by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
Sig Sauer MPX.
This report covers:
- Qiang Yuan Training pellets
- Air Arms Falcon pellets
- Time to adjust the sights
- Sig Sauer Match Ballistic Alloy pellets
- H&N Finale Match Pistol pellets
- Install the dot sight
- Evaluation so far
Today we start looking at the accuracy of the Sig Sauer MPX. Lot’s to do so I will get right to it. I shot from a rest and started with the non-optical sights that come with the gun.
Qiang Yuan Training pellets
First up were the Qiang Yuan Training pellets. I have no idea where the sights were set, but since the distance was only 10 meters I figured they would land somewhere inside the pellet trap. In fact they were well-centered and about 1.5 inches below the aim point. Ten pellets went into 1.092-inches at 10 meters. Frankly I was surprised they were that tight. The MPX is more of an area-fire pellet gun and I didn’t expect any real precision from it. This will bode well when I move to an
action target.
Ten Qiang Yuan pellets went into 1.092-inches at 10 meters. The MPX can shoot!
Air Arms Falcon pellets
Next I loaded 10 Air Arms Falcon domed pellets. Nine went into 1.135-inches, but the tenth shot opened the group to 2.005-inches at 10 meters. Falcons are probably not the pellet for the MPX.
Ten Falcon pellets went into 2.005-inches, with 9 in 1.135-inches.
Time to adjust the sights
After these two groups landed low it was time to adjust the sights to raise the point of impact. On the MPX you adjust the front sight for the elevation. And when you move a front sight you do so in the direction opposite where you want to round to go. So I grabbed the special tool and adjusted the front post down as low as it would go. That was a total of three clicks, which wasn’t enough.
Sig Sauer Match Ballistic Alloy pellets
Now it was time to try the Sig Sauer Match Ballistic Alloy pellets that were sent with the gun. These are priced as premium pellets, so I expected them to perform and I wasn’t disappointed. Ten grouped in 0.97-inches at 10 meters — the smallest group of the test! To say I was impressed is an understatement. They were higher but still too low.
Ten Sig Sauer Match Ballistic Alloy pellets went into 0.97-inches at 10 meters. This is the smallest group of the session.
H&N Finale Match Pistol pellets
The next pellet I tried was the H&N Finale Match Pistol pellet. Nine of them went into a very tight 0.904-inches, but one pellet opened that to 1.531-inches. This would be a pellet to experiment with further.
Ten H&N Finale Match Pistol pellets went into 1.531-inches at 10 meters. Nine are in 0.904-inches.
Install the dot sight
I then installed the dot sight that came with the rifle, because I hope to shoot the Sig Texas Star and the Air Venturi Wonder Wheel action targets next. That won’t work unless the gun hits what I aim at.
I set up a 10-meter pistol target, thinking there would be a lot of sight adjustments to make, but when my first shot scored a 9, I just finished the group. These were with Qiang Yuan pellets that I mistakenly thought were the most accurate. Ten shots went into 1.295-inches at 10 meters. That’s not as good as I did with the peep sights, but it’s close. It will work for an action target.
Ten Qiang Yuan pellets went into 1.295-inches at 10 meters with the dot sight.
Evaluation so far
So far the MPX is doing well. I’m sorry the onboard sights won’t adjust far enough, but the dot sight compensates for that. The trigger is light enough for good work and the semiautomatic action works as advertised. Best of all, that belt of pellet chambers doesn’t appear to have degraded the accuracy.
Next time I will try the gun on the action targets, and we’ll see how that goes.
BB
What distance do you plan to shoot the action targets at?
A test I would like to see is a paper target at 10m. Well maybe really 15-20 yards. Then shoot at the target with 3 or so 2 shot burst fires. That would be a minimum of 6 shots fired.. In other words see what the pattern looks like on the paper target. And I’m not going to call it a group.
I think that would represent what your pellet hits would look like if doing 2 shot burst fire on the action targets.
