A review of the Jing Gong Sig 552 by bioniclebert.
Table of Contents:
1.) Background information, Real steel information.
2.) The buying process.
3.) Packaging and Included parts.
4.) Brief first impression.
5.) Physical description, body parts.
6.) Internals, and take down.
7.) Accuracy Tests
8.) Pros and cons.
9.) Concluding statements.
---------------------------------1 ) Background information- Quoted from Wikipedia, "The SG 550 is an assault rifle manufactured by Swiss Arms AG (formerly Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft) of Neuhausen, Switzerland. The rifle is based on the earlier 5.56 mm SG 540 and is also known as the Fass 90 (Fusil d'assault 90 / Fucile d'assalto 90) in French / Italian or Stgw 90 in German (Sturmgewehr 90).
In 1998, the SG 552 Commando carbine was introduced. It has a shorter 226 mm (8.9 in) barrel (with an open, 3-prong flash suppressor) and gas tube, ventilated handguards and a redesigned bolt carrier group that was integrated with the piston rod to form a single moving assembly. The return mechanism has been moved to the rear of the receiver housing and its recoil spring is guided in a way analogous to the AK-47, on a steel guide rod (later models feature a polymer guide rod) resting against the lower receiver's rear surface under tension of the compressed recoil spring. Like the SG 550/551, this model can accept rails and accessories enabling the use of optics. A long barrel version of the SG 552 known as the SG 552 LB incorporates a 346 mm (13.6 in) barrel designed to fire rifle grenades and mount a bayonet."
2 ) The Buying Process- When I went to The War Store, I had in mind purchasing the WELL L96. However, it was my first time going to the War Store, and as I entered I saw a wall covered with guns. After a short chat, I decided to get the brand new JG Sig 552, as the WELL L96 wasn't in stock. It cost $150, but can be gotten as cheap as $105 as of June 2nd, 2008, on
www.airsplat.com. So happily, I arrived home, and opened the box...
3 ) What's in the box?- The gun itself, an 8.4v 1100mAh battery with charger, unjamming/cleaning rod, 150 round high capacity magazine, and manual.
4 ) Brief first impression- When I felt the gun in the store, I felt like I was playing Counterstrike again! The stock has a very nice rubber pad on it, and the gun has a very nice weight to it. Charging the battery, the firing was very quiet, but hard hitting. Accuracy's really good too, so I figured it was a good candidate for a review.
5 ) Physical description, body parts- Now to the meat of the review. Let's start with the stock:
The stock at the rear has a very thick rubber butt plate that adds comfort to the user. The design and the large gap that is in the end of the stock makes it very comfortable and easy to carry, if not on a sling. The stock is foldable, and the folding action is accessed by pressing the stock release button on the left side of the gun. (Non bolt side, as if you were holding it out straight, perpindicular to yourself.) When pressed, the stock is released, and the user simply pushes the stock onto the tab on the reciever to lock it in place. To swing the stock back out again, simply pull the stock off the tab and swing it open until it clicks into position. Very simple, and easy to do, so I think JG got it right.
(Above) A close up on the rubber end of the stock.
(Above) The stock locking button, as circled in red.
Trigger, Grip:
The gun has a unique grip and trigger assembly. The trigger is very long, and is not very curved as one would see in an M4 or AK design. The Trigger guard is also very wide, to hold large fingers. One of the coolest features of the SIG, was that it was designed to be used in cold weather that required gloves. So because of this, the trigger guard is foldable, and it is also foldable in this JG model. Simply push the guard to the left or to the right, and it will lock into one of the three positions. And, I can say that firsthand, on a very snowy day while I was using gloves, I really appreciated this feature. Next, the grip. The pistol grip is much more wide than one might see on an M16 variant. Personally, I like it, as I feel the grip is more secure that way. On the bottom, are three screws that can be turned to adjust the motor height, as expected.
Note the trigger guard is moved into an alternate position.
The body, and what's on it:
The body itself is plastic, but it feels very nice in the hands. Out of all the guns out there that I've used before, this gun is one I certainly don't mind being made out of plastic. It's not necessarily the most durable plastic, but is decent in quality, and works well. Personally, I dislike plastic models a lot, such as M4's, but this is one model that feels very nice for being plastic/metal mix. Above the pistol grip is the selector switch, or, I should say, are the selector switches. Yes, there is a switch for each side of the gun, so in a way it is ambidextrous. The motion is a little sloppy, but it locks into place when treated carefully. While the movement does make an audible click noise, the selector switch can be easily moved out of position, which is one of the drawbacks of this model. Next, is the bolt assembly, which moves as expected to reveal the hopup unit. The fake dust cover itself is plastic, but the pin sticking out is metal. However, the pin does not come in contact with the body upon release, so there is really no concern for it breaking.
