Sig Sauer SWAT classic 5.56

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Finally got my dream gun: Sig Sauer SWAT classic 5.56. It's the best of both worlds from an AK47 and a DI gun.

Anyway, I spent all that money, and the gun has problems. New, out of the box, I fired 3 rounds and it jammed.

I continued to work with the gun and try to fix the issues, but had no luck. On the regular gas piston setting it will fire 2-3 times before I have an empty chamber or a round that does not properly chamber, and I have to hit the charging handle like a forward assist. Adjusting the piston to the higher setting improves the performance, but still have the issue after about 10-15 rounds. I have used Winchester, Winchester Ranger, Hornady, Remington, Wolf, and Silver Bear ammo. Also, rounds occasionally jam on the feed ramps.

Sig's first fix was to ship another mag, but that didn't help. So the gun has been sent back to Sig for repairs. I'll get it back in about 4 weeks.

It's so irritating to read great reviews on reliability and performance, and to then have the issues I've had.

Anyone else have similar experiences with the gun; personal or word of mouth?

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Sig 556's are good rifles..you just got a lemon :?

Yes, I had a Eagle Arms AR-10 a few years back that would short stoke, every round....I gave it to a gun smith for 2 months, he could not get it working.....sold it.

The Ruger SR-556 piston AR, i recently bought had no issues, I got it in January...took it to the outdoor range 3 degree's that day & put 100 rounds thought it..no issues.

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I've heard mixed comments concerning the Sig AR's.

Never heard anything bad about Bushmaster, Colt or S&W (except their cost)and the other brands which seem to get consistently good "value/budget" comments are DPMS and Rock River.

Never had a lemon firearm myself. My Dad has one of those little cheap Jennings (orsome clone) that froze up completely. Makes a cute, but expensivepaperweight now.

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ecocks wrote:

I've heard mixed comments concerning the Sig AR's.

Never heard anything bad about Bushmaster, Colt or S&W (except their cost)and the other brands which seem to get consistently good "value/budget" comments are DPMS and Rock River.

Never had a lemon firearm myself. My Dad has one of those little cheap Jennings (orsome clone) that froze up completely. Makes a cute, but expensivepaperweight now.

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The Sig 556 is not an AR platform. it is their own design. When I was at the Shot Show a few years ago in Las Vegas I handled one & I almost bought one when I flew back to Green Bay. It is a very good rifle, the one you bought just has issues that all. SIG will make it right.

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An AR by any other name....

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Other than the mechanical issues, there are a couple things I don't really like about the gun:

(1) The weight is significant. Especially by the time you add a couple toys.

(2) The sights don't flip down, I would have preferred that style so it would not interfere with my optic. I had to use a riser, which add more weight to a gun that's already heavy.

(3) The grip SUCKS! I don't know why you make a quality gun with a cheap plastic grip, and the worst part is, I have not been able to find a Hogue style replacement, or any replacement grip.

But as long as Sig fixes the issues, I'd buy the gun all over again. There is no recoil compared to a DI gun or any AR with a buffer spring. Even with the weight, it is very easy to to keep on target. With my red dot, I put 30 rounds in a 2 inch grouping at 30 yds shooting as fast as I could (even with the misfires lol).

Hopefully Sig will be quick to send it back, and maybe a couple goodies for the trouble.

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an AR, which stands for Armalite , used AR uppers & lowers...this does not.
it's your choice to call it an AR even though you are totally wrong. The SIG is a completely different animal.

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dng wrote:

Other than the mechanical issues, there are a couple things I don't really like about the gun:

(1) The weight is significant. Especially by the time you add a couple toys.

(2) The sights don't flip down, I would have preferred that style so it would not interfere with my optic. I had to use a riser, which add more weight to a gun that's already heavy.

(3) The grip SUCKS! I don't know why you make a quality gun with a cheap plastic grip, and the worst part is, I have not been able to find a Hogue style replacement, or any replacement grip.

But as long as Sig fixes the issues, I'd buy the gun all over again. There is no recoil compared to a DI gun or any AR with a buffer spring. Even with the weight, it is very easy to to keep on target. With my red dot, I put 30 rounds in a 2 inch grouping at 30 yds shooting as fast as I could (even with the misfires lol).

