Norc bashing is it really warranted?

randyhub

randyhub

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Okay I own an NP-34 and really like it, upgraded the grips and installed the SRT. It always has shot well but I keep hearing over and over how bad these are and always see so many Norc bashing... But I also hear many as myself being quite happy. I have had Colts, Rugers, Berettas over the past 20 plus years so not really a newbie here.

If I didn't have to raise a family I would have the best but I am on a budget but still want to shoot. I have a Grizzly shorty as well and it is great too. Also had a couple of M305s with no issues but sold them due to ammo costs.

So let's hear from actual Norc owners that have had actual failures as opposed to critics that have never owned one.

Just getting tired of the Norc bashing and want some numbers based on actual experiences and pictures if possible.

So let's see what actual owners have to say and please if you don't own one please refrain from posting opinions as I really just want those who experienced the good and bad of Norincos.

Just can't help to think with all the horror stories that retailers would still sell them.

Now I understand that these are only are fraction of the cost of the guns they are cloned after but with that in mind are they that bad? I know I liked my Grizzly so much I sold my 870 Remington bush gun and well anyone who shoots this latest model NP-34 is pleasantly surprised how it feels and shoots.

Am I missing something here after having Norcs for years?
Thanks
 
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I have had several norincos in every caliber imaginable

in fact I think if they had a catalogue Ive owned everything from the m93 pistol to their ar 15

not once have I ever had a failure attributed to poor manufacturing except on their 1887 lever where ejection was iffy
 
I owned every norinco possible. With the excepting of the 780 shotguns that were being sold for 99 bucks I am very happy with norinco. It gets you in the game cheap which is the important part. Would recommend the ar15 ad 1911s to anyone
 
Everyone knows they shoot well, but the fit and finish just doesn't cut it for me. I take pride in the firearms I own, and I can't find anything appealing about any of the firearms in the brand.

To each his own.
 
I had a norc 870 nock off. And it pretty much exploded in my hands. It had a severe chamber breach. That being said I own a M305, NP34, norinco 1911 sport , norinco sks model D and I have a dominion Arms 556 on route. None of the previous mentioned firearms other then the shotgun have ever let me down. EVER!! And I have thousands of rounds through them except the AR. I will continue to buy norinco.
 
Expendable Nate said:
I had a norc 870 nock off. And it pretty much exploded in my hands. It had a severe chamber breach. That being said I own a M305, NP34, norinco 1911 sport , norinco sks model D and I have a dominion Arms 556 on route. None of the previous mentioned firearms other then the shotgun have ever let me down. EVER!! And I have thousands of rounds through them except the AR. I will continue to buy norinco.
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Yikes! Was the 870 clone a Grizzly or the HP?
 
I have never had a single issue with my T97, and the fit / finish is great.

Feeding norinco ammo I've also never had a single issue, and accuracy just as good as any american eagle or green tip.
 
zelly said:
Neither. It was called the 780 security. Not to be mistaken with the norinco hp9 which interchanged with 870 parts
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Ya a bunch of those were sold as is with a warning about them.

X2 for my Grizzly 12.5 being built like a tank and performing just like one.

Also own a Norinco 1911 Sport .45ACP and has been 100% reliable after figuring out what magazines it likes.
 
BooSSted said:
Everyone knows they shoot well, but the fit and finish just doesn't cut it for me. I take pride in the firearms I own, and I can't find anything appealing about any of the firearms in the brand.

To each his own.
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Pretty much sums it up. I've owned several pistols and rifles, still have a shotty and M14, couple .22's, bought the first in the late '90 and the fit and finish is appalling and really can't be overlooked, believe me... I tried. Nobody would accept that shoddy level of QC from ANY north american or european manufacturer, but somehow it's OK if its Chinese and $50-$100 cheaper then some equivalent US/EURO made firearm? Many need work out of the box just to be barely acceptable, or even to function properly, again, not something anybody would tolerate on a new US made firearm.
I actually don't understand the blind praise these things get....seriously. I really just have to chalk it up to inexperience shooters, or people that just don't know any better. Not trying to be rude or anything, just stating the obvious. There are some experienced shooters that use the 1911's and have pointed out the short comings, they correct all the flaws, replace barrels, etc and turn them into decent shooters. I can respect that, because they know what they are doing, they know what actual good shooting is.
In my experience when you buy Chinese (Norinco doesn't make guns) you get OK external finish, terrible internal finish, sloppy fitting parts, mediocre accuracy providing you can actually shoot, and usually it will function out of the box. You could also get worse in any of those categories.
I guess as long as people keep gobbling up the cheap no QC chinese guns then they will have no reason to improve them....
 