Maybe I’m wrong. But when I’m messing around plinking with a semi-auto gun I like to take two rapid shots at a time on each spinner or aluminum can I have set up. It’s a semi-auto you know. If you got it use is what I think.
GF1,
I plan to shoot them close. How close would you have to stand to one to not miss? That’s how close I’ll be.
B.B.
BB
Umm. Let’s see? That’s a good question. Me shooting? Well I would say about….. Hey wait a minute I’m not shooting BB is! 😉
But what do you think about trying some rapid as super fast as you can pull the trigger 2 shot bursts at a target. I’m for real.
I would like to see if you could hold the pattern inside of a aluminum can. Remember it was brought up to use a coke can printed on a paper target for plinking guns. I would say this has to be the ultimate plinking gun. Hey you know me it fires pellets not bb’s. And the velocity is just right too I bet to penetrate one side of a can at 20 yards and maybe not make it through the other side and send a can flying. The perfect can wacking velocity. Maybe Sig did know what they wanted from this gun.
It sounds like it’s only gonna be good for about 30-40 yds on birds and maybe squirrel but I guess we’ll see what it can do.
It might be fun on spinners.
I’m glad to hear we’ll be looking at some of these new targets! I’ll probably be the guinea pig on the stampede, just waiting for payday.
🙂
Reb
I like that action target too.
Got to almost have some short video’s to do them justice though.
But yep I like hearing about the action targets.
That Wonder wheel sounds like fun but I think this gun would have to be used up close and personal to reliably hit something that small, I guess we’ll see
I was wanting a target system wit a pellet trap, that’s why I was wanting to see it so bad.
Reb
The stampede I suppose your talking about with the trap. For indoor action shooting with the 1077?
The 1077 is just about to change hands, Adyn’s birthday is the 17th.
That’s one reason I’m stressed about being stuck here.
Ill have to save up for mine. I want something that feels more substantial so I’m getting a wood stocked one.
🙂
Reb
I like the 1077 with the wood stock. Glad they offer it.
I hope I get a better one from PA than that Wally world special.
I may get another one of those 4×32 UTG scopes to replace the broken one on the Impact too while I’m at it.
Reb,
The wood stock 1077 is well worth the price. I’ve got one and I like it better than the original plastic stock 1077. I don’t remember the exact model, but I think the scope I put on it is a UTG 4X32 with an adjustable objective so that I can dial down the parallax to 10 meters when I’m shooting in the basement.
I like the versatility of open sights enough to give them a few good chances.
Ill probably stick with them,at least for a while but if I do decide to go with optics it would probably be a little reflex sight instead of a heavy scope
Reb,
Will you forget about shooting animals with this thing? All you are going to end up doing is hurting some poor critters and have them wander off and maybe slowly die.
GF1,
Will you talk some sense into him?
How is that?
1″ at 10m to me means it is good for those animals at 10m. At 40 yards it would be a 4″ circle, that is a lot of wounded or missed squirrels. This is not a hunting accurate rifle. I am not sniper wanna be, but for squirrel it has to hold 1″ at the desired range.
That’s why I said maybe.
Personally I wouldn’t use most .177 guns for squirrel with a few exceptions.
If you can put one in the fuse box .177 will do the job fine. Assuming you have the FPE for it. The fuse box is 1″, so with this gun don’t count on doing that at more than 10m.
I’ve had squirrel run after a headshot with rimfire so I’m gonna hit em hard.
I am not suggesting using this gun for that. There are better .177s for that task, like a marauder or discovery, I am sure that new inexpensive PCP from crosman would be fine too.
Reb
StevenG and RidgeRunner is right.
You might kill a bird at 30 yards with the Sig if you get so lucky as to hit it.
But a sqerrial? Again if you hit it at 30 yards you will probably just get the the sqerrial very, very mad and he might just attack you. You ever have a crazy mad sqerrial chase you. I’m telling you their mean little critters if provoked the wrong way.