The cocking mechanism pulled back to reveal the hopup unit inside.
The Sig 552 also comes with the adjustable sighting system. The assembly itself is metal, but the sight on top is plastic. There is no real drawback from that, but it should be mentioned anyway. There are also two screws to adjust vertical and horizontal positions, and they are very useful screws. In most airsoft models, the sights may only be close to how the gun shoots, but on this model, I've found with the stock sights one can really achieve pinpoint accuracy when fine tuned.
A look at both sights.
Included with the Sig 552, is a high capacity magazine. Now, when I hear people talk about this gun, I hear a lot of people talking about the High-cap mag being able to hold 300 rounds or some ridiculous number like that. The mag itself is plastic, and holds 150 rounds maximum. I counted each individual bb, since the initial suggestion of 300 rounds left me skeptical when I was out of ammo. It's a slight drawback, if you're used to guns like M4's which hold around 300 rounds, but it actually is not bad at all if you like to aim and conserve ammo, like one should. And, with such good accuracy that it has, one probably might not need to shoot so many shots to get the one they need. But I'll talk about that later.
The included magazine, note the clear design.
Further along the body, is the front grip, with rails. There is one rail on the bottom, and one on the right side. The rails themselves are metal, and feel very secure on the grips. On these, one could mount a flashlight/laser, or a vertical grip. Very simple, and straightforward.
(Above) A picture of the rails from the right side.
(Above) Another shot of the rails, from underneath.
The battery compartment is located under the top grip. To remove the top grip, simply push out the locking pin located directly behind the lower grip on the main body. Pushing the pin all the way out, the bottom grip will be able to move. Push the lower grip back towards the stock, and it should slide, popping off the top grip. The bottom grip does not need to completely be removed during battery installation, just the top half. Then connect the battery, slide it in place, and replace the top cover of the grip, making sure the tiny notch points to the front of the gun. Then, with both halves on, push the lower half forward again (toward the end of the barrel) and you should be able to put the locking pin back into place. That's all it takes, and is actually very easy to do once you've done it once or twice.
Pin removed, top half of grip removed also.
The front sight assembly is very simple, with the sight on top, which can be flipped for a more precise view, the front sling mounts, and the orange metal flash hider. The Flash hider can be removed by pushing in the small button underneath it and twisting the flash hider off. The threads underneath are 14mm CCW so "righty tighty" will not be tightening it, but loosening it. (Think opposite of normal screws). This allows for the addition of a silencer, or tracer unit if needed.
Orange flash hider removed.
6 ) Inernals/take down- I have yet to disassemble this unit, and would prefer to keep it that way until problems arise. Currently, the gun shoots great, is accurate, and reliable, and I don't want to make any unnecessary changes by opening it, so the internals section will remain undocumented.
7 ) Accuracy tests- Check back soon!
8 ) Pros and cons-PROS: Great shooter. Accurate, and shoots 150 feet with ease.
Compact model, and not too heavy.
Large trigger and trigger guard mobility make playing in snow easier on the hands.
Rails on sides add options for vertical grips, flashlights, etc.
Great "bang for the buck" at $105
www.airsplat.comCONS: No top rail for optics included.
Mag capacity suffers against other gun types. (150 rounds versus usually at least 300)
Slippery selector switch could be better.
8 ) Concluding statements- The JG SIG 552 is a good option of gun for airsoft enthusiasts looking for a good shooter for a low price. The SIG 552 delivers accuracy, modularity, and compactness all under it's little shell. While it has some flaws, the gun itself is a great deal for what you pay for, and is an excellent choice for any airsoft player.
This has been a review by Airsoft Reports, written by Bioniclebert. First draft (WIP) June 2nd, 2008.
Feel free to comment and add critique as this is only my first draft, so there's bound to be a bunch of mistakes, and I haven't been able to take pictures or show a firing test yet. I would like to make the firing test a video, but it may have to just be pictures of groupings since I do not have a decent video camera available at the moment. However, I do have access to a camera for pictures, so expect those soon. Thanks for reading!
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