Anyone seen or shot a SIG556?

[drine]

Just saw one yesterday at my brothers store. They had three and someone bought two right after they set them out. Close to 1400.00 and the thing has NO SIGHTS! I guess a couple of fold downs would look good and could be had under 200.00 but sheeeeeeit why don't they include some. Very nice, gas piston upper if that tickles your fancy. Light weight,etc.. You'll spend that gettting a tricked out AR from one of the better manufacturers. This has the rails and battery compartments integrated instead of saddled on somewhere. As far as looks go, I like the saddled on look of the current AR accessories. This one looked abit strange but is growing on me. Still, I just looked and drooled. I don't get a discount!

[cz777]

what are odd/strange looking weapon ? ok i will tell you what its a wild and very nice built weapon! fal type gas system/ 2 nocks of gas setting next is the bolt/carrier is ak/svd but lighter and recoil spring goes to front not to back around the piston !please go to www.biggerhammer.net and world.guns.ru look up sig 551 ....ok fired test weapon today at 40 rds all is good on paper at 100yds with a sightron 3x9-40 mildot, monday finish zeroing! sights are $250 samson front rear will be arms !is it worth getting ,YES mods needed are handgrip so index finger cuts/brusing zero gapping ,line blending next stock tube is open at both ends -mmm storge space? like for parts/cleaner kit?? open way i thinking a carry hand with samsom front mmm??? so far all is good no trouble with lac-coated wolf ammo for a test !my ar hates the lac-coated so it passed this test -radway green and china north for monday range time zero will tell all!

[cz777]

it like a drug that sig 556 less than 1'' easy with 62 grain radway green and norico 55 grain-the scope is a 3x9-40 mil-dot sightron with a 3/4 riser mount-this works very well !and mounted a phantom flash hider ,indexed 10/2/5/7 O'Clock! its worth the money!

[drine]

I think several steps above the common AR. Don't get me wrong, I'd take either.

[moreammoplz]

I held one at Cabelas a while back, very nice gun. I would love to shoot one. Prices on them seem to vary a lot.

[IMBLITZVT]

I here you can rent a FA one in PA...

[Player]

saw one today, wasn't too impressed with the synthetic grips and all. felt like mattel plastic.

[hunter_la5]

saw one today, wasn't too impressed with the synthetic grips and all. felt like mattel plastic.

I've actually heard that complaint several times on various boards. everyone seems to like the gun well enough, but apparently the furniture is crap. if they would make a model with the original 550 furniture I'd probably be all over it

[Player]

I've actually heard that complaint several times on various boards. everyone seems to like the gun well enough, but apparently the furniture is crap. if they would make a model with the original 550 furniture I'd probably be all over it

that, and not putting any sort of factory iron sight would be the uber retarded move of the age. honestly, why the hell would you sell something like that w/o any iron sights or any iron sights available for purchase?

[Anthropy]

They did not put iron sights on it, since they think that all the mall ninjas want to put holo sights or scopes on their weapons.

[KMURPHY]

They did not put iron sights on it, since they think that all the mall ninjas want to put holo sights or scopes on their weapons.

that is good lololol:rockon:

[bentbarrel]

Yes and yes no big deal, another over priced wona be better than AR. I can build 2 3/4 AR's for the price of that.

[jfowl31]

they didn't put irons on it because its a civilin rifle and all match grade. Basically its mae for a scope.

I agree the furniture feels a bit cheap, but it feels 10X better than say A2 furniture.

Personally, I would never call it a "wannabe AR" because its head and shoulders above an AR in all aspects. No way in hell you could buy a Piston driven AR built by Sig or HK for $1200-1300. no way.

[gunnysmith]

My regular dealer bought the required number of rifles, pistols, etc to get the dealer discount. He was told that was no good on the dealer discount for the 556. The purchase was over $20,000 from Sigarms

The guy can keep them with an attitude like that.
I'd rather get the Magpul Masada. USA made too.

[cz777]

well sig was moded -magpul ctr stock , pistol grip added in yankee hill iron sights front/rear !yes the furniture is bad but the rest is great ! sights from sig on the swat -pop-up blade with steel steel suxs !mine has steel yankee hill front rail mount i mad a mini-pennitey rail to fit to sigs dovetail so ar sights can be used !fore grip is next !

[Genocide]

I have one, Functioned flawlessly from day one, have put 600 rounds through it and no problems at all. The gun runs very clean and I can get 8" groups at 300 yards with the 4x scope I have mounted on it.

