The Sig P229 is a relatively new addition to the P series of handguns. Instead of a stamped steel slide with a breech block insert, the P229 has a heavy slide milled from a solid piece of stainless steel and given a special black finish. The contours of the slide are slightly different from most other Sigs in that the slide is milled narrower along the upper half than the lower half, and the gripping grooves on the rear portion of the slide extend only halfway up as opposed to all the way up on the previous designs. The Sig P229 typically comes in .40 S&W or .357 Sig calibers, but it was offered for a limited time in 9mm as well. It is considered a compact - it has a twelve round magazine and a 3.75 inch barrel. This Airsoft by the Ho-Feng company tries to approximate the P229, but falls a little short.

Appearance

  This was one of two pistols that I recently got that are made by the Ho-Feng company. I had no idea what to expect as far as quality went, so I decided to play it relatively safe as far as design goes and get two Sigs - the other was a P226 with a silver finish. This would allow me to use my real-life experience to the fullest for the comparisons since I've used one Sig or another for the last seven years. Like Ho-Feng's Sig P226, the P229's appearance is overall good. The metal parts on this one seem to be finished better than on the silver model - the P229 looks a lot nicer with no mismatched parts. The contours of the slide nicely match those of the real gun. The biggest problem I have with Ho-Feng's P229 is that they've put a full-size slide on this gun when it's supposed to be a compact. This sort of negates the whole appeal of the P229 for me - if I wanted full-size I'd stick with the P226. The other problem I have with the appearance is the fact that they used a poorly-finished silver barrel and recoil spring guide rod just like on their silver P226. If they made the slide and barrel shorter, and could install a black barrel and guide rod, this would be a really nice Airsoft. The grips are done well and match the texture on a real P229. The magazine is about the same size as a real P229 magazine, but doesn't as closely resemble one as do Marui's magazines.

Function

  People are probably getting sick of me going on and on about how great Sigs feel to me. Well, this one is certainly no exception. The magazine is of a design previously unfamiliar to me in that you pull down the BB follower along the front side of the magazine and hold it in place while holding the mag upside-down, and then you put BBs one by one into the loading slot. After it's full, you release the BB follower and you're ready to go. This magazine only holds 15 rounds, which is better than the Intrag Sig P226, but still less than a typical Marui pistol. I guess they need all that magazine space for the weight in there - since that's where most of the pistol's weight is.

  The Ho-Feng P229 is not only a heavy-weight version, but it also has some really neat features not seen on other spring guns. One is the working decocking lever. It's not identical in function to a real Sig, but it's close enough. If the pistol is cocked (for example, just after you've chambered a BB) you can push the decocking lever and it will lower the hammer. However, where on the real one the lever is spring loaded and snaps back up into place after decocking, this one stays in the down position and acts as a manual safety. In order to return to the fire mode, just push the lever back up. Once decocked, the pistol is effectively double action, though the air piston remains cocked when the external hammer is decocked. The other feature that is a nice addition is the working slide stop. If you're shooting and your magazine runs empty, the next time you pull the slide back it stays open. You can then insert a loaded magazine and press the slide stop to ready the gun for firing. This is nice because on other spring pistols you can shoot your pistol dry without realizing it. With this one, you know for sure when it's empty. With one exception: sometimes the slide stop will engage while the magazine still has ammo in it. I'm not sure why it does this - Probably just physics at work. If you are careful when you rack the slide, though, you can avoid this. One way you can definitely keep the slide from locking open is by placing your thumb on the slide stop (if you're a right-handed shooter), but you have to count your rounds then or you lose the lock-open feature, which is kind of pointless since you basically have to count your rounds in a Marui pistol in order to remember when it's empty.

  The trigger pull is awful, no matter if you're firing in double- or single-action mode; the trigger pull is long, heavy, and mushy. It does feel a little better in double action mode for some reason. The slide pull is smooth and easy - a lot easier it seems than on other spring guns. You don't even have to pull the slide back all the way - it's pretty forgiving of short-stroking, which can happen while you're operating the pistol under stress. The pistol fed and cycled reliably except for the aforementioned occasional premature slide lock-open. The pistol points well for me, as do all Sigs, and instinctive shooting is a breeze except for the trigger pull.

  Disassembly of the pistol is accomplished similarly to a real Sig. There's a takedown lever above the trigger which can be gently pulled out. After that and the magazine have been removed, the slide and barrel assembly can be run forward off the frame. To reassemble, run the slide and barrel assembly back onto the frame, line up the hole in the frame with the hole underneath the barrel, and reinsert the takedown lever.

  As far as power goes, this P229 has average power. It nicely dents cereal box cardboard at seven yards - it won't go through like Marui's Automag III, but it does more than Marui's weak P228 or the Academy Glock 26.

Accuracy

  Though not quite on par with Tokyo Marui's Glock 17 (which seems to have become the unofficial standard for spring pistol accuracy), this P229 is more accurate than the Intrag P226 or the Marui P228. On this pistol, the point of aim is pretty close at seven yards. It shoots about an inch low, and an inch to the left on average. The inherent accuracy of the pistol is probably a bit better than shown here, but the quality of the trigger pull adversely affects accuracy.

Overall Impressions

  Ho-Feng's Sig P229 is a nice addition to the available Sig models. The accuracy and power are decent, and it has some handy features considering it's only a little more expensive than your typical Marui gun. It's also a heavy-weight pistol, which tends to enhance the handling characteristics and the realism if that's important to you. The biggest negative with this pistol is the trigger pull. If Ho-Feng could straighten that aspect out, this would just about be the ultimate spring pistol on the market. If it had an adjustable Hop-up, it would be the best. If the sights were removable and you could replace them with factory Sig sights, or night sights, that would be fantastic. But overall, this is a good pistol considering its features, accuracy, and value. And if they could explain why they put a full-size slide on what's supposed to be a compact...