Saw this video over at ENDO Mike’s
I used to recommend SIG Pistols HEAVILY, they were solid, built without unnecessary controls or failure points and generally enjoyable to shoot.
Steel-Cased ammo is dirty, inefficient and cheap. Its also built to the same standards as any safe ammo. I have several cases of steel-case ammo here in the armory…some of that stuff is what armed forces use or used in war.
If your gun won’t shoot steel ammo, that’s the gun’s fault, not the ammo.
Couple that with this
Maybe you should stay away from new-production SIGs until they work hard to convince us otherwise…
It’s a shame.
Sig Pro 2009 was the first pistol I ever bought, and it’s still one of the best running pistols I own.
But all I hear nowadays is bad news about Sig.
Things change I guess.
I need to Harass Bob S. to do a more extensive review on his SIG 2022 (AKA SIG Pro) as they seem to be one of the best deals in the SIG world….but I’m not sure if current models are experiencing similar problems as their other handguns.
Consider me harassed !
As if I don’t have enough going on 🙂
Been running smooth as silk. Not a failure to feed or eject. Put a variety of ammo through it with no problem.
The gun performs well….just that blasted nut behind the grip can’t make the gun hit the target.
I’m sure Midway USA makes a spanner wrench to tighten down that nut behind the SIG 2022 😉
F%^%%$ING ^&^^&^! You know, I REALLY don’t like ARs, but I know that if that’s what’s available, you use what you got. I was so happy to find out that Sig was making their 556 in a Version that took standard American G.I magazines. Now this crap happens. So, if this continues, my choices for a Semi-Auto 5.56 Carbine that’s NOT an AR is now down to Ruger Mini-14s or a Galil, neither of which takes the G.I magazine, right? 10 mags per Rifle, $40 bucks a Mag, FRACK!
You want to know what happened to SIG?
I can tell you in two words: “Ron” and “Cohen”.
What Tam says. See Kimber for the prequel.
As for steel case ammo not working. My Kahr PM45 has problems with chambering steel cartridges. Yours might too.
The chamber has rather tight tolerances and I’ve found that all the problematic steel cases are oversized in diameter before being fired.
Granted my 1911’s and my AR45 don’t have that issue.
My Kahr’s chamber is really tight, tho Jay ran a box of his Tula ammo through it without any issue.
Certainly not any of that FTF nonsense in the video.
Yeah that’s just bad. If your Kahr does it like mine, it will feed, but it may not fire, and it certianlly will have trouble extracting and may “lock up”. That’s because the breachface has slammed a case too big for the chamber in.
Some boxes of Tula will work in mine, other boxes will be riddled with big cases. I just skip ’em now.
The reviews on the 556R have been really disappointing to me. I was looking to get one since I already have the 7.62×39 ammo and lots of AK mags.
They’re obviously trying to appeal to AK owners, but not being reliable with steel cased ammo is a deal breaker IMO. Another problem some have noticed is that since the receiver is aluminum, steel surplus mags will wear down the magazine well.
They got comfortable then they got lazy then they got arrogant. Being a premium firearm company doesn’t mean you rest on your laurels or stop making high quality stuff. I had severe problems with a 556 with very good ammo. You can’t bill your tool as a battle implement if it won’t eat anything you put in it. War isn’t waged under optimum conditions with perfect ammunition.
Well, I am a bit conflicted on the steel case vs brass case issue. The way I’ve heard it, is that if you want 100% reliability with steel case, you use eastern block pattern firearms. If you use it with western guns, sometimes it will be fine, and sometimes it will not. It is a chance you have to take. I’ve seen premium steel cased defensive ammo, but only in soviet calibers. Thus intended for eastern block firearms. I do not see Hornady making a 9×19 steel cased premium load. Sure, the Sig-556r to be failing with run of the mill Wolf ammo is totally unacceptable. I cannot entirely fault though, 9mm and 223 designs that predate the rise of cheap steel cased ammo for plinking here in the US for not working so well with it. Brass ammo was so cheap back then after all. I’d like to see more tests with a wider variety of loads. I will note, I’ve only bought older Sig handguns. Never a new one. I’ve heard FBI took Sigs off their allowed handgun list due to poor QC on the part of Sig in recent years. It is a pity. Sigs feel great and still have good triggers.
I wouldn’t fault older guns for not working great with steel cased ammo, just like you wouldn’t expect old 9mm pistols be able to safely fire the newer +P rounds. I think the complaint is with newly manufactured guns.
Nowadays steel cased ammo is very commonly used for plinking, and other than being a bit dirtier there isn’t anything wrong with it. Saying that using it will void your warranty is silly, especially when it’s being marketed as a battle implement like 45er mentioned.
Let’s put it this way, If somebody was looking at an East German Sig, or Roadkill’s P245 I’d say that was a good buy. A NIB SIG made in the last year or two, I’d suggest they think twice.
“I do not see Hornady making a 9×19 steel cased premium load.”
Think again.
http://www.hornady.com/store/Steel-Match
Wrong URL Weerd.
http://www.hornady.com/store/9mm-Luger-125-GR-HAP-STEEL-MATCH/
I stand corrected. Originally the only steel cased premium loads I knew in steel case were in 7.62×39 and 5.45×39 and they were defensive loads. This is news to me.
Being the former Special Weapons Coordinator for Sig and an expert on the 55x series of rifles, I can tell you this, IMHO the San Swiss 55X series rifle was not meant to chamber the 7.62×39 round. Other than that, I try to keep my personal comments to myself regarding Sig because I still work in the industry and any negative comment could bit me in the ass. I will say this,…the american version of the San Swiss design fall short in quality and performance by comparison.
Thanks for your input Rich, and I understand your need for diplomacy.
That’s what I keep hearing, that the American SIGs have the issues.
Rich, the 55X is one of my grail guns. I want one very badly. Do you think Sig is working hard to overcome the QC problems? I’ve heard nothing but good things about the 522, I suppose I will end up with one of those before an actual 55X.
Having not held one in my hand nor fired one since 2008, I really can’t tell you how they are in quality. As far as overall performance? IMHO, most over the counter 556 or .223 rifles will perform the same for the civilian market between 300-500 meters. Your choice as a buyer is looks and price. If you like the looks of the Sig, then go for it. The two major parts of the firearms that gives you overall performance is the bullet being fired and the quality of the barrel. Everything after that is fit, function and features. It may shock most people, but I like the new Bushmaster ACR. My only issue with the rifle is the cost. But is has features that as a shooter I look for. I’ve shot the SCAR 16 & 17 and I still like the ACR. I like the Sig 556, but there are some features or “lack there of” that made me sell mine. I do love the 551. I carried it for 3 years before working for Sig.