Get you a .177 Marauder. Then you can take a sqerrial or bird even out at a great distance like 45 yards. And pretty sure no mad sqerrials chasing you. Of course if you do your part. I know the Marauders are capable to hit at 45 yards inside of a inch target. I think that would be a better choice than the Sig.
Need to leave the Sig do best what it knows how to do. Plinking.
GF1
Really only 1 inch at 45 yards. Hmmm I know you are just being forgiving since they are capable of much better accuracy than that by a long shot. LOL
Lets say 1/2″ at 45 yards being the norm if not at 55 yards as well since that’s the size kill zones in a couple of the targets we have on our FT range at 55 yards and I hit them with my 177 Mrod as well as my 300 Junior with it only shooting JSB 10.34s at 575 fps.
I agree at sub 400 fps with real pellets the Sig is best left for plinking and I have had mad squirrels after me before and they are mean devious little critters. LOL
BD
BD
Ok I was being a little conservative.
😉
GF1
Yea just a little but then its always best to error on the cautious side. LOL
When have we ever been cautious and no plans to change that now either.
BD
BD
Ha-ha.
Hey once in my life I can try to be diplomatic can’t I?
🙂
GF1
Diplomatic, now you are getting me worried about you in your old age. Not getting soft are you. LOL
BD
BD76,
“mean, devious little critters”,…. 😉 ,plan to find out and maybe eat a few as I hear they are quite good. Don’t forget the “tuskers”,….. like you could;),… but I think you laid out pretty well what works there.
Has anyone ever heard of eating Groundhogs, the Northern variety? The eat pretty clean from what I know,…vegetation,….. so that ought to mean ok meat. Maybe?
Good to see you post, take care, Chris
Chris,USA
You never been chased by a ravenous squirrel out for vengeance . LOL
Yea they are pretty good eating for sure and you need to make some jerky out of some of them as it a real good snack when out walking or sitting in the woods hunting. We used to have a pocket full of it when hog hunting to keep the munchies at bay.
Never heard of eating groundhogs of any variety but not saying they would not be good eating either since they do eat veggies just like beef does so cant hurt to try them out.
Just be cautious if when you skin them if you see black spot on the inside of their skins they have rabies since that’s how we knew as teenagers when we made coon skin caps if the raccoons had rabies or not by the black spots on the inside of the skin. At least that’s what I was told as a way to determine if they did or not and it does not mean they are rabid but just that they carry the virus or disease.
Let us know if you try them , not sure if Bama has them as I have never seen them but have not looked for them either. Just don’t shoot punxsutawney Phil so we will still know how long winter will last.
BD
BD76,
Thanks for the tips. Will have to do research on ’em. American Airgunner had an episode of hunting Southern “chucks”,…smaller ,but carried some real nasty disease. As in, if your going to handle one, use surgical gloves,…as in that kind of nasty.
No “Phil”,….but from the news,…they seem to have an appetite for elected official’s ears! Mmmmm?,…. maybe not a bad thing? 😉
Chris USA
I think they call them prarrie dogs or ground sqerrials. The smaller chucks as you say that they were hunting. And the prarrie dogs or ground sqerrials do carry a desease. Alot of people won’t even touch them.
As far as ground hogs go. We use to shoot them all the time when I was a kid. They use to tear up the levy on the creek that ran by the farm road and it would wash the creek bed and road out if the rain was heavy enough.. But never heard of eating them. And I heard of some people eating some pretty crazy stuff. But not a ground hog.
And Buldawg is right about sqerrial. Very good eating. Try some beer batter and Andy’s breading on them and deep fry them. Very good. You might want to boil them first in some garlic cloves and onions. Add a little salt and pepper too. Boil it till the meat pulls off the bone easy with a fork. Then soak the meat in the beer batter for about half the day covered and in the Fridge. Then bread it with the Andy’s and deep fry.
Man my mouth is watering right now!
Chris,USA
GF1 said it best below as the ones they were shouting on American Airgunner were prairie dogs and they do have diseases just not sure exactly what but definitely shoot only and no touching without gloves.