I've only used Magpul poly mags in it. I just got some steel green follower mags to try out.

heres my post on it.
http://www.militaryfirearm.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=2757

[K.O.A.M.]

We have a couple that we are T&E'ing. So far, so good. We swapped out the M4 stock on one with a standard AR stock, and I actually like it better. We have an EoTech on one, and a Bushnell on the other. So far, no problems and good reviews.

[warlord]

Sounds like a great weapon, but... isn't there always a but, I agree for the price it can't be justified. I have several AR's, most built myself. I have never had any problems with function, OK my first SP1 very early model I got an FTF or FTE once and a while, but like said it was an very early version of the AR. I also would like one of those POF piston uppers but for the $$$ it just can't be justified. I maintain my weapons and the gas system has never been a problem. Unless you are going balls out full auto and are going to have super heat build up leading to a melted gas tube there is no need for the system, not to mention the piston upper adds weight to the weapon. That's why Stoner went with the gas tube. Still I think it would be cool to have one.

[jfowl31]

See I completely disagree. A piston-driven gas system is superior to a gas tube all day every day. YES the AR-15 can be kept reliable with tedious cleanings done often enough, but why rely on a weapon that has to be cleaned so well and so often when there are better options out there.

The cost on the 556 is not much more than you will pay for an AR done up with quality parts with bells and whistles. Its a much more relible system... period. Just like the AK is a much more reliable system, but less accurate. The 556 gets the reliability much closer to that of the AK but keeps the accuracy of the AR15.

Again, just my opinion, but I say the cost is 100% justified and 100% worth it for someone looking to have the most accurate/most reliable AR based platform. For plinkers like most of us, its not justified except for cool factor or the possible zombie invasion... mainly because we can clean our rifles often. but for a battle rifle, or LE use, or something somewhere along those lines, I dont think it can be beat for an AR platform.

[warlord]

See I completely disagree. A piston-driven gas system is superior to a gas tube all day every day. YES the AR-15 can be kept reliable with tedious cleanings done often enough, but why rely on a weapon that has to be cleaned so well and so often when there are better options out there.

The cost on the 556 is not much more than you will pay for an AR done up with quality parts with bells and whistles. Its a much more relible system... period. Just like the AK is a much more reliable system, but less accurate. The 556 gets the reliability much closer to that of the AK but keeps the accuracy of the AR15.

Again, just my opinion, but I say the cost is 100% justified and 100% worth it for someone looking to have the most accurate/most reliable AR based platform. For plinker's like most of us, its not justified except for cool factor or the possible zombie invasion... mainly because we can clean our rifles often. but for a battle rifle, or LE use, or something somewhere along those lines, I dont think it can be beat for an AR platform.

Right, for "plinker's like us" the standard platform is more than fine, unless you go FA all the time. I don't disagree with you that the gas piston upper is superior, I just said for the price it can't be justified when with the proper maintenance & training on a standard M16/M4 weapon platform it will be just fine, unless you are a third world goat humper then I guess they would need something that is idiot proof. Think about this for a moment, If the gas piston upper was all that wouldn't our troops be using them? I guess the military just doesn't see the need. BTW I carried an M16 for 9 years and never had a problem, because I took care of it.

[jfowl31]

our military knows its superior.... and there is a HUGE need for it. The reason we don't have it yet is because we are too cheap to spend the money to change our MBR.

[warlord]

our military knows its superior.... and there is a HUGE need for it. The reason we don't have it yet is because we are too cheap to spend the money to change our MBR.

I don't believe it for a second, we are the richest nation on the planet, if our military wanted and felt it was the end all and do all it would be in the hands of our troops. Like my grand pappy used to say " Don't fix it if it ain't broke " BTW a MBR is .308 cal, our current arm of choice is called an assault weapon, has been for 47 years (the M16). I think that is a pretty good run for an inferior weapons platform, and still going strong. In fact it has been the longest serving weapons platform in US military history. :scarface: No offense just stating fact.

[jfowl31]

MBR= Main battle rifle.... sorry for the mixup. But I still think youre wrong. If the military was so happy with the M16, they wouldn't be testing other options so vigorously. You're in major denial if you seriously think the M16 is the best weapon out there. You just said it yourself that a piston-driven weapon is superior to the Gas vent.

