The video opens with the Classic Firearms crew on location at Sig Sauer’s world headquarters in Newington, New Hampshire, instead of their usual studio. The visit is an exclusive factory tour arranged specifically for Classic Firearms. The hosts explain that the plan is to see behind-the-scenes elements of Sig’s manufacturing process, including some research and development work and restricted projects that cannot be shown on camera. One of the hosts notes this is his first time at the facility and mentions having several personal Sig firearms, hinting at questions he wants to ask about future models. The tone is focused on observing how Sig designs, builds, and tests its guns inside the main headquarters complex.
Inside the headquarters, the Sig representative explains the layout: executive offices, marketing, product management, supply chain, IT, finance, and then manufacturing and sustaining engineering. Engineering is divided into multiple groups. Sustaining and manufacturing engineers support production, troubleshooting issues when a part does not match the original design intent. A separate R&D building houses design engineers who develop new firearms and related technology. Sig employs roughly 400 engineers across disciplines, including those who design custom robots for tasks such as automated striker assembly. Many engineers come from defense, automotive, aviation, and other industries, bringing established manufacturing best practices. The company emphasizes modern, precise manufacturing over hand-fitting, rejecting parts that do not meet tolerance rather than filing them to fit.
The guide notes that the Newington facility is not Sig’s largest plant, even though it is relatively new and was quickly outgrown. Historically, Sig Arms in the United States imported firearms from Germany. In the 1990s, the company shifted strategy and committed to American manufacturing, aiming to become Sig’s primary production base. That change has led to the U.S. operation now exporting firearms back to Europe, effectively reversing the original flow. The Newington headquarters handles final assembly and test firing. The older manufacturing floor in Exeter now serves as the R&D facility, with prototyping and some manufacturing capability. Additional sites include Rochester for magazines and larger components, Arkansas for ammunition production, and Oregon for optics manufacturing, creating a broad U.S. footprint.
The tour highlights how military contracts have reshaped Sig’s production floor. The FE assembly line continues to expand to meet commercial demand, while programs such as MHS and NGSW require dedicated space and manpower. Sig produces the M17 and M18 pistols, as well as the XM7 rifle and XM250 light machine gun, under these contracts. To support this work, Sig has tripled the size of its firing range and converted former warehouse space into production areas for these platforms. NGSW-related sections of the factory are caged off to prevent any mixing of military and commercial parts. Commercial Spear rifles are built in essentially the same way as their military counterparts, with parts separated into different bins and part numbers to maintain contract compliance and traceability.
On the floor, the hosts observe coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) in operation. These machines use probes in three-dimensional space to measure critical dimensions down to thousandths of an inch. Parts such as pistol slides are pulled from production and checked to confirm they meet design tolerances. The Sig representative describes a quality process where out-of-spec parts are rejected and investigated rather than reworked by hand. A large quality control department analyzes any rejected components to determine root causes, such as tool wear, and implements corrective actions. The hosts also reference a previous visit where they saw a machine that checks numerous points on a pistol, going beyond manual function checks performed by master assemblers, reinforcing the emphasis on consistent, measurable quality.
Discussion turns to machining cycle times and how Sig allocates equipment. Newer CNC machines run faster cycles and are used for high-volume parts such as P365 and P320 slides. Older machines are retained for lower-volume models, including P226 X5 Legion slides, where production quantities do not justify tying up the newest equipment. These older machines still hold required tolerances but are reserved for parts that are not produced in massive numbers. Modern robotic cells are deployed where the highest throughput is needed, particularly for components that support Sig’s most popular pistols and rifles. This approach balances efficiency with flexibility, ensuring that both mainstream and specialized models can be manufactured without compromising dimensional control or quality standards.
The group moves into the assembly area, where machined components transition into complete firearms. Slides and other parts are staged, including sawtooth-pattern components with proof barrels awaiting stocks. Machining is followed by finishing steps such as anodizing and Cerakote, which are handled at separate facilities rather than in-house at this location. The representative explains a tool management system using yellow bins stocked with frequently used items. These tools are physically on-site but not billed until scanned out, allowing immediate access without waiting on external shipments. Assembly lines receive finished, coated parts from machining and finishing operations, then perform final build and testing. This structure supports continuous production while maintaining control over both component quality and final firearm assembly.
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