Hello everyone,

I bought a Sig 716 (generation 1) new several years ago. I shot it a couple of times, probably have put a couple hundred rounds through it, cleaned/lubed it in December 2014, then put it in my safe.

Yesterday, for the first time in about 4.5 years, I took it to an outdoor range. Loaded the magazine, pulled the bolt back, pressed the trigger, and *click* nothing happened. I ejected the round, tried another. *click* no fire. Repeated this a few times, Was eventually able to get it to fire a few times, but most rounds did not fire. Examining the unshot manually ejected rounds, the primer showed NO sign the firing pin touched the primer on any of the unfired rounds.

Disassembled the weapon, took the bolt out - still well-lubed everywhere, no sign of rust or anything. The weapon was stored in a well regulated temperature/humidity safe for the duration of its storage.

I suspect a mechanical problem, not an ammo problem. The rounds seem to be completely chambering correctly, but the firing pin doesn't contact the primer. FYI, the ammo was 150 grain Federal soft points, brand new. The firing pin looks good.

I know that the generation 2 version of the 716 has a revised bolt. Could this be related to the issue I am having?

What should I do next to solve this issue? I'm pretty much at the limit of my knowledge at this point.

Maybe call SIG and get them to update your 716 while they still have parts in stock?

Was the bolt fully in battery when you tried to fire?

I had something similar happen one range trip with my SCAR 17 and the culprit was fouling in the receiver - FN had a batch of improperly heat treated magazines and part of a feed lip broke and got onto the bolt face, causing several failures to fire / no primer hits, with several good firing sequences in between.

Took it home and actually found 2-pieces floating around, the damaged magazine and a second magazine about ready to fail. FN replaced all the affected magazines I had (3 in total).

quote:

Originally posted by 2Adefender:
Maybe call SIG and get them to update your 716 while they still have parts in stock?

Is the 716 getting discontinued?

What sort of lubricant did you use in it back when you put it away several years ago? How much lube was used?

Did you clean it/re-lube it prior to firing it recently?

I'm wondering if it's old lube that possibly became gummed up inside the bolt and was inhibiting the firing pin from coming fully forward to strike the primer.

Does the hammer spring look intact and have good spring tension?

I recommend thoroughly cleaning it, with emphasis placed on the firing pin and the firing pin channel inside the bolt. Re-lube and try some different ammo before contacting SIG. If the same issue persists, then give SIG's customer service a call.

Thanks to all who have replied so far. To answer some questions...

1) The bolt is/was fully in battery. I confirmed this by having a friend, who is far more knowledgeable than I, confirm this.

2) On the bolt carrier outside, a light coat of slide glide was used. On other parts, Break Free was used.

My knowledgeable friend, who was at the range with me and looked at it, also feels it is a mechanical problem of some kind - but it was a range event so we did not have time to look closer at it to diagnose it fully - Hence my asking here.

Take out the carrier, push the bolt into the carrier (like it would be when it’s locked into the barrel extension), and push the rear of the firing pin. Does the tip of the firing pin protrude through the bolt face? Does the firing pin slide easily inside the bolt and carrier?

Stupid question, but when you last reassembled the carrier, did you put split pin in front of the collar instead of behind it?

quote:

Originally posted by Dwill104:
Take out the carrier, push the bolt into the carrier (like it would be when it’s locked into the barrel extension), and push the rear of the firing pin. Does the tip of the firing pin protrude through the bolt face? Does the firing pin slide easily inside the bolt and carrier?

Stupid question, but when you last reassembled the carrier, did you put split pin in front of the collar instead of behind it?

I was thinking the same thing.

Another thing to check is condition of the firing pin. If the tip of the firing pin is broken, that could cause an issue. A firing pin protrusion gauge could be useful.

Also, to the OP, did you disassemble and reassemble the fire control group?

quote:

Originally posted by btanchors:

quote:

Originally posted by 2Adefender:
Maybe call SIG and get them to update your 716 while they still have parts in stock?

Is the 716 getting discontinued?

I have not heard that it’s being discontinued, but look at SIG’s history in recent years. Slower sellers disappear from their lineup eventually.

Good luck, hope it’s a simple fix. They are sweet rifles.