I saw that also that he likes ears so there go the veggie diet thing I guess or the handler left some salad dressing on his ear. LOL
I have never really done much with squirrel except make jerky out of them so GF1 has the scoop on how to cook them up to be worth eating for a meal since we just used them as a snack food when out hunting. Just takes to many to make a meal and Florida squirrels are small compared to your northern brothers just as the whitetail Florida deer are small as well. 180 to 200 pounds undressed for a buck and a ten point buck is a trophy in Florida.
BD
Steven,
This is not an appropriate hunting rifle. It was never claimed that it was.
This gun is for fun.
B.B.
I was not suggesting you did. Only replying to Reb suggesting it could be used at 40 yards as such.
That’s grossly out of context and you know it.
Reb
Read the 4th reply down from the top. I believe that’s what RidgeRunner and StevenG is talking about. Here this.
“It sounds like it’s only gonna be good for about 30-40 yds on birds and maybe squirrel but I guess we’ll see what it can do.”
I’m sure you were referring to the Sig weren’t you Reb? So maybe not grossly out of context.
I think BB said what the Sig is good for and its all ok. There will be more good ones and bad ones to come.
Let’s just wait and see what BB’s next report on the Sig turns out like when he shoots the action targets. I really think it will be a fun gun when the pellets start flying. You know there ain’t many pellet rifles that can shoot a pellet as fast as you can pull the trigger. Especially at the price they want for the Sig. The only one I can think of that’s beating it right now money wise and velocity wise and accuracy wise is the Crosman 1077.
And I quote
“Reb
February 17, 2016 at 1:10 am
It sounds like it’s only gonna be good for about 30-40 yds on birds and maybe squirrel but I guess we’ll see what it can do.”
Did you or did you not say that?
StevenG,
No ballistic expert by any means, but I think that it is not a clean linier 1:4 relationship. I do agree with what you said on the hunting aspect for this one. Well,…. short of setting up a blind 10′ from a bird feeder that squirrels frequent. From the comments though,….a squirrel proof blind! 😉
Chris USA
Just wait. One of theses days one of them sqerrials are going to sneak up on you and snatch your gun safe key right out of your pocket before you know what happens.
And they will even do it when your guns are all locked up and you can’t do a thing about it it but pick up a rock and throw it at him. But he’ll be gone before the rock even gets out of your hand.
Oh but yes they are very smart.
Very very smart. Beware of the sqerrial is all I can say.
GF1,
😉 As a small kid, visiting Grandma and Grandpa, in town, sitting on a swing quietly, the squirrels would come out of nowhere and hop right on the porch rail about 5′ away. It, and us, were startled as we would look at each other. Came close to hand feeding a few, but we always had to lay the food down before they would grab it.
Today, I can watch no less than 3-5 scamper about in the woods from a window. Setting up to shoot, many more are visible with a full view of the woods. Once the shooting starts however, they all go into hiding, except for the occasional distance “bark” and distant glimpse. No doubt, sitting quietly, peeking out from behind a branch or sitting high atop a tree in their nest,…waiting for me to be done playing.
Odd too, or maybe not,…a Hawk will appear 99% of the time overhead and stay around the whole time I shoot. I imagine, looking to steal a quick, fresh meal. I would be happy to oblige,… if only those sneaky little squirrels would just stay in view!
1″ at 10yards(calling yards and meters the same here, but they are not, this actually works in the guns favor) 1MOA would be .1″ . 1″ at 10yards is 10MOA. 10MOA at 40 yards is 4″.
These are approximate. 1MOA is really 1.05 inch at 100 yards.
1 MOA in inches = Distance to target in Yards x (pi/300)
BB,
I thought it had already been determined that this is not semiautomatic but really a double action revolver action?
RR,
I think you are confusing this with something else. This is a true semiauto.
B.B.
BB,
OK, that is awesome. So does it operate from, the open bolt or the closed bolt? Does it use the belt section as the chamber? When is the belt advanced, on the recoil or forward stroke?
Oh yeah, need lots and lots of magazines.
