SIG556 to be chambered in 7.62x39mm: SIG762?
Sig Sauer Guns have confirmation that the SIG556 (the civilian SIG550) will be made available chambered in 7.62x39mm and will be able to use standard AK-47 magazines.
We just received a phone call from our contact at Sig and Sig Sauer is producing a SIG 556 chambered in 7.62×39. This new SIG556 will have a AK-47 bolt and it will support standard AK-47 magazines. Apparently these new models are in production and will be shipping from the factory in roughly four to six weeks.
Read more about it here.
This is pretty nifty if you ask me.
SIG556 Classic (the 5.56mm model)
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Estimated availability date?
A SIG AK VERSION WOULD BE AWESOME. MAGS AND AMMO WILL BE PLENTIFUL. I WAS WAITING FOR THE BUSHMASTER ACR AK VARIANT. BUT THAT IS PROBABLY THREE YEARS AWAY. MY SIG P250 45 AUTO IS GREAT,I LOVE IT. MY SIG 556 COMMANDO FOLDING STOCK GREEN DURACOAT SHOOTS GREAT. I WILL DEFINITELY BE PICKING UP ONE OF THESE AS SOON AVAILABLE. THIS IS GREAT NEWS. SIG ROCK ON…
To the poster re: 556s going down in carbine classes and people having to switch to ARs to finish, that sounds like the exact opposite of my experience with multiple ARs and 556s. My 556s run way, way past the point of failure of the DI ARs. It isn’t even close. I don’t like rock-in mags but this gun in 7.62×39 is still attractive to me.
I’m hearing a lot of prejudice and platitudes here, and not a lot of honest analysis.
Argument 1: It’s just a churched-up/overpriced AK!
My thought: Shoot it first, then judge. The two rifles may have the same internals and utterly different ergonomics. I know Kalashnikophiles tend to hold ergonomics in contempt, but to the rest of the world, they matter a lot.
Argument 2: Sig556 is an unreliable platform!
My thought: That has no bearing on this rifle. This is a new offering with new machining, and will utilize mags that have been proven reliable. Considering how often malfunctions are caused by mags, this alone should increase reliability. No doubt reliability improves throughout the lifespan of any technology, and Sig will likely apply lessons learned from the 556 to the new platform. And I’ve seen plenty of unreliable AKs. I realize that this is an unmentionable heresy, but it is also true.
Argument 3: But I want it in caliber X!
My thought: They can’t please everyone, and 7.62×39 users are plentiful, to put it mildly.
Bottom line: It might be a good 7.62×39 option for people who desire better ergonomics and off-the-shelf access to peripherals than an AK. Until anyone shoots it, all judgments tend to be prejudice and platitudes.
last shot bolt open? mag well?
>Sounds like a possible military export version.
No. Everything Exeter makes is for the US market.
Sig Sauer made in the usa? Isn’t a sig in my opinion. That’s like buying a swiss watch made in the U.S, makes no sense.
Just wait for Saiga’s new Ak’s with rail on top, and you got yourself the best AK available.
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2010/05/27/ak-200-rifle-the-21st-century-ak/
Why bother if you want a NATO rilfe a SIG or dare I say just Buy a AR-15 alot more accurate to me. If you want a Soviet Caliber buy a AK/AKM-47 A SAR-1 or a Arsenal is far better and cheaper than this.
A reliable 762 x 39 that takes ak mags? Soooo an AK then?
Has a Sig 556 EVER made it through an EAG carbine course or something similar without going down?
I read a report from Pat Rogers awhile back (year maybe) saying he had yet to see one finish and anyone who brought one had to barrow one of his AR’s to finish up.
I’m not saying that is the case now and maybe Sig has improved their QC.
Anyone care to share their experience?
The SIG 55x series of rifles was once described to me as, “the prettiest AK I’d ever seen.” Somehow, this seems appropriate.
Im kinda fascinated by the SIG550 family, they have an AK action that many claim it downgrades accuracy quite a lot, but the SIG has a great reputation about being accurate. Those swiss know something that we don’t.
