Mr. Jones

My personal favorite was the first time I ever went to a public range. I was assigned to the partition (pistol range) next to a couple of college kids that were trying to draw and shoot a 9mm like a gangsta. I was rather amused watching them try to pull the pistol from the waistbands of their saggy ass jeans; and then watch them fire the pistol sideways, gangsta style. It was mildly funny until one of them snagged the pistol in their shirt and put a bullet through my partition divider. I called (screamed) my own cease fire and called for the range officer to remove them. And here comes the best part of the story: The two kids started acting all badass and talking some kind of suburban thug gangsta crap to the range officer, at which time approximately 15 armed Texans turned to watch; not pointing their weapons but ready with them. It ended with the gangsta kids leaving; still running their mouths, but leaving just the same. My first trip and I thought there was going to be a goddamn shootout. I was so shaken up I could barely pack my gear; and I couldn't get out of their fast enough. Just recently I was at a different range that I am a newer member of, and a guy brings his kids to the bench for some fun and training. Each of three children had their own rifles, which I thought was pretty cool. The father lines them out, and gets them set up, his daughters are tearing it up with two bolt action antiques. He then proceeds to pull out a Steyr Aug (so new I could smell the cosmoline) and preps it for duty. About three shots in, the gun jams and the guy starts turning the rifle over and over in his hands trying to find an issue. Mind you, the barrel was pointed straight down the line, where his children were standing, and his finger never left the trigger. I could see the red dot of the Fire ready indicator from over 10 feet away. It was this point i realized this might have been the guys first "assault rifle," as he was clearly unsure of what the bolt catch did and pressed it repeatedly, like it was a "unjam" button or something. I tried to wave him down and give him a big hearty "watch the F### out!" just as he found the mag release, dropped the mag, and then points the rifle downrange and shook it...like the bullet would unjam or fall out or something. When nothing happens, he starts to set the rifle down and fires an accidental shot into the dirt about 3 yards in front of the bench. You could see textbook embarrassment and fear on the guy's face. He looked absolutely sick to his stomach. I guess having all the other shooters look at him in disgust and apprehension was enough to drive him off, within minutes the guy rounded up his kids and gear and disappeared. Just goes to show you, or remind you where gun accidents come from. It also served as a lesson to me to be extra vigilant when I am surrounded by strangers with firearms. I grew up in a "gun family" where we start shooting as early as we can lift grandpas 30.06, so I had developed a comfort zone around other shooters. Not so much anymore, I would like to trust and and feel safe around my fellow shooters; but you just never really know their level of experience or knowledge (or consciousness of safety). The best is going to the range on Law Enforcement or Armed Forces day, when they get to shoot free. Being surrounded by professional shooters changes the whole environment and I do feel more confident in my own safety.

Yesterday I crossed off my 3000th round after a little over a month with the Sig 522 and thought I would share my findings regarding ammunition. While I have heard many accounts that this rifle will chow down any ammo it is fed, I seemed to have issues with some; but also great successes with others. I tried to keep accurate notes throughout the month to help me choose an ideal ammunition that I can feel confident buying in bulk. Testbed: Rifle- Sig 522 Classic Magazine- Black Dog machine 30 and 50(drum) Optic- Center Point Red/Green dot and auxiliary laser of the same brand Target/distance- Border Patrol Bad Guy w/.38spl 25 and 50 yards Ammunition Manufacturers- Remington, Federal, CCI, and wolf First off, this rifle requires a good firm grip and stance. I initially had the adjustable stock set too short and had a large number of FTF. This also occurs when the stock is folded and the rifle is fired like an SBR. I learned that the design of the recoil buffer and rod required the operator provide a very firm base (aka a strong, steady shoulder). Once I adjusted the stock properly and learned to hold this style of rifle properly, the rate of FTF dropped across the entire ammunition range. Higher velocity ammo also solved this issue, but one should not rely on this, and instead develop a proper grip. Once it became an extension of my arm, it fails only due to ammunition. Remington Golden Bullet- This ammo is a solid no-go for this rifle. Generally poor performance across the board with FTL rate of 5:30 rounds and FTF of 3:30. I even bought a second box from a different lot after I learned about the recoil/shouldering issue and the ammo still failed to perform. It also feeds like junk from the black dog drum, which performs flawlessly with every other ammo I tested. The remington seems to have a larger casing and the knurling on the bullet is more pronounced than any other brand I tested, so that may bear some weight to the issue. On the other hand, this ammo fires perfectly from any bolt action rifle I own (which are mostly older Savage models). I only tested 100 golden bullets before I gave up on them. Wolf Match target (Round Nose)- The 40 grain round with a round nose was super accurate and tore a massive hole in the target backing. Unfortunately, however, it also experienced feed issues of about 3:30 rounds; It far exceeded the golden bullets in 50rd drum performance though. The ammo is also very dirty and i frequently had blinding smoke wafting from the rear of the receiver. Teardown later that night looked like I put 1000 rounds through it, whereas I only fired 200. Still, these feel like the most powerful rounds I ran through the rifle, and it almost felt like maybe a 9mm. Sure tore up some targets- the fun factor may be worth the problems on occasion. On a sidenote, I used to fire wolf through an SKS I had; it was like shooting a damned .45 and would shear the wood in a target stand if I wasn't careful. CCI Stinger- these 32 grain hollowpoints made the rifle feel like a BB gun. The recoil was so slight I could feel the buffer tap the rear of the receiver; and so quiet I could hear the spring squeaking. I had no FTL and only three FTF in 500 rounds which may have been my fault for getting comfortable and limp wristed after many shots. The CCI also seemed to be the cleanest firing ammo, with very little residue and only a light dusting required. All in all this was very satisfactory ammo and would take first place if it where a little cheaper and more readily available in my area. It's almost like CCI is viewed as luxury ammo around here, where remington, winchester, and federal seem to rule the roost. Federal 36gr hollowpoints- For me this is ideal ammo for this rifle. I have yet to have any FTL and one FTF in 800 rounds. They function perfectly with the 30 and 50 rounders from Black Dog, and they seem to burn relatively clean. Also, they just feel better to me than the CCI; I like a little recoil to remind me I'm not shooting a pellet gun, and the federal just felt good in this rifle. The accuracy was not the best however, and my grouping did spread out a little bit, but I am not shooting tournaments, so fun is the only requirement. The federal is more obtainable and cheaper by a couple dollars, so I stuck with it after my ammo testing and have put almost 1500 rounds downrange. Very happy with the choice and while I will be testing other brands and weights as time goes by, I think this can be considered "standard issue" for this rifle.

