This Wednesday (12/18/19) SIG Sauer announced the release of their new bolt action rifle. SIG simply named it the “CROSS”. While this initially brought up mental images of the Swiss flag (owing to SIG’s Swiss military heritage) SIG claims that it is to denote the dual purpose of the rifle.

The CROSS is initially intended to be a hunting rifle. The first offerings will be 6.5-6.8 lbs depending on caliber and barrel length. Heavier barreled precision versions are reported to be coming later.

The feature list of the CROSS is impressive and will cause precision rifle shooters to take note:

• One Piece Aluminum Receiver
• 60 Degree Bolt Lift
• Three Lug Bolt Design
• Interchangeable Bolt Handle
• Adjustable, Folding Stock
• Mlok Tubular Handguard
• Adjustable Two-Stage Trigger (2.5-4 lbs.)
• Ambidextrous AR Style Safety Selector
• AR Style Pistol Grip
• AICS Magazine Compatibility
• Available in .308, 6.5 Creedmoor and .277 Fury
• $1779 MSRP

The barrel uses an extension to set headspace. This should allow for easy barrel replacement at the bench, but will also likely limit the supply of barrels in the beginning. Once we have a rifle in-hand we will see how difficult it would be to replace the barrel.

The CROSS is the first  commercial rifle that we are aware of to be chambered in the new .277 Fury cartridge. The Fury is a commercialized version of the 6.8 cartridge that SIG developed for military contracts. The hybrid case design is reported to allow for much higher pressure than traditional case designs. Time will tell if this cartridge becomes a popular choice in the hunting and precision rifle world. SIG made a wise move in releasing the .308 and 6.5CM at the same time. I predict the 6.5CM will be a hot seller.

I have not had the chance to shoot the CROSS yet, but we have an appointment with the rifle during the 2020 SHOT Show. We will bring you our first impressions of the rifle at that time.