sig 556 v.s. AR

[sochr000]

There's a Sig 556 for sale, and although a lot of the parts from those aren't interchangeable with an AR, what are people's opinions? I am leaning more towards the AR due to platform familiarity, but if the Sig is worlds above, then I'll look into that.

[David]

I have both and both are excellent rifles. I think it all boils down to personal preference. My ARs are all ultra-reliable, even after firing more than a thousand rounds in the Arizona desert, and as you said, you practically trip over parts for them.

Still, if you want a piston-operated .223, then the SIG is a great choice. I prefer it over the Robinson XCR and many other "new" .223 rifles. And if you look hard enough, you'll see that people are doing some pretty cool things with them, and a lot of companies are making parts for them now. I love some of the 551 conversions that are going on. It's also a better rifle than a lot of the older .223s, such as the HK93, FNC, etc. I wouldn't compare it to bullpups like the MSAR/AUG or FS2000, as they really have a totally different feel. It remains to be seen how all these will compare to the FN SCAR or Masada, but who knows if we'll ever actually see those (I've had both or order for months now).

I'd fire both an AR and a SIG 556 and make your decision based on how they feel to you. Most of what you'll hear on the subject will be people's opinions, and you can just as easily form your own (more valuable) ones.

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

David is right. It comes down to preference. I went with the SIG 556 over the AR because of the increased reliability and AK-47 bolt design which promises improved reliability over the AR, especially after the rifle is fouling from excessive amounts of rounds shot with no cleaning. The SIG appears to have accuracy similar to a 16" AR-15, but I have noticed that after heating up, the shot dispertion at 100 yards becomes noticeable. I imagine an AR with a pencil barrel will also act in this manner. The SIG 556 is a bit easier to clean. And now, finally, some accessories are beginning to be made available for it. The SIG is excellent for what it is, a fast, reliable, short battle carbine for intermeduate ranges.

[Pinnacle]

The one main drawback to teh Sig is the fact that you will have to use optics - for a rifle that costs as much as the sig - the sights are PITIFUL and BUIS are about as much as an entry level descent scope.

[wannabe]

Picked up a Sig 556 a few months ago. It has been completely reliable through 600 rounds
of wide variety of ammunition. It's fun to shoot, accurate, and easy to disassemble, especially if you
replace the stock front pivot pin which screws together (PITA). I don't have an AR to compare it to.
If you can get one without the Sig BUIS, do. As perviously noted the Sig BUIS sights are
very poor.
I have an Aimpoint mounted on mine, but optics are not required. I have an ARMS40 rear sight
and a Sampson Industries front sight for BUIS.
Brownells has Aimpoint M4c's for sale with an ARMS 40 for around 700.00 (saves about 100.00 for the ARMS).
The Sampson front sight was around 120.00.
topgunsupply carries a lot of after market stuff for the 556, including 551 style handguards, pivot pins, and
a few sights.
Sig 556 forum is great source of information also.
HTH

[smacsteve]

This is a decision I'm wrestling with right now. I've shot the Sig 556 a few days ago at Bill's. Another shooter at the range had one and offered me a few shots. I don't usually take people up on their offers, but this one was an exception. I need to shoot a AR now to get s comparison. I have to say I really liked the feel of the gas piston as it seemed to take some of the recoil of the gun off. It had a EOTech sight on it and it's what I want to put on whatever rifle I go with so the factory sight's aren't a issue for me. The Sig 556 ER is the model I'm liking or the Classic SWAT possibly. On the AR front I'm looking at a couple of lowers... Either the SOG Arms or a Rock River. Both seem to be the most talked about and have excellent reputations. I'm looking for some feedback on what brand of lower receivers and upper/barrel to go with.

Thanks for any feedback!

[sochr000]

(disclaimer: my thoughts below are based on a "tactical" build, not some super accurate varmint setup.)

I ended up not getting the SIG, and instead built two AR-15s, the below are my experiences as far as brands.

DPMS is where most of my non-mil experiences are, and they seem to be a pretty solid mfg of parts, that and they're MN based so they get my vote. I've got a DPMS lower, and two DPMS uppers, one of those uppers has a DPMS barrel on it as well. The DPMS tolerances seem to be within "normal" specs, no slop in anything that I've noticed, and this, to me, is what matters. I'm probably going to stick with DPMS for any future builds, again, due to their decent quality control, and the MN based thing (I will pay more/wait longer to buy locally, I'm just weird like that).

I also have a Double Star lower, again, seems to have good tolerances, with a couple hundred rounds through it I haven't noticed anything weird. I'd never heard of Double Star before buying this, they're a KY based mfg (I think), but I got it at a pretty good price from a local seller so can't complain yet.

As far as Rock River Arms (RRA) goes, the only experience I have with them is a lower receiver parts kit (LRPK) that's in my DPMS lower, and a Bolt Carrier Group (BCG) that might be RRA (seller wasn't positive). So far, no complaints from the LRPK, but the BCG does some weird stuff to my brass cases. It basically gouges them a little bit, nothing serious, but enough to cause a little initial concern.


So, as far as parts, I prefer DPMS, but imho, I don't and haven't ever gotten into the brand wars much. DPMS, RRA, BM, etc etc, it's like the Ford, Chevy, Dodge argument to me. My rule of thumb is if I've heard of the brand, and it wasn't in a negative light, then chances are it's decent.

Now if you're looking for some heavy barreled, competition shooting rifle, then you might want to do more research, but if you're looking for a fun range gun, home defense, Medium-range varmint gun, or something economy, then just google the brand, the first page should let you know if it's going to explode in your hands.

[smacsteve]

Thanks sochar000, just the kind of feedback I was looking for! While I've not heard of the DPMS, I'll check them out! I still like the Sig a lot, but it comes down to $$$.

[sochr000]

Yeah, it was the money that made me go with an AR, I can buy the lower this paycheck, the parts kit next, barrel, upper, etc etc. Where with the 556 you have to pretty much buy it as one unit.

I was kind of hesitant at first to assemble my own lower, since in the army they wouldn't even let you touch it, had to go to armorer's school to do that. Now I find out, it's pretty easy, they just don't let everyone touch it because the army has it's fair share of Marines morons too.

[Pat]

When the Sig 556 originally came out, the iron sights were truly crap. Of late, though, they've made a conscious effort to install something decent.