RR,
I guess it operates from the open bolt. Yes the chambers in the belt really are the chambers from which the pellets are fired. The belt advances by the trigger pull.
B.B.
BB,
So a Smith & Wesson revolver is a semiauto also?
RR,
No, the trigger in the S&W cocks the hammer.
B.B.
BB,
It probably cocks this one also.
So what cocks the hammer in the sig?
We know the trigger advances the belt, do you suspect something else is cocking the hammer?
You said lower on this very thread it is advanced by the trigger, that is not a semiauto.
Ridge, BB and Steven, I think you guys have came up with a new “blog”. What makes a semi auto a semi auto? I can see BB’s point, it cocks the hammer. I can also see Ridge and Steven’s point too, it does not load the next round. If Ruger came out with a new 10/22 rifle that cocks the hammer but the trigger somehow moved the next 22lr shell into the chamber, would it still be a semi auto or would it be a semi semi auto? I remember a 22LR that was a “single shot”, yet it was a semi auto too. It was called a semi auto single shot. You would load the shell up top, pull the trigger. The rifle would fire, the action would come back, eject the spent shell and cock the hammer for the next shot. You had to put the next round in yourself. So was it a semi auto? Yes it was. So in this case, B.B. would be correct. Since pulling a trigger to load the round is more “semi auto” than manually loading the round. The gun I am talking about is a Winchester Model 55 brought out in 1957. Here is a video of it being loaded and shot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qjs8Z0CxWM
DocHoliday,
I will second the 1st. and 2nd. line to your comment. I thought my 92FS was a semi-auto. It is apparently a revolver (circular clip) in a semi-auto style shell. No blow back. So yes, some clarification, or rather probably more accurate, a re-fresher, might be in order. Still, lot’s of fun,….whatever it “officially” is.
DocHoliday,
I just looked up the 92FS on the P.A. site. It says semi-auto, which further bolsters your comment. And, I was mistaken a few days ago when I stated that it looked like the price went down. On the nickel/wood version, the price appeared to go up about 20. Not sure, but I would hope as new models come out, that longer run items might actually go down in price. Perhaps not.
Do you think the trigger is not cocking the hammer on this Sig?
Steven, yes I was thinking it “cocked” the hammer when firing. Ridge corrected me. You are now correct in that this is a “revolver” if you will.
Doc
I was hoping to be wrong.
Me too I had high hopes for these guns.
Maybe the next generation will be closer to what we’re looking for. :/
Oh well.
Awesome, it operates from the open bolt position.
My whole point is this is not a semi, but rather a DA revolver action. Pulling the trigger cocks the hammer, advances the magazine and then releases the hammer to fire.
Ridge, I did not catch that. I was thinking the C02 would blow back the action, therefore cocking itself. Then I stand corrected. It’s not a semi auto. Like you said, it would be one big revolver. Kind of sad. Not that this type is bad, as the Crosman 1077 is the same way, but this good looks like the modern firearm it copies, so you’d think it would be blow back. Thanks
Doc
If the trigger advances the magazine and cocks the hammer but can’t get be manually cocked I would probably consider it a Double Action Only. That puts it in direct competition with the 1077 and most pistols.
I’m trying to find a good reason for a gun to fire from an open bolt and the best I’ve come up with was simplicity of manufacture.
What is it that you like about that characteristic?
Reb,
I apologize that I did not answer your query earlier. Last night I found a whole bunch of blog comment emails in my junk folder instead of my in box.
I was excited because if this was an open bolt action, it would be simple to convert it to full rock and roll. Unfortunately, I do believe that BB is mistaken. I am pretty certain that it is really just a fancy DA revolver.
B.B.
Would the military or law enforcement ever use this as a “trainer” for the real thing?
Thanks,
-Yogi
Yogi
That is a very good question.
Right in front of us. A modern day military trainer. And you know I like the older military trainers BB has been writing about and wondered if there is any mordern trainers out there.
Yogi,
Probably not. They would use simmunitions in a firearm.
B.B.