I was REAL interested in this until I heard the $1500 – $1700 price being tossed around. Even with some additional accessories you would still get a normal AK for the same price AND with optics and spare magazines. So, the big question is the button magazine release and style worth the extra $500 or so over a fully outfitted AK?
Komrad, I would love to see a 9x39mm version too. Though getting ammo might be a PITA.
I think it’s a great idea. As already mentioned by some of the more knowledgeable posters, you get a better optics mounting platform, better ergonomics, better accuracy, and softer recoil characteristics. You are basically putting the proven 7.62×39 through a more modern design (thus the cost increase).
Having owned a 556 at one point and being a current owner of an SGL20, I can see the allure of having such a, “hybrid,” if you will. And if you’ve got loads of the Circle 10 and/or US Palm AK30 mags to help feed ‘em, you’re golden.
2x Saiga SGL21′s vs 1x Sig 556? I’ll take the Saiga’s please!
Bryan.S i will never have an AK in my Gun Safe. Ive had too many of them fired in my direction and ive had to treat to many wounds caused by them. Its personal.
up: Sig SG550
middle: AK47
down: Sig SG552
http://uppix.net/8/2/5/11ea450704202f978ccdd11cc1b59.jpg
Nooky, great pic, thanks for the link.
The main question – how this gun will shoot with for example Wolf ammo?
If it will shoot 1MOA – it’s a keeper.
If It will be in 1-1.5MOA with wolf ammo and 1MOA with hand load – may be it’s a good gun, and may be it will find it’s buyer.
If it will be 1.5-2.5MOA – why it’s better than original AK?
I would buy it if the price was right, but I don’t foresee having the money for a SIG in the near future. I agree with ben that a 5.45×39 version should be made as well.
I wonder how well it would function if re-chambered to 9x39mm.
Awww man! And just when I finally got my 556 kitted out the way I like, now I’ll have to be sending even MORE money Sig’s way . . .
(I know, I know, I bitch like it’s a problem.
)
Any chance of a SIG-Siaga20 then? I’d be ALL over that.
I bet it wont use AK mags. Its a wast I wasn’t one in .308 a real good caliber not the lame 7.62 Soviet.
Why is it I see your ignorant opinions on every article?
That is a seriously sexy piece. As I always state, modern type firearms aren’t my style. Not a huge plastic or tacti-cool fan, but I could totally be into one of these.
-D
Real Sig rifles are made in SIG Neuhausen am Rheinfall in Switzerland by swiss arms.
And sig did one prototype in 7.62×39 but didn’t produced it.
http://uppix.net/5/1/5/65a4518c275e6a33fdc88cd43c7e6.jpg
And Sig 550 is a civilian rifle, only north america gets 556.
I’d really prefer 5.45×39.
Tmash.. they make a reliable platform that takes AK mags.. its called the AK.
Find a good yugo and rock n’ roll. At a heck of a lot better price than sig will have.
Sounds like a possible military export version. I’m sure we’ll get em here, but probably not the original purpose.
Interesting. I will be interested to see how this turns out. I’ve got a 556 already, and it is definitely AK-based (basically flop an AK receiver upside down so the solid part is on top, then mate it with an AR lower receiver). The bolts look almost identical:
http://gunblobber.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/ebr-09.jpg
(from here, if the image doesn’t work: http://gunblobber.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/ebr-gun-porn/ )
However, they are not exactly identical, and so I’m a bit confused by the part where they say they “will use an AK bolt”. The lugs are slightly different in the Sig…. dropping an actual AK bolt in there would NOT work.
I am also interested to see what they do with the mags. If they can come up with a nice, reliable way to use the AK mags with an AR-style release button then I’m in. If it’s an AK-style mag release then I will be less interested.
Gun, those are cool photos!
Interested. As always with new products, will have to wait to see what bugs shake out.
I like this. Modern AK-style rifle with lots of AK compatibility in a battle rifle round.
