SIG 556

Sorry, I’m not finding much in the line of “OPINIONS” of the Sig 556 here. Lots of Sig HGs, but not 556.

I have a chance to trade for one (NIB) and I am wondering what the “Consensus” are of those who actually own/owned one of these. It has the folding, telescopic stock, the “Tri Rail” hand guard, and FH.

308 has gotten so expensive, and I don’t like the “Safety” position of my “Bush” M1A, so I am thinking of trading him. I can’t get him to go for his HK 91, so this is the next thing. Unless some one wants to make a good offer on an one with two “Mossy Oak” stocks, 4-20 rnd CMI and one 10 rnd SA mags, and a cheep ass “Promag Mount”.

I already have the AR, with DI. No “Piston” though.

Thoughts, Opinions? I know we all have them, so what are they.

Thanks, Gramps

EDIT: Just found out it may have been manufactured Aug 08.

I have one, bought it in the spring of 2008 while home on leave. Here are my impressions:

The Good-

The weapon was very accurate with M855 and M193, with no malfunctions right out of the box.

The weapon was a snap to clean, and after a 300 rd range session it was much cleaner internally than a DI AR.

The trigger pull on my rifle is very nice right out of the box.

The Bad-

Ergonomics leave much to be desired, IMHO. I have large hands, and I have to break my firing grip to actuate or disengage the safety. Also, the weapon is VERY front heavy.

The BUIS supplied with the rifle are pure junk, IMHO. I expected more out of SIG, honestly.

1/9 twist barrel- a big deal to me because I shoot alot of 77’s.

Anyways… I guess the SIG 556 is okay, but it really depends on what you want to do with it, and how much you’re going to pay for one. YMMV.

Thanks.

It is something in a trade. At first it was OK, it’s a SIG. Wanted to find out what I could first, but couldn’t find much here on it, and don’t trust some “Other” sites, when I know who I can trust here.

I’m not in LE or Military, but my son is an LE and I thought about trading/loaning or whatever it to him, but first I would “Play” with it before deciding. I don’t mind shooting my M1A, I just can’t believe the price of decent 308 ammo, and I’m not fond of where the safety is located on the M1A.

The Sig 556 is a 1/7 twist not 1/9.

You need to visit the Sig forums to really get the info/advice you seek.

From the Sig website:

Caliber 5.56mm NATO
Overall Length 37.1"
Length w/ Stock Collapsed 34.3"
length w/Stock Folded 27.1"
Barrel Length 16"
Rifling 1 in 7"
Sight Radius 18.1"
Forearm Polymer
Stock Type FL
Weight w/o Mag 8.2 lbs
Operating System Gas Operated, Rotating Bolt

I have 2, an SBR and a 16”. I think they are great, with a few caveats.

Cold hammer forged Nitride treated barrel, 1:7 twist (I think the DMR type has a longer twist). Both of mine have excellent triggers. The ancestry and derivation are from a sound rifle (SG 55x) with a great BCG design and a robust and proven operating system.

The ability to take STANAG magazines and a familiar control layout were benefits to me as I have several ARs.

My 16” has been surprisingly accurate, and the SBR just average but still quite acceptable. Both have been absolutely reliable with no malfunctions over about 1k rounds, and they by nature run very clean.

Now on to the caveats.

There are a few versions of the 556 series. The early guns with the AR type fixed or folding/collapsing stock setup and, the later “classic” series with the Swiss 55x type folding/collapsing stock setup. The lower receivers are different in that respect as one has a threaded receptacle for an AR type receiver extension and the other is made to accept the Swiss type stock, so it’s one way or the other- no changing between. In my opinion (shared by a great many others) the AR type folding setup is just plain junk. If you have that type, just mount a mil-spec receiver extension and the stock of your choice. If you want a folder, go with an ACE AR type setup, it’s fairly robust. But, either way get rid of the junk Sig folding mechanism. The “classic” Swiss type folder is fine. There have been some who express concern over the steel latch against aluminum receiver possibly leading to premature wear, but I haven’t seen a problem in use, nor have I heard of any actual problems. The early “classic” lowers have a Swiss made stock and (like the early standard uppers) were reported to have many Swiss internals. Later examples no longer have the Swiss made stock but one that looks the same, feels slightly different, and is of unknown origin. I am not aware of any problems with the later stocks but some say they feel cheaper…

The rest of the furniture- The early guns had some funky polymer hand guards that were unnecessarily heavy on an already front heavy gun. They were also funny looking. :slight_smile: But, they were robust and had small rail sections. The later guns had the “classic” Swiss style hand guards that are much better, light, and also accept small rail sections. The only complaint I know of on those is that they can be a bit loose at the front. BTW you can fit the “classic” type guards in place of the older fish gills. For rails the Sig rail is fine, Samson has a nice rail, as well as Troy (free float I think) and possibly some others.

