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Posted: 5/4/2007 12:41:15 PM EDT
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If you don't read other boards, I wanted to let you know to inspect carefully before you buy and/or wait until they get ALL the issues cleared up before you buy. Personally, I've got a canted rail (ACOG visibly leaning right upon placement), cracked handguards (3 fragile internal tabs broken off. I noticed when I first disassembled it at home), "two tone" finish (no big deal, but not supposed to be that way and undergoing a "fix" at SIG). Oh for the days of an HK 91 with a test fire target included. This rifle of mine would have never made it out the door if they had put a few rounds on a piece of paper before shipping (although SIG's decision to ship with NO sights at all might make testing for accuracy a bit more difficult). Inspect carefully before you buy, or wait. |
The SIG 556 has numerous documented issues. If you cant inspect it first hand, dont even consider buying it. |
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Lets see here, Revolution, Mosquito, now 556. Perhaps they should stick with pistols that built their reputation for to hell and back reliability. How has SIG been handling the handguard issue? Do they fix it on a case by case basis or is there a plan in the works to give all owners new, better made handguards? |
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FWIW, his is the only broken handgaurd I've heard of and as a 556 owner I'm constantly looking at various boards for 556 info. And as for the reliability, there's nothing to complain about. They may have half assed the "exterior" of the rifle, but the "interior" is a work of art, IMO. |
| I've read a few complaints of the cracked handguards myself, one person here on this board posted he cracked his after taking it apart after it's first outing... A brand new rifle!! now canted rails? Q.C. must really be slipping, For as much as they charge, this is unacceptable.. I don't know about the above poster who said he'd sell his PTR-91 for one...I'll keep my PTR, It works, puts'em where I want them to go, and is very reliable,and the handguard dosen't crack when you take it off. Ditto for my AR-15's.. Maybe Sig need to stick with what they really know...pistols.. |
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For the record, the handguards were cracked upon receipt. I was checking out the weapon after getting it home and I noticed a bit of plastic stuck in the ribs of the handguard. I flicked it out with a toothpick and notice it looked like a tab with a ragged crack on one end. I thought "that's not good" and removed the handguards to find three of the tabs broken off with the other broken pieces no where to be found. The tabs are very poorly designed IMO and the material seems brittle. If this rifle was used in any "real" capacity (by an army for instance) there wouldn't be a unbroken handguard remaining after about a month. |
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just to report some good...my hand gaurds were not broken, nor did they break upon dissassembly and reassembly--several times. You have to treat them gently and finesse them a bit. Forcing them will break them. however, mine did have a canted rail, (returned for fix) and still does, so it had to go back to SIG. Other than that, a fine weapon. |
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A weapon that has to be returned twice b/c you won't even be able to get a straight/level sight picture is not a fine weapon. |
| It's not just that the rail is canted, the stamped steel receiver where the rail is mounted is distorted. SIG is trying to pass off milling the rail so that it sits flat on the canted receiver top as a fix to this ridiculous situation. They are catering to the lowest common denominator, the casual user who knows or cares no better, and is making serious users jump through hoops in attaining the quality that should have been there in the first place. |
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And people wonder why the Swiss are so anal about the 55x. It just isnt the kind of gun you cant half ass into production. Like someone already said, it isnt just that the top rail is canted but the entire upper is distorted in the stamping process and SIG isnt doing enough QC checks. I really wanted a 556. I had a fat deposit on a 556, then it came in and I just amazed at how bad it looked compared to the XCR sitting next to it. Needless to say, I got the XCR instead and the rest is history. At this stage, I would not buy a SIG carbine that was not made by SWISSARMS, because I see nothing in the 556 that shows SIGARMS USA has either the ambition or aptitude to build carbines correctly Like someone mentioned earlier, SIG built the 556 as a range tool for people that dont know better. In that regard it is on par with an Armalite AR180B, not an AR15 and sure as heck not on par with a XCR |
i bought one this weekend at the north atlanta trade gun show(eastmans). put a acog ta31 on it, bore sighted went to the range this afternoon. so far so good. i ran 300 rounds through it, wwb, prvi, ga.arms all mixed up. it ran flawlessly so far. thanks for the heads up on what to look for. i hope i don't get flamed for buying the weapon, i've always had good luck with sig products. i guess i better keep my colt on stand by just in case
