I just bought a SIG556 classic model. Part number SIG556304. This is a diaopter model with regular handguards. Its case has a born on date of Feb 21, 2011.
It came with a black SIG case, not the earlier blue case and it did not come with the chicom red dot. Looking on the internet at various ads and auctions, I think they stopped shipping these with the chicom red dot. It also came with a New Haven USGI magazine instead of the junk black plastic SIG magazine.
I paid $955 out the door from Tanner’s.
My plan is to order some Swiss arms bolt on rear diopter to replace the SIG USA diopter from Colorado Gun Sales.
The USA diopter is junk and the drum is loose and the elevation adjustment feels like crap.
Surprisingly, the tele / folder stock on this gun is not loose and has very little wiggle. Both at the hinge and at the interface of the collapsing mechanism. It has less play than a Colt M4 tele stock.
The handguards have about the same play as USGI handguards on an AR15. (Update on this further down) I have not put Swiss handguards on it yet to check fit.
I have not shot it yet. I will post another update once I get the Swiss sights on.
My plan for the 556 is not to turn it into a Swiss gun. I bought it as a hedge against any future import bans. I’m not going to rebuilt it completely. Its a piece for my reference collection.
Keep:
US lower & upper
US grip
Swiss lower parts
Swiss bolt/piston group
Swiss handguard & stock
Swiss front sight
Sell:
Swiss lower
Swiss rear sight & receiver stub
Swiss gas block & us barrel
US bolt/piston group
US handguard & stock
US lower parts
US sights
Anything else you don’t want
Get:
LPA rear sight (reasonably inexpensive, very functional)
By the time you were done I bet you’d at best be even, or at worst have sunk another couple hundred into the rifle for bolt assembly and lower parts that aren’t going to fail.
I pulled the gas valve out of this and both gas ports are the same size which is not right.
I will have to replace this with a Swiss valve.
The American handguards now are also loose after handling the gun. I don’t know if they were stuck or were binding when I bought the thing but just from handling the gun, they are looser than AR-15 handguards. All the play is up by the gas block.
Not to hijack your thread, but would you be able to sell and recupe some of your money on the Swiss parts? I’m asking b/c I’m thinking of doing a 552 clone, and I don’t need every part from the 552 kit.
Very true. After swapping to a Swiss gas block, my 551 handguards were much tighter and eliminated the very wobbly situation it had before. The area of the gas block where the handguard inserts into (The equivalent of a retaining ring on an AR) is actually taller top-to-bottom than a Swiss one. There are several cheaper routes to eliminating the wobble (i.e. a bead of JB Weld, RTV silicone sealant, thick heat-resistant tape).
By the way, the overall quality (Machining, materials, finish, etc.) of every Swiss part I’ve handled were night and day above the US-made 556 part. Its like comparing a Colt AR15 to that Chinese Norinco AR clone from decades ago (Whatever that model was called. Good trivia question).
My stock and hanguards were very tight when i bought mine. 1 month and about 220 rounds later they are both wobbly. Im going to try the jb weld on the stock but im not sure what the best way is to fix the forearm.
So i don’t hijack the thread, Kisara, when you get a chance can u PM me the way to tighten up the HG and maybe even some tips on the stock.don t
