Infantry Small Arms / The Warfighter

SIG SG 510 (Sturmgewehr Model 510)

Battle Rifle / Self-Loading Infantry Service Rifle [ 1957 ]

The SIG 510 was a no-frills, self-loading rifle appearing from Switzerland during the post-World War 2 period.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/27/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]

World War 2 (1939-1945) showcased the value of self-loading rifles for the various armies participating in the grand conflict. This worldwide exposure then led to a vast market for such types in the decades following and the SIG concern of Switzerland responded with several designs during the period - among them becoming the "SG 510" Battle Rifle which was, essentially, the NATO-caliber form of the earlier Stgw 57 series (this post-war model chambered for 7.5x54mm Swiss M1911).

The Battle Rifle category was born out of the post-war need to differentiate self-loading rifle types from their Assault Rifle cousins. The former fired full-powered rifle cartridges from a semi-/full- automatic action while the latter followed suite but instead chambered an intermediate cartridge (the Colt M16 in 5.56mm for example). As such, those long guns appearing in the immediate post-war years, such as the American Springfield M14 and Belgian FN FAL, became recognized as "battle rifles".

The SG 510 followed in line with the stated battle rifle characteristics: it chambered the 7.62x51mm NATO rifle cartridge, which was seeing widespread adoption in the West (since 1954), and operated from a an automatic action - this directed by a roller-delayed blowback system of operation. It fed from a 20-, 24-, or 30-round detachable box magazine and reached ranges of up to 700 yards using the standard iron sights. Optics increased this out to 875 yards. Rate-of-fire was 450 to 600 rounds-per-minute. The weapon weighed 9.6lb, showcased a length of 43", and utilized a barrel measuring 19.9" long.©MilitaryFactory.com

Externally, the rifle followed a traditional design arrangement that included a shoulder stock, pistol grip, and mostly-shrouded barrel assembly. The barrel was capped at the muzzle by a perforated brake. The charging handle was set to the right side of the receiver and primarily managed by the right hand. The magazines were inserted into a well ahead of the trigger unit. The forward and rearward iron sights were very noticeable due to their height and located at the end of the handguard and at the rear upper section of the receiver, respectively.

Design attribution of the SG 510 was given to Rudolf Amsler and much of this work was conducted during the early 1950s. Production ramped up in 1957 and spanned into 1983 while primary variants of the base design included the SG 510-1, SG 510-2, and SG 510-4.

The SG 510-1 marked the original, standard battle rifle adopted by the Swiss Army and the SG 510-2 was a lightweight form of the same gun. The SG 510-3 was showcased with a shortened barrel assembly and intended for the Finnish Army but was ultimately rejected in its prototype form. The SG 510-4 was also given a short barrel but its rubberized shoulder stock was now converted to one of wood construction with new design lines - both Bolivia and Chile accepted this model into service. The SG 510-5 was chambered for the 7.62x63-US 30-06 rifle cartridge, intended for Mexico, but rejected in its prototype form. The SG 510-6 was restricted to testing and chambered the local Swiss 7.5x55 cartridge. The AMT ("American Match Target") , based on the SG 510-4, was marketed to the United States as a precision product for civilian use but manufacture was limited (.308 chambering). The SG 510-6 became another prototyped model, this in 7.5x55mm, and intended to supersede the Stgw 57 line. The PE 57 existed for the civilian market and thusly restricted to semi-automatic-rifle-only while chambered for 7.5x55mm GP11 Swiss.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Basics [+]

Manufacturer(s)

Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (SIG) - Switzerland

Operators

Bolivia; Chile; Monaco; Switzerland; Ukraine; United States (civilian)

Service Year

1957

National Origin

Switzerland

Overall Length

1,015 mm / 39.96 in

Barrel Length

505 mm / 19.88 in

Weight (Empty)

9.70 lb / 4.40 kg

Action

Roller-Delayed Blowback; Semi-Automatic

SEMI-AUTOMATIC
One shot per trigger pull; self-loading or auto-loading action aided by internal mechanism; trigger management (and initial cocking) typically required by the operator; subsequent shots are aided by the unlocked / moving bolt.

BLOWBACK OPERATION
Gas pressure from the rearward movement of the ignited cartridge case provides the needed bolt movement, ejecting the spent case and stripping a fresh case from the magazine.

Caliber(s)*

7.62x51mm NATO; 7.5x55mm GP11 (model dependent)
*May not represent an exhuastive list; Calibers may be model-specific dependent; Always consult official manufacturer sources.

Feed

20-, 24-, or 30-round detachable box magazine.

Sights

Iron Front and Rear; Optional Optics

Material presented above is for historical and entertainment value and should not be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation - always consult official manufacturer sources for such information.

Max.Effective Range

2,100 ft / 640.1 m | 700.0 yds

Muzzle Velocity

2,460 ft/sec / 750 m/sec

510 - Base Series Designation

510-1 - Swiss Army model

510-2 - Lightweight variant of the 510-1

510-3 - Finnish Army prototype with shortened barrel; limited production.

510-4 - Export model adopted by Bolivia and Chile.

510-5 - Prototype model in 7.62x63-US 30-06 chambering.

510-6 - Prototype model in 7.5x55mm chambering; based on 510-4 production model.

AMT ("American Match Target") - Precision civilian market model for export to the United States; based on 510-4 and chambered for .308.

PE57 - Civilian market semi-automatic-only variant; chambered for 7.5x55mm GP11 Swiss

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