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!

Sig 716 Problem

34K views 82 replies 45 participants last post by  Lancer L5 AWM 
#1 ·
First of all I'm not the idiot on youtube that posted 12 videos of himself whining about sig. I'm new to these forums and I'm sorry if I posted this in the wrong place or if this issue has been covered elsewhere.

Now then, I purchased a new Sig 716 yesterday with several boxes of ammo. All the ammo was expensive, brass cased ammo. I got home and broke the rifle down completely and did a extensive cleaning on the gun. Once it was complete I loaded up a mag with 5 rounds and put in the mag well with the bolt locked to the rear, I released the bolt and it went forward and chambered a round but it sounded VERY sloppy instead of slamming a round home into the chamber. In fact it didn't even fully go into battery... it almost did but it lacked about a quarter of an inch from being all the way. I then tried to manually eject a round and the bolt was completely locked/jammed into place and wouldnt move. I tried using the forward assist and put it all the way into battery but it was still locked into place and wouldn't move. I had to get a screwdriver and pry the bolt open to get the round out.

There is a guy named Spyke on youtube who was having the exact same problem as me, identical. However when he broke his rifle down and cleaned it the problem was eliminated and his rifle would manually cycle fine. Cleaning didn't do a damn thing for me.

So I tried it for the third time and of course the bolt was locked shut again. I am getting pretty ****** at this point. I throw on my hearing protection and go outside, point downrange and fire. Of course the bolt opens and ejects the case fine and locks to the rear. I then loaded up 4 more rounds into the mag, dropped the bolt and as always it sounded sloppy and weak and didn't go all the way into battery. I used the forward assist to move it up that tiny quarter inch into batter and took the safety off and squeezed the trigger putting all four rounds downrange without a single problem with the bolt locking to the rear on the last shot. The gun shot absolutely fine. I then tried a final time to manually cycle rounds and to no avail it still wouldn't and I had to pry it open again.

Can anyone please help? I love this gun and I worked very hard and paid $2100 (tax and all) for it. I really want it to perform flawless. Had anyone had this problem before? Any remedies? Any tips? Thanks in advance and sorry this was so long winded.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I don't have my rifle yet, but there are lots of folks mentioning a "breaking - in period," which seems odd for a rifle this expensive.
 
#4 ·
Has there been any unusual scoring / rubs in the receiver?
 
#5 ·
Keep the info coming

I have a SIG-716, and like my 556 I have not had any issues. But the info you share may be an issue that someone else is having. So everyone can benefit if we continue to share info. The quacks like that dude on utube in the boony hat that fabricates all the so called defects from his brand new Sig products will be exposed anyway. He must be ****** because Sig is selling "the you know what" out of their excellent selection of hardware. :mad::mad:
 
#6 ·
The first thing I'd suspect is a weak/dirty buffer spring. There's obviously not enough force from the spring to propel the BCG forward from the locked position. Check your spring and buffer and if you didn't do it he first time, give them a good cleaning and lube. Also make sure the tube is not dented or warped/bent.
 
#12 ·
Why did you need to clean a new 716? The OM says to clean the bore and any exposed mechanism of excess oil. Now you will not know if Sig made a mistake or you screwed up. I doubt if a problem like this would have passed factory inspection. All of my Sigs, 522, 516 and 716 were cleaned like the OM said and I have shot thousands of rounds WO a problem. Did you over-grease the bolt carrier by mistake? Many people screw up the same way. A very light oiling is all it needs. You can go to Armalite's website and download dozens of tech notes that can explain most problems.
 
#13 ·
I break down and clean all my guns before use. Plus there are quite a few people who are having feeding and cycling issues with their 716 (while shooting, not while manually trying to cycle the gun) who have said it was because Sig ships their rifles with a ton of thick lube in the bolt carrier that needs to be cleaned out first. I am not having any of those issues while shooting, the gun shoots like a champ and the bolt locks to the rear every time Im out of rounds. I just can't load and manually unload the gun without the bolt locking up and not going all the way into battery then a round gets stuck in the chamber.

