Sig Sauer is double-teaming it this year. Not only did they officially start shipping the CROSS bolt-action rifle, but they’ve taken home two industry awards. The CROSS and their P320 XFIVE LEGION handgun bagged the 2020 Industry Choice Awards—and you thought all of 2020 was down the drain.
A Little About the SIG SAUER CROSS
We’re told it’s versatile, whether you’re hunting on steep mountainous terrain or in the dense forest, it’s supposed to give precision to the backcountry hunter.
Oh, and if you didn’t know, this is Sig’s first-ever true crossover—a bolt-action precision hunting rifle. They tell us it was engineered to meet the demands of today’s hunters, which is why they took input from the industries premier competitive shooters, the world’s best long-range shooter, and of course professional hunters—how else could you claim to build the best if you aren’t willing to take advice from the best (and those that actually use your product).
With this particular crossover, you’ll find a precision free-floating stainless-steel barrel fitted to a one-piece aluminum receiver— no need for bedding or action screws—which is intended to help deliver extreme accuracy.
You’ll also see an aluminum M-LOK handguard, that Sig says is intended for the quick and easy attachment of bipods, rails, night-vision, or clip-on thermal optics.
The rifle even comes with a two-stage match-grade trigger, adjustable from 2 to 4.5lbs, and AICS pattern magazines.
Even better, the stock is foldable and adjustable, and you don’t need any tools to make this happen. Sig added these features, saying its 25” is the ideal hunting rifle to fit in any backcountry backpack.
The SIG SAUER CROSS is available in .308 WIN and 6.5 Creedmoor. You can also either get the 18” barrel or the new 277 SIG Fury Hybrid cartridge with a 16” barrel.
6.5 Creedmoor Specs
- Overall Length: 35.5”
- Folded Length: 27.0”
- Barrel Length: 18”
- Barrel Twist: 1:8
- Weight (w/o magazine): 6.4 lbs.
308 WIN / 277 FURY Specs
- Overall Length: 36.5”
- Folded Length: 25.0”
- Barrel Length: 16”
- Barrel Twist: 1:10 / 1:85
- Weight (w/o magazine): 6.2 lbs.
Bagging the 2020 Industry Awards
Now you know all about the rifle, but how did it end up bringing home the bacon, and by bacon, we mean the 2020 Industry Choice Award.
Well, first, let’s talk about the criteria. The Industry Choice Awards considers a manufacture based on a comprehensive independent evaluation, by industry experts, of course. Those experts, we’re told, include competitive shooters, trainers, enthusiasts, our fine LE folks, and even retail associates. These experts look at fit, form, finish, and functionality.
Sig’s fit, form, finish, and functionality ended up getting them two pretty cool awards, the 2020 Frank Desomma Innovation of the Year Industry Choice Award and the 2020 Handgun of the Year Industry Choice Award.
For the CROSS bolt-action rifle, we’re told the judges recognized it for adjustability because it can fit a wide range of hunters and shooters. They also liked its “smooth loading cycles” and the fact that it was able to adapt to modern PRS chassis and still maintain its light weight.
“When our product management team and engineers researched developing a bolt-action rifle from SIG, they looked at what was missing from the market, and what new innovation SIG could bring to hunters and precision shooters,
“Hunting rifles are typically focused on less weight, and accuracy is secondary. Precision rifles are designed for extreme accuracy, with no weight limitations. What was missing from the market was a true crossover. The SIG CROSS is the best of both worlds, featuring the characteristics of a hunting rifle, with the accuracy of a precision rifle, and we are very honored to be recognized for this innovation with an Industry Choice Award.”
– Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales.
P320 XFIVE LEGION
We haven’t highlighted to handgun just yet, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t gaining some award-winning attention as well.
Built with a TXG tungsten infused heavy XGrip module, a Legion Gray PVD Slide—with lightning cuts—5” match grade bull barrel, and a lightened and skeletonized trigger, the P320 XFIVE LEGION, a 9mm striker-fired pistol, struck more than casings this year.
The P320 XFIVE LEGION won the 2020 Handgun of the Year Industry Choice Award, and we’re told it was recognized for its “overall feel and ease of use, ability to place accurate shots quickly,” and the new innovative material. Judges commented on the additional weight, saying it gives the shooter “more control on the handgun, making follow up shots faster.”
Maybe that’s because of the upgraded one-piece stainless steel guide rod and 14 lb.—1911-style spring, with an additional 12 lb. spring. Which SIG says allows for an easy adjustment of the recoil spring, and gives the shooter a customized experience.
“The P320 XFIVE LEGION embodies the forward-thinking mindset we have at SIG SAUER when it comes to product development, and we are very proud that this has resulted in the 2020 Industry Choice Award for Best Handgun of the Year,”
“The P320 XFIVE LEGION changed the game for competition pistols, and its innovative features beginning with our patented tungsten infused grip module, giving it the weight of steel with the flex of polymer, are designed to enhance the overall shooting experience by substantially reducing felt recoil and muzzle flip for outstanding on-target accuracy.”
-Taylor
If you’re looking for even more in a pistol, it also comes optic ready. SIG says it’s compatible with a SIG SAUER Electro-Optics ROMEO1Pro Optic or a standard DeltaPoint Pro Optic. It also features a Dawson Precision Fiber Optic front and adjustable rear sights and comes with three 17-round magazines with anodized aluminum Henning Group base pads.
The 2020 Industry Choice Awards was sponsored by Oneida Molded Plastics and hosted virtually on July 28, 2020.
Check out the SIG SAUER CROSS Bolt-Action Rifle and the P320 XFIVE LEGION for more information.
