My Sig Cross .308 was one of the rifles I carried for much of this year's deer season. It was interesting; my preference is typically more for single shots, leverguns, etc. and when I use something that is a little more "tacticool" in design I tend to be disappointed. I took one deer with my Norc305 back before that became a crime, and hated it for its weight and loose, rattly construction. Shot a bunch of 'chucks and coyotes with a Colt HBAR back in the day as well, and that experience made me pretty much lose interest in the AR rifles. More recently, I used and enjoyed a Keltec RFB for deer and and RDB for coyotes; I actually liked both of those but I got tired of the difficulty involved in accessing the chamber due to the downward ejection.
Having said that...I really enjoyed the Cross. It is lightweight and accurate, handles nicely, shoulders nicely; the non-traditional looks may put some people off, including me, but there's little about which to complain otherwise. My specimen shoots everything well (most loads are right around 1MOA), and some handloads exceptionally well (5/8MOA). I used plain ordinary Federal Fusion 165gr ammo for the hunt, which was more than accurate enough for the longest shots my area might offer (just over 400 yards in a few spots, mostly less). I removed the plastic "bag-rider" gizmo at the bottom of the buttstock, which exposes a small groove that allows an M-Lok standard swivel stud to be mounted using the OEM screws; it's simply screwed on, not using the M-Lok nuts at all. Another M-Lok swivel base went at the front of the handguard. I'll probably switch over to using the QD swivel inlet base at the rear and a matching M-Lok version for the front at some point, as the pistol-grip configuration makes the standard bottom-mounted sporter type of sling less than ideal, but it worked fine for this hunt as I rarely slung the rifle.
I find that it's far superior to the typical bolt rifle in an aftermarket chassis that is so popular today. I'm a caveman who still likes to wrap his thumb around the pistol grip of a rifle; that's the whole point of having opposeable thumbs. Forcing me to remove my thumb, swing it all the way around the pistol grip under the stock to the safety, and then go all the way back to firing position just bugs me. The newer vertical-pistol-grip chassis/stocks like the KRG Bravo or the MDT XRS are more convenient for this maneuver and I much prefer them. But the Sig allows my thumb to access the safety on the left side with hardly any movement required. Or, if I decide to imitate the long-range "experts" whom I see actually manipulating the safety with their trigger finger...not likely!...the ambidextrous safety levers would even allow that.
I sat on stand mornings and evenings, and the Cross worked great for that, just leaning next to me within easy reach. During mid-day I still-hunted and I admit that I prefer the ergos of a typical sporting-rifle for that type of use. Folks who are more accustomed to the pistol-grip ergos would probably love this rifle.
The Sig feeds smoothly and reliably when cycled forcefully; unlike some rifles, it also works just fine when a round is carefully and slowly fed into the chamber with quiet deliberate movement. However...when the round snaps loose from the magazine lips, it rings like a giant tuning fork struck with a hammer. All that metal does not lend itself to silent operation. And, of course, the small ejection port makes single-loading less convenient than it is with many more open bolt actions. I found it easiest to point the gun directly downwards and drop the round into the chamber, but that's also not too quiet.
I love the easily adjustable LOP. It takes me from shirt-sleeve length to heavy-clothing length instantly, and allows setting up the rifle for a small shooter like my granddaughter in no time as well. The cheekpiece height is not something I would change that often, but it's also very easy to do. It's spring-loaded, so loosening the simple lever allows the piece to spring up to maximum height. Push it down with your cheek to the perfect setting, and then snap the lever shut; beautiful! I like having more than one optic pre-sighted in QD rings for my "serious" hunting guns, and having this easy adjustability will be nice if one optic has a larger objective and thus requires a higher mounting height than another.
Sig makes a plastic handguard cover that fits over the front of the magwell and extends onto the handguard, which should make the cold metal easier on the hands during winter hunts. Without that piece, I found myself wearing gloves to carry the gun for still-hunting, even though the air temperature didn't really call for them. This is my major beef with this gun, and it's not much more than a mild one.
A lot of folks will like this rifle because of its ergos and appearance; I like it despite them...but the bottom line is that I like it.
Having said that...I really enjoyed the Cross. It is lightweight and accurate, handles nicely, shoulders nicely; the non-traditional looks may put some people off, including me, but there's little about which to complain otherwise. My specimen shoots everything well (most loads are right around 1MOA), and some handloads exceptionally well (5/8MOA). I used plain ordinary Federal Fusion 165gr ammo for the hunt, which was more than accurate enough for the longest shots my area might offer (just over 400 yards in a few spots, mostly less). I removed the plastic "bag-rider" gizmo at the bottom of the buttstock, which exposes a small groove that allows an M-Lok standard swivel stud to be mounted using the OEM screws; it's simply screwed on, not using the M-Lok nuts at all. Another M-Lok swivel base went at the front of the handguard. I'll probably switch over to using the QD swivel inlet base at the rear and a matching M-Lok version for the front at some point, as the pistol-grip configuration makes the standard bottom-mounted sporter type of sling less than ideal, but it worked fine for this hunt as I rarely slung the rifle.
I find that it's far superior to the typical bolt rifle in an aftermarket chassis that is so popular today. I'm a caveman who still likes to wrap his thumb around the pistol grip of a rifle; that's the whole point of having opposeable thumbs. Forcing me to remove my thumb, swing it all the way around the pistol grip under the stock to the safety, and then go all the way back to firing position just bugs me. The newer vertical-pistol-grip chassis/stocks like the KRG Bravo or the MDT XRS are more convenient for this maneuver and I much prefer them. But the Sig allows my thumb to access the safety on the left side with hardly any movement required. Or, if I decide to imitate the long-range "experts" whom I see actually manipulating the safety with their trigger finger...not likely!...the ambidextrous safety levers would even allow that.
I sat on stand mornings and evenings, and the Cross worked great for that, just leaning next to me within easy reach. During mid-day I still-hunted and I admit that I prefer the ergos of a typical sporting-rifle for that type of use. Folks who are more accustomed to the pistol-grip ergos would probably love this rifle.
The Sig feeds smoothly and reliably when cycled forcefully; unlike some rifles, it also works just fine when a round is carefully and slowly fed into the chamber with quiet deliberate movement. However...when the round snaps loose from the magazine lips, it rings like a giant tuning fork struck with a hammer. All that metal does not lend itself to silent operation. And, of course, the small ejection port makes single-loading less convenient than it is with many more open bolt actions. I found it easiest to point the gun directly downwards and drop the round into the chamber, but that's also not too quiet.
I love the easily adjustable LOP. It takes me from shirt-sleeve length to heavy-clothing length instantly, and allows setting up the rifle for a small shooter like my granddaughter in no time as well. The cheekpiece height is not something I would change that often, but it's also very easy to do. It's spring-loaded, so loosening the simple lever allows the piece to spring up to maximum height. Push it down with your cheek to the perfect setting, and then snap the lever shut; beautiful! I like having more than one optic pre-sighted in QD rings for my "serious" hunting guns, and having this easy adjustability will be nice if one optic has a larger objective and thus requires a higher mounting height than another.
Sig makes a plastic handguard cover that fits over the front of the magwell and extends onto the handguard, which should make the cold metal easier on the hands during winter hunts. Without that piece, I found myself wearing gloves to carry the gun for still-hunting, even though the air temperature didn't really call for them. This is my major beef with this gun, and it's not much more than a mild one.
A lot of folks will like this rifle because of its ergos and appearance; I like it despite them...but the bottom line is that I like it.
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