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New Sig 716 Won't Cycle

27K views 53 replies 29 participants last post by  talkingrock 
#1 ·
I picked up a new Sig 716 308 Patrol rifle. I stripped and cleaned the rifle and lubricated per the owners manual. I started with Federal American Eagle 150 grain FMJ boat-tail ammo and loaded twenty rounds in the Magpul magazine that came with the rifle. The Sig 716 fired the first round and then jammed. I observed that the the bolt had failed to cycle properly and failed to strip the next round and the bolt had jammed against the case wall of the second round. I cleared the jam and fired a second time. Once again, the first round fired and second round jammed the same as the first time. I set the gas block to the maximum setting but the rifle continued to fail to cycle a second round. To rule out ammunition, I switched to Winchester Nato spec 147 grain FMJ. Exactly the same result after several attempts. To rule out lubrication issues, I stripped and cleaned the rifle and lubricated again per the users manual. This time I tried Speer LE Gold Dot 150 grain GDSP Duty ammunition. Same result as before. The Sig 716 fires first round and fails to cycle second round. All of the ammunition is new and cycles perfectly in my other 308 rifles. I'm very disappointed with this rifle. The Sig 716 is unreliable and I would not recommend purchasing this rifle. This is a real anomaly and I would appreciate any information about this issue from Sig Sauer or the user community.
 
#3 ·
Agreed

Thanks, I agree that this has to be a Sig Sauer manufacturing issue. It seems like the recoil spring is too heavy and doesn't let the bolt fully cycle. This is my first Sig Sauer rifle and I expect nothing but the best from Sig in resolving this issue. I have several Sig Sauer semi-auto pistols and shoot IPSC and IDPA. All of the pistoles have been outstanding performers.
 
#4 ·
Sorry to hear about your trouble. I shot my 716 for the first time today with zero issues. I also used American Eagle 150 gr and put a full 20 round mag thru her and had zero issues. Also put 60 rounds of Federal Premium 762, 175 gr thru with zero issues. I have heard of others having issues similar to what your experiencing with various levels of success after calling Sig. Best of luck
 
#7 ·
I have had the same problem! I have a brand new "single shot" AR rifle. I've tried Remington UMC 150gr .308 and FGMM 175gr 7.62x51. Neither would cycle properly. I'd manually chamber a round using the charging handle, squeeze off the shot, the case would eject but the next round was not picked up from the magazine. On three occasions, I had a double feed. On only one occasion did the bolt even lock to the rear after the last shot. After a cumulative total of 80 rounds, the experience became more than frustrating. Even if it needed a bit of a break in, no new product should perform that badly.

I have four Sig pistols and love them, so I bought the 716 based on prior experience with their products and their price point for a 7.62 AR carbine. I'm extremely disappointed. My range trip was this past weekend so I plan on calling them as well.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I dont know how much relevance this might be, but here's a fellow that looks to be having your same issue.

SIG 716 REVIEW, SIG 716 PATROL, SIG 716 FOR SALE, SIG SAUER 716 FOR SALE - YouTube
Oh, don't bring that guy up. All of his videos are hit pieces on Sig rifles. He has ulterior motives, probably trying to get a class action lawsuit going - don't trust what you see in his channel.

I'm very curious to hear others' experience with their Sig 516/716s, their reliability, and the quality of the service they have received from Sig itself. Do the weapons function reliably once they are returned?
Do a search on the forums. You'll find lots of feedback.
 
#9 ·
RMA and Returning 716 for Warranty Work

I contacted Sig Customer Service today and explained the issues I was having with the 716. The customer service representative readily issued an RMA and shipping e-mail which I received this morning. The e-mail said that turn around would be about 5-6 weeks. I am confident that Sig will take care of the problem. I would encourage anyone experencing cycling problems to contact Sig Sauer Customer Service @ (603) 772-2302.
 
#10 ·
I called Sig Customer Service today and explained the problem with the rifle not cycling properly. "Andy" asked me what kinds of ammo I had fired and what I used to clean and lubricate the weapon. After relaying my answers, he said that the Rem Oil I used to lubricate the 716 with has a habit of evaporating and that a thicker lubricant like Frog Lube should fix the problem... If a thicker lubricant doesn't work, then he said they would have a look at it.

He was very pleasant on the phone, but that's their explanation for a non-cycling weapon that is brand new? Use thick lubricant? I'm a bit annoyed now since it appears that the cycling issue is not a unique problem with the new 716. It kind of reminds me of the early Mosquitoes and their function problems until new springs were installed. I think from now on, I'll stick to the older Sig pistols with "Made in W. Germany" on the slide. I'm either getting this rifle working or selling it, but I will definitely not buy another Sig rifle in the future.
 
#11 ·
I use remington gun oil on my 716 and it seemes to work fine. I was fairly liberal with the application of it. I am not entirely convinced that a thick type of lubracant would be the difference in your rifle working or not.

