piston AR, which one?

[gomer pyle]

I am looking at getting an ar. I think i want a piston rifle. I have looked at a core15 and a sig516. I'm looking for opinions on these two and any other options. The sig id $200 higher but i feel like resale, if i every wanted to, would be better.

Also, what is the difference between the sig 516 and 556? Edited August 19, 2013 by gomer pyle

[LagerHead]

I had a Sig 556. Fantastic rifle. The ONLY reason I sold it was to fund another AR build that my wife would enjoy shooting more. As you probably already know piston ARs are front heavy so for my wife it was hard to hold up for very long. But otherwise it was a joy to shoot, it NEVER jammed. In fact it always got laughs or compliments because it slung brass so far upon ejection. If I ever buy another piston AR the Sig 556 will be on my very, very short list, no doubt about it. I don't have experience with the Core so I can't do a comparison but I can recommend the 556 without hesitation. 

[Sonny]

i have a SIG 516 for sale if that interest you - its a great rifle.

[gomer pyle]

Sonny, i sent you a pm

[Peace]

somebody is jonesing for a repr!

516 is great.

[gomer pyle]

somebody is jonesing for a repr!.

???

[Peace]

-LWRC REPR. people who have shot them have been known to sell all manner of things (including 516s) to fund one.

I was just messing with Sonny. again, the 516 is a great rifle.

carry on-

[Dustbuster]

The 516 gen 2 is nice, the 556 is nice but not an ar, the Barrett rec 7 works well and you can check out a faxin 556 ak ar upper if you want ac reliability on an at lower....the lwrc is nice if it meets your budget...

[scoutfsu]

Is there a specific reason you're wanting a piston AR?

 

The 516 and 556 have pretty different operating quirks.  The 556 was a bastardized version of the 551 series.  There were some major QC defects on earlier models but I've read that they've been fixed.  The experience (and the was SIG acted) left quite a few people with a bad taste in their mouths.  Once mine was fixed, it wasn't a bad rifle....it just wasn't worth the money invested.

[Chris]

I was gonna say LWRC. The REPR is absolutely the way to go, but if you want 5.56, look at the LWRC SPR. Great rifles.

[whitewolf001]

I am looking at getting an ar. I think i want a piston rifle. I have looked at a core15 and a sig516. I'm looking for opinions on these two and any other options. The sig id $200 higher but i feel like resale, if i every wanted to, would be better.

Also, what is the difference between the sig 516 and 556?

 

 

You sir, what have YOU DONE???!!! Lol, but seriously. The Sig 516 is just an AR with a short stroke piston gas system (and one of the cheaper ones mind you) while the 556 uses a long stroke piston system; the difference between the two aforementioned is that in a short stroke system the piston strikes the BCG such as in a LWRC, REC 7, etc, while in a long stroke the piston is attached to the BCG like in a AKM or PWS AR's. Also as earlier mentioned, the 556 is apart of the Sig 550 series of weapons; the family of weapons uses a proprietary magazine HOWEVER the 556 uses a different lower reciever to enable it to accept STANAG mags (in the common tongue, AR15/M16 type mags but there are tons of weapons in NATO that use them, just for you nitpickey rat @#$%s).

[whitewolf001]

I was gonna say LWRC. The REPR is absolutely the way to go, but if you want 5.56, look at the LWRC SPR. Great rifles.

 

SPR for the win! I love that rifle!!!

[dcloudy777]

Meh... save the money and buy a good DI gun.  Pistons belong under the hood, not under the handguard.   :2cents:

[TMF]

Meh... save the money and buy a good DI gun. Pistons belong under the hood, not under the handguard. :2cents:

DI rifles don't work though. I heard they jam after the first round and Soldiers have to use the enemy's AKs they recover on the battlefield.

[whitewolf001]

DI rifles don't work though. I heard they jam after the first round and Soldiers have to use the enemy's AKs they recover on the battlefield.

 

Not to stir the pot but this is conclusive data leading to that, just saying. ;)  http://www.armytimes.com/article/20071217/NEWS/712170314/Newer-carbines-outperform-M4-dust-test

 

Also, that contract is now dead, lmao. http://www.armytimes.com/article/20130614/NEWS04/306140012/Army-kills-carbine-competition

Edited August 19, 2013 by whitewolf001

[dcloudy777]

Army Times is a joke.  Their articles about small arms are basically H&K ads disguised as journalism. 

 

Correctly-built DI guns run just fine.

[Spots]

Meh... save the money and buy a good DI gun. Pistons belong under the hood, not under the handguard. :2cents:

DI rifles don't work though. I heard they jam after the first round and Soldiers have to use the enemy's AKs they recover on the battlefield.

I heard the M16 was made by mattel and that DI guns jammed at least once a mag. I also heard that the 5.56 round was a joke and most jihadist laughed off at least the first 3 or 4 shots to center mass.

