Sig’s Rattler Will Be U.S. Special Operators’ New Tiny Rifle

The War Zone ^ | MAY 23, 2022 6:51 PM | https://www.thedrive.com/author/dan-parsons

[mabarker1]

Introducing the Rattler chambered in .300 Blackout gives SOF troops a good combination of rifle and round for covert missions in tight spots.

U.S. special operators are finally getting ultra-compact personal defense weapons, or PDWs, chambered in .300 Blackout and standard 5.56x45mm ammunition to blast out of tight spots with a wallop similar to a full-size assault rifle. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) on May 19 issued a notice of intent to buy Sig’s MCX Rattler short-barreled rifles as personal defense weapons, or PDWs, under a five-year sole-source contract. No contract has been awarded yet and how many of these compact weapons SOCOM will buy is unclear. “After years of continuous market research, USSOCOM HQ has concluded that Sig Sauer is the only vendor that can fulfill USSOCOM’s need for the commercial PDW requirement,” the notice, posted to the U.S. government’s primary contracting website, said.

Commercial, off-the-shelf Rattlers will come with suppressors, cleaning kits, magazines, quick barrel-change kits and training kits. The version chambered in 5.56mm uses ammunition compatible with the larger M4A1 carbine and other standard-issue infantry rifles in the U.S. inventory. SOCOM specifically wanted a rifle chambered in .300 Blackout, designed by Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC) in cooperation with Remington in the late 2000s. The cartridge was developed primarily in two flavors that can be used interchangeably in the same firearm configuration. One was to roughly match the ballistic performance of the Soviet-developed 7.62x39mm round, retaining accuracy and power when fired from a weapon with an extremely short barrel. The other includes a heavier bullet that is subsonic and ideal for suppression and close-quarters combat.

[Myrddin]

I custom built my 300BLK SBR. The powder is fully burned in 9.5 inches of barrel. I selected 10.5 for my build. There are tradeoffs on the gas port: pistol or carbine. Carbine can result in too little gas pressure with a subsonic load. Pistol gas port is pretty solid for subsonic, suppressed. My build is a carbine gas port placement.

My build is accurate and reliable. Much less expensive than the Sig. I did have to spend money on an NFA trust, engraving and a $200 tax stamp as well as submitting paperwork. Like most items in my collection, the rifles are just short of "new in the box" having been fired only to verify proper cycling and sight-in.

[Deaf Smith]

>>subsonic rounds are super quiet

If the marksman does his part, the pill will hit it’s intended target long before the sound from the firearm does, to a target that no longer has the ability to hear.

I also like the ability to hit something from five feet to 400 yards with reliability to destroy the target.

[moovova]

As former Navy, I just hope and pray that 99.99% of our active Marines hated this ad.

[DaBroasta]

Agree—the Marines I met and worked on joint assignments would be absolutely irate over it—of course they’re retired by now. The Kenyan pervert and his demented stooge have done more to weaken our military than China ever could.

[Man from Oz]

Ping

[Who is John Galt?]

Article: "Both calibers of Rattler have a 5.5-inch barrel and receiver mounted to an AR15 style lower. At 23.5 inches with the aluminum foldable stock extended, the .300 Blackout version is half an inch longer than the rifle chambered in 5.56mm. Both weigh in right at six pounds."

OK, so 5.5/23.5 inches makes sense (at least for .300BLK subsonic), but six pounds? Maybe that includes the can/optics/sling/loaded mag - or perhaps SIG very helpfully included a survival kit in the pistol grip, with a 24 ounce lead fishing weight...

;>)