I just noticed that Sig Sauer's promotional photo of the 522 shows the rifle laying on the UTG gun case. After spending several hours decking out the case to my preferences, I would know those pouches anywhere: I just thought it was pretty cool that I unwittingly bought the same case, which is a perfect fit for the 522 (and probably the 556 as well).

1. Does a rimfire rifle require a rimfire scope for maximum accuracy? 2. Will non-rimfire scopes function correctly (in regards to .22 ballistics vs windage/elevation clicks)? which leads to the question: 3. I don't plan on much shooting past 100yds, but if i want to reach out and touch something at 200yds, how does a rimfire scope compare to non-rimfire for longer distances. And finally, 4. I hear of people having success with paintball, airsoft, and even BB gun scopes. While I am a little leary of this, I wouldn't mind using one of the higher quality 4x ACOG clones if they are suitable. What are your opinions on this? In short, I am worried that the ballistics of a .22 will negate the functions of a scope originally designed for larger calibers. Like the ACOG mentioned before- if it is a real ACOG, it was designed for 5.56 if it is a paintball or airsoft ACOG, it was designed for those ballistics. Or I install a 10x scope designed for competition .223 - it seems logical to me that the scope could not be accurate at long distance because of the difference in ballistics. Or maybe I am overthinking it; but I want to be sure. I ask, because I just purchased a Sig522 (http://tactical22.net/forum/index.php/topic,965.0.html) which came with no sight whatsoever. A $60 Center Point red dot from wal mart is performing surprisingly well up to 50~75 yards, but I cannot quite get a clear picture at 100yd. I own 4 rimfires, but have always used iron sights or the scope that came with the rifle. Now that I have a highly customizable rifle that can accept all the goodies I always wanted, I worry about spending big on a quality advanced optics package - that doesn't work with a .22

After quickly realizing that the hard shell case that came with my 522 was not going to work after adding accessories I picked up the UTG gun case from Midway USA. The selling point was the fact that it could carry my magazines and the BDM drum as well as having an affordable price. After receiving the case, all I can say is WOW. For $70 this case makes some of the very expensive cases look shabby. It fits my Sig perfectly with room to grow. Some say you can use it for two rifles, but I don't see how they would fit if they have scopes and accessories installed. The grip, bipod, and scope on my rifle pretty much take up the entire available area. Conversely, just for fun, I was able to fit four full length bolt action .22's (bolts removed). The front has three detachable carry pouches that utilize PAL webbing. They seem very sturdy and the pouches themselves have more PAL on the rear so they are easily used with other packs or rigs. The buttons and PAL straps are very strong, but I added an extra ALICE clip to each pouch for good measure. Velcro closure backed up with a buckle Drawstring to keep everything tight The two smaller pouches easily fit four 30rd mags The larger pouch was large enough to hold an entire range toolkit And would you look at that, the BDM drum fits perfect as well- two would fit just as easily if the towers where positioned properly. The case also has integral backpack straps that are surprisingly comfortable. It definitely helps to carry it from the car to the bench, but since the case hits you in the back of the legs, it's not really a long range option. Still, with all the PAL webbing and pouches, it's damned near a full sized pack in itself. A view of the bottom, which is very rigid and supports the whole case well. Note the D rings for strapping the case down and also the support straps that help take the load of the zippers On the carry handle side, more load bearing straps to protect the heavy zippers The area under the removable pouches opens yet again to a relatively spacious compartment full of more PAL webbing. The cleaning kit in the picture is about 2" thick and there is still about 2" left if needed. Under the PAL panels are two semi padded CCW or document pockets with heavy velcro closures Finally, the interior is very well padded and while the angled pockets don't help with the SIG rifle, they did cradle with my other longer guns. The velcro straps don't seem to do much either, most of the stability and protection comes from the padding being drawn tight by the exterior load straps you saw before. Perhaps they are beneficial to other rifles, but not really for the 522 All told, this case was well worth the meager $70 I paid, and it holds the rifle well even with attachments sticking off the sides. I have every item that I take to the range in this case now, so no need to haul my rifle and a pack and a possibly more. I give it a 10 out of 10, and will be buying another one for my two Savage squirrel snipers in the near future.

