I did a search on this forum and found threads justifiably praising the SIG 550, but not much on the SIG 556 classic. Now that the price is around $900 I’m giving it some thought.
Basically I have a bunch of DI guns and would like to play around with a piston gun.
Anyone here have feedback on the classic? Not interested in the regular SIG556 due to ugly furniture.
Several opinions of the 556 line are offered in these topics:
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=71956
If you evaluate it with the original SIG 550 as a standard, it simply doesnt live up.
Its not a BAD rifle, its just not at all what it could have been.
The way I see it, its sort of a compromise between an AK and an AR. You’re losing a little accuracy, and gaining a little reliability. The cost, however, plants it firmly in between the two, so you’d be better off deciding which qualities you valued more, and simply buying the AK or the AR, whichever suits you more.
I read those threads, and while I understand that the 556 doesn’t live up to the 550, is it a total junker like some say? Or is it a decent enough rifle for $900? Yes it has cheap handguards, the folder is wobbly, but if the action is solid and reliable and it groups decently, for $900 I’ll give it a shot.
It is about what you would expect from a $900 AR made by the likes of DPMS or BM. While it may be fine for range use and home defense, it is not a service grade weapon that should be taken into harm’s way. Most people on this forum do not have much use for such weapons, so most posts will express varying degrees of scorn for the 556 line. The standard and special edition SWAT line may be slight improvement in workmanship, but not worth the cost or excessive front end weight.
Don’t bother. It’s like a century arms or DPMS version of 55x
What the fuck?
Oh boy…here we go.
I’m posting my first opinion I’ve ever posted on M4c (slippery slope so I try not to), but I think only folks who’ve actually owned one should comment on them.
I heard tons of flack on sig’s from alot of guys who never even pawed one.
What I meant was, if you compare it to a ‘hobby grade’ AR15 such as Bushmaster or DPMS, its a little less accurate, but a little more reliable, especially with cheaper ammo.
Its basically an expensive compromise between an AK and an AR, and the user would be better off just buying an AK or an AR, depending on their needs.
$900 will get you far more than a hobby grade AR if you spend a few minutes to look online.
This is what you can get for $900
Daniel Defense XV
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=217669584
or you can build a BCM for around the $900 to $950 range
both of these rifles are far more than a hobby grade rifle and IMO are a better choice than a Sig 556.
The only people that are qualified to comment on this matter are people that own both a SIG550 series gun and a SIG556.
If someone doesn’t own a SIG550, then they are not qualified to comment about how there SIG556 is “just as good as” or a “military grade weapon” like the SIG550.
So, if you want to claim your SIG556 is the same as a SIG550 and you don’t own a SIG550, your post is irrelevant.
Well I can comment as I owned a real pre-ban 550 and I owned a “Classic” early model 556 I paid about $1,250 for.
The 556 is like walking into a Porshe dealership and buying a Boxster for $40K when they make a 911 all wheel drive turbo for $120K and saying “Well its got a Porshe badge on it” so it must be “close” in looks and performance. 
The 556 I had personally had the fishgill front stock that was heavy and cheezy looking-I replaced it with a real Swiss one and it rattled around inside the retainer-they couldn’t even get the retainer right.
Then the rear “Tapco” wobbly M4 stock was awful, I didn’t get around to replacing it because it was a commercial tube and all my stocks are mil-spec.
The rear sights were the “popsickle” style that were absolutely awful to adjust. The upper to lower fit was terrible, I could see a good 1-2mm of daylight between them, the trigger was mushy.
The upper rail was out of spec-I tried Leupold, ARMS, and LaRue mounts and all were either loose or not as tight as I would have liked comparible to my Colt M4.
Then the worst part was it shot 2.5-3MOA with a 4x scope and any ammo I tried-55 all the way up to 77 grain.
It was reliable-I will give it that.
Then the front “balance” issue-even with the handguard replaced was awful. I could not stand it and sold it in the Obama “frenzy” for $1,650. Have not missed it at all.
You would be MUCH better off with an Arsenal AK47 or 74 for $799 in my opinion if you want a “piston” design.
Since the OP only asked about the SIG556 & not a 556 vs. 550, I don’t see why only owners of both weapons can comment.
I own a SIG556. So, I am halfway qualified to answer. It is not as ergonomic as the AR’s, but it is better than an AK. It is a little nose heavy and overall heavier than a similar AR. In over 2000 rds (range use only), it has gone bang every time I pulled the trigger & it handles great. Accuracy is about the same as a Colt LE6920.
If you look through the past history of the SIG556’s, you will see various quality control issues that should have never happened. I don’t know the state of current SIG rifles.
I would much rather have a Colt, BCM or DD AR over it, but it has not been a bad rifle. If someone handed one to me & said charge that hill, I would probably tear-up, but not because of the rifle but because I may get the elbows on my multicam TAD hoodie dirty.
Awesome.
I have a Sig 556 Classic and the above post is the bottom line. In my experience, it is not as accurate as my ARs but I do feel that it would be more reliable. Sig’s QC has, undeniably, had issues in recent years. Do I want to get rid of the one I’ve got. No. But if I had to go to my safe right now and had to pick a rifle that would go, the Sig 556 would be it. Would I buy another? No.
On it’s own merits, without comparing it to a 550, AR or any other rifle.
It is a reasonably accurate, reasonably reliable 5.56 carbine. It is certainly not something I’d call “hard use” and I would not recommend one for “all the marbles” duty such as defensive LE or military applications. And that is where most of the criticism comes from, because it should have been capable of fulfilling those roles.
I have a few “unproven” firearms in my collection simply because they were interesting enough to buy (the XCR and MSAR come to mind). And if I didn’t have real Swiss SIGs, I probably would have kept my WCA SG 551 even though it was basically still a 556 with correct lower.
As a recreational firearm you will probably not have any issues at all with it. So it is up to you if that makes it worth the purchase. Sounds like you have plenty of other suitable firearms to hold the fort if needed.
The biggest turn off I’ve heard from people about the 556 is the crappy furniture. I purchased a 556 patrol rifle and I have to agree. The base of the rifle is sound. The upper and lower fit together tightly, the trigger and action function well ( as a matter of fact they’re a good shooting rifle), I have never had a FTF, FTE, or any feeding problems with every type of ammo I have fed through it.
If you spend the extra the 300-400 dollars and upgrade it with SAN furniture you would have a great rifle. I think at the current price point it’s worth the look.
R
Thanks for the feedback. I was looking for dealbreakers like broken actions or off center rails. If the fundamentals are sound I’ll probably pick one up as a range rifle. I can always fall back on the Noveske or the HK91.
Off center/out of spec rails has been an issue with these.