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SIG 516 Major Issues

196K views 175 replies 95 participants last post by  Dragonware 
#1 ·
Just purchased a SIG516 gen 2 in FDE, and I really want to love this rifle. Problem is that I have fired 300 rounds so far on two separate occasions, and with every magazine there have been issues.

Issues:

1.) Rifle will not cycle the next round
2.) Bolt does not lock back after last round
3.) FTF, FTE

Let me also add that upon receiving the rifle it was thoroughly cleaned and lubed. I checked to make sure that the normal operation setting was engaged (12 o'clock position)

Ammo:

One day I used PMC 55 grain .223, and the next day I used PMC 55 grain 5.56

Customer Service:

After telephoning Sig's CS, I was told that the rifle needed to run in adverse conditions to properly cycle 55 grain ammo. Is this the case? The manual states not to operate in adverse conditions for long periods of time. Is this a case of bad ammo? My friend purchased a Spike's Tactical ST-15 the same day, and his embarrassingly fired off every round no problems.

Any suggestions? Is this just a bad rifle that I should send back to SIG for repair? Does anyone have experience with this level of unreliability?
 
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#58 ·
If you would like documentation from sig that shows its ok to switch the gun to adverse conditions for certain ammo go to their site and read about just the 516 upper. It reviews this setting and when it should be used. I was concerend cause in the manual it stated not to run in this mode for long periods. However, it looks like they are now saying its ok and will correct the FTF problem.
 
#60 ·
516 issues

I have a 516 fde that is about 1 month old, I have put about 1000 rds through it at the range with different ammos. What I have found is that as far as 55gr. stuff goes, both the federal and American eagle 55gr 223 works fine with no issues at all. Any of the steel case stuff like wpa, wolf, tula seems to be underpowered and has difficulty cycling the bolt and also has many FTE, FTF issues. I have not been able to get any PMC so I'm not sure about that. What works best is the 62gr 5.56 green tip or 62gr 5.56 brass federal. My 516 seems to like the ammo from federal, lake city, and American eagle, which is federal. Seems like their loads on their ammo is more powerful or very consistent at least. All of this was on the normal setting also. I did try to use the adverse setting with the steel case stuff and still had the same issues.
 
#63 ·
I called Sig and the assured me the 516 is compadible with BOTH 556 and 223. I have Friday off and plan on shooting a variety of brands and grains through it.

I can accept not shooting steel cased **** such as Wolf; however, I expect to be able to shoot all brass cased 223 and 556. If yours has issues, send it back to Sig and force them to fix it.
 
#64 · (Edited)
I have a 516 in OD green purchased Dec 2012. I took it to the range and had the same issues above using Remington UMC 55gr ammo. Called them and they said clean the gun and make sure it is lubed. I did a thorough cleaning and used quality gun lube. Back to the range...same issues!!!

Sent it to Sig and they returned it within one week - polished feed ramp, polished chamber, and "cleaned up" trigger (all of this per the notes in the box).

Went to the range today - same ****!!!! First 20 rounds went well though.

Called Sig and was told that maybe I should use 556 ammo...:eek:...my response was maybe you should mention this in the sales brochure, website, or manual. If they did I would not have purchased the gun!!

In the end I got another return label and sent the rifle back (2nd time going back). This totally stinks for a pricey gun. Should've kept my SW MP15 I sold for the Sig.

Hopefully Sig will make this right. I am a loyal Sig customer and have a 232, 238, 239, 226, and 220.
 
#65 · (Edited)
Put 500 rounds of 556 thru it 1st and make sure you keep it on normal gas setting. Some rifles run like tops right out of the box and some dont, I guess the tolerances may vary from some production runs. Afterwards try some brass 223 on adverse for a mag or two, then switch on over to normal and run more brass 223 thru it on normal, I bet it will run like a top on the 223 now.Thats what I did, I tried to run 223 1st then read here to do as I have described and it worked for me. Sigs seem to becoming off the line w/some pretty tight tolerances and the 556 seems to loosen the rifle up quite a bit. You can run the 223 on adverse with out damaging the gun according to Sig.They state only damage that will occur is when the gun begins to run like **** on 556 and you switch over to adverse and continue to run a lot more (they quoted me more than 300 rounds of 556 on adverse may cause damage,and also said YMMV on the amount of rounds before damage, some take more and some take less) The CS at Sig is decent and they will try their best at making things right, but I try like hell to see if I can work bugs out 1st before I start sending it back, thats just me.Theres a lot of guys here that will advise to the best of their knowledge on working out the bugs, and I trust them, I took their advice on mine and it worked for me.good luck with getting that badboy running like it was made to!
 
