As noted in my review of Intrag's Sig P226, this particular handgun is my favorite real-steel handgun of all time, so whenever an opportunity comes along to test any sort of replica, I find myself unable to say no regardless of what else I should be doing with my time and/or money. This particular model has a silver finish, and is a heavy weight version which means it weighs a good deal more than other spring pistols.

Appearance

  Ho-Feng was a company I had never heard of before, so I was anxious to find out what sort of product they make. The external appearance of their Sig P226 is overall very nice, with a few exceptions - namely the metal parts. Since this is the silver model, the plastic slide and frame are a nice even silver color, and the metal parts (such as the trigger, hammer, and barrel) are done in a rough-looking nickel finish. The slide is a hair too long - maybe a quarter inch longer than a real P226. The main portion of the barrel is nickel-plated metal, but the top of the chamber area (which is part of the barrel on the real gun) is black plastic for some reason. The magazine floorplate is of a newer style rather than the classic 9mm P226 style floorplate. On the plus side, the grips and textured surfaces of the frame and slide were very well done. In order to provide a better sight picture with the all-silver sights, a red dot was painted on the front sight which is nice. Supplemental dots are probably needed on the rear sights though. When the hammer's cocked and you're firing this pistol, it looks just like a real Sig from the back - the contours of the slide rail grooves and hammer cutout, and the assembly inside the slide that looks like the firing pin and breech block on the real gun. The magazine body is about the same size as a real P226 mag, and this is the first time I have encountered a bottom (front, actually) loading magazine for an Airsoft gun.

Function

  Just like every other Sig, this P226 feels great in my hands. The grip feels just a tad wide, though. 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 version, 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.

  This particular P226 model 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 P226, 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 actually feels 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 the Intrag P226 - which is similar 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 P226 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 as exemplary as Tokyo Marui's Glock (which seems to have become the unofficial standard for spring pistol accuracy), this P226 is more accurate than the Intrag version. It should be noted however that the Intrag P226 is Hop-up and the Ho-Feng P226 is not. However, any gains that the Intrag might have had due to the Hop-up are basically lost when you factor in how far off the point of aim is. On this version, the point of aim is pretty close at seven yards. It shoots about an inch low, and an inch to the left. 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 P226 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.