I looked at one recently and gave it some serious thought, as I thought it might be kinda neat to have something different in the field. A few things negated it for me though.
- $2495.. I'm sorry what?!...
If you think this is expensive, wait until 2022 pricing hits your local LGS, depending on the item prices are going up 10-30% from the distributor. Some gun stores have Sig Cross rifles in stock for $2200 still.
I or anyone else could build a pretty slick .308 off a Rem 700 or Tikka T3/X with a quality barrel (insert your brand choice here), good optics and a Wildcat Stock that would roughly be the same weight all in for not much more. You could even start looking at say a Kimber Adirondack for roughly the same price (give or take).
I hate to say it, but your idea of current pricing is a bit out to lunch, or at least stuck in 2012. A used Rem 700 or Tikka T3 are $800-$1200 depending on the model, a IBI prefit barrel start at $650, IBI blanks start at $460, a Bartlein blank is $600, a raw Wildcat stock $375. You'll have to still pay a gunsmith to chamber a blank and finish your stock. So going on the low end, Rem 700 at $800, IBI pre-fit for $650, Wildcat stock at $375, then buy buttpad & sling studs, pay gunsmith for buttpad / sling stud install, fit rifle to stock, finish stock, add some shipping for a couple of items. You'd be lucky to be at $2200
- I'm surprised that Sig went with such a short barrel for the .308 version initially given it's pretty much known 22" is the optimum length for that caliber. Guess they opted to play to the 6.5 Needmore crowd first instead.
They went with short barrels because this rifle is designed for the US market, where supressors are quite popular, and people want to keep the overall length somewhat reasonable with a supressor attached.
- I'm still not sold on a Chassis rig for hunting personally. Handling a Fiberglass/Polymer/Composite stock is cold enough in Oct-Dec, an all metal chassis/receiver? No thank you.
I completely agree with you on this point. Metal is cold in the winter, I found this out hunting with my Stag 10, that had a metal handguard.
While the modularity and adjustability of a chassis based stock and rig is cool, how many of us are actually lying prone while hunting where we need that kind of precise fitment? Ie; comb adjustment
I work as a gunsmith, you have no idea how many people have ill fitting rifles, have no idea how to fit a rifle, and then wonder why they can't shoot very well. Length of pull & comb height are extremely important to fitting a scoped rifle properly. Being able to adjust LOP in the field without tools is handy to accomadate different clothing or different sized shooters.
The foldable stock is handy if you have to hoof it a distance and want to place in a day or full on backpack, but how fast does it deploy when an opportunity arises and you need it? And how well does that stock lock into place over a few years of opening and closing? As solid as a traditional stock that doesnt waver from its position?
The folding mechanism is not a new design, similar designes have have been used for decades, it is extremely robust, the way it designed there will never be any slop in the lock up. While quite difficult to get the stock to fold to the closed position, it does seem to deploy much faster.
Just some food for thought and lots of pros vs cons to weigh for each individual end user to think about.