Ah yes, the belt-fed semiauto. I don’t know that I would pick one up rather than let imagination do the work for me, but I’m glad it’s functioning well. Speaking of law enforcement training, I’m picking up all this amazing stuff from my book Rattenkrieg on combat pistol shooting. When I’m geared up with my gas mask and stacked up ready to assault a room, I will know exactly what to do. And that goes for my airsoft 1911 too. The latest topic is that if you are faced with a bunch of assailants who do you shoot first? The answer is that you go in order of danger which starts with the one who moves first and then goes near to far. That reminds me of the dialogue at the end of Unforgiven.
Journalist: How did you know who to shoot first?
Clint: I guess I got lucky. But I’ve always been lucky when it’s come to killing folks.
Journalist: They say you should always shoot the nearest one first.
Clint: I know who’ll be last.
Mike, so you missed the climax and turning point of my M1 saga. I fear I went on too long about this when it happened. Anyway, my gunsmith said that all my theorizing about pressure levels, adjustable gas systems and all my tests and graphs were all wrong. The problem was that the op rod spring had been put in backward and as a result it had “crawled” its way up the mechanism and interfered with the timing of the bolt. That in itself raised some questions. So my super hall of fame Nathan Hale trophy winning gunsmith who rebuilt my gun made a basic error? And some other experienced people said that there is no direction to the op rod spring. I’ve never seen one, so I have no idea. Anyway, the gunsmith replaced the old spring. He also claimed that my adjustable gas system invented by my first gunsmith was a complete Rube Goldberg contraption that didn’t do anything. It is just like the way professors talk about each other.
Anyway, at the range, the gun worked perfectly with surplus ammo. Then, I switched to my handloads and on the second to last one, the gun jammed!! Unbelievable. It was like a novel I was reading where the villain says, “I’ve got to resolve this. I’ll go crazy, crazy I tell you.” So overnight, I loaded up 60 more handloads to my exacting specifications (although it turns out that my bullet seating method was all wrong) and went out the next day. This time everything worked. Soooooo, the nightmare should be over, and it was all about the op rod spring. Because I have so many guns, I can’t even shoot the M1 again until late Spring, and then we’ll see for sure.
Doc Holliday, thanks for your info about penetrating oil. I was thinking that it had something to do with the capability of Ballistol to “migrate” all over a gun. I was wondering how it does that. I was thinking either that it has some kind of polar molecular structure like water that allows water to crawl its way up plant stems against the force of gravity. Or it has an extremely low viscosity that allows it to essentially run everywhere with the aid of gravity. I sounds like the latter is the answer.
Chris, yes the Jaws of the Subconscious is just my take on a phenomenon that is probably pretty well-known although not well-described or understood. And it’s not like my formulation gets to the bottom of it either. Yes, indeed environment does play a role, but the Jaws allow you to somehow transcend it too. This comes from no less a person than ultimate sniper Carlos Hathcock who said something like, “On the range it is never hot or cold, wet or dry…” You are in a bubble of concentration and boy did he put that into practice. One of his most famous exploits was doing a deep penetration mission to assassinate a high-ranking enemy. It required him to crawl for over a thousand yards over the course of several days and then work his way out again. During this time, he had ants crawling all over him. And when he was miraculously exfiltrated, most of the skin was gone from his body!?
Matt61
Thanks for the update on your M-1. For what it’s worth the op rod spring does have a right and wrong way to be connected to the Follower Rod. One end of the spring is smaller so it will only travel up the rod for a short distance. Putting it on backwards would create a problem. BTW, I just cleaned and checked out for the American Veterans four M-1 Rifles. All were Korean War vintage and in excellent condition. They were just real dirty…..really dirty. They had blank adaptors installed and were probably fired with blanks for a long time. At least the blanks were non-corrosive! The barrels were perfect, I bet they have only fired blanks since they were rebuilt.
The clean and check was at no charge for the Vets. They use the rifles for firing salutes at funerals
Mike
Thank you Big IRON for your free service for those veterans! Semper fi!