Hitzy said:
Pretty much sums it up. I've owned several pistols and rifles, still have a shotty and M14, couple .22's, bought the first in the late '90 and the fit and finish is appalling and really can't be overlooked, believe me... I tried. Nobody would accept that shoddy level of QC from ANY north american or european manufacturer, but somehow it's OK if its Chinese and $50-$100 cheaper then some equivalent US/EURO made firearm? Many need work out of the box just to be barely acceptable, or even to function properly, again, not something anybody would tolerate on a new US made firearm.
I actually don't understand the blind praise these things get....seriously. I really just have to chalk it up to inexperience shooters, or people that just don't know any better. Not trying to be rude or anything, just stating the obvious. There are some experienced shooters that use the 1911's and have pointed out the short comings, they correct all the flaws, replace barrels, etc and turn them into decent shooters. I can respect that, because they know what they are doing, they know what actual good shooting is.
In my experience when you buy Chinese (Norinco doesn't make guns) you get OK external finish, terrible internal finish, sloppy fitting parts, mediocre accuracy providing you can actually shoot, and usually it will function out of the box. You could also get worse in any of those categories.
I guess as long as people keep gobbling up the cheap no QC chinese guns then they will have no reason to improve them....
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snob1.jpg
 
Grizzly is a tank and my 1911 runs like a machine,
Nice looking pistol ran good right out of the box, yes the slide was a little rough feeling but nothing a few hundred rounds couldn't fix. I like norks, they do what they are supposed to, i will buy many more. That being said I also like my shadow.
People are funny that way, sometimes a higher price tag gets people believing that a larger quality discrepancy exists than actually does.
 
When I first got into firearms, my first pistol was in fact a Nork 1911. I didn't know how often I'd be shooting, so I bought it as a starter.

It was reliable, that's about it. It didn't shoot the best groups, but they were... serviceable. When I realized, I was a gunnut, which took 1 range trip... I sold it and bought something nicer.

Fast forward almost a decade, and I bought a Griz for a bush beater that I didn't care about. What a piece of junk. I bought 5 mags for it, not one worked. Tried modifying them, didn't work! Now it's just a receiver that's stuffed in a closet.
Would never consider another Nork/Dom gun.

I've never knocked anyone for owning any make/model of firearm, so long as they own one. These guns are not for everyone, the same as the "elite" guns aren't for everyone either.
 
^ very true with those girsans made in the same factory as berreta m9s at a lower cost and I like mine better then the real deal. Alot would agree with me on that one
 
zelly said:
^ yah those new heavy barrel norinco .22 are real duds (not) I disagree 95% with your assessment
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You mean those "new" 20 year old NS522's....lol They are arguably the best made Chinese gun we have seen, and yes they suffer from the same sloppy machining inside the receiver and the bolt. Don't forget that lovely chu wood stock that was made for an entirely different rifle. Those special "accuracy washers" used as spacers for the trigger guard. For $300 you can get an actual NEW rifle that shoots just as well, comes in a walnut stock, and doesn't look like it was made by children with dull files....look up a Zastava Z5, that's what $50 difference gets you.
And yes, I own 2 of the NS522 rifles, and a Z5, they both shoot very well, except I didn't have to do anything to the Zastava out of the box to get it shooting acceptable.
 
Yeah, the Grizzly Mags can be troublesome. I had a 8.5" with two mags. Only one worked flawlessly, the other did not. Sold it.

Will I buy a Norc again? Possibly a used M305 that's been tuned properly. Luckily people make a hobby of buying them, tuning them, and selling them.
 
zelly said:
^ very true with those girsans made in the same factory as berreta m9s at a lower cost and I like mine better then the real deal. Alot would agree with me on that one
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WTF does turkish made beretta clones have to do with Norinco? And since when are Beretta m9s made in Turkey?

Norinco copies designs, they dont get permission or anything. Girsan makes real berettas under a different name - the patent is expired on the original beretta so anyone can make 'em. Im surprised Norinco doesn't, in fact...

While I dont own a Norinco, I sure plan on getting one at some point. I was going to get a NP34, but ended up with an FMK 9C1 'cause it was $100 cheaper. Probably going to realize I need an AR like I just recently realized I need a pistol... And considering nobody makes an AR for even close to what Norc does, I'll probably be getting one of them.
 
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