I purchased a Norinco NP-34 (Sig-Sauer P228
Clone) several months back. Before I
took the time to write a brief review, I wanted to ensure that I had adequate
time on the range so I could provide the most reliable and accurate information
possible. The pistol was purchased from
the “Gun Dealer” in McAdam , NB
As with most Norinco firearms, the
NP-34 came in a cheaply made plastic case.
In accordance with Canadian Law, to transport the firearm home it was
required to have a trigger lock installed.
Unfortunately I was not able to get the plastic case closed and secured with
a trigger lock on the firearm, so I was required to purchase a gun box just to
transport the firearm home. Once home, I
opened the case up and removed the NP-34 and went about the task of wiping down
and removing the excessive oil coating and verifying that everything was in
proper working condition. The NP-34 came
with an extra set of springs, 2 X Pistol Mags and a user manual. The finish on firearm was very nice and
clean, the slide moved back and forth smoothly and the de-cock lever action was
smooth as well. I did however; find that
the double action trigger was a little stiff requiring approx 13 to 14 lbs of
pressure to initiate the first stage of the firing sequence. The second stage only required 2 to 3 lbs for
each shot.
I had initially wanted to purchase the
Norinco NP-22 which is a clone of the Sig-Sauer P226. This was not due to any
functional differences or operational reason, simply because having large hands
the pistol grip on the NP-22 felt better in my grip and the pistol grip
extended the full length of my hand. Sadly,
they only had one NP-22 left in stock and my friend was fortunate enough to
have been the first to lay hands on it.
So I opted to take the NP-34. I
was not completely satisfied with the way the pistol felt in my grip due to the
smaller size and the pistol grip stopping short of the bottom of my hand. So that evening I went on-line to “Grips 4 Guns.com”
and purchased the Hogue, Finger Groove Rubber grip for the Sig-Sauer P228 for
$24.99 + applicable taxes/shipping and handling. It took just short of three weeks for the
grips to arrive. They easily installed
on the NP-34 and to my delight, the little bit of extra girth provided by the
Hogue grips combined with the finger grooves made for an exceptionally
comfortable fit.
Once I had the NP-34 on the range, it fit
perfectly in my Blackhawk
Level 2 Serpa Holster and was both comfortable and easy to draw from the
hip on my battle belt. I was extremely
pleased with the ease of operability and how smooth and precise the shots
were. I had no issues performing quick tactical
or speed reloads as the spent Mags fell easily from the magwell with a quick
flick of the wrist. The fresh Mags easily slid into the magwell and had no
issues seating into place to begin firing.
Regarding accuracy, I was very pleased with how accurate the NP-34 was
when shooting at the 10, 15, 20 and 25 yard line. There were always a few stray rounds but I’ll
chalk that up to operator error rather then the actual firearm. I did unfortunately encounter some types of
ammunition that the NP-34 does not like.
Federal Hydrashock, Winchester Silvertip, Winchester Personal Protection
and Remington Golden Saber to name a few.
Just so we’re clear, the NP-34 has no issues firing these types of ammo,
when it fires them it does so very accurately.
The issue is that each of these types of ammo has a very blunted almost
square head/tip and this sometimes causes the ammo to jam on the feed leading
into the breach prior to firing. The
NP-34 eats standard ball ammo like a fat guy at an all you can eat buffet. I’ve fired in access of 1500 rounds of ball
ammo through my NP-34 without a single hiccup.
I have not been so fortunate with the other types of ammo I listed. As I mentioned earlier, no safety issues
using the other types of ammo, it just became a little frustrating when trying
to improve on tactical and speed reloads to have the firearm jam due to the
ammo.
Would I recommend the NP-34?
Absolutely! I have spent considerable
time on the range using the actual Sig-Sauer P225, P226, P228 and P229. The Norinco versions work exceptionally well
and are completely inter-operable with their Sig-Sauer counterparts. If I had $1000 to go spend on a Sig….I
wouldn’t. I’d buy two more of
these. If potential customers can move
past the fact that they are Norinco, they would find a side by side comparison
between the P228 and the NP-34 difficult to distinguish. The NP-34 certainly holds its own in my
opinion and I’m glad I made this purchase and look forward to the opportunity
to purchase the NP-22.
J.
MacLEOD
