Well, I bought one. UK purchases always seem so much more difficult than anywhere else in the world, but I finally ordered one from a company called Jennings in Enfield, Middlesex. One week later, it arrived.

Out of the box, I was immediately impressed. The rifle was quite realistic-looking (much better than I had expected) and despite a slightly squeaky stock, the whole thing seemed to fit together and handle really nicely.

I had to wait five hours for the battery to charge, and in retrospect I think I should have invested in the rapid charger, but it was worth the wait. I had already charged the one standard 60 round and the two extra 220 round mags full of 0.20 gram BBs and it was with great excitement that I loaded the Sig and readied myself for the experience.

I wasn't disappointed. the feel of the rifle was excellent (Ihave fired several thousand rounds through a British Army L1A1 (FN type) rifle and the look and feel of the Sig are definitely similar. In single shot mode, I found that 2" groupings at 20 yards were possible (although I will admit to using the extremely handy bipod). All this was AFTER adjusting the Hop-Up system which intially sent my BBs sailing MILES over the target!

I had set the burst mode to fire three shots at a time and when in burst mode, the Sig stayed just as accurate and successfully punched through the card targets I had rigged.

When in full auto mode, the Sig was stable, although accuracy and grouping did suffer a little bit. I found that I could adjust my aim in mid burst by watching the stream of BBs so accuracy improved considerably. All three magazines functioned perfectly and stoppages were not a problem at all.

All in all, the Sig was well worth the cash.

However, it does have it's flaws. The stock is a bit squeaky (although a dab of vasaline seemed to quieten it) and even when folded, the rifle it a little bit too long to be really effective in clearing buildings.

I also found that on occasions, the single shot mode would not work and I had to resort to burst or full auto mode to fire the rifle. Toggling the selector back and forth seemed to cure this, but it was annoying nonetheless.

The biggest problem was the battery life. Because the battery is a lot smaller than many full-stock weapons, the life is correspondingly shorter. I wish I had brought an extra battery, and I reckon you would need three or four to see you through a good days skirmishing.

However, in short burst mode and single shot, the life is quite acceptable. Only extended full-auto use will excessively shorten the life of the battery. (I imagine this is the case with all the electric-gun range).

All in all, the Sig is a good gun. It is accurate enough to use as a sniper weapon and (with the folding stock) compact enough to use a close-quarters assault-rifle. In an ideal world, I would use it in conjunction with an MP5 K or similar as well as my trusty Colt Double Eagle (spring powered pistol).

It DOES have limitations, but it is well worth the investment.

Rich

Email rich@hb1.co.uk Web www.hb1.co.uk

Battery: - I'm sorry, but it's just NOT up to the job. A large assault weapon needs a big battery, and in order to get the best from the gun, I've had to tape a large 2000mah battery to the outside of the fore-stock. It looks untidy, but it works very well, and now I can use the same battery all day. There is also a noticeable (but small) improvement in the R.O.F and sustained long bursts are now possible.

Breakages. The stock broke and I had to fix it with tape and glue a couple of times. It's fine now, and it looks okay too. In retrospect, I'd have reinforced it before taking it into the field.

Magazines: - Basically okay, but the lugs can (and did) break if you're not careful, so I put tape around the clipped mags to be sure.

Accuracy : Not too bad.

Selector: Single shot so unreliable there's no point. The gun just refuses to fire half the time. Burst mode is a little better, but a pointless feature, since you can control bursts more effectively just by using full-auto all the time. Oh yeah. The selector switches BOTH dropped off despite regular checks of the tightness of the screws.

Range : The velocity of the BBs means that anyone more than 50 feet away has time to move before the BBs hit. A tighter barrel and a spring upgrade would sort this, but jeez, lots of stock guns have better performance.

Overall: - Mmmm. Okay. It's okay. I really wish I'd bought an M16 A2. Compared to many of the other guns out there, the SIG 550 is sub-standard. Armed with what I know now, I'd have DEFINITELY chosen another gun.

I know at the end of the day, a skilful player should be able to get kills with any gun, but when you're up against it, you need the comfort of knowing you're not going have your gun break/refuse to fire at a crucial moment.

My advice? AVOID.