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The SIG MCX is a family of
firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...
s designed and manufactured by
SIG Sauer Several brother companies that design and manufacture firearms use the brand name SIG Sauer . The original company, ''Schweizerische Waggon-Fabrik'' (SWF), later ''Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft'' (SIG), went through several selloffs, ...
, produced in both
selective fire Selective fire is the capability of a weapon to be adjusted to fire in semi-automatic, fully automatic, and/or burst mode. The modes are chosen by means of a selector switch, which varies depending on the weapon's design. Some selective-fire w ...
and semi-automatic only models, and features a short-stroke gas piston system, which is inherited from the earlier
SIG MPX The SIG MPX is a gas-operated submachine gun designed and manufactured by SIG Sauer, and is primarily chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. It is a gas-operated firearm featuring a closed, rotating bolt. These design features, rare in submac ...
submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an automa ...
. The MCX is available in
rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with b ...
, carbine,
short-barreled rifle Short-barreled rifle broadly refers to any rifle with an unusually short barrel. The term carbine describes a production rifle with a reduced barrel length for easier handling in confined spaces. Concern about concealment for illegal purposes h ...
, and
pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, a ...
configurations (the latter configuration generally conforming to the definition of a compact carbine but for taking a
pistol brace A gunstock or often simply stock, the back portion of which is also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock or simply a butt, is a part of a long gun that provides structural support, to which the barrel, action, and firing mechanism are attache ...
rather than a
buttstock A gunstock or often simply stock, the back portion of which is also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock or simply a butt, is a part of a long gun that provides structural support, to which the barrel, action, and firing mechanism are attache ...
). The rifle was further developed into the
SIG MCX Spear The SIG MCX-SPEAR is a multi-caliber rifle developed by the American division of SIG Sauer from the SIG MCX series of carbines. The SIG MCX-SPEAR is primarily chambered in .277 SIG FURY and can be adapted to 7.62×51mm NATO and 6.5mm Creedmoor w ...
, which was adopted in its
.277 Fury The .277 Fury or 6.8×51mm Common Cartridge, (designated as the .277 SIG Fury by the SAAMI) is a centerfire rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge announced by SIG Sauer in late 2019. Its hybrid three-piece cartridge case has a steel case head an ...
chambering as the
XM5 The XM5 is the U.S. Army variant of the SIG MCX Spear, a 6.8×51mm (.277 in), gas-operated, magazine-fed, assault rifle designed by SIG Sauer for the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program in 2022 to replace the M4 carbine. The XM5 features a ...
by the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
in 2022.


History

The SIG MCX was first introduced at
SHOT Show The SHOT Show , which is an acronym for "Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show", is an American annual trade show for the shooting sports, hunting, outdoor recreations and firearm manufacturing industries. The show is owned and sponsored by ...
2015. The rifle was originally designed by SIG USA, the subsidiary of SIG Sauer based in
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the n ...
. In 2016, SIG recalled some of the rifles that had the first-generation bolt carrier group. A SIG MCX was used in the 2016
Orlando nightclub shooting On , 2016, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old man, killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States. Orlando Police officers shot and killed him after a three-hour standoff. In a 9- ...
, which at the time was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, now second to the
2017 Las Vegas shooting On October 1, 2017, Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old man from Mesquite, Nevada, opened fire on the crowd attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip in . From his 32nd-floor suites in the Mandalay Bay hotel, he fire ...
.


