SIG Talk banner
  • Notice image

    SigTalk is a forum community dedicated to SIG Sauer enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about Sig Sauer pistols and rifles, optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!

Just bought my first SIG: M400

3K views 19 replies 14 participants last post by  Twistedracer 
#1 ·
Getting back into shooting after losing my dad when I was younger. He taught me the basics, mostly with pistols and a Henry .22LR lever-action. I bought a Glock 27 and took my CWL class after the attacks in Paris, and reconnected with one of my mom's coworkers who used to take me shooting. Found a nice indoor range in town with a great selection in their store, so after getting a little cash for Christmas, called looking for a S&W M&P15 Sport, which he didn't have. He mentioned he had a pretty good deal on the SIG M400, which seemed to be a step up (I don't know much about AR's) and so here I am :eek: !

I suppose my point is: I don't have much/any experience with anything other than a .22LR and handguns. I need some advice about ammo for target shooting/getting to know the gun, and also what a good beginner optic would be.

My dad was big into rifles and I felt like I could feel close to him if I learned to shoot again among other reasons like home-defense. My buddy is going to help me sight her in when he get's back from Christmas vacation, and is really excited for me. I'm excited too so thanks for bearing with my noobie post.

Sorry if I broke any rules.. just found this forum!
 
#2 ·
Welcome. The 400 will shoot more ammo then you can afford, and I use either federal, Remington, or Speer in all of my weapons. The 62 grain seems to be the most reliable for my AR, your SIG may differ.
 
#5 ·
Yes you can shoot 223 out of a 556. My AR's aren't Sigs but I've run anywhere from 55-78 gr ammo out of them. Just buy a single box of different ammo and try them out for function and accuracy. Have a good time learning what ammo your rifle likes. Even different velocities in the same bullet type and weight makes a difference.

Plenty of fun range time ahead of you.
 
#9 ·
Great rifle! My 400 eats whatever I feed it, cheap range fodder or pricy match stuff it like it all. Accuracy wise you have to do like Twistedracer says, get a variety of single boxes and see what gives you the best groups.
For a scope, spend as much time as you can researching the different options in your price range before buying.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Nikon P223 scope with the M223 scope mount. The M series mount is more rigid than the P series mount. These scopes tend to go on sale often enough at $150, regular price $200. Mount is going to run around $80. This is a pretty good setup scope wise.

If this is also going to be your home defense gun you would be better served getting a red dot sight. If your life depends on it, look first to Aimpoint or EOTech. Just remember you get what you pay for when it comes to optics.
 
#12 ·
Getting back into shooting after losing my dad when I was younger. He taught me the basics, mostly with pistols and a Henry .22LR lever-action. I bought a Glock 27 and took my CWL class after the attacks in Paris, and reconnected with one of my mom's coworkers who used to take me shooting. Found a nice indoor range in town with a great selection in their store, so after getting a little cash for Christmas, called looking for a S&W M&P15 Sport, which he didn't have. He mentioned he had a pretty good deal on the SIG M400, which seemed to be a step up (I don't know much about AR's) and so here I am :eek: !

I suppose my point is: I don't have much/any experience with anything other than a .22LR and handguns. I need some advice about ammo for target shooting/getting to know the gun, and also what a good beginner optic would be.
My dad was big into rifles and I felt like I could feel close to him if I learned to shoot again among other reasons like home-defense. My buddy is going to help me sight her in when he get's back from Christmas vacation, and is really excited for me. I'm excited too so thanks for bearing with my noobie post.

Sorry if I broke any rules.. just found this forum!
Great choice. The Sig M400 will eat most anything you feed it. 223 or 5.56 and most any maker. As others in the group say, try them all and see what it likes the best. When I first purchased mine I put a Nikon P223 scope, and then later put a Nikon M223 on it. If your not comfortable with taking it apart to learn how it all works, YouTube will give you probably the best video and there are many videos out there to learn from. Have fun with it.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Welcome to the forum! Your rifle's barrel has a 1:7-inch twist rate. That is ideal for most of us, because it will stabilize the heavier (75-77gr) bullets as well as the generally less expensive, lighter training/plinking stuff in the 55-62gr range.

Some AR manufacturers are still using 1:9" rifling; mostly in cheaper rifles. Some of these seem to stabilize heavy projectiles, others don't. I'd say that's one of the biggest differences between your new M400 and the M&P 15 you were originally looking for. You went the right direction! :)

EDIT: As far as optics go, I'd suggest trying a zero-magnification red dot optic, like an Aimpoint. I personally don't recommend EOTechs anymore, my 512 should be arriving at L3 any day now for a full refund. There is a massive pseudo-recall going on pretty much every sight they make. Among other things, they apparently misrepresented their gear's capabilities in extreme conditions. Misrepresented to the .gov, that is. Whoops. After about 800 rounds, my EOTech 512 started turning itself off after almost every shot of my Colt 6920. 5.56 recoil should not turn your optic off. I don't believe their other models that use different batteries, or mount them differently have this particular issue, but there are others. I'm bummed, because I LOVE the EOTech reticle! Anyway. Some folks love fixed, low-magnification (1.5x, 2x, 3x, 4x) optics on their rifles. Trijicon's ACOG is just one example. They're nice, but pretty spendy. I'll leave those for someone else to make suggestions on, as my experience is limited. Finally, variable optics with really low minimum magnification like 1-4x, 1-6x, 1.5-8x give a lot of versatility and seem to be coming down in price. These can be used like a red dot at the bottom end, or turned up to decent magnification for longer shots.

Enjoy your return to shooting! Your story sounds similar to my own. My dad took me hunting & shooting all the time, died when I was 5, then I didn't shoot much until I was older. The smell of burning gunpowder brings a lot of good memories with it, even 23 years later.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top