Hey y'all!
I figured I owe the world a post, since there is so very little information on these guns!
Unboxing:
The shotgun's are well packaged in fitted styrofoam, within a basic cardboard box. As per usual, the Norinco's were dripping in oil, but rust free. All pieces were accounted for and appeared to be in good condition.
Barrel:
Barrel - Blued, looks nice. Swells near the choke end slightly. I had significant issues removing the choke with 2 of the 3 M1000s I ordered. Best remedy was penetrating lube, a vice (with the barrel wrapped in leather), the supplied choke wrench, and a 10 inch pipe wrench around the choke wrench. Even then, it didn't really want to come out.
Once removed, I cleaned the bajesus out of the threads on both the choke and the barrel, loaded them up with grease, and took the choke in and out about 30 times. Things move better now, but it's still pretty tight. (loose enough that I can now remove it in the field)
The top rail looks glued on, but rest assured, it's definitely solder'd on. While attempting to remove the choke I applied some liberal heat, and noticed some solder coming out near the bead sight.
Stock:
Not much to say. Typical Norinco finish, brown brown brown over the Chu wood stock.
Magazines:
They work, but they are crude. They fit well into the shotgun, and seem to function fine. The tabs on the bottom are worrisome. Looks like I might have to tape the bottom on at some point in the future.
Action/Receiver:
I was actually impressed here. Thinks are a little rough, but with some mild steel wool you can polish things up and make the action slip like butter. The photos are of the unaltered and original firearm. The trigger is just awesome on these shotguns. Short, and breaks very crisply. I actually prefer this m1000 trigger to the trigger on my SXP and Grizzly.
Thoughts:
Very happy with the purchases. We went and tried them out briefly, right out of the box. One functioned 100% perfectly, another had periodic failure to eject. The 3rd remained in box for the first test. My guess, is the shotgun just needed a good cleaning, a little polishing, and some lube. I'll be bringing them out again this weekend to do a 2nd round now that they've been polished up. Hopefully I'll see a marked improvement. I'll be sure to post the results.
Photo of the whole Shotgun:
Value: 9/10 - Much like a Mosin Nagant and the SKS, for the cost, these guns are golden.
Quality: 5/10 - Out of the box, there is much to left to desire. After some cleaning and polishing, they should function perfectly.
Final verdict: At the current sale price from Canada Ammo, I'm tempted to buy another three. For the cost, and the functionality, I don't think you can go wrong.