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Posted: 5/27/2021 6:07:50 PM EDT
Does anyone have a 551 coming in the latest batch? Since they will not have the Ilifon finish on them I want to know at the options are.
Can the Ilifon be applied here in country? Does anyone know who might do this kind of work? |
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I don’t know but
I have a locker at work the finish of which is a dead ringer for my 553. I have been slamming it shut for 2 years without even a rub mark. http://debourgh.com/ This is the manufacturer of my locker |
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There was one shop doing Ilaflon in the US. Blue Ridge Guns. But he wasn’t phosphating then painting, only painting.
Personally I would have someone zinc phosphate, then coat with Cerakote, Norrell Molykote, or similar. |
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I have a 551SB in this batch. My understanding is that a rivet tool from Switzerland is inbound to attached the rubber gaskets. Then shipping out.
This is something that I have no experience with. Is an additional coating on top of the paint really needed? |
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Quoted: I have a 551SB in this batch. My understanding is that a rivet tool from Switzerland is inbound to attached the rubber gaskets. Then shipping out. This is something that I have no experience with. Is an additional coating on top of the paint really needed? View Quote It would be unfortunate if they rivet the dust covers before applying the finish. |
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Quoted: There was one shop doing Ilaflon in the US. Blue Ridge Guns. But he wasn’t phosphating then painting, only painting. Personally I would have someone zinc phosphate, then coat with Cerakote, Norrell Molykote, or similar. View Quote That guy totally destroyed a 556 I sent to him to work on. Botched the engraving and smashed the receiver in a vice so bad I couldn’t get the bolt carrier back in. Busted a bunch of welds. The finish sucked too. Run away from him. |
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I am not sure if the finish is a requirement or not, he said it was painted and corrosion treated so I don’t think so.
I am so fucking pissed about this! They have been dragging their feet on the 551’s way too long, they could have ordered them long before the Covid bullshit but they chose not too, and this small batch has been overshadowed and clobbered by all this other frankencrap coming in. It sounded like the riveting was not something that could be done easily stateside by a random smith, so I just told him rivet the damn thing and send it as is. I am a collector so the idea of a Swiss rifle with non factory paint, parts and treatment is unappealing. Just completely disappointed. At this point my options are to trade someone for a beat-up LE trade-in, swap the barrel with one of my longer 55x’s, or give up on the 551 dream and flip it for whatever I can get. The dagger in the heart was that I had a LB and SB ordered, and he says the LB’s came in 5 short so I am ass out on the LB completely. Josh, you want to trade one of your used shiny 551’s for a brand new NON-shiny 551? Lol 1st world problems at its finest. |
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Quoted: I am not sure if the finish is a requirement or not, he said it was painted and corrosion treated so I don’t think so. I am so fucking pissed about this! They have been dragging their feet on the 551’s way too long, they could have ordered them long before the Covid bullshit but they chose not too, and this small batch has been overshadowed and clobbered by all this other frankencrap coming in. It sounded like the riveting was not something that could be done easily stateside by a random smith, so I just told him rivet the damn thing and send it as is. I am a collector so the idea of a Swiss rifle with non factory paint, parts and treatment is unappealing. Just completely disappointed. At this point my options are to trade someone for a beat-up LE trade-in, swap the barrel with one of my longer 55x’s, or give up on the 551 dream and flip it for whatever I can get. The dagger in the heart was that I had a LB and SB ordered, and he says the LB’s came in 5 short so I am ass out on the LB completely. Josh, you want to trade one of your used shiny 551’s for a brand new NON-shiny 551? Lol 1st world problems at its finest. View Quote Don’t have him rivet the dust covers if that’s an option. The finish isn’t that big of a deal and Ilaflon isn’t magical. With the current lighter gray color coming out of SAN I personally would not feel a bit bad about having the gun Cerakoted in gray. Or just go with black. There is a great gunsmith I know who can rivet dust covers no problem. He did two rifles for me in the past. Or keep as is. These unfinished 55x may be real collectible in the future due to the oddity. Are these coming with steel or aluminum lowers? |
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Quoted: That guy totally destroyed a 556 I sent to him to work on. Botched the engraving and smashed the receiver in a vice so bad I couldn’t get the bolt carrier back in. Busted a bunch of welds. The finish sucked too. Run away from him. View Quote I emailed with him a bit a few years ago and he did not inspire confidence. People also had their guns with him for an absurdly long time. |
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I always thought "Heavy Metal" was a accident... Something's going on up there in Neuhausen.
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I'm on the LB list from last year. Are these the guns you guys are talking about?
So it has been confirmed the new 551's are coming unfinished? Has anyone gotten a call from Dave for payment? Honestly, I'm kind of OK that they won't be painted. The current iteration of Ilaflon is very soft and easily damaged. I'd rather go with an oven baked Cerakote which would be tougher or even PVD if that could be an option. Then again, I'm not much of a collector more of a shooter. |
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I ordered a 551SB and am also disappointed that the uppers are coming in unfinished. At the same time, I understand why Dave pulled the trigger on getting them in ASAP. The factory sure seems to take their time. I'm undecided about taking it. I already have a 551LB. The primary reason that I ordered this one was the top rail.