Hopefully Sig will be quick to send it back, and maybe a couple goodies for the trouble.

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my Ruger SR-556 is heavy too, but that's ok, I am a BIG guy & can handle it, even if I had to take it into combat for months. heavy means well made & easy to keep on target

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The weight and grip complaints match some of the negative comments I have heard. Other comments were with regard to looking pretty but not that consistent with regard to shooting.

Personally, I keep liking that S&W OR model or the Bushmaster but hesitate on the 5.56 platform in general.

In the Improved-AK family, the Vz-58 looks solid and the caliber is more appealing. Well-made and rugged was my impression from the one I handled and fired.

Even more intriguing is the Rock River LAR-8 in 7.62 but the price takes quite a jump.

I'm still weighing my options before picking which platform I'll go with.

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I like the Ruger, and I almost bought it. The ironic thing is that the Sig was supposed to be more reliable! I guess that joke is on me. The only things about the Ruger I didn't like was a 1:9 barrel, no access to clean the piston, and issues with bolt carrier tilt wear in the buffer tube. You seeing any issue with those things?

The Ruger comes loaded with great accessories, and it was hard to pass up, but I got a deal on the Sig while they were running that rebate, and it was to good to pass on.

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dng wrote:

I like the Ruger, and I almost bought it. The ironic thing is that the Sig was supposed to be more reliable! I guess that joke is on me. The only things about the Ruger I didn't like was a 1:9 barrel, no access to clean the piston, and issues with bolt carrier tilt wear in the buffer tube. You seeing any issue with those things?

The Ruger comes loaded with great accessories, and it was hard to pass up, but I got a deal on the Sig while they were running that rebate, and it was to good to pass on.

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no bolt carrier tilt yet although i have only fired about 400 rounds as of now, carrier tilt really does not affect the function of the rifle. the 1:9 twist for me is fine, I don't shoot the heavier grain rounds..just the 55 - 62 grain stuff. You can remove the gas nob and clean the piston area. each platform has is pro's & cons..but I am really liking my SR-556. Although I am going to remove the plain telescoping stock & replace it with the MAGPUL ACS™ - Adaptable Carbine/Storage Stock
I also removed the gay flash suppressor & replaced it with the Smith Vortex flash suppressor, I know it's expensive but eliminates all the flash.

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Glad you like it, and the updates you're doing are definitely worth it. I couldn't figure out why Ruger would throw on that crap suppressor that they use on the Mini 14. Didn't make much sense.

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I got my Sig 556 Swat about a year ago and haven't had any problems with it. I have had problems with "my" shooting accuracy but that has nothing to do with the Sig.

Other than taking an hour to figure out how to break it down before I "broke" down and read the manual it is a great gun.

I got a good deal on it so I splurged for the Swat version, when come to think of it I am not going to add lots of accessories so the additional weight is a minus.

My only other complaint on the gun is that it launches brass about 30 ft during extraction. I was pelting people 2-3 lanes over before I noticed it. I went to collect my brass and there was nothing there! The people a few lanes over thanked me for the free brass.

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Same thing happened to me. I was with some friends the first time I shot it, and they gave me the normal distance away from me. Didn't help at all, they still got smacked in the face with the brass.

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dng wrote:

Same thing happened to me. I was with some friends the first time I shot it, and they gave me the normal distance away from me. Didn't help at all, they still got smacked in the face with the brass.

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:lol:

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Another thing about the way the Sig ejects the spent casing: sometimes it will eject sideways, other times it ejects to the rear, and I even had some eject forwards. Not sure if it was the various types of ammo I used, or if that could be a sympton of the problem with the gun. But no matter what direction it goes, it's always going to come out the same way: hard and fast.

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dng wrote:

Another thing about the way the Sig ejects the spent casing: sometimes it will eject sideways, other times it ejects to the rear, and I even had some eject forwards. Not sure if it was the various types of ammo I used, or if that could be a sympton of the problem with the gun. But no matter what direction it goes, it's always going to come out the same way: hard and fast.

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he said ....Hard & Fast ...Ha ha ha ha ,huh huh huh :lol:

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Got the gun back from Sig today. Much quicker that I thought it would be. The gunsmith's solution was the polish the feed ramp: hopefully that actually fixes the issue, but I have my doubts. I'll post an update after I take it to the range.