I would be curious what folks who have sent their guns into sig got back, if it worked or if they noticed changes in the feel of the rifle (changed springs, buffed rails etc.).
 
#12 ·
Well, I called Sig back this morning and "Andy" answered again. He started giving me the same "use the recommended lubricant" story and I stopped him. I said that if a new firearm doesn't work with one of the most common lubricants on the market, then it's not worth having, especially since they work just fine on my Sig pistols.

He then said that it takes about 100 rounds for the firearm to be broken in. I responded that having 5 or 6 cycling issues in the first 100 is a break in. 60+ cycling issues out of 80 rounds is a real problem. I told him this is starting to sound like the problems that were had with early Mosquitoes that Sig denied for a year until they admitted it was a problem with a spring. I also mentioned that in searching the internet last night, it appears that there are others having the same issue. His response was that you can find anything on the Internet!! I told him, "True, but people don't lie about a new firearm not working."

I then said I had numerous Sig pistols made in Germany and loved them. I asked him point blank if Sig still stands by their products or not. He said yes, so I should have their RMA number within 30 minutes.

I've learned my lesson, though. I'm avoiding new models until they have been around a while, and I'm definitely not looking at new Sigs until they are proven. My impulsive buying got the better of me this time and I'm regretting it. :)

I'm very curious to hear others' experience with their Sig 516/716s, their reliability, and the quality of the service they have received from Sig itself. Do the weapons function reliably once they are returned?
 
#15 ·
I have a Daniel Defense M4, and my son has a 516 that he bought new last year. I have shot both, and I like the piston operation of the 516, it shoots great, never had a FTE at all, shot all the ammo that I put in it, which also was the same as my DD. I would recommend the 516, I had wished that I bought one, weighs a bit more up front than mine, but that's due to the piston.

Steve
 
#16 ·
Well, after talking with Sig customer service and getting an RMA number, I decided to switch lubricants and give one more try before sending it back. I didn't want Sig to be able to say that I didn't follow their recommendations before returning the 716 to them for a look. I bought some M Pro7 at the shop of the local NFA dealer since that's what they carry. I bought a 4oz bottle each of the cleaner and the LP oil. I cleaned and lubed the 716 for a third time.

This morning, I hit the range as it opened to simply function check the weapon. I put a target out, but I didn't really care about it. Would the 716 cycle with a "thicker lube" as Andy at Sig indicated? The short answer is... yes. :)

I brought FGMM 175gr (7.62x51), American Eagle 168gr OTM (7.62x51), and Fiocchi 150gr FMJ (.308). I went from heaviest to lightest figuring that if it was a break in issue, the heavier stuff would work the action more up front. I loaded 3 round magazines alternating from two different PMAGs.

The first magazine of FGMM 175gr fired perfectly. No cycling issues, bolt locked to the rear after the last shot. The second magazine had the second round fail to feed. (I thought, "great, here we go again".) After manually chambering the round, the last two fired fine, but the bolt did not lock to the rear. On the third magazine, all fired fine, but the bolt did not lock to the rear. The next magazine was flawless on all counts. At this point, I had three magazines in a row where the second round failed to feed, but the bolt locked to the rear on the last shot.

Kinda' grumbling, I switched to the 168gr. All of it was flawless! The 716 functioned the way I had anticipated when buying it. All rounds fed fine, the bolt locked open on the last shot, and I was starting to feel a little better. I put three more 175s through for good measure, and it cycled normally. I think this was the point where the 716 likely started being truly "broken in" because I fed the 150gr .308s next and they were all flawless, too.

So, bottom line is that the 716 appears to be functioning as it should using M Pro-7 cleaner and lubricant, and after having 140 rounds put through it. I'm going to call Sig on Monday, talk to Andy, and get the RMA canceled. I'll wait for another 200 rounds or so before making a final decision, but I may have rushed to judgement about the 716 and Sig. Call it my east coast impatience. :)
 
#17 ·
Colorado1876,

Glad to hear the 716 is finally working for you. Do you think in any way the Pmags might have been the issue and after some wear and tear from the 716 finally broke in themselves? One thing i did with my 2 Pmags is load them with a few polymer rounds and manually cycled them thru the 716's action to see how it all worked. I noticed the first couple pulls were difficult and slowly improved as I worked a few rounds through. Also, when loading and unloading the pmags by hand it seems like the actual rounds hang up a bit on the lip of the mag when extracing them with just my fingers.

I ordered two more pmags and will try them out at the range without any "priming" see if my theory holds.

East Coast impatience? thought you lived in CO, or are your just impatient with folks from the east. ;)
 
#18 ·
I'm a transplant to Colorado. I was raised in RI, then spent time around PA, NJ, NYC, and VA. Most of my family is still spread through the CT/RI/MA/ME region. I'm still a New Englander at heart!