The 556 top rail is fixed to the receiver with screws as opposed to welded on like the Swiss 55x series. Some of the early examples had canted rails and Sig would often swap out the whole rifle or upper on return. Some have reported the rail screws loosening on their rifles. Most report that upon degreasing and lock tight application it doesn’t reoccur. I don’t know why Sig went this way, I wish they didn’t but, I haven’t had any problems with either of mine. This does allow the aftermarket rails to have a “monolithic” top rail as they replace the whole thing.

Sights/Optics- There are several versions of sights on the 556 series. Firstly let’s have it said that the Sig red dot Aimpoint T-1 knockoff is a disgrace for a company like Sig and I don’t know how they get away with it. I sold mine on TOS, there are plenty of buyers… Now the BUIS- It should be said that in the case of the 556, BUIS stands for Buyer Understands I Suck. The popsicle stick rear is delicate and has an imprecise adjusting mechanism. But, I was able to get surprisingly small groups with it. The front sights are fine for the most part. The issue with replacement is that the 556 has a lower comb height/cheek weld than an AR and thus lower profile sights. So if you throw on an AR rear BUIS it will be higher and also require replacing the front with a matching height. There are several quality options out there if you are OK with the higher cheek weld of the AR sights, including folding fronts that fit in the Sig front sight gas block dovetail if you don’t have rails. There is also the micro version of the excellent Troy folder which has a matching rail mount front and also lines up with one of the assorted Sig or Swiss SAN gas block front sights. I have tried out the Sig diopter set on the SBR and am un-impressed. The front seems fine but the rear is less than confidence inspiring and took an awful lot of elevation to zero. I will be going with either the Troy micro folder or one of the Swiss options. For the Swiss options there are some great sights but, they are a bit hard to track down, and they are expensive, worse than buying KAC stuff. :stuck_out_tongue: Anyway, there are quality sight solutions out there. Whatever one does with regard to BUIS just be sure to pay attention to the various heights and match them up.

Magazines- The Sig magazines are crap, sell them, people want them… PMags work fine as well as any quality AR mag.

As mentioned some people with small hands have trouble reaching the mag release or safety without shifting their grip. I have large hands and no problems. But the large KAC mag button will fit and fix that part for those who do.

Overall I think that if you square away the folding stock and BUIS it’s a fine gun. No problems with either of mine. Out of the box a “classic” type should be fine but for the sights. I wanted an SBR so I bought a “pistol” and registered it. When the stamp came back I bought a “classic” 16”. I swapped the lowers for an instant SBR. I then put a Magpul UBR on the 16” for a nicely balanced setup.

There is a large population who will never like it and are upset with Sig because it departs from the Swiss 55x series and I get that. They want and have been waiting for a “US 55x”. I don’t know that it would have sold nearly as well without STANAG mag compatibility. The early quality control issues and cheap furniture/accessories also undermined the credibility of the system and their reputation.

Thanks Luke. Those are some of the things I was wanting to know. It is a folding stock that I was skeptical of the “Latch” that held it closed and “Spring Loaded” to keep it folded. I thought the rear “BUIS” was quite “Cheesy” to me, and thought the sights had to be a separate height than the AR sights. He is taking it to a g show Friday, so I have to make up my mind quick.

He thinks my M1A Bush is worth $1200 and his Sig 556 $1600, but I can’t find any Sig 556s selling on GB for more that $11-1200. There are some listed for more, but not selling.

I’m still on the fence on this one.

I own two, selling both to get other rifles. The Sig 556 line is commerical, nothing mil-spec about them. The 556 does not hold a candle to the real Swiss Arms rifles. Do your research on the various sig forums and you will see some major issues and poor Q&C.

I have a Sig 556 with a non folding stock. I like it - having the same observations as most here.

BUT, there is no way a 556 is worth more than a M1A in the current market! If you can’t come to an agreement on a reasonable price, I’d pass.

Just my $.02.

Thanks everyone.

It was NIB, still had the “Virgin” blue Sig wrapper on the pistol grip. I told him it would either be strait across, or not at all. I was not impressed with the locking mech for the folding stock, and I wasn’t going to throw in almost 800 rounds of 308. I would have to figure out new sights too, because I could see me easily breaking the rear BUIS. Told him he would do better to take to the GS this weekend and get cash. (which may not be much with the economy here) He has two tables reserved anyway.

