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Sig 556 -VS- AR15

17K views 28 replies 12 participants last post by  OPFOR 
#1 ·
I'm thinking about horse trading for another EBR. Went be on recon today and lusted after a Bushmaster XM15, collapsible stock, railed hand guards, nice.
Then my eyes fell upon a (unknown to me) used Sig 556. Felt NICE in hand, pointed up a bit better than the AR, had the collapsible stock, no sights though. The Bushy had flip up sights on the top rail.
If I would have known it was used the guy next to me would have been...peed off at me to snatching it up...saving myself about 200.00 from the cost of a new one.

Oh...decisions, decisions decisions.
The AR manual of arms isn't THAT much different with the Sig..is it? Looked like it broke down basically the same way.
The sig is about 300 more than the Bushy...but...it's a Sig. If it's ANYTHING like the handguns...it's worth a bit more.

Whatta you think?
 
#2 ·
i'm a 556 owner, and a soldier, so i'm familiar with both.

the sig is easier to clean, and is every bit as accurate. it feels a bit different when firing, and the manual of arms is different, since there's no charging handle comin out the back. the inards are different as well. the bolts are very different, there is no rear buffer/spring, the gas tube is large and easy to take apart.

the charging handle on the 556 is a pain if you use an eotech, and you'll want to replace the front reciever screw with a pin, to make it take apart like an AR.
 
#3 ·
I like the 556, but I also am a big fan of common guns for common parts when choosing a battle rifle. I'd buy the AR, unless you already have one and want a toy that is a little different.
 
#4 ·
Then my eyes fell upon a (unknown to me) used Sig 556. Felt NICE in hand, pointed up a bit better than the AR, had the collapsible stock, no sights though.

Whatta you think?
The only thing that would bother me a little is the fact that it is used. The 556 hasn't been out that long.

Having said that, I'm sort of "lusting" after one even though I haven't had a chance to actually handle one yet.

As for the lack of sights, that was one of the biggest early complaints I saw over on SIGForum. The other was early problems with rail the sights would mount to.
 
#5 ·
These might be helpful topics for you.


SIGForum is a great place for knowledge about Sig pistols, don't get me wrong, but when it comes to rifles this topic is no less than a monthly one. So far as I've been able to tell, the 556 is not to rifles what the P series is to handguns. My own experience aligns itself with this, but the rifle may have changed since its first debut.


-B
 
#6 ·
I went with the 556 over an AR, its a really gussied up AK deep down and im my opinion the AK is a more robust and forgiving weapon.


And its just sexy:


I have an TA33R-8 ACOG on its way, should be here next week.

And heres a crappy picture of an AK bolt on the left and a 556 bolt on the right:
 
#7 ·
I went with the 556 over an AR, its a really gussied up AK deep down and im my opinion the AK is a more robust and forgiving weapon.

GotSig? : please, PLEASE tell me how the gas system of the 556 compares and contrasts to the AK and AR. I love your pictures comparing the bolts and boltcarriers between the 556 and the AK! I want to know about the gas system in its entirety. Long stroke, short stroke, delayed, roller, etcetera. :bier:
 
#8 ·
Give me a second and ill strip both down and take pictures. They are basically the same thing, both are long stroke gas pistons.
 
#9 ·
Ok i found out why the pics were crappy, there was a smudge on the lens.

AK on top, Sig on the bottom:


The Sig breaks down into 2 pieces, the gas piston comes out the front and the bolt carrier comes out the rear, unlike the ak where everything comes out the rear. The recoil spring is also on the gas piston, instead on on its proprietary recoil rod assembly in the AK, basically removing one moving part from the equation.
 
#12 ·
The Sig breaks down into 2 pieces, the gas piston comes out the front and the bolt carrier comes out the rear, unlike the ak where everything comes out the rear. The recoil spring is also on the gas piston, instead on on its proprietary recoil rod assembly in the AK, basically removing one moving part from the equation.

My god... I am going to skip the AR and go straight to the SIG 556, it looks like the best of both worlds! I'm on! thankyou so very much for the pictures!!!
:urla9ub:

please do tell me how much it cost you, any complaints about it or simply something small that you do not like about it
 
#11 ·


Thats how the operating system breaks down into 4 peices, the gas piston, the charging handle, the bolt and bolt carrier.
View down the receiver, you can see the beefy feedramp and the gas tube from the bolt carrier side:
 
#13 ·
No problem, i did the same thing skipped the AR and bought a Sig. I will eventually get an AR, a Colt 6920, but i need alot more mags and ammo before i can justify another rifle.
 
#16 ·
AR-Handsdown. I love Sig products. But not overly impressed with the SIG.

