Any thoughts? SIG 551 VS. Ruger SR 556

[Rlong1985]

[Citicop]

I'll take two of each.

[Rlong1985]

I am with you Citi.

Both of these are on the higher end of stock AR’s, one thing that interested me is,

The SIG 551 is in the same family as the SIG 550 which is the Swiss Army battle rifle made specifically for the citizen soldier.

[MikeG]

I'm definitely not an AR guy but I've been looking for one as well.

The sig buttstock looks fixed length but foldable. Is that correct?

What makes them "higher end?" The gas piston?

[Rlong1985]

Yes, the SIG 551 is designed to be able to fold.

The SIG and Ruger are on the higher end because of the quality of build, each has a following and I would be happy with ether from what I have read. The closer you get to Mil Spec in the civilian market or the equivalent the price goes up and these are no exception. The SIG 556 starts at 1,100 and Ruger 1,400.


Ruger has a deal with TROY industries and they have supplied the rails and iron sites. These are not cheap….

[Buffboy]

Going by your profile you're in the UK so I don't know your pricing but here in the states, 30rd Factory Sig magazines for the 551: MSRP = $169 each. Aftermarket magazines = $65 each or 5 for $300. Those prices are insane for poly mags. Compare that to AR mags that you can find anywhere and will fit the Ruger. Both are good rifles but how much ammo could you buy for just that difference.

I personally don't think I would be interested in either(if given to me I'd take either, but my money, not so much). I'm not yet convinced that gas piston is all that great in the AR platform as some people are reporting some funky wear patterns in the carrier/upper at some very low round counts with both it and some of the aftermarket gas piston conversions. The Sig (designed from ground up as gas piston, so no problem there) is just not worth the huge price at more than twice the cost of the Ruger IMO.

[Buffboy]

WOW, I just read your last post. I want your prices, here the Sig runs well over $3k, though the Ruger is about the same.

[Rlong1985]

WOW, I just read your last post. I want your prices, here the Sig runs well over $3k, though the Ruger is about the same.

The SIG 550/551/556 are all in the same family, but the 556 is currently the only one you can buy in the US I believe. Current MSRP for the SIG 556 is $1191.00 (USD). They share many of the same features and design.

I have heard the same issues, but at much higher round counts. 10,000+ is much higher than the civilian user needs to be considered with and it comes from a military rifle. These are not cheap products and are designed to be used in the field.

A few 551's are in the US and were imported before the Clinton Assault Rifle Ban, but there are not many true 551's availible and the price shows. Heres a link to the Made in the US 556. Price for mags runs 2 for 50 ( I think).

Products & Services

[Rlong1985]

Heres the SIG Family...

[Samuel]

Lots of reviews for both rifles online. I almost bought a sig556 - canceled due to runaround from dealer. Ruger looked tempting but I decided to piece together my own ar's... currently waiting for an 18" spr gas piston upper to become available from addax tactical...

[Rlong1985]

Overview of the SIGS Gas System...

[kels]

Remember that while the Ruger looks like an AR15, it is not.
A lot of the parts will NOT interchange.