I know there were some complaints about SIG's execution of the 556. I know some people flat out hated them.

Did you like them or hate them? And why?

I had a friend who had one and I got to shoot it. It was whatever version they came out with which finally had the correct Swiss furniture on it. Of the many guns he offered to sell me over the years, that’s definitely one of the ones I should have bought off him. Good trigger, very accurate with, IIRC, Radway green. A cloverleaf at fifty yards with irons off the bench my first five rounds. I was immediately impressed and should have bought it from him. Damn good rifle, it was one of the “good ones” that snuck out the factory. It was soft-shooting, accurate, easy to work, good ergos, gas-regulated and you could shoot it with the stock folded if need be, and with it folded, it was a compact package.

SIG USA’s sloppy QC, discontinuing them, and not providing followup support was a massive failure on their part. That could have been a contender on the domestic market.

I really liked the rifle. I hate how Sig bungled it.

I have a love hate relationship with mine. I love the incredible reliability, hate the weight.

It took a while to find the right load. Once I did, the accuracy got a lot better. Mine now wears a low power scope and is used for varmint control and the rare hog hunt.

I had a good one, and liked it. I enjoyed shooting it and it was fairly accurate with 55gr Lake City. But liking it wasn’t enough to make me keep it. I eventually sold it.

I could not get used to the right-sided charging handle, when I could use my left hand to charge an AR, FAL or SCAR. That was one of the reasons I decided to part with the 556, to standardize to left-side charging rifles.

I was also not happy with the lack of parts and support from SIG. Aftermarket support started off strong, but then dried up considerably. Adios 556.

Being a bit of a SIG addict I've a few of the original ones (not the xi). They are terrible at least in any comparison to a similarly premium priced AR. The list of issues I've had is pretty long and varied and I won't write a novel about it, but the two that were really, really annoying were the canted rails problem and accuracy that absolutely sucks.
Sig never really made much progress on either.
And like usual left us stranded on parts.
Mine are boringly reliable of course.

I have a very early build and I love it. I mean it’s a little heavy and the fish Gill stocks could be more aesthetically pleasing. Other than that my only complaint was having to source and add my own irons.

Still have mine. Still like it. No complaint beyond SIG being SIG and ditching it so quickly.

My rails were straight and with heavier grain ammo it is plenty accurate.

I still have a couple. Like the improved reliability of piston action enough to keep the folding stock versions I have. Easy cleaning, no twang in the ear when firing, and I experienced acceptable accuracy.

Cons include the original high price, and extra weight. They also throw dented brass ahead and right into next county.

The huge closeout price drop and lack of support so soon after the introduction have left such a bad taste I will never again support Sig with a new gun purchase.

I have an early 556 with factory folding M4 stock other than those heavy fish gill handguards which I changed I have no complaints. It's been perfect never any issues and a straight rail too.

I love my SBRs, and have been craving a real 553 or a 551 for a while now. Great ergonomics, reliable, and just plain something different.

It is not sub-MOA, but a carbine doesn't need to be. I've never quite understood the hate, it was a reliable gun at a surprising value (go price a 553 in Switzerland).

Sure, the gun Sig first came out with wasn't exactly what everybody wanted, but Sig really, really needs to be commended for the rapidity of the evolution of the 556 product line, and how closely they listened to their customers. We don't like those handguards, OK, here's a clone of the originals. We want a folding stock, here ya go... no, not that one, like the original, Gotcha. We want diopters...can do.

Seriously, how long was it before Ruger released 10/22 mags with more than ten round capacity?

The P556 was the first mass market SBR ready "pistol". Then, along came the "brace", which has revolutionized the market.

Bottom line, I still shoot mine regularly.

I had three of them at one point, several years ago. I liked them. They were like a German engineered AK.
But when it became apparent SIG wasn’t really going to support them, I bailed.

I had one with green furniture, I really liked it. I wish I still had it.

I have two that are still NIB: An original fish gill bought the week they were released and a 556 classic. I even have a Victorinox bayonet and two or three spare part kits. Plus I have a 522 with a second target barrel (which I have shot about 100 rounds through). I really can't decide whether to just shoot them or sell them. With the soft market, I just keep sitting. I do wish SIG hadn't stopped supporting them. If they hadn't, I'd be shooting them as I like the design.

I think the lack of support is the real complaint I have except my fish gill is just ugly.

quote:

Originally posted by hudr:
I had three of them at one point, several years ago. I liked them. They were like a German engineered AK.
But when it became apparent SIG wasn’t really going to support them, I bailed.

Same story here.

Originally I liked them. I bought one of the first 300. Didn’t have a canted rail and seemed to run well. The longer I had it the more I could tell that it was really more of a budget priced imitation of the Swiss guns. It started to lose favor with me as the platform didn’t really develop as I hoped and as newer models seemed to not only maintain their somewhat inexpensive feel but also seemed to lose their reliability. When SIG stopped supporting the rifle I sold it to a friend that was interested. I now own an Actual SAN SIG 751 SAPR, and I really appreciate how cheap the 556 was in comparison to the originals. Owning the real deal also put me solidly in the “hate it” category for the 556. I am glad I no longer own any SIG Sauer products and plan to keep it that way.

I like them a lot. I have a very early 556 - lower than 001500 serial #. Swiss internals. I replaced the ugly fish gills with the Swiss hand guard and put a UBR stock on it. I have had the 556 since 2008. So far not a single malfunction of any kind and pretty good accuracy - especially with heavier bullets. It is heavy, but it doesn’t bother me. I’m not taking it on long patrols, so a little extra weight is okay.


+

I had one and far prefer it to the AR. I liked the feel and how the heavier front end balanced for me. The thing operated as smooth as a sewing machine and no annoying twang of an AR.
My department won’t allow their use and with Sig discontinuing support and parts I sold mine.

nice rifles IMO

sad they didn't stick with them with support and periodic enhancements

nice alternative to a standard AR.

now they're pretty much a novetly sadly

I would snatch up a P556 if I ever found one at a decent price

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quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:

I would snatch up a P556 if I ever found one at a decent price

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Mine will never be for sale. Awesome gun in a nicely sized package...

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:


I would snatch up a P556 if I ever found one at a decent price

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Only Sig "rifle" I regretted selling

I have two, one of the original ones and one of the pistols.

I haven't shot them in ages, but I never had any problems with either of them, aside from the aforementioned weight on the rifle. Never got around to ditching the fish gill handguards and was annoyed at the lack of real 55x sights (has the ones built into the rail) and the bullshit takedown pins with screws.

I'd really like to SBR my pistol, especially since the F1 won't take long, but I worry about putting a gun on the registry that doesn't have support, so to speak.

Out of idle curiosity, now that you've got me thinking about it, do they have standard 1/2x28 muzzle threads?