jimmer_5
05-02-2010, 03:57 PM
I have been wanting a "tactical" .22 for a long time - I have handled the Colt/Walther/Umarex, the S&W M&P .22 AR, the GSG-5, and while they were all nice rifles, they didn't quite do it for me. I was planning on (and still might) building a .22 caliber AR with a Spikes Tactical dedicated upper, but $900 - $1000 is a lot of scratch for a fun little plinker. I had handled a standard Sig 522, but it still felt like just a bit too high on the Plastic to Metal ratio (I know it's stupid, but that's just me). Then about a month ago I handled a Sig 522 SWAT - the same thing, but with a beautufaully made Aluminum quad railed forend. And almost immediately I fell in love with the look, feel, and quality of the rifle. And being made right hre in the USA was a big part of it as well.
Well, I sold a few things and placed an order for a Sig 522 SWAT at a local gunshop, and they told me that the rifle will be there in a week and a half. The price was $529. I check in a week and a half later and they tell me that it will be at least another month.
Last weekend we were running some errands about an hour south of where we live, and I decided to stop at one of my favorite old gunshops from when we lived down there. Turns out they had 3 of the 522 SWAT rifles for $499 apiece. I handled them all, picked the one I liked best and bought it on the spot. Then I simply called and cancelled the previous order. I'd call that a double bonus - not having to wait a month and paying less money for it as well!
Anyhow, I have not yet been able to shoot it (it's been raining all weekend) but I'm hoping to get out and shoot it in the next week or two. I have mounted a set of Magpul MBUS on the rifle, and need to sight it in. I custom cut some Ergo low profile ladder rail covers to fit he rails, and it's looking pretty good already. I am thinking about getting an adapter and fitting a Magpul UBR stock on it just for fun. My only concern is the weight - the UBR will add another full pound to the weight of the rifle. As it is right now, it's pretty light and flickable. I also love how easiliy it disasembles - pop the captured rear pin, swing the upper receiver up, slip out the charging handle, and the whole bolt assembly falls right out (much like my XCR). Pop the front receiver pin, and the whole upper comes off, just like an AR.
Functionally, my only gripe is that the button that you press to fold the stock does not come up all the way and it sticks a bit. The lower receiver is a molded polymer, and the slot that the stock tab catches in is a bit narrow. The slot has a metal piece molded into it to keep it from wearing out, but I need to get in there and file away some of the metal to make the button function better. I get the impression that this is a pretty common issue with these guns, and truth be told, it still works, so I might be better off just leaving it alone - but waht fun would that be?
Anyhow, here are some pics of my new baby!
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x242/jimmer_5/Guns/JimsSig522SWAT01.jpg
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x242/jimmer_5/Guns/JimsSig522SWAT02.jpg
And here it is with it's big brother. It's interesting how much longer the 16" barrel on the XCR looks. The Sig's barrel is set back about 2" deep in the receiver, so the barrel looks more like a 14 incher. I really like this detail - the rifle handles wonderfully. The Aluminum quad rail adds a little weight, but it is quite skeletonized, so it's really not taht much heavier IMHO. Hopefully the XCR won't get jealous:
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x242/jimmer_5/Guns/Brothers01.jpg
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x242/jimmer_5/Guns/Brothers02.jpg
Well, I sold a few things and placed an order for a Sig 522 SWAT at a local gunshop, and they told me that the rifle will be there in a week and a half. The price was $529. I check in a week and a half later and they tell me that it will be at least another month.
Last weekend we were running some errands about an hour south of where we live, and I decided to stop at one of my favorite old gunshops from when we lived down there. Turns out they had 3 of the 522 SWAT rifles for $499 apiece. I handled them all, picked the one I liked best and bought it on the spot. Then I simply called and cancelled the previous order. I'd call that a double bonus - not having to wait a month and paying less money for it as well!
Anyhow, I have not yet been able to shoot it (it's been raining all weekend) but I'm hoping to get out and shoot it in the next week or two. I have mounted a set of Magpul MBUS on the rifle, and need to sight it in. I custom cut some Ergo low profile ladder rail covers to fit he rails, and it's looking pretty good already. I am thinking about getting an adapter and fitting a Magpul UBR stock on it just for fun. My only concern is the weight - the UBR will add another full pound to the weight of the rifle. As it is right now, it's pretty light and flickable. I also love how easiliy it disasembles - pop the captured rear pin, swing the upper receiver up, slip out the charging handle, and the whole bolt assembly falls right out (much like my XCR). Pop the front receiver pin, and the whole upper comes off, just like an AR.
Functionally, my only gripe is that the button that you press to fold the stock does not come up all the way and it sticks a bit. The lower receiver is a molded polymer, and the slot that the stock tab catches in is a bit narrow. The slot has a metal piece molded into it to keep it from wearing out, but I need to get in there and file away some of the metal to make the button function better. I get the impression that this is a pretty common issue with these guns, and truth be told, it still works, so I might be better off just leaving it alone - but waht fun would that be?
Anyhow, here are some pics of my new baby!
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x242/jimmer_5/Guns/JimsSig522SWAT01.jpg
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x242/jimmer_5/Guns/JimsSig522SWAT02.jpg
And here it is with it's big brother. It's interesting how much longer the 16" barrel on the XCR looks. The Sig's barrel is set back about 2" deep in the receiver, so the barrel looks more like a 14 incher. I really like this detail - the rifle handles wonderfully. The Aluminum quad rail adds a little weight, but it is quite skeletonized, so it's really not taht much heavier IMHO. Hopefully the XCR won't get jealous:
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x242/jimmer_5/Guns/Brothers01.jpg
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x242/jimmer_5/Guns/Brothers02.jpg