Test: SIG SAUER SSG 3000

This one’s not exactly new – the SIG SAUER SSG 3000 precision rifle premiered as far back as IWA in March 1992. But since then this rifle has had an onbowed community of loyal devotees among those who use the model, designed for government purposes and with maximum accuracy, for target sports. And the SSG 3000 looks back on such a career as well, serving in several Swiss police units and the airport police security detail charged with protecting Zurich Airport – among other things: This model has been deployed all over the world. The basis for the model was the repeater rifle 200 introduced in 1985.

SIG SAUER SSG 3000
To adjust the height of the cheek rest you first have to release two Allen screws and then turn the knurled screw sitting in the stock – it works quite well, but takes some time

Technically speaking, the SSG 3000 comes with six-lug bolt lock, equipped with a lightweight firing pin to achieve minimum ignition delay. In addition, it has a thick sniper barrel fixed in place by clamp screws for quick swaps. And beneath the black of the stock they initially had warp-proof, laminated wood, plastic elements were incorporated later. The stock is fitted with adjustable cheek and end cap. Other features include a muzzle brake with five upward slots – these direct the powder gases out to the top and to prevent kicking up dirt.

SIG SAUER SSG 3000
Press this button to engage the safety, release the catch in front of the trigger to disengage
SIG SAUER SSG 3000
The bipod is housed in the UIT rail running along the fore-end. It has four ventilation slots on both sides to cool the free-floating barrel. The bolt on the SSG 3000 has six locking lugs – to dismantle first remove the cheek rest: although common at the time, it is now considered clumsy

The SSG 3000 proved robust and extremely precise on the shooting range – and didn’t skimp on the thrills either. But it is fairly old school: the stock is bulky and doesn’t fold; dismantling the chambers is cumbersome and adjusting the cheek is just as tricky and requires a lot of fiddling with screws. But if you’re up for all that and are looking for a very accurate, classic style rifle – this one’s got what it takes.


Range of uses for the SIG SAUER SSG 3000

The SIG SAUER SSG 3000 is a very good sports rifle, but only moderately suited to government agencies and the military and even less so to hunting.


The SIG SAUER SSG 3000 Overview

Model
SIG SAUER SSG 3000
Price:

€ 3.399

Caliber: 

.308 Winchester

Capacity: 

5 + 1 cartridges

Barrel lenght: 

685 mm (twist 1:12")

Total lenght:

1.163 mm

Trigger weight: 

1.424 g

Weight:

4.852 g

Features: six-lug bolt, laminated wood stock with UIT rail, two-stage trigger (adjustable between 1,300 and 1,700 g), bipod


Shooting test: SIG SAUER SSG 3000, .308 Winchester

No.
Factory cartridges

SK 100 (mm)


1
150 grs Norma Nosler BST 

33 (14) mm

2
168 grs Hornady Z-Max 

19 mm

3
168 grs Prvi Partizan BTHP 

43 mm

4
168 grs RWS Target Elite 

11 mm

5
175 grs Remington MK BTHP 

34 mm

Remarks: Grouping = five-shot groups, shot sitting from the bench rest support at 100 m distance, reported in millimeters, measured from the shot-hole centers. Bracketed values after subtraction of an outlier. 

Abbreviations / bullet codes: BST Ballistic Tip, BTHP: Boat Tail Hollow Point, HPBT: Hollowpoint Boat Tail


VISIER Evaluation of the SIG SAUER SSG 3000

VISIERPoints
Precision (max. 50 points) 

50 points

Stock (max. 10 points) 

5 points

Trigger (max. 10 points)

9 points

Magazine/Handling (max. 5 points) 

4 points

Sight (max. 5 points) 

4 points

Receiver/Function(max. 10 points) 

8 points

Finishing (max. 10 points) 

9 points

Total points (max. 100 points) 

89 points

Test result

excellent

Commendations***** (5 of 6 commendations)

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