SIG Sauer Bolt Action Rifle: Cross
SIG Sauer announced a new bolt action rifle along with a new caliber to go with it, the SIG 277 Fury, which is the same 6.5 mm ammo developed for the U.S. military. The SIG Cross rifle is a short-action bolt gun built on a one-piece receiver. If this sounds familiar to you, it should, but we will get to that in a minute.
A New Era of Bolt Guns
What makes the SIG Cross unique is the design. Unlike your Remington 700, the Cross is a combination of the rifle chassis and receiver. Since the stock and mag are part of the receiver, there are significant weight savings compared with a 700 chassis gun. Think of the design like an AR-15 upper and lower combined into one. The Cross takes several cues from AR-pattern rifles, but SIG aims this rifle at the hunting market.
When our product management team and engineers researched developing a bolt-action rifle, they looked at what was missing from the market, and what new innovation SIG could bring to hunters and precision shooters,” saidTom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales for SIG. “Hunting rifles are typically focused on less weight, and accuracy is secondary. Precision rifles are designed for extreme accuracy, with no weight limitations. What was missing from the market was a true crossover. Our product management team and engineers took the best of both worlds and developed the CROSS featuring the characteristics of a hunting rifle, with the accuracy of a precision rifle.”
The hunting community has been lacking an affordable, truly crossover design, which SIG is now bringing to the table. A similar rifle by Q, called The Fix, debuted at the 2017 SHOT show and the look and characteristics are similar to SIG’s CROSS. If you aren’t familiar with Q, the company was started by Kevin Brittingham who was formerly the President of the Sig Silencer Division.
SIG and Brittingham have a long history that you can research for yourself. After Brittingham left SIG, he started making silencers with very similar design characteristics to the SIG products. It seems that SIG, for their part, has returned the favor as the new CROSS shares many design features of The Fix with what some would say are improvements. However, neither SIG nor Q developed a completely brand new rifle; both rifles share design and visuals with the Ritter & Stark SX-1 MTR from Austria.
Not a Typical Hunting Rifle
The CROSS Precision Bolt-Action Hunting Rifle is a lightweight precision rifle with a push button, foldable SIG precision stock, a one-piece aluminum receiver that eliminates the need for bedding the action, and AI magazine.
The CROSS features a stainless-steel rifled barrel with a free-float M-LOK handguard, a two-stage match-grade trigger externally adjustable from 2.5 – 4 lbs., Ambi-safety, a three-lug bolt design with a 60-degree throw and interchangeable bolt handle. The precision stock is spring-loaded for one-handed operation and can be fully adjusted in the field for length of pull and comb height with no tools. The rifle has a full-length replaceable Picatinny rail that allows for direct optics mounts, 20 MOA, and O MOA. The rifle is available with a black anodized or First Lite camo finish.
The CROSS is available in 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 WIN, and the soon-to-be-released 277 SIG Fury Hybrid Ammunition.
The new 277 SIG Fury Hybrid Ammunition is the commercial version of the 6.8mm ammunition developed for the US Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program. SIG states that 3000 FPS velocity is possible from the 16″ barrel of the CROSS. The cartridge is a three-piece design that features a steel case and brass head held with a clip. This is the same cartridge that the military currently uses.
SIG does not currently have SAAMI approval, the industry standard for ammunition, for the 277 Fury but should have it by the 2020 SHOT Show, which is also the launch of the Cross.
“Right out of the box the CROSS comes loaded with new innovation and features that hunters and precision shooters will appreciate at a very affordable $1,779.00 MSRP price point,” said Taylor. “The CROSS delivers on all fronts, and we are especially proud that everything about the CROSS from concept to completion is 100% SIG SAUER and comes directly from our U.S. operations here in New Hampshire.”
With the stock folded, the bolt handle is captured by the stock. While the rifle can still be fired in this position, it keeps the bolt from coming open when removing or transporting from a backpack. The oversized bolt handle is designed with the hunter in mind and allows easy operation with gloves. This is often an overlooked feature.
You can see above a close-up view of the one-piece receiver of the Cross. Notice the stock connects to the receiver directly. The proprietary trigger is adjustable from 2.5 to 4.5-pounds.
The barrel of the Cross is free-floated using a barrel nut system like an AR-style configuration. However, what is different is that the handguard connects to the receiver, not the barrel nut. This allows the barrel to truly be free-floated but also means that AR handguards will not work on the Cross.
The above picture shows a dust cover that might not make it to the final production. However, the rest of the upgrades look like they are here to stay.
We will have more updates on the SIG Cross when International Sportsman visits SHOT Show 2020.
Key Features: SIG Sauer Cross
CROSS Bolt-Action Rifle Specs (6.5 Creedmoor):
Overall Length: 35.5””
Folded Length: 27.0”
Barrel Length: 18”
Barrel Twist: 1:8
Weight (w/o magazine): 6.4 lbs.
CROSS Bolt-Action Rifle Specs (308 WIN / 277 FURY):
Overall Length: 36.5””
Folded Length: 25.0”
Barrel Length: 16”
Barrel Twist: 1:10 / 1:8.5
Weight (w/o magazine): 6.2 lbs.
Jeremy Mallette is co-founder of International Sportsman. An avid hunter and outdoorsman, he has spent more than a decade in the outdoor industry, from hiking and camping to silencers and hunting. His father taught him to shoot at age six, and he received his first firearm at age eight — a 1942 Colt Commando .38 special revolver. He enjoys yearly trips to Kansas for pheasant hunting, spending time with his children at the deer lease, and collecting unique firearms.
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