Tapatalk ate my spelling.

[whitewolf001]

I heard the M16 was made by mattel and that DI guns jammed at least once a mag. I also heard that the 5.56 round was a joke and most jihadist laughed off at least the first 3 or 4 shots to center mass.

Tapatalk ate my spelling.

 

Pretty certain I'd cry if shot with a .22LR, let alone a .223, haha.

[Spurholder]

Piston guns excel in the following areas:

 

- Full auto

- SBR

- Suppressed

 

If you're not doing any of those, the only thing you're gaining is a little less time cleaning your rifle...if you clean it to a spotless level in the first place (I don't). 

 

In every other area, a properly built DI gun (from Colt, Daniel Defense, KAC, BCM, or Noveske) will run as well as any piston gun. 

 

Don't even get me started about the proprietary stuff...

 

-From a former LWRC M6A1 owner.

Edited August 19, 2013 by Spurholder

[whitewolf001]

Army Times is a joke.  Their articles about small arms are basically H&K ads disguised as journalism. 

 

Correctly-built DI guns run just fine.

 

Ok, how about this, SAME article, different source. http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,158468,00.html

[scoutfsu]

Not to stir the pot but this is conclusive data leading to that, just saying. ;)  http://www.armytimes.com/article/20071217/NEWS/712170314/Newer-carbines-outperform-M4-dust-test

 

Also, that contract is now dead, lmao. http://www.armytimes.com/article/20130614/NEWS04/306140012/Army-kills-carbine-competition

 

Those tests have since been proven to be suspect because of the testing criteria, namely they counted stoppages on the M4 b/c of the burst mechanism.  Unfortunately we have our heads in the sand for the PIP and ICC with outdated and pie in the sky requirements.  The M4 is here to stay in its current form.

[TMF]

I heard the M16 was made by mattel and that DI guns jammed at least once a mag. I also heard that the 5.56 round was a joke and most jihadist laughed off at least the first 3 or 4 shots to center mass.

I pretty much had the same experience. Luckily I had a .410 Judge with me, which instantly vaporized him.

[dcloudy777]

  The M4 is here to stay in its current form.

 

As it should be... except there should be a few more M16A4s issued as well.  None of the other guns presented so far represent a significant increase in capability, certainly nowhere near as much of an increase as to justify the gigantic logistical expense of switching. 

Edited August 19, 2013 by dcloudy777

[Spots]

I heard the M16 was made by mattel and that DI guns jammed at least once a mag. I also heard that the 5.56 round was a joke and most jihadist laughed off at least the first 3 or 4 shots to center mass.

I pretty much had the same experience. Luckily I had a .410 Judge with me, which instantly vaporized him.

I didn't have a judge, but I did manage to sneak my Grandpa's M1 Garand in with me and killed them all with a single shot each from a little more than 1800 yds. That 30-06 is a hoss. I apoligize to the op, back to the topic at hand

Tapatalk ate my spelling.

[TMF]

Not to stir the pot but this is conclusive data leading to that, just saying. ;) http://www.armytimes.com/article/20071217/NEWS/712170314/Newer-carbines-outperform-M4-dust-test

Also, that contract is now dead, lmao. http://www.armytimes.com/article/20130614/NEWS04/306140012/Army-kills-carbine-competition

Take it with a grain of salt. I'm being honest when I say that I've fired more rounds through my issued M4s than 99% of the military. I have never had a malfunction caused by anything other than magazine failure, bolt breakage or a manufactured malfunction. If the weapon is properly maintained it will fire more ammo than you can carry. I've put thousands of rounds through one in a single day without relubing. It will work.

The reason you see reports of widespread malfunction is due to operator error. I kid you not. Our military sucks when it comes to mentoring younger Servicemembers. For example, the story of Jessica Lynch's convoy has at least two of the weapons failing. I've seen more M16s fail than I can count. There is always a common denominator; no lube, and where there should be live there is dust... Lots of it. The problem is crappy NCOs not doing proper PCIs on their Soldiers. I'll use the M2 .50 cal as an example. It works great. I've used dozens of them over my military career. I've only come across one that had issues; it was a refurbish that was fresh. After a few thousand rounds it worked fine. All the rest worked so long as you knew how to properly head space and time it. Unfortunately, I see MOST convoys pull up to a test fire berm and experience multiple jams, because all they did was screw a barrel on, back off two and call it good. Then they call it a piece of 100 year old junk because it doesn't work. It does work. It's the operator that needs to be sent back to the assembly line.

I get a little emotional about this one, because I know the truth and it pisses me off. It makes me mad that there are so many piss poor Soldiers and NCOs out there. When I hear a Servicemember who complains about his M16 (if it was issued after 1970, or whenever they fixed the issue with the chamber and the ammo) it tells me they were a substandard Soldier that did not properly maintain his equipment.