Sig 516 Review - I've been a big fan of Sig Sauer guns for as long as I can remember, and it's been a long time. Today we are going to take a look at their Sig 516 model which is a piston operated AR instead of the usual gas shock setup.
I have an early 516 and the ones Sig sells today are a bit different in terms of aesthetics. Some of the furniture has changed and the models sold today come with pop-up sights (mine doesn't).
Sig 516 Review
A quick look at 516 is in order. This gun is quite similar to most high end ARs, albeit with a piston driven OS. This pistol has a push rod system with a short stroke and a rotating pin. The upper receiver is flat and has a forearm with four rails for attaching accessories. My model has a MOE hoof and a MOE pistol grip and I really like both features.
Sig Sauer Mcx Virtus Patrol California Legal
The 516 is chambered in 5.56mm and of course you can also shoot the 223 Remington. The barrel is chrome lined and the rifle has a 1:7 twist (I prefer 1:9). The rifle weighs 7.3 pounds empty and has a 30-round magazine.
It has all the usual culprits like sealed and protected magazine releases, masked ejection port, flash suppressors, forward latch support (I don't use them) and finials. The phosphate finish is attractive and applies evenly to the top and bottom. . The pull trigger is typical mil-spec; nothing to write home about, but satisfactory.
The gas piston regulator has four positions: #1 is for normal firing, #2 is when the gun initiates a short stroke (usually after the gun is dirty), #3 is the break point for kit use. thorough and in position #4 you can operate the pistol like a single shot action rifle (why you would do that I don't know).
Although the gun weighs 7.3 pounds, it feels well balanced when fired. It's also quick to master!
Sig 516 Gen I
I included the red dot finder that I ordered with the Sig 516, but it was definitely not an accurate finder. I had a hard time getting a good shot at 100 yards. For my purposes, I found the Sig's red dot to be a bit small and it was difficult to get on target quickly in low light. I like the slightly larger red dot.
I had a half fair weather test of its accuracy and functionality and fired through several magazines of Winchester ammo without any problems. Within a hundred yards the most I could do was about 3 inches with red dot visibility.
I've shot this gun with a 3x-9x scope in the past and could get groups just under 2 inches if I did my part right.
Black Hills' 55 grain Soft Point ammo is excellent ammo, as is their 60 grain U-Max. I got consistent 3 inch groups with these two loads. The Buffalo Bore 69-grain Sniper Load gave me a group just under 3 inches, and the 1:7 twist favors this heavier bullet. This gun is much more accurate with a magnifier and I get smaller groups on a clear day.
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During testing I had no problems with the gas piston set to position 1. I changed it to position 2 and noticed that my hollow brass moved further from the gun - more air was released into the propeller system. In position 3, the gas system is completely disconnected for use with a suppressor and the empty case does not expand (remains in the chamber). In 4th place you can shoot 516 as lightning. Like I said before, I don't understand the position, but it's there if you want it.
Compared to ARs directly exposed to gas, the 516 stayed very clean and cool during testing. Removing the push rod and piston for routine cleaning is quick and easy. You still need to clean a piston driven AR, just not as often as you would with a direct gas system.
Bolts and bolt holders are slightly different from direct gas contact systems: the bolt does not require an air ring, and the bolt holder does not have an air key. To rotate the action, the push rod contacts the top of the latch holder, where the throttle key is normally located.
I really like the Sig 516. It is lighter than some piston driven ARs and the gun is fast too. It will probably be more accurate than shown in this article, but I don't have a lot of heavy ammo to test. Between that and the little red dot, things aren't going my way.
Sig Sauer 516 Patrol Sport Cqb 10,5 Zoll
The Sig 516 retails for approximately $1,669.00. As with most Sig products, they tend to be in high demand and in short supply, but you can find one if you look hard enough. I'm not the biggest fan in the world when it comes to piston driven ARs, but I'm quickly becoming one. I like that they are always cleaner and cooler with a piston driven system, other than that I like the Sig Sauer pistol.
Pat Cascio is currently a writer for someone who has decided not to write a short biography at this time. Bottom line: Sig Sauer seems to be putting the rifle in oblivion, favoring the newer SIG MCX in marketing and advertising.
When HK released the HK416 in the early 2000s, it quickly became a hit with elite police and military forces around the world. Based on an imaginative marketing campaign and favorable (albeit controversial) US Army test results, the HK416 represents to many users the "better mousetrap" version of the AR rifle line. While the merits of the HK416 have become controversial in modern years, by upgrading traditional AR rifles to improve their reliability, Sig Sauer, Inc attempted to create an answer to the HK416 in the late 2000s. The result, released in 2010, was the SIG 516.
While Sig doesn't want to emphasize connectivity, the SIG 516 is in many ways designed as the direct opposite of the HK416. According to Jim Schatz, a former H&K employee and H&K expert, one of the key people involved in the HK416 was the lead developer of the SIG 516. The name "SIG 516" may just be a slang term for the HK416.
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Even in basic layout, the SIG 516 is very similar to the HK416. Both rifles use a short-stroke nozzle system mounted above the barrel that repels a modified bolt carrier on the upper receiver. This allows the rifle to be easily compatible with most ARs without major modifications.
However, Sig Sauer's design is said to be relatively close to an existing AR piston, the LWRC IC-A5. As a result, both LWRC and Sig Sauer, Inc. was taken to court in 2016 over patent claims against the original design of the SIG 516 piston system.
The piston design of the 516 has several advantages over the 416. The 516 has a 4-position gas regulator that allows for reduced recoil and wear. In theory, the 416 pistons are self-adjusting, but in a default position that tends to increase recoil compared to an adjustable gas system. The HK416 will get an adjustable regulator in the HK416A5 version.
Also, the 516 pin group is closer to the AR group than the HK416 group. The HK416 breech carrier group has a single firing safety pin in the breech, making it more expensive to manufacture and safer, but it limits maximum height hammer work in the lower fire control group. The 516 does not have this, probably due to cost and interoperability with all fire control groups.
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Despite the theoretical advantages of cost and displacement, the SIG 516 is used much less by military and police units than the HK416. It is used by many SWAT units in the United States and was seen in the hands of the Turkish Special Police in 2017.
Sig Sauer seems to be leaving the rifle in the dark and favoring the newer SIG MCX in marketing and promotion. The MCX has a more AR-18-style layout that makes for a quick sell. (The SIG 516 and HK416 do not support a conventional folding stock due to the use of a traditional AR-15 spacer barrel layout.)
Sig Sauer's trend of announcing a new rifle every few years is likely to confuse potential users. Before the SIG 516, Sig Sauer promoted the SIG 556xi, a version of the venerable SG550 rifle adapted to use the aluminum STANAG magazine. But since that rifle didn't sell well, SIG quickly switched to the 516 and now the MCX. Comparatively, the H&K simply repeats the existing 416 design.
Charlie Gao studied politics and computer science at Grinnell University and is a frequent commentator on national security and defense issues. This article first appeared earlier this year. I recently wrote an article about the Sig Sauer Model 516 Piston Action AR Rifle and it is a great little gun. Then Sig released a new version of the 516 called the Gen 2. This is my review
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