Honest Review: Does SIG’s MCX Regulator Deserve the Mockery?

Okayyyyy…

SIG Sauer just released a product that most of American shooters never asked for and frankly don’t want.

The reception online in general has been harsh to say the least. Ridicule has been leveled at the unholy amalgamation of stuff to make a rifle, all the way to the marketing strategy and price point. The SIG MCX Regulator is supposed to be the modern ranch rifle, but they’ve released it at a price that’s almost as much as a ranch.

What is a Ranch Rifle?

While there is no official definition of what a ranch rifle is, there are some attributes that make up what most people would consider ranch-style rifles—an intermediate cartridge, in a lightweight platform. These Ranch rifles would be considered carbine-sized rifles with their shorter 16” barrels. The whole point of a ranch rifle is to take it with you everywhere you go out on the ranch, so it shouldn’t be bulky, heavy, or hard to stow. That’s why most ranch rifles don’t really use pistol grips or extended magazines that can get caught on things like a horse’s reins.

The classic ranch rifle is a lever action that can slip right into a scabbard, or in the back window of the work truck. Ideally, it’s easy to deploy and capable of quick fire to put down predators like coyotes. Ruger was the first to officially use the term “ranch rifle,” with the Mini-14.

So … SIG did this.

The Regulator is an MCX upper that is attached to a modified “featureless” lower with a Mossberg 500/590 stock on it. When I say “featureless,” this is the term state governments will use for things that describe assault weapons: pistol grips, adjustable stocks, flash hiders, detachable magazines, bayonet lugs, etc. So is the Regulator a neutered rifle? No, not really; in reality, the Regulator is only missing a pistol grip and bayonet lug. Understand the Regulator ships with 10-round magazines that are detachable, the barrel is threaded for suppressor use, it is a semi-auto rifle, and the stock can easily be changed or adjusted by adding or removing shims.

Is the SIG Board of Directors out of their minds?

I want to hate this rifle, and most of the internet has beaten me to the punch. But I need to step out of my situation and walk in the shoes of those who live in restricted states like California. As you’ve noticed, California doesn’t actually care about caliber (or even features, really). California cares about whether a gun looks tactical. The whole thought process was that SIG wanted to give restricted users the same DNA from their top-tier Spear and MCX rifles, but in a format that might pass muster with their idiot governors.

 That’s a great idea, but …

… not for $3,279.99 without the optic and $3,799.99 with one. This is more expensive than a real MCX Spear! And before you say “oh street prices will be lower,” you need to understand the California economy when it comes to firearms. Gun dealers are few and far between in Cali and the dealers set the prices.

The regulator or even other MCX products are just firearms made out of the same steel, aluminum and plastic that every other firearm is made of. The only reason for the prices is that SIG is taking advantage of their military contracts to sell the civilian public a “mil-spec” gun the same as the Navy SEALs. The Regulator uses a special infrared SIGnature reduction paint. Thing is, how many ranchers will want that? All it does is inflate the price of the product.

What does the Regulator have going for it?

All that said, we all know that SIG puts out quality guns, and this is a quality gun. The Regulator is set up for customization, with a forearm that has M-Lok mounting positions for days … practically on every flat surface. The top is a full length Picatinny rail, with plenty of room for mounting full sized optics, with night vision/thermal clip ons, and still have room for a laser deSIGnator/illuminator. Since the upper is pure MCX, it can install onto a standard MCX or AR15 lower so you can “free” the Regulator. (But the Regulator costs more than the standard MCX, so what’s the point?)

An interesting feature on the lower is that SIG used the otherwise wasted space behind that magwell and machined an ARCA rail right into the lower. This allows the Regulator to mount directly to an ARCA tripod that is the ultra tacticool thing to do these days.

The Regulator does not care if you are a righty or southpaw, since all of the controls like safety mag release and bolt release are fully ambidextrous. If you are not a fan of the Magpul stock, the Regulator uses regular Mossberg 500/590 stocks so you can easily find replacements. I can see a wood stocked Regulator soon enough.

If you can’t move to a free state …

So maybe SIG’s board of directors didn’t lose its mind, but the Internet sure did. In truth, SIG is trying to fill a segment for shooters who are not allowed to have the cool toys that I have access to. I fully expect like zero of these will sell in free states, and I think SIG realizes that as well. All three models ship with 10-round magazines, so even SIG does not offer a high-capacity version for free states. The Regulator is meant to be a loophole-busting bulldozer that is ready to run over your restricted state’s stupid restrictions.

Can SIG sell enough of them to keep it as a viable product? Time will tell, but what I do know executives from companies like Smith & Wesson or Kel-tec are already plotting to make something similar but much cheaper.

—James the “XDMAN” Nicholas Mr. UnPewFessional Himself!