoot anything but full 5.56 loads. Any .223 loading wouldn't cycle the weapon. Kinda annoying and not cool for a fighting gun. It was also noticeably heavier than a DI AR that does everything the sig does. Iron sights were weak and wouldn't be accessible if you mount an optic or NV.
On the upside. It ran cleaner than an AR so if you treat your rifle like you treat your lawnmower thats a positive. The stock trigger was awesome. Accuracy was just ok. I liked the ergonomics and a 551 handguard made a huge difference in how the front of the gun felt.
If it weren't for the cycling issues, I would have kept it. It was different and worked well enough in other areas. If I have to hump a gun any distance, I'd choose a Colt 6720.
Mine wouldn't shoot anything but full 5.56 loads. Any .223 loading wouldn't cycle the weapon. Kinda annoying and not cool for a fighting gun. It was also noticeably heavier than a DI AR that does everything the sig does. Iron sights were weak and wouldn't be accessible if you mount an optic or NV.
On the upside. It ran cleaner than an AR so if you treat your rifle like you treat your lawnmower thats a positive. The stock trigger was awesome. Accuracy was just ok. I liked the ergonomics and a 551 handguard made a huge difference in how the front of the gun felt.
If it weren't for the cycling issues, I would have kept it. It was different and worked well enough in other areas. If I have to hump a gun any distance, I'd choose a Colt 6720.
Brian what do you think of S&W M&P ARs? Mine is fairly light (DI version, M&P15T, 6.85lbs) and has eaten everything I've fed it, a variety of factory 5.56 and .223 plus Mig's reloads. Granted it's not seen hard action like a carbine course or been in harm's way, but I have noticed LE depts adopting them, that's gotta say something. I sure like mine. 
S&W's are fine. We've had several guys buy them and for the amount of rounds a patrol guy shoots in a year, they're probably good to go. I wouldn't run them on SWAT. Early ones had really light finish and it wore or scratched off very quickly so a lot of our guys had them duracoated or cerrakoted. We had one that we couldn't get to zero with the irons, just shot super low for some reason but S&W took care of it and sent her out a new gun. One or two didn't like P-Mags, the magwell was too tight and that was troublesome.
I don't think they are on par with a Colt but if you have a good one, it should run just fine for a couple thousand rounds a year. Check your gas key and castle nut regularly to make sure they stay tight and the bolt and chamber extension for wear.
I don't think they are on par with a Colt but if you have a good one, it should run just fine for a couple thousand rounds a year. Check your gas key and castle nut regularly to make sure they stay tight and the bolt and chamber extension for wear.
Oh, I forgot, I still have a 556 pistol hiding somewhere. just waiting for our state to give us back our SBR rights. Don't think I'm anti SIG or anything.
Back to our ORIGINAL Programming -- Sig556 classic
Okay, great job hi-jacking my thread. :mfclap:
If anyone else has input about the Sig Saur sig556 rifle, I would really appreciate it I didn't know there was a 556 PISTOL too... that makes things very confusing.
Oh, and the next person to hi-jack my threads can't fire my rifle when I do get it... :nana:
Okay, great job hi-jacking my thread. :mfclap:
If anyone else has input about the Sig Saur sig556 rifle, I would really appreciate it
I didn't know there was a 556 PISTOL too... that makes things very confusing. Oh, and the next person to hi-jack my threads can't fire my rifle when I do get it... :nana:
I don't own the 556 Classic, but I've fired them quite a bit. I have to say that they have the best trigger out of the box of ANY assault type rifle I've ever fired.
I do own a 556 pistol...which has not been fired much but I have some plans for it when I can finally get to it (other projects in the way). And I have a 556R on the way. (R is for Russian...it fires the 7.62x39 and takes standard AK mags).
All these SIG rifles are top notch. It's basically a highly refined AK...pull it apart and you can see it's essentially a modernized AK operating system. It is what the AK COULD have been if it had been built by people who wanted to make the platform all it could be.
I'm an AK guy, but the problem with AKs is that quality is all over the place. There are A LOT of them that are crap, there are only a few I would own. And even of those, quality can vary (Arsenals and Saiga for instance).
The VEPR, which is probably the best actual AK you can get, requires a lot of modification from how it comes into the country in order to reach it's full potential. I have two VEPRs, love em both, but it took a lot of effort and expense to get them where they are now.