#66 · (Edited)
I appreciate the advice and may just do that when it comes back to me again. I just can't find any 556 ammo (i am in south florida). I have 600 rounds of 223 on backorder from cabela's.

If I can find some 556 I will gladly order and try it. I really like this rifle, and if it works right I know I will love it!
Any thoughts on whether the recoil spring could be the issue here? A friend suggested I try a different one in case this is the reason the gun isn't feeding/cycling. The 516 is a mil-spec correct? I found a ciouple of mil-spec springs for under $10 and would be willing to give it a shot - but if it is completely crazy to think the spring could be the issue let me know!

------

Which is the adverse setting? I have four dots on mine and it is set to 12 and 6 Oclock which corresponds to dot #2 on my gas setting.

The fourth is actually an X. Is adverse setting 1 or 2? When I set it to 1 it fires a single shot only and I have to pull the charging handle to load another round.

What setting is the third dot?
 
#67 ·
#68 ·
thanks. this is what my manual shows but my gas lever doesn't look exactly like this. the button I have on mine is on the left side of the rifle.

the marking on the 2.1.6.c. that indicates the position is not present on my rifle side but at the top. once my rifle comes back from sig i will post a photo of it. this is what confused me when i read the manual.
 
#70 ·
well got my rifle back from sig.

they state that 3 shooters shot 30 rounds each using aguila .223 55grain ammo in the magazine i sent without fail!!!!

according to the note: "The malfunctions the customer is having is either ammo related or shooter induced"

Can someone tell me how it could be shooter induced? What could I be doing wrong?

I found it interesting that over the phone they told me to use 556 ammo or 62 grain 223 ammo but they tested it using 55 grain 223 (They even included the box top in the return shipment).

I will try a different batch of ammo this week - but if it keeps happening I can say this will be the last sig rifle I buy.
 
#71 ·
Well I just ran an assortment of different brands of ammo as well as .223 and 5.56. Different grains as well. 300 rounds total, just today. Also shot from 35 yards 100 and 200 yards. NOT a single problem. This AR eats everything. A hell of a lot better than my Bushmaster back in 98. Way to go SIG!!!! And I wouldn't know why folks are having a problem with there 516's.
 
#73 ·
I just ordered 100 rounds of PMC 5.56 which I will run through it after a cleaning and lube. I will use EWL instead of CLP this time.

Hopefully, all of this will make the difference. I am thinking it should be almost broken in with the 100 rounds coming. I have shot about 150 rounds through it, and Sig shot 90 rounds through it so by next week it will be ~ 350 rounds.
 
#74 ·
Failure to feed junk

Guys,

I purchased a new gen2 sig 516 and it will fire 5.56 find. However 223 ammo simple fails. I did research and called sig and was told on anything 55gr or less to switch the piston to adverse conditions. I had the sig rep confirm what he was stating again as it says clearly in the manual not to operate the gun on this setting for extended periods of time. I returned to the range with the same results. I attempted to explain in my previous call to sig that if I manual cycle a round in and out of the chamber via the charging handle the bullet is scored pretty good every time in the exact spot. The sig rep gave me a BS response in that sig doesnt care what happens when I manual feed a bullet they are only concerned with what happens when it fires. Its very clear this is a company wide problem based on the posts all over the internet. I'm going to call sig again and demand a RMA to have the feed ramp polished where it clearly lacked a factory QA test. Ill keep everyone posted on how well sig handles this. I have and own multiple sig fire arms and if they dont get this resolved promptly it will be my last. This is not the quality or customer service one would expect from a decent company. If it was just me I would think ok However, all over the internet Sig is being slammed on this type of issue and their first response to clients such as clean the gun etc... I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed that sig does whats right. Its very clear on my gun the feed ramp is the issue and when I shoot 556 it has enough power to pass right on through this rough spot.
 
#76 ·
Just got back from the range and it went much smoother.

Cleaned the rifle really well this weekend, then lubed with EWL.

Here is my range report in order of ammo used:

PMC X-TAC 5.56 62 Grain - 60 rounds - 1 FTF. It loves 62 grain ammo - cycles and feels really good when I used this.

Remington UMC 223 - 20 rounds - 10 FTF (same as prior range experience - just hates Remington UMC ammo!!!)

CBC Ball M193 5.56 - 100 rounds 5 FTF

American Eagle Tactical AE223 - 20 rounds no issues

Very accurate rifle but I have listed it on Gunbroker for sale. I love the gun but hate that it will be so difficult to find ammo it likes and at the current prices it is pretty expensive for me to enjoy. I accept it is a milspec rifle and as such it loves 556 spec ammo but my wallet is not going to like it in the long run. I may end up getting another AR platform rifle if I sell it.