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This really bums me out. Sig had the potentail to release one of the coolest new weapons on the market in YEARS. An American made 55x with an M16 style magwell. I jizzed myself like a fountain just thinking about it. Then came the half-ass execution. I am truly angered that Sig fucked this up as bad as they did. They would have been better off just take the S&W route and stamping their name on the side of a stag arms AR and calling it good. :( I am still holding out hope that sig gets its shit together and releases a 556 that doesn't have cheap ass tapco furniture hanging off of it, and is representative of the quality and craftsmanship that a Sig should be. |
I stand by my post--I have the XCR, an AR, a 556 and others. The 556 I would take over the XCR--even with the problems I have had. But here is where us early adopters are smart: I know that SIG honors their warranties. I knew there could be problems with an early 556. I also know that I am using it for the range, as are many of you shooters--so it does not have to be perfect. Here's the punchline: I have 1200 rounds through my 556 AND I'M GETTING A "2nd GEN" BRAND NEW 556 FOR FREE! Don't you love to be a product tester on another company's dime? By the way, even with a canted rail, I out shot the XCR with my 556. SIG has not been perfect, but neither has any company. If you read your manual and be smart about dissassembly, you can avoid problems. Now, I'm not saying the XCR is bad--no way--it has a lot of advantages. But the 556 is not bad either. People will change gears after awhile, just like the XCR, from bashing to lovin'. GREAT GUN. Congrats to the new owners. By the way, I fired one of those SIG .45's the other day--I preferred it over my buddies' Wilson Combat. |
You are really getting a whole new gun instead of SIG just replacing the upper  If so that is sweet as heck.
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| Here's a view here of a new 556 with the rail adjusted for its malformed receiver top. It seems that some warranty returnees have received new rifles, and others have had their rails remilled like in that pic. Personally I've lost confidence in SIGARMS, due to the direction they have taken in the last few years and where they have arrived as a result. I very much like their traditional line of combat pistols, but have decided to keep what I have currently, and let attrition take its course. |
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A ray of hope...I picked up my 556 last week. Serial number range in the 2700's, mfg. date of March 2007. Rail is perfectly level and not milled. Upper and lower finish is not a perfect match, but much closer than many of the early one's. Afterall, we're dealing with steel park and aluminum anodizing. Fit and finish is outstanding. Handguards have no issues...especially if you read the manual instead of simply trying to yank the suckers off. I should receive my optic this week and my iron sights in about 10 days. Range test to follow. It's not all bad. |
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Sig is supposed to do a sight, but in the meantime I'll use after market. Aurora Ind. is working on a drum type that screws into the studs currently holding the rail in place. They've also produced 551 style front sights that are ready now. Samson makes a flip up front that works with standard BUIS. They won't speak for all BUIS's but they said the ARMS #40L works well. They're out right now, but I talked to them last week and the next batch will ship in about 2 weeks. www.samson-mfg.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SM&Category_Code=Sig_556_Accessories This is the rear sight I'm going to try out. yankeehill.bizland.com/store/product242.html |
How much did you pay for your 556? I'd hardly call that free. And unless Sig is actively soliciting your opinions, and using them to refine the product, I'd hardly call that product testing either. I'd call it what it is. Paying premium dollars for a half-assed rifle that should never have left the factory. Sig can still salvage the 556, but they have REALLY hurt their image, and their market, by pumping out garbage, instead of the rifle this was supposed to be. Furthermore, milling the rail to "fix" the cant is just plain bad news. Whoever thought that was a good idea should have been fired on the spot. |
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To answer a few posts... YUP new rifle. I hardly think it's "premium" money for a rifle...that title goes to my fS2000. Pete's AUG costs more and so did my XCR. Heck my AR cost 1700.00. The 556 is very reasonably priced for it's usefulness. You'll have to go back to 1993 with your ideas of what new guns of this caliber should cost to call 1300 bucks a "premium". I paid 1299.00 plus transfer, so about 1315.00 to me. I only had a sig p232 before this, so really don't know about this "fallen legend" people refer to. Is it like S&W and the MIM parts and key locks? Personally, i'm OK with a new rifle in exchange for one with a case of milsurp shot through it. I think it's a great deal. |
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