Cybershooters

[fullmetaljacket]

Sig 552 Pictures - (I hope this works) You will need to click on the links.

[cybershooters]

They're not called SIG anymore, btw. SIG sold their arms division to some German investors in 2000, the stuff made in Neuhausen is called Swiss Arms now.

The Swiss flag is stamped behind the rear sight, yes?

Shame it's deactivated. I know the SAS CRW team use the SG552 but I'm not sure I agree that the MP5 is outdated now. Problem with 5.56mm carbines is that they wear out a lot quicker than MP5s. Been problems with the recoil spring guide on the SG552s breaking too, although they replaced it with a plastic one that seems to be working okay now.

Thanks for posting the links...
_________________
Steve.

Only three things are certain: death, taxes and stupid gun laws.

[fullmetaljacket]

Hi Cybershooters,

The Swiss Flag is stamped at the front of the recevier, just behind the handguard, behind the rear sight it is stamped SIG, in a small circle.

I didn't know the SAS CRW team used the 552! Thats interesting. I heard about the problems with the recoil spring guide on wikipedia.org and something about a SiG 553 which resolves the problem?

I must admit I have never fired a SiG 552 or HK MP5 so its difficult for me to compare!, my only 5.56 experience comes from a M16A2, and 9mm on a Mac 10 when I lived in Bangkok. The range did have a MP5N but as it was a military range, they kept deploying it down south in Hat Yai. One day! One Day!

Total pleasure posting the piks!

Cheers and all the best,

FMJ.

[cybershooters]

The SG553 uses the same gas piston set up as the SG550 and 551. Why they didn't do that in the first place I have no idea, probably took them this long to work out how to regulate the gas pressure with such a short barrel.

Personally I'm not a big fan of very short barrel 5.56mm firearms, they were proven to be a bad idea during Vietnam. Too much muzzle blast, hard to regulate the cyclic rate, more susceptible to problems with ammunition because of the gas pressure at the port.

The USMC came to the conclusion you needed about five inches of barrel in front of the gas port for the pressure to be consistent enough, hence the 14.5" barrel on the M4 carbine.

The SAS CRW unit decided to use the SG552 because it was the most similar to the MP5 in terms of operation. Not sure if it was a wholesale conversion or whether they still use some MP5s alongside the SG552.
_________________
Steve.

Only three things are certain: death, taxes and stupid gun laws.

[charlieizu]

you have both an mp5 AND a commando 552 - i am truly jealous !

where the hell did you get the 552 from, i have only used DWSUK and have been on the other sites but none have really got quality or modern smg/rifles like the 552 you have found

[cybershooters]

You have to get a section 5 dealer to special order them for you. I'm not sure how Mick does it now, whether he does the deactivation himself or sends them to someone else, but there are a handful of section 5 dealers with authority for MGs who will do special orders.

Bring money. You will need lots.
_________________
Steve.

Only three things are certain: death, taxes and stupid gun laws.

[charlieizu]

can i be really cheeky and ask how much did the 552 cost?

[cybershooters]

The current RRP is £1,500 plus VAT. So add on delivery to a section 5 dealer (which isn't cheap) plus the cost of de-activation and that will give you an idea.
_________________
Steve.

Only three things are certain: death, taxes and stupid gun laws.

[fullmetaljacket]

Hi All! I've been out of the country for a few days, so no access to the internet. Steve got the price bang on.

[cybershooters]

Lot of money for a gun that doesn't work. I had a SG550 for awhile, I paid £1,350 for it (it wasn't new, it was a demo gun the Army had used back in the 1980s), but I had a working one in Switzerland so I wanted a deac for dry-firing practice. That was my excuse anyway.

Then I got bored with it and sold them. If you're seriously thinking of getting one, I think the SG550 is the one to get because it's classed as an LMG because of the bipod so it does at least go "click". Not as exotic as the SG552 though.

Swiss Arms has a huge backlog of orders at the moment, I assume Mick must have had that one in stock for such a short turnaround.

What would be really nice is if Beechwood equipment would order some SG550s as straight-pull rifles. Not hard to do, the end of the gas piston is welded on at the factory. So all they'd have to do is not weld on the head of the piston and not drill a gas port hole and hey presto, legal section 1 rifle. They even told me when I went to the IWA they could do it, minimum order 100 but Beechwood doesn't seem interested. I assume because they are very pricey, big investment.

My main problem is they all speak German at the factory and they all talk in very technical terms and it's pretty hard to convey to them what it is that you actually want! Took me about 20 minutes to explain that semi-auto rifles are banned in the UK. "Halbauto verboten im England, ja?"
_________________
Steve.

Only three things are certain: death, taxes and stupid gun laws.

[fullmetaljacket]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the extra info. I am starting to think about starting the process of applying for a FAC and try and get into some straight pull shooting in the UK.

On another note, my plans are to purchase a deactivated G36. Assuming that Mick can get one, do you know the approx price? Do you think the full size version (which I think comes with the factory installed bi-pod ... I might be wrong?) could be deactivated with moving parts?

As always, thanks for your responses!

All the best,

FMJ.

[cybershooters]

G36s are hard to get because German export law only allows military firearms to be sold to Govt. entities. There is a bit of a loophole in that they can be sold for use as props for TV/film use, and also the police sometimes buy a few for demo use and then get rid of them. This is why there are a few floating about. But it's hard to just place an order with H&K.

Plus in the UK, H&K actually have their own importing setup in Nottingham, which is why the police use them for nearly everything because they can provide good service as they have gunsmiths on staff. But they don't deal with the general public.

PMC friend of mine tells me in Afghanistan now all the British special ops guys seem to be carrying H&K 416s and Colt/Diemaco C8-CQBs and have given up on the SG552. There was an issue with the op rod breaking on the 552s which was the reason for the design change to the 553.

If Mick can get you one the price will be whatever he had to pay plus his markup, and the price will vary a lot. The RRP was around £800 plus VAT last time I heard (without the optics, just the rail), but that isn't necessarily what you will pay as you can't order one direct.
_________________
Steve.

Only three things are certain: death, taxes and stupid gun laws.

[cybershooters]

Also, bear in mind that a straight-pull rifle in many cases is identical to a semi-auto once deactivated - but because it was never a semi-auto rifle to begin with it's treated as a bolt-action rifle when deactivated, i.e. still has a working action. Although I think the spec specifically lays out how AR-15s have to be deactivated so it may not be the case with the most popular types, such as the AR-15 and AK. Haven't tried buying one that's deactivated but bear it in mind.

Also it's hard for the Proof House to tell what it was originally before it was deactivated in some cases.
_________________
Steve.

Only three things are certain: death, taxes and stupid gun laws.

[fullmetaljacket]

Thanks for the info Steve. I thought the G36 would be difficult to get hold off!

All the best,

FMJ.

[cybershooters]

Yeah, there was talk of a straight-pull version of the SL8, I assume for the Austrian market, but H&K have apparently stopped making the SL8. I assume because there have been problems with the receiver cracking around the magazine well. The G36 receiver is slightly different and doesn't have that problem.

Presumably H&K will start making something else once their current military contracts run down.
_________________
Steve.

Only three things are certain: death, taxes and stupid gun laws.