The only reason IMO that the gubment hasnt changed it thus far is they have so much invested in te M16 and all the tooling is made up and done. I think once we see another time of peace, a change will happen. I personally think it will be keeping the M16, but going to piston uppers. It may or may not happen... but there are thousands of soldiers out there who would love to have a more reliable weapon. there's plenty of them in Iraq here on these boards that would love to have a piston upper on their issue weapon.

and you are correct that 47 years is a good run for an INFERIOR weapons platform. I wont disagree with that "fact."

[hunter_la5]

*sigh* :rolleyes:

[warlord]

jfowl31 wrote

"and you are correct that 47 years is a good run for an INFERIOR weapons platform. I wont disagree with that "fact."

Your a pretty sharp guy, I should have put quotation marks around that statement, that was my intention, tu shay. Sorry everyone I didn't intend to hijack the thread. And yes our military has been testing potential replacements for quite a while now, in fact it has been going on since the beginning of time. Still the M16 weapon system has been in service since 1964 and is still going strong. I hope the military does retro fit all of them with the gas piston uppers, but for some reason they haven't yet, I don't think it's money God knows they spend enough of it on foolish things. I think after this war or during it you will see a completely new platform, they are just using up what they have now.

[jfowl31]

I always enjoy a good argument... even if it IS over the internet.

I think we basically agree though that the M16 design COULD be better, but it suffices for 99.99% of us "plinkers" and shooters in the regular world. I, like you, also think that the government wastes money on petty stuff rather than outfitting our troops with the "best of the best".

I do think we successfully hijacked the thread, but oh well...

I have 2 AR's myself, both have been reliable thusfar. Its the blasting without cleaning where I think the destinction shows up between piston and non-piston shows up.

[Otis61]

MagPul came out with a new design at the 2007 SHOT SHOW. Based on the AR180, its gas piston operated. Its a very good looking rifle. A true modular design, two different fully adjustable butt stocks, intigrated rails, two lower recievers, one to fit ar mags, one to fit ak mags, and several different barrels and hand guards.

The idea, I guess, is to have a single platform to cover all bases. To go from a short CQB gun to a Designated Marksman system. All very cool. Goes into production next year. Im sure they'ed love to have a government contract. Acctually if the government was going to get away from the M16, this makes more sense than anything I've seen so far.

[Otis61]

Oh yeah. Its called the Masada. 5.56 although with all the modular parts it wouldnt be difficult to get another one or two different rounds in there.

[warlord]

Yes I have seen it and like it. I guess the retail price is going to be around $1100, not bad. I was on Magpul's web sight and saw the test fire, from what they show looks like a winner. Start saving your pennies now boys :wink:

[Otis61]

Yes I have seen it and like it. I guess the retail price is going to be around $1100, not bad. I was on Magpul's web sight and saw the test fire, from what they show looks like a winner. Start saving your pennies now boys :wink:

Yeah. I want one real bad too.

[Johnny Windsor]

All this arguing....:sleepy:

I've learned not to care anymore about reliability, looks, mystic, and whatever else. Just purchase what you will enjoy and that's it.

I find my self today trying to sell my only AK to get an AR15 or AR180b. Just so I can standardize on STANAG mags and 223.

About the SIG556, there's a vendor that carries them at a gun show I'm going to attend this friday. I'll check it out and will see if I like it. However, I've heard that the mag release is too far forward. If I find that to be true, my interest will stop there.

[rep30cal]

Does anyone know if the Sig556 has a heavy barrel or if it is a
light contour?

[cz777]

the 556 barrel is mid-weight barrel under the hand guard with taper to gas block- nice and stiff at 16'' long i wish it was 18'' for abit more//better is now sight radius is better than m-4 /16'' its more like 20'' AR with 16 barrel which helps alot.

[rep30cal]

Thanks cz777, I have been kicking around one of them or an
HK94 clone, but the clone is in pistol form and I like the rifle
version much better.

[Kalash]

I'd buy one if I could swap furniture with a 550 series.
Does anyone know if this is possible?

[jfowl31]

I've heard it talked about, but I think once you swap furniture, you have to play the parts count game..........

[hunter_la5]

I'd buy one if I could swap furniture with a 550 series.
Does anyone know if this is possible?