I love Sig and have a lot of their handguns and had hope to one day have another Sig rifle just not the 516. I appreciate the advice everyone gave me on this issue and you were honestly more helpful than Sig Sauer.
 
#77 ·
I hear so many here have the issues with the 223 ammo when all one has to do is switch the regulator over to adverse, the rifle will eat it like a starving 3rd world country kid.I can attest to it and it will not ruin the gun if your shooting 223 thru it. The manual states that running in adverse for a period of time could hurt the rifle YES that is true if your running 556 thru it and your on adverse, but not so with the 223, thats the beauty of these rifles, if there isnt enough pressure flip the regulator switch on over to adverse which will allow lower pressure ammo to run due to regulator allowing more of the gas pressure to enter to cycle the bolt. I dont shoot steel thru any of my AR platforms guns, just me so i cant tell you if any commie bloc steel will cycle on the adverse setting but i do know my rifle didnt like the UMC on normal, but cycled fine on adverse as well as other 223 ammo that didnt fare well on normal setting but loved the adverse stetting. Sig has reassured me that if shooting 223 run it on adverse,556 run it on normal.
Also,after the gun had anywhere between 3-500 rounds thru it, it started to cycle fin on normal w/223 ammo. the majority i think are just very tight tolerances and need to be broke in w/mil spec ammo(556)if i were to base my guns 1st outings on whether it was a keeper, this one would have been gone.i think some of these have QC issues but for the most part, i think its just gets down to breaking them in.Its used now, spend some bucks on 223 (if you can find it and reasonably priced) and go shoot the fug out of it on adverse, after 500 rounds i bet when you switch it on over to normal, it will cycle the 223.Mine was the same way and afterwards she came around, runs super clean and is a tack driver on a bench with match grade ammo and now will eat anything i feed it.:shoot:
 
#78 ·
Thanks for the advice. I am probably at 400 rounds at this point (assuming Sig really did shoot 90 rounds as they said).

I might go ahead and try it again on adverse - I have about 700 rounds of remington UMC at home. Is the adverse setting the one depicted by the largest opening on the piston?

When this thing shoots it is wicked accurate even without me properly sighting it etc. so would love to keep it around. I am convinced the only thing I can do is keep shooting, cleaning, lubing it till it works or sell it - sending it back to Sig again would be useless. I would hate to sell it after all the trouble only to hear from the buyer how well it eats ammo!!!!
 
#79 ·
Yeah bro, feed it some more of what ever you can get your hands on(minus the steel,just me) and use the settings as described (and yes the largest hole on the reg. is the adverse setting) be patient, it will loosen up a bit and I bet you'll be able to run what ever you want on normal.If not, I had a lot of fun with the RRA company and their AR 15 elite operator that I had was sweet.Ate anything you fed it from day one.Most of the DI guns do eat anything you feed em,no objections from that platform either.Both op systems have their + /-'s both are great systems,I just favor the piston more.

Be patient and try to run at least a total 1k rounds thru it, if it isnt right after that many rounds,It would be safe to say its definitely a QC issue!! and needs warranty attention big time!! or you can sell it and be done with the Sig piston rifles, and move on over to the DI guns, they eat almost everything including the kitchen sink!:cool:
 
#80 · (Edited)
Picked up another 516 yesterday Date on box is 1/16/2013 and shoots everything I feed it not one problem today with 300 rounds in normal pos. I keep it wet. 223/556 no matter. Both of mine have been dead on sights and no problems feeding.
PMC Bronze 223 Remington 55Grs.FMJ-BT
PMC 556 XP193 X-TAC
 
#81 · (Edited)
I thought I would revisit this thread because people are asking way too many questions about ammo.

1) Every time I've called Sig CS on something they have been dumber than a box of hammers.

Ex: I'd like to install a longer barrel. Do you have a longer piston available for 20" barrels? Answer. 20" barrels gas port is in the same place as 16" barrels.

I point the SC thing out simply to show that they don't really know what they are talking about.

2) A new Sig may not eject .223 on a normal gas setting. Stop and think about it: bad guys are shooting at you and your ammo isn't ejecting. What to do, what to do? Call a time out? No! You change the gas setting on your carbine's gas block to adverse as it was designed to do and carry on.

3) I've noticed no adverse damage from using the adverse setting. The carbine has a slightly harder recoil and that is it. Internal bits look fine after extended use. Just fine. I'm pretty certain that no damage would happen if you left the gas block setting on adverse for the duration.

