Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

Been looking at the Sig 516...

http://www.impactguns.com/sig-516-patro ... 19043.aspx

I likey, I likey a lot.

I have been told that the Sig Patrol rifle is very sturdy, well made. What do you guys think?

nice! i like sigs, in general, especially pistols. if you get it,

when deciding on my first, ar15-style rifle, though, i chose to stick with stoner's original di (vs piston) design. i've got nothing against piston/op-rod rifles, mind you. i've got my eye on a lwrc r.e.p.r. ( 7.62NATO awesomeness ).

Would it be politically incorrect of me to say that all those black rifles look pretty much alike to me?

Tanya, I love your enthusiasm.

Piston driven AR's have the advantage of being easier to clean, cooler in the receiver, and able to eat a variety of ammo.

The only disadvantage is weight, they're HEAVIER.

If price is a concern, you can look at Ruger's AR system, it's also piston driven, and I think a bit less expensive.

Otherwise? I think the SIG 516 is a very good rifle!

If you want a AR, then I would go with one of the upper tier AR makers, such as Noveske, LMT, etc..

I'd rather buy from a company that is, and has been in the AR business for a while and has it figured out, and their guns are known to work well.

At the $1600 price point there are a lot of very good other options that I would go for before Sig.

Reverenddel wrote:Tanya, I love your enthusiasm.

Piston driven AR's have the advantage of being easier to clean, cooler in the receiver, and able to eat a variety of ammo.

The only disadvantage is weight, they're HEAVIER.

If price is a concern, you can look at Ruger's AR system, it's also piston driven, and I think a bit less expensive.

Otherwise? I think the SIG 516 is a very good rifle!

I may be writing this, and labeling piston vs. gas driven systems wrong, so sorry ahead of time. However, correct me if I am wrong. My understanding is that gas driven systems are much more dirty as it uses the gas created by the explosion in the chamber to push the action back? I was told then that you get carbon build up in there and you have to take it apart to clean it. So a piston driven system is cleaner? Is it more reliable?

I was looking to get a piston driven system due to the above understanding.

Reverenddel, yeah I was looking at Ruger's AR system... But I got to hold the Sig 516 recently and boy oh boy... it was nice. I think I want to get magpul accessories as well.

Call me crazy but I really really like the black rifles. I grew up around them on base, and trained with them a little.

TacticalMom wrote:So a piston driven system is cleaner? Is it more reliable?

yes on both counts.

That is not to say DI (direct impingement) systems are horribly dirty, or unreliable, its all relative.

If you needed to run 2000 rounds between cleanings, I'd say piston all the way. If this a range toy that is going to get < 250 rounds per day, and then go home and get cleaned... not a big deal.

jdonovan wrote:

TacticalMom wrote:So a piston driven system is cleaner? Is it more reliable?

yes on both counts.

That is not to say DI (direct impingement) systems are horribly dirty, or unreliable, its all relative.

If you needed to run 2000 rounds between cleanings, I'd say piston all the way. If this a range toy that is going to get < 250 rounds per day, and then go home and get cleaned... not a big deal.

more reliable? you think so? (at least in the AR15 platform? no question in the AR10 platform.)
interesting that Eugene Stoner designed his masterpiece as di. also, John Noveske is adamantly vocal about never building a piston AR.

piston guns do run cleaner, but at the cost of non-interchangeable parts. example... if i have a bcg/bolt/gas tube problem, i could use pretty much use any brand replacement in my noveske n4. conversely, from my research, piston gun parts tend to be proprietary to the manufacturer.

fwiw.

I haven't shot their AR yet, but there pistols are top notch quality. If the rifles are to the same standard you'll be happy

I really think the piston fascination is the search to apply a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist for many applications.

I like the Sig rifles. They're a pretty inexpensive way to get into the piston rifle world. That being said, they aren't as balanced (front heavy). While this might help with recoil, I would prefer a heavier better balanced rifle. Personally, that helps me get on target easier.

I was looking at the Sig 556, but decided to go with a traditional AR rifle for 2 reasons:

1) better availability of aftermarket parts/upgrades
2) more universal platform for muscle memory

Good luck!