+1

if they came from the factory in the original "military style" configuration I'd definitely get one, but the crappy furniture and sights they have on there now just makes it seem like an AR. If I wanted a gas piston AR i'd buy one, I don't want a Sig dressed up as an AR

[Grasshopper]

http://www.jrsgunsmithing.com/NEWGUNS.html
Hey guys, anybody here in Fla just receive 2 of these things? I think he might have gotten them from Jr.
Jr sold 4 of these things last month.

[jfowl31]

I've only handled a couple in stores, but I thought the furniture felt quite solid. Maybe not my cup of tea, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it "crappy" (no offense meant Hunter). While I am not completely into the whole quad-rail and collapsible stock stuff, everything felt solid and well made furniture wise, and the buttstock fely much more solid that the base model of AR collapsible furniture.

From what I read, the forend can be changed, but the rear can't be put back to normal. Though it looks like any rear AR stock will fit it, so there's plenty of options to dress it up.

It still seems like a good deal to me to have something with Sig reputation that is easily customizable to your tastes, and also have all the reliability of a piston driven system.

I handled a few base model POF piston AR's a week ago, but with collapsible stocks (cheapos) and base model M4 forends, and they were both $1700. I'd buy the Sig from Cabelas for $1300 LONG before I ever paid $400 more for something that I would have to spend $200 on to get as nice of furniture. And on top of that, you get the long sight radius for target work. Oh and both POF rifles came with no sights front or rear.

I can'tremember what the sights were like on the Sigs I held, but I don't remember them being cheap. honestly, I dont remember there being any sights on them. I was envisioning an Aimpoint on top when I was looking.

I personally think they are a good buy, YMMV, but I'd buy one of them before I bought another piston AR.

[Kalash]

I've been debating between the Sig 556 and a Colt 6920.
If I could get a 550 series lower w/folding stock and handguards,I'd be all over the Sig BTW.:wink:

[MID]

I have been checking into this rifle. I handled it a few times, and today i got the full tour of it inside and out. First i want to clear some things up
Its not an ar in any way shape or form. The only thing it has in common is that its an ebr with the same general shape as an ar and a telestock.
Over all it is more in common with an ak.
The bolt only has two large lugs.
the gas piston is attached to the carrier
the center mass of the carrier is offset to the centerline of the barrel.


With that being said, i would bet that the accuracy of the sig is going to be less then a ar.


Also there is the this "issue" about the ar being a pain to clean.
I dont see it, it takes less time to clean my ar then my ak( the rear trunion gets in the way of cleaning from the breach) or my sks( you have take more stuff apart to clean the gas piston and opp rod).
Before I owned an ar i was on the total internet band wagon that ars are junk and a pain in the ass to clean. Yet i bought one, because it is one of them guns that any military gun collector as to have. My first weekend with it i broke it in with 840 rounds of wolf mixed fmj and hp, 200 rounds of adcom and 100 rounds of black hills reman sp. Not a single malfunction. Cleaning it was not nearly as bad as what people make it out to be.

[hunter_la5]

I actually had a chance to handle one of these in person. the one I held felt very nice, and the furniture wasn't as bad as some people claimed, it actually felt pretty sturdy to me (though I'd still prefer 550 style furniture). I was *this* close to getting one instead of my AR, but in the end I cheaped-out (these generally go for around $1300, which really isn't bad compared to gas-piston ARs). my only complaint was the lack of real iron sights. They do have back-up irons, but they are exactly that, back-up irons, and very minimal ones at that. part of me still thinks I should have shelled out the extra $$$ for one... oh well...

[jfowl31]

yeah but that lower that you bought can house soooo many different things Hunter, and thats always a plus. $250-500 and you have a completely different caliber/gun/whatever you want.

[redleg17]

Also there is the this "issue" about the ar being a pain to clean.
I dont see it, it takes less time to clean my ar then my ak( the rear trunion gets in the way of cleaning from the breach) or my sks( you have take more stuff apart to clean the gas piston and opp rod).


Thats a joke, right?? I spent last summer shooting hundreds and hundreds of blanks and low-crawling through the sand for a few weeks then cleaning it to a drill sgt's standard. These are not easy weapons to clean or keep clean with heavy use.

And come on, SKS's are a breeze to clean! Its one lever to take the gas piston out.

[hunter_la5]

yeah but that lower that you bought can house soooo many different things Hunter, and thats always a plus. $250-500 and you have a completely different caliber/gun/whatever you want.

true, I may get a target upper to slap on there someday... and maybe a 9mm upper... crap, you are a bad influence on me. :icon_biggrin:

[jfowl31]

true, I may get a target upper to slap on there someday... and maybe a 9mm upper... crap, you are a bad influence on me. :icon_biggrin:

don't get me wrong... I'd prefer the 556, but there's something to be said for the modular system.