Design

The SIG MCX series features a short-stroke gas piston system to reduce recoil and improve the reliability of the weapon; this was based on the design of the earlier
SIG MPX The SIG MPX is a gas-operated submachine gun designed and manufactured by SIG Sauer, and is primarily chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. It is a gas-operated firearm featuring a closed, rotating bolt. These design features, rare in submac ...
. The MCX features a system that allows for conversion between
5.56×45mm NATO The 5.56×45mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 5.56 NATO, but often pronounced "five-five-six") is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate cartridge family developed in the late 1970s in Belgium by FN Herstal. It consists of the SS109, L110, a ...
, .300 AAC Blackout, and 7.62×39mm ammunition, using standard 5.56 mm STANAG magazines for 5.56×45mm NATO and .300 AAC Blackout, and specially designed STANAG-compatible magazines for 7.62×39mm. The MCX is designed to deliver optimal performance with .300 AAC Blackout and an optional
suppressor A silencer, also known as a sound suppressor, suppressor, or sound moderator, is a muzzle device that reduces the acoustic intensity of the muzzle report (sound of a gunshot) and muzzle rise when a gun (firearm or air gun) is discharged, ...
. The barrel's profile is tapered at the crown to allow the installation of muzzle devices and direct-thread sound suppressors without the use of washers that degrade performance and allows the devices to self-center on installation. The barrel can be changed in a matter of seconds to another length or a different caliber. Additionally the barrels are nitride coated for corrosion resistance. It features hardened steel wear points. First generation MCX variants have a forend made of aluminum with a
KeyMod KeyMod is a universal interface system for firearm accessory components designed to supersede the MIL-STD-1913 accessory rails. The concept was first created by VLTOR Weapon Systems of Tucson, Arizona, and released through Noveske Rifleworks of G ...
system to add accessories while second generation MCX variants have an
M-LOK M-LOK, for Modular Lock, is a firearm rail interface system developed and patented by Magpul Industries. The license is free-of-charge, but subject to an approval process. M-LOK allows for direct accessory attachment onto the "negative s ...
handguard. Controls are mostly ambidextrous including the charging handle but not the bolt release. Sig produces four stock configurations are available for the MCX carbine. The overall layout of the two rifles is similar. SIG designed the upper receiver to be compatible with standard
AR-15 An AR-15-style rifle is any lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on the Colt AR-15 design. The original ArmaLite AR-15 is a scaled-down derivative of Eugene Stoner's ArmaLite AR-10 design. The then Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporatio ...
and M16 lower receivers with the help of an adapter. An integrally suppressed upper receiver group based on the MCX was selected by
USSOCOM The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States Ar ...
for the SURG (Suppressed Upper Receiver Group) contract in July 2018. These suppressed uppers would be paired with existing M4A1 lowers in SOCOM inventory.


Variants


SIG MCX

The SIG MCX is available with a
safe A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body and ...
/ semi-automatic trigger group for the U.S. civilian market, or safe/semi-automatic/
fully automatic An automatic firearm is an auto-loading firearm that continuously chambers and fires rounds when the trigger mechanism is actuated. The action of an automatic firearm is capable of harvesting the excess energy released from a previous discharg ...
trigger group for the
military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distin ...
and law enforcement agencies. SIG Sauer offers the rifle in semi-automatic only in three different configurations for the civilian market: * The SIG MCX PATROL is the standard configuration of the rifle with a 406 mm (16 in) barrel. * The SIG MCX SBR is a
short-barreled rifle Short-barreled rifle broadly refers to any rifle with an unusually short barrel. The term carbine describes a production rifle with a reduced barrel length for easier handling in confined spaces. Concern about concealment for illegal purposes h ...
configuration of the rifle with a 229 mm (9 in) barrel. (''Under U.S. federal law, rifles with barrels shorter than 16 inches are
Title II weapons Title II weapons, or NFA firearms, are designations of certain weapons under the United States National Firearms Act (NFA). These are weapons requiring a Type 01 Federal Firearms License (FFL) as well as a Class 3 Special Occupation Tax (SOT) ...
, which are subject to federal restrictions, as well as being regulated by state laws''). * The SIG MCX Pistol is the
pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, a ...
configuration of the rifle with a 229 mm (9 in) barrel or 292 mm (11.5 in) barrel and comes either with the SIG Sauer SBX (pistol stabilizing brace) or SIG Sauer PCB (pistol pivoting contour folding brace). (''This configuration fits the U.S. legal definition of a "handgun", in that it is only designed to be fired with a single point of contact with the shooter's body, though it is really a compact carbine rifle, as it fires an intermediate round. The BATFE previously warned users that shouldering a weapon fitted with the SIG SBX, or a similar forearm brace, and not registered as a short-barreled rifle, constitutes the making of a short-barreled rifle, which is a Title II weapon. However, as of April 2017, this is no longer the case''). * The SIG MCX Low Visibility Assault Weapon (LVAW) is a short-barreled, suppressed, select-fire variant available only to military and law enforcement agencies. It is nicknamed the "
Black Mamba The black mamba (''Dendroaspis polylepis'') is a species of highly venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. It is native to parts of sub-Saharan Africa. First formally described by Albert Günther in 1864, it is the second-longest v ...
".


