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You saw it here first! I had no idea that Sig Sauer were making AR-15 / M16 rifles but my DSEi spy spotted this prototype SIG516 1 PDW at the DSEi 09 expo. It features a 7″ barrel, putting it firmly in the PDW class, and chambers the 5.56mm NATO.
I do not know if Sig plan on a civilian carbine version. If they did it would compete directly with their Sig 550 line of full length and short barreled rifles.
UPDATE: jcmiller points out that the lower receiver is semi-automatic. A production PDW would have to be fully automatic. Maybe Sig are thinking of civilian sales.
UPDATE:
The SIG516 Tactical Rifle line has three different models:
- SIG516 PDW : 7″ barrel. A personal defense weapon (pictured above).
- SIG516 CQB : 10″ barrel. A Colt M4 Commando equvelent.
- SIG516 BASELINE CARBINE : 14.5″ barrel. A M4 Carbine equvelent.
- SIG516 Patrol. 16″ barrel.
- SIG516 Tactical Marksman: 16″ barrel A squad level sniper / designated marksmen rifle.
- SIG516 Precision Marksman: 20″ barrel. Possibly a true sniper rifle, or designated marksmen rifle.
They are all piston operated and feature an adjustable gas regulator like the Ruger SR-556.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Caliber | 5.56mm NATO |
| Fire modes | single shot, 3 round burst and fully automatic (except marksmen models which are semi only) |
| Controls | Ambidextrous |
| Gas system | piston system with 3 or 4 position gas regulator |
| Upper Receiver | Flat top with picatinny rail |
| Lower Receiver | forged 7075-T6 aluminum |
| Trigger | Milspec for all models except the Marksmen which have 2-stage match trigger |
| Capacity | Takes standard AR-15 magazines |
| Finish | black hard coat finish |
| Barrel | chrome lined, cold hammer forged, nitrate finish |
| Barrel Twist | 1:7″ right hand |
| Stock | collapsible SOPMOD buttstock |
| Weight | 6 lbs. (PDW) – 7.28 lbs (Patrol) – 8 lbs (Precision Marksman) |
| Rails | Free floating aluminum alloy M1913 picatinny quad rails |
| Sights | flip-up BUIS (backup iron sights) |
| Magazine | Ships with 30 round AR-15 magazine. Marksmen models ship with 10 or 20 round magazine. |
| Other Features | 0.5x28TPI threaded muzzle |
| MSRP (Price) | not known |
Upper receiver assemblies will be sold. Just before anyone gets their hopes up, while it is likely that Sig will sell civilians models, this has not been confirmed.
Big thank you to Lusaka for the information and photos.
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SIG 516 as in M16 … get it? ↩
