Photos: Shooting the SIG Sauer MCX
Matt Korovesis 01.20.15
SIG Sauer introduced their new MCX rifle to the media at their separate range day event yesterday. The MCX is designed to use suppressors from the ground up, modular, and ultra-lightweight.
While it looks slightly similar to the AR-15, the MCX uses a distinct auto-regulating, short-stroke gas piston operating system. A shooter can use supersonic and subsonic loads in the firearm one after the other without worrying about fine-tuning the gas system.
Even when shooting supersonic 300 BLK loads from an unsuppressed, nine-inch-barreled MCX, the gun was very controllable. Firing subsonic 300 BLK from a suppressed piece was a dream, and the gun is shockingly quiet when combined with a SIG silencer and ammunition.
Conversion kits for 5.56x45mm, 300 BLK, and 7.62x39mm will be available for the firearm, and swapping calibers is as simple as unscrewing the barrel assembly and installing a new one (and bolt, in the case of 7.62x39mm). Barrels will be available in nine-inch and 16-inch versions. All MCXs will feed from AR-pattern magazines and use ambidextrous, AR-style fire controls.
The MCX rifles’ minimalist KeyMod handguards allow the user to customize their gun to suit their needs, while maintaining a slick profile. Extended handguards that fully enclose a barrel or suppressor will also be available.
As the platform does not utilize a buffer tube, a shooter can make full use of folding stocks. SIG representatives stated that four different stocks, all of which attach to the rifle via a small vertical section of Picatinny rail at the rear of the receiver, will be available. At first glance, the buttstocks looked mighty uncomfortable. However, they were surprisingly pleasant when shouldered and facilitated a good cheekweld.
The MCX is intended to make good use of SIG’s new suppressor line, and the guns available to test out at the company’s range day event were well-equipped with cans. When shooting and shouldering suppressed MCXs, it was evident that the “built to use suppressors” line wasn’t just a marketing gimmick. The firearm’s light weight (16-inch-barreled rifles weigh just six pounds and nine-inch-barreled SBRs weigh 5.75 pounds) makes tossing a one-pound titanium suppressor on the end a non-issue.
The MCX will be available shortly in rifle (16-inch barrels) and SBR/pistol (nine-inch barrels) configurations. The rifle’s retail price will be around $1,800, the SBR in the mid $2,050s, and the pistol (equipped with a stabilizing brace) in the $2,100s.
I've been a history and gun enthusiast since I was a kid. I love to shoot just about anything, from silenced bolt-action .22s to fully automatic heavy machine guns, and I love even more when I get to write about them. My main interests are modern small arms and the military small arms of World War II and prior conflicts, with a particular focus on Russian and Finnish firearms. Reading about guns like the Mosin-Nagant rifle in books and on the internet got me interested in collecting, shooting, and writing about them, and I hope to do the same for others through my work.
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