SIG MCX VIRTUS

The SIG MCX VIRTUS is the second generation of the SIG MCX series and was introduced in 2017. * The SIG MCX VIRTUS Patrol is the standard configuration rifle that features a 406 mm (16 in) barrel, a 1:7 inch twist, a custom Sig Matchlite Duo Trigger for improved accuracy, a folding and collapsing 5-position stock, four handguard lengths to choose from, interchangeable barrels and a special internal recoil system. * The SIG MCX VIRTUS SBR is the short-barreled rifle configuration of the MCX VIRTUS. It features a 292 mm (11.5 in) barrel for the 5.56×45mm NATO caliber, and a 140 mm (5.5 in) barrel and 229 mm (9 in) barrel for the .300 AAC Blackout caliber. * The SIG MCX VIRTUS Pistol is the pistol configuration of the MCX VIRTUS which features an SBX stabilizer brace. It features an 292 mm (11.5 in) barrel for the 5.56×45mm NATO caliber, and a 229 mm (9 in) barrel for the .300 AAC Blackout caliber.


SIG MCX RATTLER

The SIG MCX RATTLER is a
short-barreled rifle Short-barreled rifle broadly refers to any rifle with an unusually short barrel. The term carbine describes a production rifle with a reduced barrel length for easier handling in confined spaces. Concern about concealment for illegal purposes h ...
variant chambered in .300 AAC Blackout and 5.56. It is intended to serve as a
personal defense weapon Personal defense weapons (PDWs) are a class of firearms intended for self-defense and security rather than warfare and infantry. Most PDWs fire a small-caliber (less than ), centerfire bottleneck cartridge resembling a scaled-down intermediate ...
, featuring a barrel, and comes with a
Picatinny rail The Picatinny rail ( or ), or Pic rail for short, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, 1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail (cancelled), is a military standard rail interface system that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It was o ...
tail interface for attaching either a compact
buttstock A gunstock or often simply stock, the back portion of which is also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock or simply a butt, is a part of a long gun that provides structural support, to which the barrel, action, and firing mechanism are attache ...
or a folding PCB (pistol contour brace). In February 2018,
USSOCOM The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States Ar ...
ordered upper receiver group conversion kits for the MCX Rattler in .300BLK for evaluation. The MCX Rattler was later selected as the winner of SOCOM's Commercial Personal Defense Weapon (CPDW) contract in May 2022 and suppressed MCX Rattlers will be ordered in 5.56 and .300BLK.


SIG MCX-SPEAR LT

The SIG MCX-SPEAR LT is the third generation of the SIG MCX, introduced in 2022. Intended to serve as a carbine, it features a , or barrel and a
Picatinny rail The Picatinny rail ( or ), or Pic rail for short, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, 1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail (cancelled), is a military standard rail interface system that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It was o ...
tail interface for attaching either a
buttstock A gunstock or often simply stock, the back portion of which is also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock or simply a butt, is a part of a long gun that provides structural support, to which the barrel, action, and firing mechanism are attache ...
or a pistol brace. It is available in 5.56 mm NATO, .300 Blackout and 7.62x39mm.


Derivatives


SIG MCX-SPEAR

The
SIG MCX SPEAR The SIG MCX-SPEAR is a multi-caliber rifle developed by the American division of SIG Sauer from the SIG MCX series of carbines. The SIG MCX-SPEAR is primarily chambered in .277 SIG FURY and can be adapted to 7.62×51mm NATO and 6.5mm Creedmoor w ...
was developed as Sig Sauer's submission for the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program and is chambered in 6.8×51mm SIG Fury cartridge. Sig Sauer was chosen as the winner on 19 April 2022, designating the weapon the
XM5 The XM5 is the U.S. Army variant of the SIG MCX Spear, a 6.8×51mm (.277 in), gas-operated, magazine-fed, assault rifle designed by SIG Sauer for the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program in 2022 to replace the M4 carbine. The XM5 features a ...
in U.S. military service.