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Yes at the end of the day I would rather have a preemie 551 than no 551 at all.
Based on the language from today's ATF news about braces, the import pistol business doesn't look too promising. |
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Anyone still not gotten their second call? I have 2 buddies that ordered unfinished 550s after me and they've had their guns for almost a week already.
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I only got the call to take payment and decide on what to do with the riveting.
He said it would be another month or so before they got the welding rail things from CH and got them installed. He said he would call a couple of days just before they ship to ffl. Quoted: Anyone still not gotten their second call? I have 2 buddies that ordered unfinished 550s after me and they've had their guns for almost a week already. View Quote |
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I ordered a 553LB during the sellathon and already had one of the (unfinished) 551SB's on order. I have not yet received a call. Since I put money down on both and he's always delivered, I'm pretty confident that he'll come through.
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Quoted: Anyone still not gotten their second call? I have 2 buddies that ordered unfinished 550s after me and they've had their guns for almost a week already. View Quote I ordered an unfinished 550 and I presume it’s in paint limbo. How did they get their guns so quickly? Did they accept them as-is? |
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Are the unfinished SG551sb pistols going to have one piece barrel/flash hider? Any with diopter but no welded rail?
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I just got my call from Dave for my 551SB that I ordered last year and the 553LB that I ordered during the sellathon. I should have them Friday.
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Dave gave two options on the 551SB's.
1) Ship the rifle to the buyer so that the buyer can have a clear coat applied to the upper receiver, the buyer ships the rifle back to Dave, he installs the dust cover & rivets and sends the rifle back to the buyer. 2) Dave installs the dust cover & rivets and sends the rifle to the buyer. The fixture for installing the rivets won't be in for a few weeks, so those who choose the 2nd option will have to wait for their rifles. |
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Ok now I am getting really nervous. Misha has one of the "unifished" 551's LB's posted on GB and it does not look good. My understanding is that these were pistols were painted but just didn't have the high gloss sheen finish.
What I am seeing looks to be a blotchy and an uneven mess. It could pass for one of the Heavy Metal models. I understand he has vision challenges, but I am praying this is just packing grease and moisture in the photos and it just needs a good wipe down. A painted uncoated receiver is one thing, a treated and unpainted receiver is another. Can someone take a look at the pics and share your thoughts please? https://www.gunbroker.com/item/902979462 Bret, I hope that you can share some pics when you get yours on Friday. |
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I'm pretty sure that's just oil. Look at picture number 6 in the auction. You'll see that the upper receiver has less shine than the lower receiver. I think that increases the contrast of the oil. Dave explained to me that there are three steps to the finishing process. The first is phosphate, the second is paint and the third is the clear coat. The clear coat can't be imported in to the US because it has something in it that's banned from importation. After speaking with him, I feel much better about what I'll receive. I just need to educate myself about what finish best replicates the original clear coat.
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Thanks
Quoted: I'm pretty sure that's just oil. Look at picture number 6 in the auction. You'll see that the upper receiver has less shine than the lower receiver. I think that increases the contrast of the oil. Dave explained to me that there are three steps to the finishing process. The first is phosphate, the second is paint and the third is the clear coat. The clear coat can't be imported in to the US because it has something in it that's banned from importation. After speaking with him, I feel much better about what I'll receive. I just need to educate myself about what finish best replicates the original clear coat. View Quote |
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This looks great man. Congrats! I ordered my stocks and accessories direct from CH. SIG just takes way too long.