Also I don't know if I mentioned but I tried to load and manually unload the rifle before I ever broke it down and it had this problem before I ever even popped the pins out of the gun so it's Sigs problem for sure. Like I said... there is a guy on youtube names Spyke who was having the exact same problem as me with his 716 and cleaning the bolt carrier and bolt fixed it for him. Not for me.
 
#15 ·
I know what you mean by a stuck bolt now. IF you fit a round in the chamber, will it fall free if the rifle is sat on the butt? I have see too tight of chambers. And I know about the thick grease on the BC. I thought mine was a little thick compared to my 516 BC. But, I left it alone and still broke the gun in anyway. It was about 15 degrees outside also. It still cycled WO problems. I look at it this way, gun builders know how to make guns and also know the correct lubes and the correct amount. But, even the best builders still get tired and screw up too. I cleaned the BC after shooting about 60 NATO rounds and relubed with Wilson Combat grease. It felt the same thickness as the factory lube. Try this as I just did on mine, If you lock the bolt back WO a round, does it slam shut hard like it should when you release the bolt? This will tell you if you have a buffer problem. I suspect you have tried this already though.
 
#18 ·
No, as I stated in my first post... when I lock the bolt back and then drop it on a round to chamber it doesn't slam home good and hard like it should. It sounds lazy and it doesn't go all the way into battery. It almost does but it lacks about a quarter inch being all the way in there. I have to use the forward assist to but it up a notch. I inspected the buffer tube and spring and couldn't find any issues, also clean them. Still won't work. It's looking like I may have to send this rifle back to Sig. I'm going to try putting at least 150 rounds through it and hope that it breaks the gun in first though.
 
#16 ·
For what it's worth...

 
#19 ·
the firing pin spring question

sorry if my question is a little off the topic.
I have been putting about 200 rounds through my new SIG716, everything work perfectly. when cleaning the bolt carrier, I notice that when i drop the firing pin out, there were no "firing pin spring" (item 47 1800025).
I look at a few videos on youtube and there were no spring falling out when they take out the firing pin either. so I was just curious if somehow the firing pin spring was missing on my sig716. could any of the sig716 owner out there check to see if your sig716 has that firing pin spring? if you check the manual, the part was item 47 1800025.
it worried me that without the spring can the firing pin accidentally strike the primer when I release the bolt carrier. because there is no spring to hold the firing pin back, it is freely move and could have hit the primer and ignite it. well it have not happened yet, but i'm a little worry.
thanks if anyone out there can give me some information on this "firing pin spring"
 
#38 ·
sorry if my question is a little off the topic.
I have been putting about 200 rounds through my new SIG716, everything work perfectly. when cleaning the bolt carrier, I notice that when i drop the firing pin out, there were no "firing pin spring" (item 47 1800025).
I look at a few videos on youtube and there were no spring falling out when they take out the firing pin either. so I was just curious if somehow the firing pin spring was missing on my sig716. could any of the sig716 owner out there check to see if your sig716 has that firing pin spring? if you check the manual, the part was item 47 1800025.
it worried me that without the spring can the firing pin accidentally strike the primer when I release the bolt carrier. because there is no spring to hold the firing pin back, it is freely move and could have hit the primer and ignite it. well it have not happened yet, but i'm a little worry.
thanks if anyone out there can give me some information on this "firing pin spring"
There are no springs for the firing pin in AR15s.
 
#20 ·
when you say you have to use the screwdriver and pry the bolt open to get the round out, the first thing I would do is make sure the friction between the bolt and the bolt carrier are smooth. check inside the chamber and the bolt lugs make sure they are clean and drop a cartridge in the chamber and it should go in smoothly. on the magpul magazine, I find that one of the one i have, the cartridge tented to catch on the front edge of the magazine as it is being stripped and load into the chamber, this could have cause the sloppy feeling as you release the bolt, but the edge will eventually smooth out after you shoot a few rounds. I hope it helps with your problem.
 
