SIG Develops In-House Magazine Production Capability

[HCM]

https://soldiersystems.net/2022/07/2...ion-capability

SIG SAUER Develops In-House Magazine Production Capability

SIG is now making some pistol mags in-house using a production line intended for producing a steel magazine SIG developed for the new 6.8 NGSW rifle.

Pistol mags in the article appear to be P365 mags.

On a related note, given the concerns about weight and soldiers load regarding the NGSW is switching from Lancer polymer mags to steel mags really the way to go ?

[breakingtime91]

I'm guessing cheaper. No one really cares about grunts.

[Hambo]

On a related note, given the concerns about weight and soldiers load regarding the NGSW is switching from Lancer polymer mags to steel mags really the way to go ?

C'mon, man. I'm sure weight was on the list of things they wanted, but it clearly wasn't near the top.

[HeavyDuty]

I’d be worried that they will be learning how to make mags using customer’s dollars. There’s a reason many manufacturers sub out magazine production…

[UncleGabby]

I really like Mec-Gar magazines, and that was a big mark in the pros column of any new pistol I was even thinking about buying. I was content pocket carrying a J frame for the past few years, but recent mass shootings have made me rethink that. The P365 was on the short list, but now I don’t know.

[HCM]

I’d be worried that they will be learning how to make mags using customer’s dollars. There’s a reason many manufacturers sub out magazine production…

There is. But A) SIG previously made their own mags (the zipper backs); B) if you read the article, SIG has invested in what is essentially a fully automated production process, which is in stark contrast to the methods I previously saw at STI; C) Per the article, SIG is buying the pre-cut blanks from one of their current vendors.

While SIG may be trying to vertically integrate to insulate themselves from supply chain issues, I suspect their venture into mag production has more to do with GOV contracts.

[HCM]

I really like Mec-Gar magazines, and that was a big mark in the pros column of any new pistol I was even thinking about buying. I was content pocket carrying a J frame for the past few years, but recent mass shootings have made me rethink that. The P365 was on the short list, but now I don’t know.

SIG has used at least three mag suppliers for years. Mecgar was only one of the three. IME checkmate, one of the two “made in USA” suppliers mags are also good to go.

[LockedBreech]

Hmm. I already did my "mea culpa" post - I really like my M17B and P365-MS after years of shitting on Sig. My two examples are outstanding.

That being said, the major accurate criticism of Sig has always been consistency, and you just...cannot have a lack of consistency in magazines. It's the primary failure point in so many semiautomatic pistols. Maybe not an exaggeration to say it's the primary failure point of semiautomatic pistol designs, period. There are whole brands (Kahr, Springfield) I won't buy because I consider their magazines iffy. Brands like Beretta and Glock and parts companies like Mec-Gar have earned such a reputation for magazine consistency it's one of the main selling points. 1911 magazines are an entire cottage industry and there's so much quality variation I'm willing to give Wilson $40-50 per magazine to ensure I am getting a good magazine for my 1911s.

I wish Sig well, but those are perilous waters to swim.

[okie john]

None of the processes described here would raise an eyebrow in other industries. But what the article didn't mention caught my eye:

They take pre-stamped blanks from an industry partner and run them through a process which is highly automated and currently creates one magazine every eight seconds.

The blanks have to be precise for this process to work at the rate of production they seem to want but the article doesn't mention any QC or prep work on the blanks other than

Initially, the stamped steel blanks are washed, with one completing the process every four seconds. This process includes wash and rinse followed by spray and tumble. They also press the blanks together and inspect them as if they were already welded into a solid body.

No mention of reject rate, corrective measures, tolerances, etc. Historically, manufacturers have talked about those things as a hallmark of quality, so I'd want to know a lot more about their plans for sourcing magazine blanks going forward.

The article also said that SIG is testing the process by producing pistol mags, so mags built using the new process will likely hit the market soon. Institutional users (and PF posters) will do all kinds of torture tests on them, so we should have a readout on that aspect of their performance shortly. I'm optimistic, but I also realize that we're talking about quality control and SIG.

If I were running SIG, then I'd want the ability to build dirt-cheap M-17 and M-18 mags. A lot of complaints about the M-9 were due to .mil issuing lowest-bidder aftermarket mags, and any other magazine-fed weapon could easily find itself in the same predicament. Cheap OEM mags keep their weapons in service longer, which adds value to every military deal they win over the long haul. Given the political climate, civilians are stocking up on high-capacity magazines, so I wouldn't want to miss that boat, and I'd definitely want to lock down domestic production capability of 10-round mags that actually work.

If things go badly over the next few Novembers, that could be a game-changer.


Okie John

[UncleGabby]

I’m way off base. I had assumed Mec-Gar made mags for the P365, but if they did I would think they would sell their own after market versions on their website. Still, this makes me hesitant about the P365, knowing Sig I will probably wait a year to let them work the kinks out.