Thanks again, I did learn more here once again from everyone here as usual. :slight_smile:

Gramps:

Another good web sight is:

http://www.sigarms556.com/index.php

A lot of good information (particularly from ullie) and as you can see, a lot of issues with SIG 556s being posted.

If your Bush is one of the early originals, it’ll be full of good USGI parts. If so, you’d be better off keeping it. I got my M1A Bush Rifle back in the mid 90s, and it’s stoked with USGI components. Great rifle.
I’ve also got a Sig 556. Early ER model with the non-folding heavy aluminum AR receiver extension. This model seems, overall, the most solid version for a hard use carbine. Not a big fan of the Classic or SWAT folders, nor do I really care that the 556 doesn’t look like a 550. The stock handguards sucked, I put 551 handguards on it. I dig it, but wouldn’t let go of an early Bush Rifle for it. An early Bush Rifle would be harder to replace and IMO, kind of a special gun.

I used to own the Swat model and my only grief was the weight. It was a workout holding it up to do shooting competitions. The trigger felt really heavy to me. For me you could probably do better in getting an LWRC. The only cool factor is the folding stock. I actually have the SBR as well and that is worth keeping. Yes it’s heavier than comprable AR SBRs but none have folding stock for super concealablity. Once your extend that stock you have a 10" barrel which will do a great job with combat accuracy. I would not suggest the Sig be your primary AR but will be a great supplement to your collection.

Honestly, I would always get a quality AR like a Colt 6920 before a SIG rifle.

I own a SG 551 which is basically a 556 with an original 551 lower on it. This solves the problem of feeding issues some owners of 556s have experienced. Basically the bolt system wasn’t designed for an AR15 magazine and some folks are getting feed problems.

But even the US SG 551/556 isn’t quite up to the Swiss standard. Iron sight option suck and the factory SIG sights are very disappointing. Flash hider won’t take a HALO suppressor. Despite the A2 flash hider the barrel has a bell that prevents a HALO from being installed. Ironically a true Swiss 550/551 will accept a HALO suppressor.

All in all the 556 simply isn’t as well made as a Swiss 550/551 series and it isn’t superior to a Colt 6920.

If you simply must have a piston rifle, might want to look at the Steyr AUG A3. I think it will be money better spent on a much higher quality rifle. You could also get a ACR or a SCAR.

I love mine. I own a Classic SWAT and standard Classic. In my opinion they are the best 5.56mm carbines available. They fit me well, I love their features (very AK and FAL influenced).

The Carbines that I have are very well made, no issues at all. I read a lot of negative online about this weapon system but I guess I got what I expected…I top notch reliable weapon, with combat rifle accuracy. I think the problem is, people expected too much in regards to the accuracy dept, being used to AR’s and all.

Also, when SIG introduced the 556 the stock set was just plain stupid, they even had a double screw in place of the push style pivot pin. I think the Classic solved all the shortcomings, but the rep of the weapon was a bit tarnished by the cheap stock set and goofy double screw, and lack of good sights. I had one of these early guns and I absolutely hated it…mine had no sights at all…none.

Speaking of sights, I do not bitch about the thin BUIS w/in the rail. For a back up sight it is completely adequate and true to form for a 550 series weapon. I have the factory Diopters on both of mine and have been 110% pleased. I think it’s an awesome sight that’s actually fun to use.

So…as you can tell, I love my 556 Classics!

No offense but the factory diopters are hardly true to form for the 550 series. They are more “cheap knock offs” of the 550 series than anything else.

With respect to accuracy, my original Swiss rifles are actually slightly more accurate than my AR rifles. This is why a lot of SIG fans were disappointed.

It’s not a bad rifle, it’s just that the 556 could have been so much more.

IMO, the Sig 556 was one of the most disappointing gun releases in the last 20 years.

IIRC the 556’s original release was a 1/9 twist.

I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who can’t operate the controls without breaking my grip. I swear to go, the 556 was made for use by orangutans!

I have to agree with this sentiment. If you want a great 5.56 thrower, the AR series is pretty sweet. Alternatively, if you can sell your M1A and save up a little, the SCAR series are pretty ergonomic too.

My experience w/ the Sig556 SWAT was less than ideal. I found the weapon to be very poorly balanced (keep in mind the SWAT has a full rail). The ergos also left a lot to be desired. Had to shift my grip to hit the safety selector, same with the mag release. To charge the weapon, I had to reach around w/ my supporting hand–something that took a lot of getting used to.

On the plus side, it had a great folding stock, great trigger and very smooth action.

If it were up to me? Get a quality AR if you don’t already have one. They’re great rifles.

I think that the “Get an AR first” response is pretty much universal in the 5.56 market.

No offense taken, but I have to say for a cheap knock off mine are user friendly, well made and work great.