ICS Sig 551 SWAT AEG

Over the years it has been my pleasure to own a number of airsoft replicas from I Chi Shivan (ICS), both M4 and MP5 variants, and I’ve always been extremely pleased with their quality and performance. ICS have been producing high quality airsoft guns since the late 1990s and have a great reputation amongst their fan base.

Something Different

After a while all of us involved with the world of airsoft replicas tire of the M4, MP5 or AK models and search out something a little different, and the ICS SIG is most certainly that. It’s one of those airsoft rifles that I have picked up many times over the years, and for some reason put back on the shelf, a big mistake as it turns out!

In the real world SIG rifles and carbines are very highly regarded, and I’ve been lucky enough to shoot a number of the military variants on shooting trips to Switzerland. SIG variants have been around for some time now and are very popular with professionals worldwide, especially in the law enforcement role.

History

As it was with many armies at the time, in the late 1970s the Swiss army began to phase out the 7.5mm SG 510 in favour of a smaller calibre rifle. The first tests were carried out with the 5.6 x48 Eiger and 6.5 x 48 GP80 ammunition and prototype rifles were developed by SIG (based on their HYPERLINK “http://world.guns.ru/assault/switch/sig-540—542—543-e.html” SG-540 design) and by the state-owned Waffenfabrik Bern.Eventually the Swiss army selected a version of the 5.56 x 45 NATO cartridge as the 5.6 mm GP90, and further testing proved the superiority of the SIG SG541 rifle over its rivals. In 1983, the Swiss Army offincially adopted the SIG SG541 as the Sturmgewehr-90, or Stgw.90 and full production began in 1986 with the Stgw.90 becoming the issue rifle of the Swiss army.

Final deliveries of the Stgw.90 to the military came in the mid-1990s, but these rifles are still offered for export by SIGARMS internationally, as well as sold to the civilian market in semi-automatic form. In export terms form this rifle is known as the SIG SG550 “Carbine” and the more compact “Commando”. Longer rifle versions are available in the form of SIG SG551 and SIG SG552.

Standard magazines, 20 rounders, are issued with the military rifles and can be clamped together for ease of changing. For those who might require more finrepower, SIG produces 30 round magazines.

SIG produce a “long barrel” version of the SG551 which is known as SIG SG-551LB, and it’s to an airsoft replica of this superb rifle that I now turn my attention.

Airsoft Version - What’s In The Box?

ICS currently have finve models of the SG500 series in their airsoft lineup, with either Black or Dark Earth furniture, and I received a SG551 SWAT variant for testing. Upon opening the box I was immediately very impressed by the Dark Earth finnish of the pistol grip, folding stock and handguard; many manufacturers try this, but sometimes the tone is way off. Not so with the ICS SIG.

One minus point that hit me straight away though was the lack of trademarks. The ICS SIG is fully licensed by SIGARMS, and I have seen models before which have been fully logoed; this is a really picky point, but for many purists it’s an important one. That said the replica itself benefints from steel construction, not alloy, so it immediately feels right in the hand with an overall weight of 2800g unloaded and without a battery installed.

Internally the SG551 has the ICS Turbo 3000 high torque motor, and a Version III gearbox which is well tried and tested and relatively easy to work on. It also has an eight hole silent piston, steel gear set and steel bushings, so everything is simple, but nice and solid. Easy disassembly of all ICS models is something that they’ve always been good at, and the SG551 is another example of an airsoft replica that is accessible to work on with very little fuss. It comes with a 6.08mm inner barrel which is more than acceptable in a stock gun.

Externally the finnish is superlative. All the metal parts are beautifully finished, and there is no creak or movement. This thing is solid! The Dark Earth parts are made from industrial grade hard ABS / Polymer and once again feel extremely solid and durable. The SWAT variant comes with three sections of picatinny rail at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions on the handguard; these too are plastic, and I feel that the use of metal parts here may have been of benefint even though all accessories slid on and off easily enough. If you want more rail space then it might be considering one of the ICS SIG MRS models. There is no top rail on the upper receiver of the SG551, although ICS provide one as an accessory; again, if you want this as standard then the MRS range might suit you better. There are fully adjustable front and rear sights that are very exact replicas of the real thing, and they are clearly marked for day and night use. There is an ambidextrous selector switch which features markings for “S, 1, 20”; this is a nice touch as this is how the markings appear on the real thing. There are metal sling points front and rear, so you can easily set the rifle up for single or two point slings.

Standout Features

On the SG551 SWAT I particularly liked the folding stock and the trigger guard. The polymer stock is released at the touch of a button on the left hand side, swinging forward to the right and locking solidly in place. Whilst this is not a feature I would use in a game it’s great for transport. The trigger guard also mimics the real rifle in that it can be folded to either the left or right to facilitate use of winter weight gloves; this in itself could be a winner for players in the UK.

Downrange

The SG551 is a really easy replica to work with. The battery is housed inside the handguard (a mini Tamiya connector is fintted as standard) and this compartment is easily accessed by pushing through the forward body pin and simply sliding the upper and lower handguards apart. One word of warning here, the body pin is not solidly retained and I feel it could be easily lost if you were changing batteries in the fineld; again, a minor quibble but one which had to be noted.

I fintted a 7.4 800mAh LiPo battery, but the compartment could easily accommodate something bigger. Prior to testing I also fintted a stubby TD style QD foregrip and a Klarus XT11 taclite in an Element drop down mount. This is a pretty standard setup for me and one I’m comfortable with. The excellent iron sights were more than adequate for testing purposes.

The SWAT came with a pair of 380 round HiCap polymer magazines which, just like the real thing, clipped neatly together. Realistically this would be all you would need for most skirmish games, and the magazines were easy to finll thanks to a large top trap, and wound effinciently. 50 round MidCaps are available as an accessory, but sadly these are becoming increasingly diffincult to finnd.

I took the chance to run a new rig when testing the SG 551 which is also a replica; there’s been a lot of talk over the past months of the “Costa” leg rig from HSGI in the USA and I have to say it is the perfect bit of gear for range testing. It carries two rifle magazines, a small knife, a multitool and a spare pistol magazine. You can play around with the confinguration to your hearts desire though as it’s fully modular. Real deal HSGI rigs can be had from Tactical Kit; thoroughly recommended!

Into The Woods

So, all set up it was time for some shooting, and the SIG performed just as I expected; wonderfully! It’s a super rifle to work, with great ergonomics and a very positive cheek weld. The little TD foregrip makes it very easy to drive the muzzle from target to target, and the overall length of the rifle makes it easy to work with, even in tight spaces.

Once the hop was set, an easy control to adjust by simply pulling back the charging handle to open the ejection port cover, the SIG was shooting a classic straight shot out to 25/30m at a site friendly 315fps average on a .20g BB. The trigger is light yet crisp, with very little lag so it’s easy to get consistent shots away time after time. Switching it up to full auto sent a nice stream of BBs downrange in quick time, and put a grin on my face immediately!

In Conclusion

I would say that if you are looking for something a little different from what you commonly see at an airsoft game, then the ICS SG 551 SWAT is certainly worth considerating. It’s a great looking replica that performs very well out of the box, is solid as a rock, and at just £265.00 it’s an awful lot of gun for the money!

Many thanks indeed to Land Warrior Airsoft (www.landwarriorairsoft.com) who kindly provided me with the AEG sample for this review.