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Sig 516 with .223 55gr ammo?

30K views 57 replies 29 participants last post by  SilverIi 
#1 ·
I am a firearms instructor. I've begun to noticed some problems with federal .223 55gr ammo. Reading the posts on the 516 we've experienced similar problems posted with a few more. We've had failures to lock back on pmags, double feeds issues. More than I can count of light firing pins primer strikes. I also witnessed a striping of the round off the top of a pmag sending the round in a more than 45+ angle toward the breech. This might explain the following. One round detonated before the bolt carrier was closed causing a serious malfunction. I'm still trying to figure that one out. :mad: I still don't by it's the ammo explanation. This is a typical comment/excuse from gun manufactures make when problem with their weapons designs are identified. Also, I fired 2000+ rounds with one weapon without cleaning the rifle. Testing the 20, 0000 rounds without cleaning sales pitch. What finally happened is the bolt locking lugs jammed into the barrel extentions. Therefore the bolt could not cam to unlock to eject the fired round. This required spray with break free lubrication, unlatching the charging handle latch, then striking the handle backwards to rotate the cam.
 
#36 ·
Update after 500 rounds..

Ok guys, looks like after ~500 rounds, the sig is getting smoother. In fact the independence rounds that I was complaining about is getting cycled almost like butter on the normal setting (only jammed twice in 40 rounds). Which was much better than every other round before the gun was "broken in". So between shooting a lot of rounds through, I also followed one guy's advice who worked at gander mountain...he said when I store the gun, make sure to keep the carrier back (compressing the spring).
Hopefully this info will help some other poor soul that gets shafted by sig's cheap reply of "the gun needs to be broken in".
 
#37 ·
problems with bullets?

i have a gen 2 516 and have shot a little over 1000 rounds through it no problem. first day i got it didnt clean it at all just factory new n shot 100 rounds 62 grain 223. steel wolf no problem. NOW ive tried about every 223/ 556. brand and grain ammo out there with no problems..always at the 12 oclock position. i shot 100 223. 40 gr. vermin rounds one day and then right to 200 rounds of 62 gr green tip all the way up to 70 grain. Ive shot all different kinds 223./556 rounds and NO PROBLEMS. this gun will eat all your ammo lol and its more accurate than my bushmaster patrolmans ar. allot hevier though
 
#39 ·
the only problem i have is that my 516 has allot of sproing in the buffer tube
I understand what you mean entirely.

You can grease the inside of the buffer tube, that takes away most of the noise.

Mine is.
 
#40 ·
Curious as to why the Gander Mountain employee said to store it with the BCG to the rear compressing the spring. Leaving a spring in a compressed state won't change the spring pressure or break it in at all. The only thing that will do that is when a spring is used and constantly has a load put on it and taken off.
 
#43 ·
Strong buyers remorse !!

Well my 516 upper arrived - much excitement.

I have several RRA AR15s but always felt that DI system was dirty and prone to issues. I had a few FTF with mine when it wasn't tip top clean. So easy solution - open wallet and buy a SIG - best there is - right.

I have a SIG 232 for carry gun and a SIG 226X5 competition for a fun 9mm, - superbly reliable tools. So if I want an AR15 to trust my life to, it has to be a SIG - right - ERR WRONG !!!

Whoops which dumb idiot didn't read this thread before he opened his wallet. Paid for a Cadillac and got a second hand chevy volt with a flat battery.

Blind belief in SIG quality took me here and now I feel quite ****** off with SIG.

Ammo that I use, day in day out in my RRA (lower quality DI guns) just fails to feed or bolt fails to close 100% so I get lite strike.

With a suppressor fitted it cycles most ammo in standard (no chance of even ejecting with gas setting at "suppressed"). But don't want to run suppressed all the time, it get dirty real fast, which was why I wanted away from DI !!

Five brands of ammo and some home loads - all 100% reliable in my RRA guns - only work about 75% when suppressed at normal setting and 75% unsuppressed with gas set to adverse.

What options do I have ?? As I only bought the upper not a full gun - I don't wish to sell on this lemon to some other poor sod, but I am not a happy camper right now.

More failures to function in first 100 rounds with this gun than in 10k+ through the RRA DI gun. Yes I have cleaned it - more than any man should have to clean/lube any gun.

SIG reputation "shot to hell" in my eyes - even if I get a replacement, how do I trust it after this !
 
#44 ·
Follow up to buyers remorse

OK initial dissapointment and rant over - much calmer head today

Had a good call with SIG today and they are going to take it in for service to take a look - friendly, positive and helpful, even paid the shipping for the return. Now that is the SIG I was expecting.

I will report what happens :)
 
#46 ·
Well thing is I bought a brand new 516 and took to indoor range to shoot. Every other round wouldn't load to shoot. Called Sig and their response was the 516 wasn't made to shoot 55gr ammo and put it in adverse mode or buy 62gr ammo. Said as long as you use 55gr adverse mode won't hurt a thing. I'm so confused. Was using 55 gr 223 ultra max rounds
 
#49 · (Edited)
My 516 is back to sig for a second time.Works fine with 62 grain ammo have not had a failure with this.(60 rounds).Now with 55 grain and it does not seem to matter what brand its very unreliable.Sometimes its a single shot rifle,must manually pull the bolt back to eject and load the next round.All of this on normal setting on the gas knob(12 0 clock position).We have taken the ammo that the gun refuses to work with and ran it through a different ar.All ammo used is 5.56mm not .223.Although they did not all say 556 NATO.I don't know if ammo that specifically says 556 NATO is different from just 5.56mm.I really want to know what the real problem is.I don't believe its a ammo problem.Like I said whatever ammo the 516 refuses to work with work fine in other rifles.If these other (less expensive) rifles are built with loose tolerances internally I don't know.The only guns Im aware of that required a break in period was the older 1911 style .45 acp pistols.
 
#52 ·
Not enough gas in your system to cycle properly so adverse lets more gas into the system, more power to cycle bolt. I would have bought a another mil spec buffer spring, cut 2 full coil lengths off, and try that first before sending it to sig. Very cheap part and very easy mod to do. What most owners don't know is that the bolt carrier is lighter than the original design the 516 was truly meant to run with.

I've been running a Gen 1.5 for over two years (revised carrier on the threaded gas block) and had great success on all ammo, cheap steel and brass.
 
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