The Sig has all that goodness right out of the box, for a lot less $$. If you have the opportunity to get one, I suggest doing it. With good optics, a good shooter, and good ammo (Lapua 7.62x39...expensive but worth it if you want accuracy), I've seen this rifle hit out to 600 yards. that's a lot more than should be expected of 762x39, but it's possible.
With 5.56...there are a lot more quality ammo choices. (when you can find it in stock now of course).
SIG did have some quality issues in the past with this series, but the new batches have since been corrected. The current batches have folding stocks. The older, problematic batches have folding stocks that are also adjustable for length of pull...I know some of them were good but quality in the older models was spotty.
I do own a 556 pistol...which has not been fired much but I have some plans for it when I can finally get to it (other projects in the way). And I have a 556R on the way. (R is for Russian...it fires the 7.62x39 and takes standard AK mags).
All these SIG rifles are top notch. It's basically a highly refined AK...pull it apart and you can see it's essentially a modernized AK operating system. It is what the AK COULD have been if it had been built by people who wanted to make the platform all it could be.
I'm an AK guy, but the problem with AKs is that quality is all over the place. There are A LOT of them that are crap, there are only a few I would own. And even of those, quality can vary (Arsenals and Saiga for instance).
The VEPR, which is probably the best actual AK you can get, requires a lot of modification from how it comes into the country in order to reach it's full potential. I have two VEPRs, love em both, but it took a lot of effort and expense to get them where they are now.
The Sig has all that goodness right out of the box, for a lot less $$. If you have the opportunity to get one, I suggest doing it. With good optics, a good shooter, and good ammo (Lapua 7.62x39...expensive but worth it if you want accuracy), I've seen this rifle hit out to 600 yards. that's a lot more than should be expected of 762x39, but it's possible.
With 5.56...there are a lot more quality ammo choices. (when you can find it in stock now of course).
SIG did have some quality issues in the past with this series, but the new batches have since been corrected. The current batches have folding stocks. The older, problematic batches have folding stocks that are also adjustable for length of pull...I know some of them were good but quality in the older models was spotty.
I'm a newb here (another NWFA refugee) but I got a sig 556 a few months ago. So far I have about 1000rds through it and other than the first few mags of the bolt not closing completely on its own, probably needed break in mine has ran flawless. I have ran reloads, good brass and steel case crap in both 556 and 223 and all ran perfect. If I was Gunna nit pic the only bad things I could say is it is a lot heavier up front cause of the piston and gas block which takes a little getting used to if you like a lightweight AR. And if you reload the 556 destroys brass on ejection pretty bad. I haven't even cleaned it yet and still runs perfect. Oh yea the other thing is there is not a lot of aftermarket support like the AR platform either. So if you like pimping out your gun like an AR the aftermarket is very very limited.
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The 556 does come with some polymer rails you can attach, and the SWAT versions have rails. For me, a sling and an optic, and a light if your mission for the gun is CQB. That's all that's needed on the Sig. IMHO
The Sig 556 is basically a refined AK. It's a bit closer to the AR with the safety and mag release, but it's handling characteristics are essentially AK.
If you're an AR guy and try to run an AK the same way, you won't be happy with the gun. Vice versa. The AK is just a heavier gun and that plays into handling and what you choose to load it up with. (personally I like to keep as little as possible on anything I own)
Ergonomics is largely a matter of what you're used to. The eastern bloc guys, when they've run with the AR, all complain that the controls are in the wrong place and that it's not ergonomic!
In any event, as I understand from my industry contacts, SIG is not going to focus AT ALL on manufacturing the 556 (the .223 version) for the foreseeable future. They are focused 100% on the 516, the 716, the M400...and the 556R. More of those will come into the country, but your chance for the 556 is past.
Hopefully things go better in the political realm, but the major manufacturers are battening down.
The Sig 556 is basically a refined AK. It's a bit closer to the AR with the safety and mag release, but it's handling characteristics are essentially AK.
If you're an AR guy and try to run an AK the same way, you won't be happy with the gun. Vice versa. The AK is just a heavier gun and that plays into handling and what you choose to load it up with. (personally I like to keep as little as possible on anything I own)
Ergonomics is largely a matter of what you're used to. The eastern bloc guys, when they've run with the AR, all complain that the controls are in the wrong place and that it's not ergonomic!
In any event, as I understand from my industry contacts, SIG is not going to focus AT ALL on manufacturing the 556 (the .223 version) for the foreseeable future. They are focused 100% on the 516, the 716, the M400...and the 556R. More of those will come into the country, but your chance for the 556 is past.
Hopefully things go better in the political realm, but the major manufacturers are battening down.