4) As noted elsewhere in this thread, 5.56 ammo is higher pressure ammo than .223 and Sig machines the 516 chamber tight. Like new new engines, the chamber wears in a bit before everything is copastetic. 5.56 ammo wears in faster and works better (i.e., quicker) at breaking in your new carbine than .223. But you can use .223. And if things jam up, clear the jam and carry on in the process of breaking in your new carbine.

5) All the armorers are doing for folks who send their carbines in is wearing them in for the customer (or try to). You can do the break-in yourself. With ammo. At a range. Or an appropriate back yard. With targets. For fun. :thumbsu:

 
#82 ·
I just got a Gen II 516. Built on 02-21-2013, purchased on 02-26-2013 right after they made it off the UPS truck and into the store (the store sold all 10 of them within 24hrs!).

First thing I noticed when I broke it down to clean it, is the BCG slides in the upper like its been hand polished to an extreme. Within the past month I added a Colt CAR-A3 Hbar Elite 20" and a Troy Carbine to my collection, both rifles were pretty tight with the BCG in the upper and especially when the bolt went to lockup. Even after shooting 2-300 rounds through the Troy and Colt they still don't feel as smooth as the 516 did new, and not even close now that its broken in.
I read about how a few people were having short stroking issues with their 516 rifles and that SIG would end up polishing feed ramps, chambers, etc. to try an fix the issue, so maybe they are doing all of this now from the factory? I also noticed that the chamber on my rifle is EXTREMELY shiny/smooth (much more so than my M1A, PSL-54C, P220 Combat and any other chrome lined barrel I have), so I will have to guess they polished the **** out of that as well. For reference my serial is 501x, hopefully all rifles past this point will have the polishing done to help alleviate any issues they were having.

As far as ammunition goes, those of you that are having problems with ANY type of ammunition (minus steel case Wolf, I wouldn't shoot that **** through my rifle) you need to send it back to SIG to get fixed.

I fired 55gr Lake City 5.56 NATO M193, 62gr Lake City 5.56 NATO M855 and 55gr Federal American Eagle Tactical AE223 .223 Remington through my 516 without 1 single hiccup at all (all done on normal gas setting). It actually ran so smooth, I found myself checking to see if it actually cycled the carrier a few times! I only ran 170 rounds through my rifle (bore snaked it 2-3 times after each 30rd magazine) and the last 50rds I fired back to back going 1rd every ~.75 second to heat up the barrel and burn off the **** on it from the factory.

The factory trigger was pretty horrible on the 516, a bit worse than any other mil-spec AR trigger I've felt. I ended up swapping in a Timney trigger with some KNS Gen II trigger pins before I even shot the rifle. Only other modifications are a Vtac padded sling (ditched the factory sling) with Midwest Industries 'low profile' button quick release swivels and a BCM Gunfighter (large latch) charging handle.

Best accuracy was with the American Eagle AE223, which I got 1 MOA with a HiLux CMR 1-4x 24mm on a American Defense Recon quick release mount (20 MOA base). It also shot the Lake City M855 very well, which was a relief. My Troy Carbine also has a 1:7 twist barrel but it can't shoot the M855 worth a damn.

I just pulled the HiLux CMR off and replaced it with a Leupold Mark IV Precision Long Range 4.5-14x 40mm. Will be able to get a better idea of what kind of accuracy my 516 is capable of the next time I get out to the range. I will try it on semi and then give it a go on single shot to see if it makes any difference at all with accuracy.
 
#83 ·
By the way, my rifle has the "2nd gen" bolt carrier group, and not the "3rd gen" one. Any idea when they started using the "3rd gen" one in rifles, and why they might have switched back to the "2nd gen" one?

Looking at the picture of the three, it looked like the "3rd gen" one is actually made for a select fire rifle... and maybe that's why its not being put into current production rifles?

That or they are just getting rid of a batch of "2nd gen" bolt carrier groups they had left over. I looked over all 10 of the rifles that they got in at the store, and all had the same carrier in it.



Anyway, these are great rifles. I had a 716 but I sold it several weeks ago for $3,300. Couldn't pass that deal up! The 716 was a sweet rifle, but I honestly like the 516 a lot more. The 716 was just too heavy for what I wanted it for (a rifle to carry around at my cabin, which happens to be on top of a mountain and lots of steep terrain. Sucks to carry a heavy rifle around out there, and a solid copper .223/5.56 will get the job done on any hog here in Texas with a properly placed shot).
 
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