northernspear
New member
I recently purchased a variety of small arms for evaluation and potential use with my firearms instruction company. I conducted tedious amounts of research on the pros and cons on a variety of pistols. One thing continued to dig at the back of my mind as well as my wallet and that was, “why are the Norinco Chinese made firearms so cheap?” Is a result of poor quality and construction, or simply a matter of affordability? I have been chided by my friends and family over the years as being a typical Scotsman…..cheap! This however is completely untrue when it comes to purchasing firearms as I am a firm believer in quality costs! There are many websites and blogs especially in the United States that continued to bash Norinco made firearms as cheap, untrustworthy, unreliable and unsafe. I have always made a point to form my own opinions and whenever possible, take my own word over someone else’s.
Some other instructors and I took to the range with six Norinco NP58 .40 cal (Sig 226 Clone) to test for ourselves their potential. I am a huge fan of all Sig Sauer firearms and personally own a Sig 226 .40 cal which I primarily use as my pistol of choice. The best part of this trial is that after years of using Sig Sauer pistols I definitely have experience and a framework with which to make a comparison between the two.
As far as appearance, there is very little difference between the Sig 226 and its Norinco clone. They are identical in every way with the exception of the plastic material used on the pistol grip and the finish which seemed to have a more significant shine to it. The feel of the Norinco NP58 in my hands felt in everyway identical to my Sig 226. The one thing however that I did notice, was the decocking lever on each of the Norinco NP 58’s seemed tighter and required a little more pressure to activate then the Sig 226 counterparts.
When fired, the Norinco NP58 proved to be a formidable pistol. Out of the box sights required no manipulation to hit consistently on target. When compared, the NP58 and Sig Sauer had nearly identical groupings from the various distances and positions fired at the 50, 25, 15, 10 and 5 yard lines and were extremely pleased with the accuracy and ease which these firearms performed. We fired approximately 300 rounds of ammunition from each of the six Norinco NP58’s and had one stoppage which was caused by an improperly seated magazine. We checked the firearm over extensively and took it apart and verified that is was indeed operator error and not a production flaw.
We continue to use these firearms and persist in subjecting them to gruelling workouts on the range and still have yet to experience trouble with any of the six Norinco NP58’s we purchased. We would recommend the Norinco NP58 to anyone willing to look past the “Made in China,” stamped into the lower receiver. Retailing at most suppliers for $350.00 to $390.00 this pistol is worth every penny and more. If anyone has had any positive or negative feedback relating to this firearm I would very much appreciate your comments and views.
Some other instructors and I took to the range with six Norinco NP58 .40 cal (Sig 226 Clone) to test for ourselves their potential. I am a huge fan of all Sig Sauer firearms and personally own a Sig 226 .40 cal which I primarily use as my pistol of choice. The best part of this trial is that after years of using Sig Sauer pistols I definitely have experience and a framework with which to make a comparison between the two.
As far as appearance, there is very little difference between the Sig 226 and its Norinco clone. They are identical in every way with the exception of the plastic material used on the pistol grip and the finish which seemed to have a more significant shine to it. The feel of the Norinco NP58 in my hands felt in everyway identical to my Sig 226. The one thing however that I did notice, was the decocking lever on each of the Norinco NP 58’s seemed tighter and required a little more pressure to activate then the Sig 226 counterparts.
When fired, the Norinco NP58 proved to be a formidable pistol. Out of the box sights required no manipulation to hit consistently on target. When compared, the NP58 and Sig Sauer had nearly identical groupings from the various distances and positions fired at the 50, 25, 15, 10 and 5 yard lines and were extremely pleased with the accuracy and ease which these firearms performed. We fired approximately 300 rounds of ammunition from each of the six Norinco NP58’s and had one stoppage which was caused by an improperly seated magazine. We checked the firearm over extensively and took it apart and verified that is was indeed operator error and not a production flaw.
We continue to use these firearms and persist in subjecting them to gruelling workouts on the range and still have yet to experience trouble with any of the six Norinco NP58’s we purchased. We would recommend the Norinco NP58 to anyone willing to look past the “Made in China,” stamped into the lower receiver. Retailing at most suppliers for $350.00 to $390.00 this pistol is worth every penny and more. If anyone has had any positive or negative feedback relating to this firearm I would very much appreciate your comments and views.