I hadn't noticed any real difference with the PMAGs, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a possibility. I have two others I'll bring next time.
 
#19 ·
I am aslo a transplant here in NC, but was born and raised on the front range. I miss it and know how you feel.

The pmag is just a guess as I have not idea why some of these 716s seem to shoot fine out of the box with no cleaning, lubing, and crappy ammo while others are more stubborn. When I first took mine out I gave myself a 50/50 shot of having a zero issue outing and was relieved when I burnt throught the last mag and the action remained open. I plan on slowly decending the ammo quality line just to see what temperment this gun has.

Happy Shooting
 
#20 ·
sig 716 problems

I too had problems with my 716. It wouldnt cycle at all. Another person on this forum said to use Frog Lube. I went to the range and shot 2 mags having the same non-cycle problem. I field stipped the gun and used the Frog Lube [paste] and the rifle performed flawlessly for the next 3 clips. I used bullets from 180gr down to 147gr, and all worked well. Next time I go to the range I'll let you know the outcome.
 
#22 ·
Quick update here. I brought the 716 to the range for another function check this weekend. Total round count is now up to 220. I brought a mixture of ammo: American Eagle 168gr OTM (7.62x51), Fiocchi 150gr FMJ (.308) and Remington UMC 150gr. (.308). I fired 3, 5 and 10 round magazines to see how it would feed and cycle.

With the 168gr, it all fired just fine with one light primer strike. Overall, it seemed to like this ammo the best.

With the Fiocchi, there was one FTF and the bolt did not lock to the rear once when empty. Other than that, the 716 was cycling fine.

With the Remington 150gr... yeesh. It was horrible. There were 3 FTF in the first 15 rounds, and the bolt failed to lock to the rear twice. The 716 barely worked. So, I won't use those cartridges in the weapon again. Of note, the rounds that did not feed had significant dimples on them from being at a funny angle in the chamber. It's like they hung up on the feed ramp or something and got dented.

My M1A eats everything, the Sig at this point is much more picky with its ammo. Whether that's good or bad is up to you. I like thinking a weapon will work with what I can find because you never know when there is a shortage of particular rounds, or they're just not carried as often in the LGS. I have a small place so I don't tend to keep a lot of ammo on hand. I'm feeling a little better because the 716 seems to work reliably with the heavier 7.62x51 rounds. If you're going to shoot .308s, it gets much more iffy. There's a good chance that depending on manufacturer you could have problems. Next time I go, I'll bring 168gr and 175gr 7.62x51 ammo exclusively and see how she does.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Glad to hear it! Any optic or using the Iron sights?

Colorado1876,

The M1A looks like a mean SOB, never got to fire one but handled them a bit at the store. Look like you could throw it in the mud come back a week later and still shoot it. It was between one of those socom II's, Sig 716 and the FNAR for me and I just went with the SIG because I like the brand and look of the 716. Can't beat the Garand for history though.
 
#28 · (Edited)
sig 716 wont cycle

I also purchased a new sig 716 and had cycling problems as described. I was able to correct the issue very easily. I did not do a thorough job cleaning and lubing the piston and it's tube. Field strip and clean your weapon. Use a heavy lube and lube the bolt and also the piston. Very important that you clean the piston and its chamber and lube it well. The piston isn't pushing your bolt back far enough to pick up the next round or lock back at the end of the mag, just like the dummy in the video shooting the gun straight from the box! It is pushing back enough to eject the spent casing but that's all. You will have all types of failures until you clean and lube the piston as well as the bolt. Happy hunting and your welcome. :) Also, the guy above is right on the money, This gun doesn't like remmington ammo but works well with amer eagle, federal, and it really likes hornady! And it does chew up the brass but who cares when its grouping 1/2 inch @ 100 yards. When the problem starts again set the gas to adverse and watch it spit out another 60 rounds.
 
#29 ·
Sig 716 will not cycle

Just spent the money and im very disappointed... Tried all the above, different ammo, cleaning, lubricants and it won't pick up the second round. Fired 100 or so rounds and no luck. I also tried all gas settings. I spoke with Andy and asked him if anyone else was having these issues and he didn't seem to think there is a problem. I own many sig pistols and love them, this gem is going back to sig and I hope they can get things working correctly. The gun is very accurate but in my opinion it should cycle any ammo or I don't want it in my safe. I am trying to find this frog lube but local gunshops don't have it. I also have an issue with a gun being so sensitive that it doesn't cycle unless you create it's perfect environment. If anyone has another idea I'm open for suggestions. Has anyone sent their 716 back and what was the corrective action?
 
#30 ·
It distresses me that so many SIG716 owners have issues with this rifle. I must have lucked out as mine has been trouble free in every respect. I bought it 5 months ago and have sent about 400 rounds through it so far. A mix of ammo.

I am posting this to say I believe the 716 can be as reliable as it should be for all owners. Send it back and have SIG make it right.
 
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