Dutch MARSOF units will have a new weapon in their battle against extremists no matter what corner of the globe they are deployed to. The Sig Sauer MCX Rifle chambered in the Advanced Armament Company’s AAC .300 Blackout was selected after an extensive trial period. The contract is reportedly for only just under 200 rifles but these rifles are not going to be your off the shelf Sig MCX. These will be integrally suppressed 10.5″ barreled rifles with special stocks that allow the Dutch MARSOF soldiers to use the weapons while wearing helmets with shields. This departure from what is considered “normal” military calibers continues the interesting shift we have seen lately. A few weeks ago it was Swedish Military choosing the LWRC piston driven AR-15’s.
The relatively small number of rifles to be purchased isn’t alarming by any measure but does make us here at the site wonder if the MCX adoption is a pilot program to possibly pave the way for the MCX to be issued to both active and reserve elements of the Dutch military. I’m betting that the executives at Sig Sauer that lined this deal up are betting on it. The fact they chose the AAC .300 Blackout is interesting since it goes against the grain for traditional NATO specifications and thinking. Now the Sig MCX is a system that will allow the rifle to be easily converted back to the standard NATO rifle caliber of 5.56mm Lets take a look at the specs of exactly what the Sig Sauer MCX offers, and why maybe it was selected over other more popular rifles.
Name: Sig Sauer MCX
Country Of Origin: Germany
Caliber: AAC .300 Blackout
Barrel Length: 9″
Overall Length Collapsed/Folded Stock: 19.8″
Overall Length Extended: 28.5″
Width: 2.8″
Height: 8″
Weight: 5.5-9.0 Lbs
Twist Rate: 1:5
Barrel Thread: 5/8″ 24 TPI
Operating System: Gas Piston
The rifles selected by Dutch military authorities for the Dutch MARSOC units will feature the above stock configuration. It my opinion its bizarre looking but I am the first to tell you I have never fired a rifle while wearing a face shield or a gas mask so I have little expertise in that area. The change from what many consider “traditional” thinking in terms of calibers and models of firearms is in direct response to the growing threat globally of extremism. We are also wondering who is next to upgrade, in the last month two countries that are considered relatively liberal and open minded yet anti gun have made huge steps to modernize their military firearms. We will be sure to ask Sig about this development although we expect them to be tight lipped, but we will try. Look for a future review of a civilian legal Sig MCX, possibly in the spring of 2017.
Rick
Featured photo courtesy of thefirearmsblog.com
