At a Glance: Sig Pistol Version 556 (Also 556 SWAT and 552 SWAT)

[Mr. Jones]

While in the city this weekend we stopped by a few gunneries as payback to my wife for all the times I spent wandering aimlessly around beall's and JCpenney's.  While I handled a great deal of firearms, and wiped quite a bit of drool from many glass counters, I was particularly looking at Sig rifles.  I plan on purchasing a 556 sometime within the year, and i just wanted to get a sneak peek. 

In one shop I cam across the P556, a pistol version of the full sized version, and I think I may have experienced my first gun boner.

While it is technically a pistol, it is more realistically a full sized Sig556 with no stock and a 10" barrel (down from the 16" barrel on the full sized classic).  To me it feels like a thicker, heavier MP5 with a decidedly larger magazine of course.  The P556 accepts standard AR mags and is functionally identical to it's bigger sisters, even featuring the 3 stage gas system that sets the 556 apart.

I am dead set on the full sized 556, but this thing is a strong contender.. it's just too damn cool to have a 556 pistol with all the same feature of a Sig rifle.  It's a specialty item to be sure, but a damned cool one.

Which brings me to the 522 SWAT.  After buying my Classic 522 (based on it looking like a 550) I saw the SWAt with the quad rail foregrip and experienced slight buyers remorse.  The swiss style grips on mine are comfy and do have 3 rails which is really more than enough, but the SWAT offers so much more options for customization, since 2/3 of the rifle is covered in picatinny.

  Well, I have been able to put my remorse aside.  The SWAT is a great rifle, don't get me wrong; but it is just too much for a 22.  The quad rail made the rifle very front heavy and there was nothing installed yet.  Also the 552 is not a floating barrel, so the foregrip rides on a fake gas block, which allows the rails to move slightly.  It is the same way on my classic swiss fore, and mounting sights or lasers is out of the question because of this.  So while the SWAT really does look cool, I think it is a bit much, and losing the ability to reliably mount sights on the rails takes away a lot of their usefulness.

Which brings me to the 556 SWAT, which is all I want for christmas, you can keep the two front teeth!

This thing is such a graceful beast, I don't know how to explain it.  It looks heavy, like the last rifle you want to carry; but it is a surprising 8 pounds, only a little more than average.  When shouldering the rifle however, it feels very light and well balanced and the stock iron sights are perfect for me already.  My only issue with the rifle, just as the 522, is the charge handle to receiver rail clearance.  While it is generally easy to grab and cycle the bolt, you have to be careful hanging lasers and flashlights off the side of the receiver above the handle; they can create a snag or cutting hazard.  Here an AR style charge handle would excel, or simply angling the charge handle itself.  Still, only a minor and probably rare inconvenience.

Still have yet to shoot one, but I can tell just by holding her that it was meant to be.