#21 ·
Don't worry about not having a firing pin spring, its not needed or a big deal. My 716 doesn't have one and I don't know anyone with a 716 that does have a firing pin spring in it. Unless something has changed recently I've never seen one on any of the thousands and thousands of M16/M4 weapons I worked on in the Army.
 
#22 ·
Please remove the Bolt from the Bolt carrier and inspect the extractor outer surface specially the rear area. I also have a SIG716 Patrol that has been 100% reliable. But during clean up after my 1st trip to the range, I noticed some rubbing marks at the rear of the extractor. Further inspection revealed that the extractor was rubbing against the inner of the Bolt Carrier. To improve the cycling of the assembly, I removed the extractor and polished the rear area where the rubbing/interference was occurring. Now the Bolt cycling is smooth as silk.....

Again, my rifle has functioned with zero failures, but out of the box it will not always go into battery unless you let it slam all the way in. After a complete disassembly and lubrication treatment, everything was working correctly but I noticed that the Bolt cycling was not as smooth as in my SIG516. That challenged me to do a full fit/function test and thus found the aforementioned issue.

Hope this helps with the troubleshooting of similar issues.....
 
#23 · (Edited)
Hi Guys,

This is my 2-cents when you have your stuck bolt issue.
Please stop using a screwdriver to open the stuck carrier/bolt!!! All you need to do is-

1: Place the weapon safety on (if you can)

2: Remove the magazine (Remember there's still a live round in the chamber)

3: Hold the weapon by its fore end-grip with one hand, with the barrel pointing in the air.

4: With your other hand, grab the charging handle.

5: Now firmly ram the buttstock, in a downward motion (barrel pointing up!), against something firm (like the ground, a piece of wood, stout table, a rock... you can place a towel down to protect the stock) while simultaneously pulling down on the charging-handle. The momentum of this action and the butt-strike causes the carrier/bolt assembly to move rearward thus unlocking the "stuck" bolt from the breech. The cartridge will eject/fly out of the breech.
I usually do this clearing action kneeling on one or both knees. This allows me to keep my body clear of being positioned over the barrel.

4: REMEMBER TO NEVER PLACE ANY PART OF YOUR BODY OVER THE BARREL WHEN DOING THIS PROCEDURE. THERE IS STILL A LIVE ROUND IN THE WEAPON YOU ARE CLEARING!!

5: This was a technique I was taught and has worked 100% of the time for me.

By the way, I had to clean my 716 a couple of times before the cycling issues stopped.

UPDATE 29 Jan 2013:

1: The above process is called "Mortaring a Rifle". I was never told that before.... now I know! (thanks Charles!) Do a search... tons of on-line info on people "mortaring a rifle".

2: I was informed that if you have a collapsible/adjustable M4 style butt-stock, adjust the stock to the fully collapsed position before mortaring the rifle. If the butt-stock is in any other position, you could possibly damage the butt-stock locking pin when you perform the downward strike of the butt-stock.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Am I the only one here who thinks this Spyke guy is a major tool and doesn't know **** about his weapon?

#1) He cleaned the barrel from the muzzle end, a strict no-no according to the OM. You are supposed to clean ALL Sig Sauer barrels from the opposite end, not the muzzle end.

#2) He used NATO rounds instead of consumer .223. Yeah, I know, they are supposedly the same, but the BARREL's inside diameter is where the difference is. What works for one rifle may not necessarily work for another.

#3) Loading up live ammo in a house is NOT the sign of a knowledgeable end user, period. That's what snap caps are for. If ya absolutely GOTTA do it, use new brass from your reloading supplies instead. No chance of an accidental discharge that way.

#4) Prying ANY part on a new weapon is most likely to void the warranty and probably damage it in the process. I would have disassembled the rifle instead to trace back the source of the issue rather than repeatedly cycle rounds that do not chamber properly.