A few weeks ago I went into the local gun shop for some ammo and as I walked through the .22 aisle, the new Sig caught my eye. Before I knew it I had her in my hands and briefly examined the features. It was everything I thought was cool about assault rifles when i was a kid, and I guess it took me back to trekking through the woods with my brothers wearing surplus Viet Nam BDUs and ALICE packs dragging an ancient .308 that was too big for me and imagining it was a M16. I simply carried her to the counter and ordered my ammo, wrote a check; and became her owner. I will say this, I am pretty tight with money, this purchase was so uncharacteristic of me that I was in a kind of shock when I got back to my van and looked at her once more in the case. It wasn't until I got home and really examined the rifle, and I realized that while it was a little pricey and totally spontaneous, it was going to be worth it. I had it broken down in a matter of minutes and was very pleased at what I saw. It's sturdy and rugged, a little heavy; but it still felt light and nimble once I had the stock fitted correctly. The rifle came with a really horrid ACOG clone, not even paintball quality; a trip to wal mart for some slightly better bargain optics took care of the issue for now. The lack of iron sights really threw me off, and the price for the set is out of reach for now, so I am relying on a red dot for long range and laser for short range. Not the best solution, but it's working out for plinking targets. I already picked up a few tacticool essentials and plan on a couple more items, trying not to go overboard (which would be so easy on this rifle). Had it at the range for 1200 rounds in a day, and it performed flawlessly except when i tried to run some surplus rem golden bullet junk I had laying around. It wouldn't even operate the bolt; federal, CCI, and Winchester all fired flawlessly and saved the day. It was kind of funny, and I did feel a little self conscious whipping out this rifle only a few stalls from what was very apparently a salaried sniper and two LEOs practicing their draw together. I heard one of the officers mumble something about a coyote gun as they cast sidelong glances. The sniper never lost focus on his objective. 30 minutes later when I was firing a steady stream of rounds and cutting the head off of a border patrol qualification target at 25 yards, all three of them watched for a moment. I dunno, I'm not building this thing to be like a soldier or something, and I didn't want them to think I was being a poser; I'm doing it for the fun of shooting a ridiculously tacticool rifle, and I think they could tell by the huge grin on my face as I emptied a black dog 50 rounder with careless pinpoint accuracy (all the rifle's doing, I just pointed the dot). Anyhow, this thread is worthless without pics, so without further adue: (pictures are a bit fuzzy, I think my handicam is dying) The gun shop had one 522, the green one. I have read that it may be rare, but I don't know if that is true. I don't care either way, I always loved the olive on black scheme for rifles. Using the laser from my Savage (nighttime) critter gitter since this gun will serve the purpose tenfold. Since I had no iron sight, I set this to 25 yards for close up work. The blue tab helps me line up the dot quickly in daylight; pretty cheap, but it does help alot when I cannot easily see the laser in bright light Obligatory accessories- The bipod is too short to clear the magazines, but it works for now. I never had a foregrip on a rifle before, hot damn it makes a huge difference! Current optics are both centerpoint items from wal mart. Just a common red/green dot and red laser. (see thru tri rail from UTG- scope on flattop was too low for me, lot's of neck fatigue after a day of shooting) I am not stealing optics from my other rifles, so another set of pro grade sights are going to have to wait until I build up some savings again. They both actually did pretty well, but the scope's tint makes it difficult for me to see at 100yds, so it will eventually have to go. For now 75yds is where I left them Closer detail of the laser with a custom quick mount I made from FACOG parts The pressure switch for the laser routed easy. The stock hinge accommodates the wiring and the "ramped" design keeps it from pinching. Notice I did the crayon trick to make the Safe and Fire indicators stand out A shot with the standard 30rd mag and extras And with the BDM 50rd drum From the rear: And just because I think it looks cool and feels awesome to hold: Also just received my UTG Ultimate Gun Case, which is..well.. the ultimate gun case, but I'll submit some pics of that later.

Hi everyone, I'm Jones from central Texas. Not new to firearms, but new to the tactical .22 which I have found is as much fun as a rifle can be. Picked up a Sig 552 as an impulse buy a few weeks back and been trolling the .22 forums for a couple weeks as well. I'll post some pics of my new girlfriend in the Sig area here in a bit. Like I said, I've already been reading here and sig forums gaining knowledge and tips, so thanks to everyone already and I'm looking forward to hanging out here a bit.