I am planning to place an order for a 553 and have spoken to Dave about the options. He is a wealth of knowledge.
For those who have them, what do you recommend on on the build options? I would plan to SBR it. I’m mainly looking for a shooter and don’t have to use it suppressed. Would get one that accepts Swiss mags. Debating the rail vs diopters. I have to say on the HK94 I preferred diopters and no red dot while I prefer a red dot on the AR platform. The other debate is the barrel length - leaning toward mid or long.
I bought two of each 553P back in 2012, two diopter, two flat top. I bought the B&T picatinny rail insert that mounts just forward of the rear diopter... it’s truly the best of both worlds, the rail doesn’t block the diopter, either. I think the profile of the proper diopter model looks best for a rifle/SBR, and the flat top model with the weenie flip up front blade sight left me wanting, but would look good with a red dot somewhere up top. When I bought of them, I always figured I’d sell the ones I decided I decided I didn’t want.
So the flat top looks good with a sole red dot sight on top, and no rear stock or brace.
The diopter version definitely looks great next to the Saiga 551 American made rifle, or the Swiss made 551 2-SP rifles with the 14” barrel, some of those Louisiana Fish & Game trade-ins that came around a little after the 2012 release of the 553P pistols made it possible for post ban mortals to finally acquire Swiss Sig rifles for well under $10k.
Now if I could find a good clean Sig 550, or 550 Sniper, I could round out the collection...
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I have a railed 553R with Aimpoint, a diopter 553, a railed 553 wtih Aimpoint and a railed 551 with Aimpoint. Also, two diopter 550's and a 751SAPR (railed) wtih Steiner optic. A PE90 and grey diopter 553 on order. Laying all that out to say....choose whether you want to run irons or an optic. Yes, you can put a low rail on any diopter gun but the sight picture gets really busy with the open diopter notch and hooded front sight with an Aimpoint.
| 92 - Billennium | Steel-I/96 Stock | WC BrigTac| Elite II | 90-Two G | Inox Brig |
| 85FS Cheetah | 71 Jaguar | 21a Bobcat | 3032 Tomcat | Model 90 Armi Roma |
| Sig - 551-A1 ODG | P553 | 522 | P320 FDE |
| Noveske 10.5" Pistol | AP 12.5" | AP Tungsten SPR | DDM4 V7 in MSP & Elcan |
| 308 - DSA FAL & Steyr Scout in grey |
Thank you appreciate the insights. Going with a steel lower. I like the idea of the diopter with B&T rail. Now just need to decide on a barrel length. The longer ones clear suppressors better.
Last edited by tweakmeister; 09-06-20 at 22:17. Reason: Added info
I had 2 early 553s for quite a while, a SIG imported diopter one and an M&M rail model. Ended up selling the rail model (I have a sports car addiction as well). I still have and love my diopter 553. It has a steel lower and the B&T rail. I have the shorter 8.5 barrel as that is all that was really available back then. It makes for a very handy package, but I wouldnt mind the longer barrel.
I’ll echo what others have said. It’s a personal preference. I prefer the railed upper to the diopter models, but I have multiples of each. If I was buying my one and only, it would be a tough call. The diopter with b&t optic rail is a great option with one caveat - the Swiss diopters are even busier than hk diopters. Shooting a co-witnessed red dot is just too cluttered for my liking.
I agree re: gray finish and steel lower. The furniture is an easy swap. I would personally go with green furniture. And consider buying a spare set of black furniture in the event you wish to change it up in the future.
The railed handguard is a must have on the 553 if you plan on shooting it. The 552/553 Plastic handguard is a total afterthought. It is flimsy and heats up very quickly.
With regard to short or long barrel, again this is personal preference. All of my 552s and 553s are short barrel, but this was all that was available when I purchased mine. 8.9” is a silly length for 5.56. The LB is roughly 11” of rifled barrel, which is a better length.
A final thought - the gray finish, green furniture, diopter sight, LB 553 is the Swiss StG07, which is pretty awesome.
SLG Defense 07/02 FFL/SOT
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