AR-is 10 times more modular than a 556. I have a AR that has a 7.62 upper on it, and changes out with a spare 5.56 upper.

Can't do that with a 556 just from pushing two pins. Also the the SIG's registered part is upper. Therefor its probably going to be very costly to make a SBR. However, it would BE BAD A$$ looking.

The 556 that we have at work we mounted a AAC can on the front. Maybe the gas system isn't set properly but GLASSES ARE MANDATORY. If your a south Paw Its just exects fouling right into the users face. AR's do as well but not the extreme that the 556 does. Its almost to the point where its unbearable.

AR Pros
More Modular than a 556
parts are readily available.
Wheren't the Sigs initially recalled? I don't expect this from Sig expecially on a "Proven" design simiilar to the 550 series.
Manual of arms is I think similiar and can be done faster if you only have one hand available.
I don't know i'm not ready to drink the koolaid on the 556; however, poor me the green kool aid for the Magpul Masada.
 
#17 ·
AR Pros
More Modular than a 556
parts are readily available.
Well AR's are modular, no one said otherwise but I love the idea of having a 223, semi-auto, full length barrel gun with this type of gas system, ergonomics and Sig Reliability.

Honestly, I might be the only person in the world who thinks like this, but I do not need M4gery Delta AR with lasers, flashlights, front vertical grip, sopmod stock or an infinite array of... everything.

I will buy this SIG 556 because it does not need modifications or modularity. :yup: and if I want a 308 on and AR I'll buy a AR-10 which is a dedicated 308:ahhhhh:
 
#19 ·
Talk to Tactical Response about Piston driven ARs, not one has made it through the 5 day contractor class without major issues. If you want a gas piston, get something that was designed with a gas piston from the beginning, not something that was shoehorned on as an afterthought. AR's are good but there are much better weapons out there.
 
#22 ·
I would love to love the Sig (because, well, I really like Sigs!), but I just can't in this case. Admittedly, I've yet to shoot the 556, but there just doesn't seem to be much of an upside to it vs. the AR. Of course, it helps that I don't believe the hype about the "unreliable" direct gas system anyway, all it's ever meant to me was a lighter, easier recoiling weapon that is a pain in the butt to clean!

Now, if Sig simply made an AR, I'd probably be all over it!
 
#24 ·
you should shoot and take apart a 556 if you get a chance. the AR is not "easier recoiling" than this weapon. it's not that much heavier than some AR builds, but the weight distribution is farther forward (good thing imo). and, i can't see how your AR being harder to clean makes it better.
 
#25 ·
No, harder to clean isn't better! Especially when I was in the OPFOR, firing thousands of blanks a month - talk about DIRTY! I was just saying that this dirtiness was the only real down side I've noticed.

I disagree, however, that weight farther forward on a rifle like this is a good thing. In my experience, it makes the weapon slower to transition from target to target, and increases the tendency to "overswing." I already have at least a light on the fore end of any serious rifle (and often more), I don't need any more weight out there.

The recoil thing, is, of course, mostly subjective. I'm basing this on the fact that, all other things being equal, less mass moving backwards (just bolt carrier) will be easier to control than more mass moving backwards (bolt carrier and piston). It's a minor point, certainly, but there it is.

Again, I want to like the Sig. I just don't think it offers any real advantages over the AR (and I have the same feelings about the G36 carbines I got to shoot recently - nice, super sexy, very well built, but not revolutionary enough to move me from a platform I am intimately familiar with and trust implicitly).
 
#26 ·
Yeah over a canted rail, not a functional issue. I don't want this to turn into a LWRC vs. 556 pissing match so ill end this here. I did get my TA33R-8 on the other hand, this scope is amazing. I have to wait until next week to be able to shoot it, it sucks.


 
#28 ·
In my experience, it makes the weapon slower to transition from target to target, and increases the tendency to "overswing."
it does make it slower. also makes it more difficult to carry at the ready for longer. i admit it probably makes it less than ideal as a CQ /MOUT weapon because of that, and it's length.

on the other hand, at least to me, it makes it more accurate. the slowness can be overcome by increasing upper body strength. but you can only improve steadiness by relaxing so much. it also reduces muzzle flip because of the larger moment arm...not that they flip much, as colin pointed out, but there is still some. makes it a good field rifle imo.

as for the lower mass of the carrier/bolt...i'd be suprised if the sig's weighed more. it's pretty small. it'd be interesting to weigh them.
 
#29 ·
Colin - We're not talking 'punishing' recoil here, just the movement of the weapon when it's fired. Personally, I like to shoot anything that needs shootin' more than once - I can do this very efficiently with the AR.

Phaed - I acknowledge that there are benefits to a heavier fore end, but for me they don't outweigh the costs...
 
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