Hopefully this will lead to a real trick DMR variant or something. Sort of a Dragunov-pattern rifle if you will.
@Tmash – Don’t give up on your upper yet, I’ve had great luck with the C-Products 7.62×39 mags.
That’s much more attractive as a general purpose rifle than a 5.56 anything or an AK. Sig sees a hole in the market where there aren’t many products for people who like the 7.62 short (which many consider to be a minimum for a general purpose rifle) but also like a modern rifle with light weight and good ergonomics.
Sounds like the Sig 762 will be able to do everything but take large game.
Well played.
Alot more accurate than an AK i bet.
Funny thing the prototype of this weapon was shown in 2006 at the IWA
REMOV, lol, they move slowly at sig
Very interesting indeed.
Honeestly, why bother ? I mean, if you want a 7.62×39 carbine with polymer furniture and a folding stock that uses AK mags, why not (brace yourself) buy an AK ? Even an expensive AK like an arsenal will be cheaper and will most likely work better. You can also buy a vz58 that will outperform both the sig and the AK. Or a ptr91-32 if you have an hard on for H&K like stuff.
The worst part is that since sig sauer used a milled aluminium that takes AR mags, they will have to design a completely different upper for the 7.62×39 version, and you won’t be able to just switch uppers. Now if they had made a 5.45 version, I could understand, but to me, this whole things just feels wrong.
The big advantage here will be in optics mounting. The AK simply *was not designed* for mounting optics, period. Every option for optic mounting on an AK sucks balls. The SIGX39 (please dont’ call it a SIG762, I was hoping for another, DIFFERENT 7.62…) if it’s anything like its 556 brethren, is pretty darn good for mounting optics. And if they use the same barrels, it might actually be pretty accurate. (That’s assuming also they use a proper diameter barrel, but…)
Furthermore, it opens up the door for a 6.5G/.264LBC SIG 55whatever, which would be neat. SIG Could have a real winner here. Good optics mounting, AR stocks, (with some kind of “non classic” lower) ability to take modern accessories without clamping stuff to your barrel… It’d be like a X39 AR, but without having to rely on CProducts for your mags.
Sig-Sauer weapon are more Sauer than SIG ( Swiss Arms) and have note the same quality controle than Swiss.
They build an weapon system :
5.56 NATO * SG550 (SG550, SG551, SG552, SG553 …SG556)
7,51 NATO * SG750/SG751 SAPR for DMR
7,62M43 * SG762
Ben, the SIG series have nothing german. The european Sig are built in germany because of swiss export laws, thats all.
Ermac, i think Sig is just trying to built a 7.62×39 rifle that will work and be already full of modern gizmos like plastic ergonomic furniture, rails and AR-style stock compatibility. AKs were never meant to use all that modern stuff so they dont take them that well. It could end up being cheaper than aftermarket parts for AK-style rifles.
And i’m not sure the civilian market is their goal. There are a shitload of countries using old AK variants in 7.62 probably looking for more modern platforms without having to change ammo, mags and main spare parts.
The action of SIG550 family is essentially based on AKs. Strange they wouldn’t make something like this earlier.
That’s what I’m talking about, it’s not an AK if it’s shooting peas and not using Ak mags.
Too bad about the crappy furniture, I hear needs to be replaced.
Not too sure about the reliability though, this is sig usa after all. And the original rifle was never designed with that caliber in mind.
Awesome. Ive been waiting for a reliable 7.62×39 platform that uses the Ak mags. My 7.62 AR upper functions horribly when it does function, and the mags are crap.
One of these may end up in my safe. Especially if they decide to make a “patrol version” because that would make a nice SBR project.
I use to have an urge for one, but I’m not sure anymore. It is quite interesting though. I wonder though, what will it do better then an AK-47? It will arguebally be much heavier. I have to praise sig for giving it an AK bolt and magazines though. The magazine part will ensure its success.
How about 5.45×39, then I’d be interested. As if the 556 wasn’t already a German AK, now you can get one that takes AK mags, really whats the difference…