Reviews

Jing Gong JG SIG 552

MadDog

The real steel SIG 552 was introduced in 1998 as one of the variants of the SIG SG 550 Assault Rifle. It is manufactured by Swiss Arms AG (formerly Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft) of Neuhausen, Switzerland. . 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. (info taken from Wikipedia)

About the JG SIG552

As JG has been known for, this is yet another clone of the TM SIG 552 AEG. The good thing about ACM AEGs, JG especially, is their clones turn out to be better than the original most of the times in terms of function and affordability. Now let's see if the reputation of JG holds true in their version of the SIG 552...

THE PACKAGE:

The JG SIG 552 is packaged in a simplistic cardboard box, with no fancy graphics and with some prints about the guns basic info and specs.



As you open the box, you will see the weapon with it's stock folded. Inside you will also find the usual ACM goodies: the battery ( SHUANG BA1100 NiMh 8.4v) and charger, Operating Manual, Cleaning/Push Rod and a High Cap wind up magazine.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

WEIGHT-  this gun's wieght is a bit on the lighter side, and that would be attributed to the amount of plastic parts used in this particular model. This, however can be used as a tactical advantage. A lighter gun (short at that) makes for a faster movement and maneuverability.



SHAKE TEST- no wobbles, no creaks--- even the folding stock stays in place. SOLID!

BALANCE - though the battery is placed inside the front hand guard, there is no sensation of a dip due to unequal weight distribution. I'd say it is well balanced.



THE ''FRONT to END'' RUNDOWN:

  • The business end of this AEG consists of the following:
  • Metal 3 prong flash hider with 14mm CCW thread
  • Metal Front sight with long range and short range options
  • Metal Outer barrel and Brass Inner barrel (tight bore).
  • ABS upper Hand Guard functions as battery compartment cover. 20mm rail can be found on the right side
  • ABS lower hand guard. Slides back to secure the upper hand guard. 20Mm rail at the bottom, perfect for an add-on tac-light or foregrip. It is secured by a removable pin.



The BODY is made of ABS, inside is a version 2 gearbox (I have yet to see this) the GRIP is also ABS, good angle and comfortable to hold, BOLT CATCH HANDLE is metal, pulling it back will expose the Hop Up (turn CW to hop-up, CCW to hop-down), trigger and trigger guard is metal. The TRIGGER GUARD can be pushed side ways to the right (useful if you are using really thick gloves this winter). The FIRE SELECTOR is ambidextrous and is also metal. Aside from the S (safety) 1 (semi auto) and 20 (full auto) markings on the fire selector switch, there are no trade markings whatsoever on this AEG.





OPERATING THE JG SIG 552:

Installing the Battery

The lower hand guard slides back to release/open the upper hand guard where the battery  compartment is located. It is designed to accommodate an 8.4v mini battery pack... but with  a bit of DIY I am pretty sure you can make space for  another cell can be added to make it  9.6v.

The Magazine

The hicap magazine that comes with this gun is a shorty type and is transparent (yea, like the  real steel) It can accommodate 210 BBs. Again, because it is transparent that takes the  guessing away whether you still have enough ammo in your mag or not. The winding  mechanism  is smooth, and easy to operate. The magazine inserts into the mag-well like the  AK's... secure the front end first, then push the rest until you hear a click. This mag can be  attached to another mag (and to another and to another...) just like the G36.

Dry Firing

After getting used to my AGM M14 SOCOM's 'silent' acoustics, I found this AEG to be  LOUD! Yes, it is a screamer. Now I want to go to the 'awe and surprise' route and make this  little beast scream even louder by installing a metal piston and piston head, and a sound hog  to boot. Good cycles noted for every trigger pull, full auto yields an approximate 800 rpm  (ROF).

Target Acquisition and Live Fire

The front and rear sights are made of metal and comparable in design to the MP5s. The front  sight can be changed from a regular sight (small) to a CQB sight (large). The rear sight has  windage and elevation as well as aperture size adjustments. I find the target can be easily  acquired with these sights even on a quick draw, especially with both eyes open.





The fire selector switch has got a good click and stays at selected mode as you fire.

Live firing is impressive, I need not adjust the hop up as my BBs were flying straight and far   enough, approximately 100 meters or so. It produces good groupings (with lots of alpha shots) at 20 to 25 meters. I did not notice any misfeeds so far.

Poor Man's Chrono (PMC) shows that this little devil may be a little bit on the HOT side. It punched  through the soda can and almost breached the bottom of the can (Editor's Note: Please consult the Poor Man's Chrono Guide to know how powerful this AEG is). Unfortunately, I am gonna  have to downgrade the spring to make it playable at the WERKZ.

CONCLUSION:

For an ACM, this shooter has earned my respect in almost all aspects:

Aesthetics – lovely little dog this is, it may not be full metal but it sure has a kick a** look, it would have been nice if JG had put on some trade markings, but maybe that is asking a little bit too much. Putting external add-ons like optical sights and tac lights makes it look meaner and scarier.

Ease of use – very straight forward, just install the battery, insert a full mag, switch to semi or full auto THEN LET HELL BREAK LOOSE!!! (lol!) this guns weight plus the folding stock is a plus in your tactical maneuvering... perfect for CQB.

Accuracy - the tight bore and good hop up mechanism makes up for the short barrel and puts the BBs right on target. The range is surprisingly good but downgrading it to a softer spring may produce a shorter range... But, we engage enemies at a close range in CQB ( and I intend to use this gun in CQB) anyway, so it may not really matter at all. IMO

Power – the PMC showed that this gun is too hot for my CQB site, but if it passes the 360 max fps in some woodland sites then this baby can really score big!

Durability – JG has been known in the ACM world as a manufacturer of reliable AEGs. In my own little ACM collection, my JGs still got to have a major break. The JG SIG 552 feels solid enough... but then I guess it's just a question of time before we can tell how this gun scores on this aspect.

The familiar question, ''do you ever get tired with your M4s and MP5s?'' could make you look out for other AEGs like this little baby here. I never grew tired with my 'ol reliables (my CA M15A4 and my ICS MP5 SD6) but the JG SIG 552 shows a lot of promise and I think I will find  it in my Go-Bag permanently.

Needless to say.... I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE JG SIG 552 to all you airsoft enthusiasts out there.

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