I want a 9mm upper to play with too. I can't wait for them to make some WSSM calibers for yote hunting.

[MID]

Thats a joke, right?? I spent last summer shooting hundreds and hundreds of blanks and low-crawling through the sand for a few weeks then cleaning it to a drill sgt's standard. These are not easy weapons to clean or keep clean with heavy use.

And come on, SKS's are a breeze to clean! Its one lever to take the gas piston out.

Did you do that same thing with the sks? Crawl through the sand and shoot hundreds of blanks, then clean to drillsgts specs?

What part or parts are so hard to clean on the ar?
Be specific, maybe i have a better method and can share it.

[redleg17]

What part or parts are so hard to clean on the ar?
Be specific, maybe i have a better method and can share it.

The star chamber is the hardest part to clean. The most difficult part is the lack of available cleaning supplies and lack of time. An Army issue cleaning kit contains a 3 piece rod for the barrel, 2 copper brushes (1 for the chamber), some patches, CLP, and a "toothbrush". Alot of times we don't have time to disassemble the trigger group and have to clean around it leaving it in the gun. This is a huge problem because we are encouraged/forced to over lubricate the bolt carrier prior to shooting and clp will drip into the lower receiver making sand and dust collect all over the trigger parts. Also carbon builds up inside the bolt carrier VERY fast when shooting blanks. The problem of no time or supplies is less of a problem out side of BCT, but you have to be willing to buy your own solvent, pipecleaners, extra patches, ETC. Lots of soldiers are not. Many use house hold items such as shaving cream, baby-wipes, and compressed air keyboard duster cans.

[vpost]

A small bottle of Hoppes #9 can be bought for around $3.00 and will last a long while. Dip chamber brush in hoppes, scrub chamber, dip tooth brush into hoppes, scrub chamber(be sure to use big end and use notch to get into tight areas), wipe out chamber with Q-tips. be sure to use Q-tips with paper, for the lack of a better word,"sticks" as you can bend them to get into the tighter places.

Hey Mods how about a sticky with cleaning tips and secrets?

Vince

[redleg17]

I have and use #9, although I need to get the aerosol kind so I can take it to the field. The bottles leak after theyve been opened. The problem is lots of soldiers don't really know how to clean there weapons, and have never used anything but CLP -which does do a pretty decent job.

But remember $3.00 also buys you exactly 9 beers so many soldiers go that route.

[vpost]

As a team chief, I would buy 1 bottle for our collective cleaning kit, It would last a FIST team a good two months, so talk to some of the guys in your section about putting one together and keeping it in an ammo box. The action I described in the earlier post was what I was trying to pass to you, as well as the Q-tips. I know armorers can order the wood type Q-tips, and they will work, but I prefer the paper type for ease of bending. You can also cut wire coat hangers into 6 inch lengths and flatten one end for use as a carbon scraper, as well as use paper clips as picks. A 2 foot length of gutted 550 cord with knots tied in it will act as a bore mop in a pinch. I would talk to your armour and ask what sort of defincies he is finding and how to correct them.

Vince

[MID]

The star chamber is the hardest part to clean. The most difficult part is the lack of available cleaning supplies and lack of time. An Army issue cleaning kit contains a 3 piece rod for the barrel, 2 copper brushes (1 for the chamber), some patches, CLP, and a "toothbrush". Alot of times we don't have time to disassemble the trigger group and have to clean around it leaving it in the gun. This is a huge problem because we are encouraged/forced to over lubricate the bolt carrier prior to shooting and clp will drip into the lower receiver making sand and dust collect all over the trigger parts. Also carbon builds up inside the bolt carrier VERY fast when shooting blanks. The problem of no time or supplies is less of a problem out side of BCT, but you have to be willing to buy your own solvent, pipecleaners, extra patches, ETC. Lots of soldiers are not. Many use house hold items such as shaving cream, baby-wipes, and compressed air keyboard duster cans.

So it seems like its not the weapons fault but the lack of the proper tools to clean it. I am going to start a new thread.

[vpost]

Not really, you can clean an AR with what Uncle Suger gives you, Those are a few things that make it just a little easier.

Vince