Users

* *: Announced September 2022, to be acquired in .300 Blackout * : DSU and the special response unit of the Ghent local police (COPS) *: Saskatchewan Conservation Officers. * : Used by the K-Commando * : Groupement de commandos de montagne, 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade, 5 in 2021, all rifles acquired in .300 AAC Blackout. * : Berlin Police, 300 modified MCXs to meet the police's requirements were ordered in October 2017, plus an additional 160 units for the SEK of Berlin, Landespolizei of Schleswig Holstein, 531 units ordered. Rhineland-Palatinate Police: more than 100 rifles ordered in late 2019. * : Used by
Shayetet 13 Shayetet 13 ( he, שייטת 13, lit. ''Flotilla 13'') is a unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary sayeret ''(reconnaissance)'' units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, s ...
, the
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branch ...
Naval Commando unit. * : Used by the Netherlands Maritime Special Operations Forces and the
Dienst Speciale Interventies The ''Dienst Speciale Interventies'' ( en, Special Intervention Service), commonly abbreviated DSI, is the elite police tactical unit of the Dutch National Police Corps and was formally established on 1 July 2006. The DSI is tasked with neutralisin ...
. All rifles acquired in .300 AAC Blackout and fitted with the SIG Suppressed Upper Receiver. * : '' Jednostka Wojskowa Grom'' and ''
JW Formoza , (Military Unit Formoza) (2007-2011 ) (Naval Special Operations Unit), previous names: (Polish Navy Special Operations Sections), (Special Frogmen Groups). History JWF is now part of Wojska Specjalne (1975-2008 - part of the Polish Navy) ...
'' acquired the SIG MCX VIRTUS and MCX RATTLER in .300 AAC Blackout with conversion kits to
5.56×45mm NATO The 5.56×45mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 5.56 NATO, but often pronounced "five-five-six") is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate cartridge family developed in the late 1970s in Belgium by FN Herstal. It consists of the SS109, L110, a ...
and 7.62×39mm ammunition. * :
Polícia de Segurança Pública The Polícia de Segurança Pública MHTE (PSP; ''Public Security Police'') is the national civil police force of Portugal. Part of the Portuguese security forces, the mission of the PSP is to defend Republican democracy, safeguarding internal se ...
acquired SIG MCX in 5.56×45mm NATO used by Special Operations Group (Portugal). * : Used by the SBU
Alpha Group Spetsgruppa "A", also known as Alpha Group (a popular English name), or Alfa, whose official name is Directorate "A" of the FSB Special Purpose Center (TsSN FSB) (Russian: Спецназ ФСБ "Альфа"), is an elite stand-alone sub-unit o ...
. * : Used by the
Police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...
Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officers including the
Metropolitan Police Service The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
and
UKSF The United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) is a directorate comprising the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, the Special Forces Support Group, 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment and the Joint Special Forc ...
to replace the HK MP5SD3s. * :
XM5 The XM5 is the U.S. Army variant of the SIG MCX Spear, a 6.8×51mm (.277 in), gas-operated, magazine-fed, assault rifle designed by SIG Sauer for the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program in 2022 to replace the M4 carbine. The XM5 features a ...
being acquired for all DoD branches. SIG MCX Rattler in .300BLK is being acquired for
USSOCOM The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States Ar ...
forces. The LVAW (Low Visibility Assault Weapon), an MCX variant, was used by multiple SOCOM forces including
United States Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy, U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command, Naval Special Wa ...
,
Delta Force The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), referred to variously as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), Army Compartmented Elements (ACE), "The Unit", or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Task F ...
, and
Joint Special Operations Command The Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) is a joint component command of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and is charged with studying special operations requirements and techniques to ensure interoperability and equip ...
.


See also

*
AR-15 style rifle An AR-15-style rifle is any lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on the Colt AR-15 design. The original ArmaLite AR-15 is a scaled-down derivative of Eugene Stoner's ArmaLite AR-10 design. The then Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation ...
* LR-300, another folding stock AR-15 style rifle * AR-18, another Short-stroke piston,
rotating bolt Rotating bolt is a method of locking the breech (or rear barrel) of a firearm closed for firing. Johann Nicolaus von Dreyse developed the first rotating bolt firearm, the "Dreyse needle gun", in 1836. The Dreyse locked using the bolt handle ...
folding stock AR-15 style rifle


References


External links

* *
SIG MCX
on
SIG Sauer Several brother companies that design and manufacture firearms use the brand name SIG Sauer . The original company, ''Schweizerische Waggon-Fabrik'' (SWF), later ''Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft'' (SIG), went through several selloffs, ...
's official website
sigsauer.com

Guide To The SIG Sauer MCX - The Firearm Blog
{{Personal defense weapons .300 BLK firearms 5.56 mm assault rifles 7.62×39mm semi-automatic rifles Semi-automatic rifles Short stroke piston firearms Weapons and ammunition introduced in 2015 ArmaLite AR-10 derivatives AR-15 style rifles Designated marksman rifles Carbines Personal defense weapons SIG Sauer rifles