#5) Look at the way he loaded his Pmag. Maybe it's ok to do that, but in the military, and every other place I have seen the 'proper' method of loading a 30 round .223 / 5.56 magazine, you SLIDE the round in from the front to the back, depressing the previous round with your thumb to push it slightly downwards. NEVER have I ever seen anyone force a cartridge down into the mag over the metal retainers in the manner that Spyke demonstrates in his video. This will surely lead to a loosening of the metal flanges over time, potentially causing a weapons malfunction / cartridge jam in the receiver area.
 
#26 ·
Just to clear some things up for you
#2 this rifle chamber is for 7.62x51 NATO
#3 u can't use just brass to feed it. it will get caught in the feed ramp and smash the neck of the case,(but like u said snap caps would be the best choice)
#4 never had a problem with feeding rounds straight down.military mags have stripper clip guides that attach to the mag the rounds are then pushed straight down into the mag to load.
 
#28 ·
I had a similar problem with my 716 when I first started shooting it. Turns out it was my fault. I was shooting my own reloads and the headspace was a few thousanths off too long, and it caused the same issue you are having. I fixed the issue on my next batch of ammo and it runs flawlessy now.

Im not saying that's the same for you, obviousy NATO ammo should feed, but it might be worth checking the ammo with a case gauge, just my two cents, hope you find out whats going on.
 
#29 · (Edited)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scot
Am I the only one here who thinks this Spyke guy is a major tool and doesn't know **** about his weapon?

#1) He cleaned the barrel from the muzzle end, a strict no-no according to the OM. You are supposed to clean ALL Sig Sauer barrels from the opposite end, not the muzzle end.

#2) He used NATO rounds instead of consumer .223. Yeah, I know, they are supposedly the same, but the BARREL's inside diameter is where the difference is. What works for one rifle may not necessarily work for another.

#3) Loading up live ammo in a house is NOT the sign of a knowledgeable end user, period. That's what snap caps are for. If ya absolutely GOTTA do it, use new brass from your reloading supplies instead. No chance of an accidental discharge that way.

#4) Prying ANY part on a new weapon is most likely to void the warranty and probably damage it in the process. I would have disassembled the rifle instead to trace back the source of the issue rather than repeatedly cycle rounds that do not chamber properly.

#5) Look at the way he loaded his Pmag. Maybe it's ok to do that, but in the military, and every other place I have seen the 'proper' method of loading a 30 round .223 / 5.56 magazine, you SLIDE the round in from the front to the back, depressing the previous round with your thumb to push it slightly downwards. NEVER have I ever seen anyone force a cartridge down into the mag over the metal retainers in the manner that Spyke demonstrates in his video. This will surely lead to a loosening of the metal flanges over time, potentially causing a weapons malfunction / cartridge jam in the receiver area.
Just to clear some things up for you
#2 this rifle chamber is for 7.62x51 NATO
#3 u can't use just brass to feed it. it will get caught in the feed ramp and smash the neck of the case,(but like u said snap caps would be the best choice)
#4 never had a problem wi


Thanks Hi State!! I was getting worried for minute there. I don't like getting into the hissy fitz. So I was sitting back looking at the responses to see who was getting the "my way is the right and only way syndrome". You are absolutely correct and tactful. That's refreshing...
 
#30 ·
I just got my 716 almost 2 weeks ago and cleaned it the first time and lubed and fired 80 rounds all flawless (60 Privi Match Ammo, 20 Privi Standard).

I cleaned again after that and used CLP and stored til this weekend.

Mine felt pretty fluid and positive even before first cleaning.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Also just bought a 716

I havent fired it yet or cleaned it. It is doing the same thing except I can get the charging handle back after locking forward, it just takes a real good pull. Also...
I noticed when i was cycling ammo through that the rounds were coming out pretty scuffed up.

I just did the whole cleaning on mine like the video said, I obviously can't tell if the round will cycle after a shot but it will chamber and eject rounds, it is just very stubborn about it and REALLY tight. Hopefully it will fire fine.
 
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