Quoted: Picked up my 550 and 553LB from the big March sales event. I'm delighted with the quality! https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/211357/550-1980056.jpg 553LB looks just as nice. Hoping that the backorded stocks and magazines come in - I intend these as shooters, so I'll be needing both. View Quote |
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Quoted: Can someone take a look at the pics and share your thoughts please? https://www.gunbroker.com/item/902979462 View Quote To me, the upper receiver looks like it has a splotchy, uneven coat of oil on the phosphate finish. I bet if you scrubbed some oil into the upper receiver's finish with a soft nylon brush, the finish would be uniform and look fine. I picked up my 553R a couple of days ago. The only (minor) difference I noticed between it and my 2017 manufactured 553SB is the anodizing on the new 553R lower has a very slight "plum" hue to it under bright light. The anodizing on my 553SB is darker. I've applied several coats of oil to the 553R lower, and the "plum" is fading into a darker, black finish. |
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Quoted: Ok now I am getting really nervous. Misha has one of the "unifished" 551's LB's posted on GB and it does not look good. My understanding is that these were pistols were painted but just didn't have the high gloss sheen finish. What I am seeing looks to be a blotchy and an uneven mess. It could pass for one of the Heavy Metal models. I understand he has vision challenges, but I am praying this is just packing grease and moisture in the photos and it just needs a good wipe down. A painted uncoated receiver is one thing, a treated and unpainted receiver is another. Can someone take a look at the pics and share your thoughts please? https://www.gunbroker.com/item/902979462 Bret, I hope that you can share some pics when you get yours on Friday. View Quote The blotchiness is oil. The upper appears to be phosphated, which is what you see on the inside of Swiss receivers that are coated in Ilaflon. They don’t paint the inside of the receiver. |
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I picked up my 551SB and 553LB today. The upper receiver on the 551LB is actually not perfectly even. There is some darkness around the areas where the rear sight and top rail were welded. It appears that this heating of the receiver discolored it and the discoloration wasn't completely removed when it was finished. I'm guessing that a clear coat wouldn't really make a difference. So, it's not going to be perfect, but I wouldn't paint it and jack up the manufacturer's markings. That would be worse. The lower is stamped steel and is completely finished. The barrel has an integrated flash hider with internal threads - Awesome. The exposed part of the barrel does have a good number of contact rub marks. The barrel finish looks to be parkerized like my 553LB's barrel as opposed to painted like my 552SB's barrel. Oddly, there is a color difference between the upper and lower handguards. The upper appears greener versus the lower appearing more olive drab. It kind of depends on how you look at it in the light though. So, it's not perfect. That said, I'm happy I got it given that it has diopters and a rail. Since it appears that Biden may ban the import of these types of pistols, it was now or possibly never.
The 553LB has a top rail, black finish, aluminum machined lower, flash hider integrated in to the barrel and black furniture. There's nothing unusual about it. It's just what you'd expect. Again, I'm glad that I got this one too for the same reasons. Now to wait on a couple of stocks. |
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Ok, thanks for that feedback Brett. Unfortunately that confirms my original doubts when the 551 stories started and no preview pics when they arrived.
After the election, I didn't even think they would make it in, so we take what we get and like it. I don't think I will be SBR'ing this one though. Quoted: I picked up my 551SB and 553LB today. The upper receiver on the 551LB is actually not perfectly even. There is some darkness around the areas where the rear sight and top rail were welded. It appears that this heating of the receiver discolored it and the discoloration wasn't completely removed when it was finished. I'm guessing that a clear coat wouldn't really make a difference. So, it's not going to be perfect, but I wouldn't paint it and jack up the manufacturer's markings. That would be worse. The lower is stamped steel and is completely finished. The barrel has an integrated flash hider with internal threads - Awesome. The exposed part of the barrel does have a good number of contact rub marks. The barrel finish looks to be parkerized like my 553LB's barrel as opposed to painted like my 552SB's barrel. Oddly, there is a color difference between the upper and lower handguards. The upper appears greener versus the lower appearing more olive drab. It kind of depends on how you look at it in the light though. So, it's not perfect. That said, I'm happy I got it given that it has diopters and a rail. Since it appears that Biden may ban the import of these types of pistols, it was now or possibly never. The 553LB has a top rail, black finish, aluminum machined lower, flash hider integrated in to the barrel and black furniture. There's nothing unusual about it. It's just what you'd expect. Again, I'm glad that I got this one too for the same reasons. Now to wait on a couple of stocks. View Quote |
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I’ve not been in contact with them. Shot then an email through the website and no reply. Are the 550 unpainted coming through now? I really wanted a 553SB, but after 8 hours on the phone calling that’s all that was left besides the long barrel. Doubting my choice as even a SAPR or 553R would be a better shooter I think.
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Anyone know what threads into the 553LB flash hider? It's threaded on the inner diameter.
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Anybody else get their SIG 551LB or SB? I still haven't heard any word back. I know Dave Wagner was in Switzerland last week, but I was hoping to hear something by now.
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Update in comments section on FB today said the tool was in hand and he would assemble and ship out this week!
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I’ve been following this thread and I will pick up one of these 350 551s.
Will these be LB?s Can I get a commando barrel? |
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They will be neither SB’s or LB’s. They’ll have a special 16” barrel.
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Quoted: Can someone post a photo? View Quote https://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/630601935/m/1820085464/p/1 |
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Quoted: Appreciate that. I guess I was hoping for the commando. View Quote By Commando, do you mean the 552 or the 551 micro that is seen on page2 of the link I posted in the DSA catalog? The only 55x marked Commando that I am aware of are the 552s. I don’t know why SIG didn’t go with the original 551 Micro design. It’s basically the same barrel and gas length as the Exeter 556p/556 patrol. |
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Quoted: By Commando, do you mean the 552 or the 551 micro that is seen on page2 of the link I posted in the DSA catalog? The only 55x marked Commando that I am aware of are the 552s. I don't know why SIG didn't go with the original 551 Micro design. It's basically the same barrel and gas length as the Exeter 556p/556 patrol. View Quote Attached File First I've heard of a "551 Micro". The 553 came out in 2008 (and it's better than the 552). |
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