Handled both. The p22x is very comfortable but thats probably due to it being a sig clone and i use the sig 226 at work. I have always been partial to 1911s cause of look and feel. I have fired the .45acp colt in the us and was very enjoyable. Now i am eyeing my first pistol purchace and cannt decide on the 9mm version 1911 or the np22 both of which is the same price on gotenda. Thoughts?
Norinco 1911 or p22x
- Thread starter zedus
- Start date
I think the 1911 clone has more potential. A 1911 can be easily made to have a very nice crisp and light trigger. Of course given the limited value of a Norinco handgun, you don't want to put too much money into it if you have thoughts of resale. That said, I enjoy my NP22 very much, even if the trigger is less than ideal.
From what I've read, yes, you can replace NP22 parts with P226 parts. In fact I have a SIG Sauer short reset trigger kit I am about to install. Some parts like slides, may or may not fit, but I can't see any reason to replace the slide. Mags are not an exact match and may need some tweaking. Grips swap. Rear sight dovetail is not a match.
I can't personally vouch for the durability of the Norinco 1911 or NP series, but I have been led to believe that people have shot many thousands of rounds through their NP22's without problems. I've only been going to the range once a week and shooting 100-150 rounds through my NP22 and its been flawless. Other than when I tried Winchester steel cased ammo, which failed to extract.
I have both so I'll chime in.
The norc 1911 is a builders dream. You can get a pretty nice trigger pull buy just polishing and tweaking the stock parts. But like all 1911s, it can be a gun that requires tinkering once you start messing with it. I have one in 9mm and .45. My 45 is stock besides a little polishing. My 9mm is modified quite heavily. All internals replaced, about a 2.5lb trigger, some frame work and a hand fit match barrel and bushing. It now shoots much better than I'm capable of. lol
The Norc Sig is just like your typical Norc. Fit and finish isn't the best but it shoots fine. The factory double action is stupid heavy compared to a real sig. To the point it's not really fun to shoot double action. But luckily most sig parts are a direct swap. Only thing left norinco in mine is the frame, barrel and locking insert. And maybe the takedown lever, I can't remember. Like it has already been said, Sig mags don't fit directly. The frame is a little too long to allow a sig mag to get high enough to catch the mag catch. My solution was to throw the frame into a mill and I took off approx 0.020 off the bottom. Now sig mags fit and feed just fine.
Overall, both are great guns for their price. It's all up to personal preference.
The norc 1911 is a builders dream. You can get a pretty nice trigger pull buy just polishing and tweaking the stock parts. But like all 1911s, it can be a gun that requires tinkering once you start messing with it. I have one in 9mm and .45. My 45 is stock besides a little polishing. My 9mm is modified quite heavily. All internals replaced, about a 2.5lb trigger, some frame work and a hand fit match barrel and bushing. It now shoots much better than I'm capable of. lol
The Norc Sig is just like your typical Norc. Fit and finish isn't the best but it shoots fine. The factory double action is stupid heavy compared to a real sig. To the point it's not really fun to shoot double action. But luckily most sig parts are a direct swap. Only thing left norinco in mine is the frame, barrel and locking insert. And maybe the takedown lever, I can't remember. Like it has already been said, Sig mags don't fit directly. The frame is a little too long to allow a sig mag to get high enough to catch the mag catch. My solution was to throw the frame into a mill and I took off approx 0.020 off the bottom. Now sig mags fit and feed just fine.
Overall, both are great guns for their price. It's all up to personal preference.
What modifications would your recommend to improve the trigger pull on the NP22? I don't use the double action much, so I could care less about it. I'd like to lighten the single action pull. I am installing an SRT kit soon.
Installing a sig oem hammer spring made the trigger weights the same as a factory Sig 226. Now keep in mind that Norc uses the old style hammer strut. So you'll have to replaced the strut, spring and spring seat. But with that said, I did almost all my upgrades at once so I can't really comment on how individual upgrades will make it feel. But with the 226 design, the hammer spring is what causes the trigger weight for double action. Single action is more the friction between the moving parts and the relation between the sear and sear bent on the hammer. Polishing up any parts that move against one another will help smooth out the trigger pull and may shave off a few ounces. I'd recommend not messing with the sear mating surface unless you really know what you're doing.
Thanks. I had wondered about the change made to the type of spring and associated components.
I read on a Sig forum that some prefer Wolfe springs over Sig, because even given the same weight, 18 lbs, the Wolfe Spring doesn't bind as it compresses. Or something along those lines.
hatman1793
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Skip that chi-com reverse-engineered junk & buy a CZ pistol. Superior indigenous design, superlative engineering, you get what you pay for today.
Chi-com ripoff duplicate clones or original designs that win?
Chi-com ripoff duplicate clones or original designs that win?
Early NP22 pistols had issues with breaking frames (Aluminum alloy); Norinco has redesigned and improved the steel insert in the frame, and I have heard of no issues since. I had a NP58 and shot a lot of hot .40 S & W out of it with no issues other than it was very particular about bullet shape; it would only feed truncated cone shaped bullets consistently. Feeding does not seem to be an issue with 9MM NP22s. The trigger on the NP58 was another story. Long take-up; long reset, super heavy double action. I like the accuracy of the .40, but with the reliability issues, I upgraded to a Jericho .40. It eats everything, is superbly accurate, and the trigger in both single and double is about as good as it gets (but with Tanfoglio innards it can't help itself).
You will never wear out their 1911 either; I have one in .45 and it shoots everything well. It's trigger has only gotten better with time. I have heard also that these are a great starting point for a custom build; mine shoots so well, I can see no reason to change anything on it... including the hard rubber Norinco grips. It is a keeper!
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Well, I have a NZ85B (CZ Clone) and the only thing I have changed on it is the Grips. I put on a pair of the original CZ rubber over-molded factory grips. Between 3-4000 rounds (almost all homeloads of all types) and zero issues; much better than the SIG clone IMO. This gun is a keeper for me also.
I have both the norinco NP29 (1911 9mm single stack) and the NP22. I like both guns. The finish on my NP29 is better than the 22, both work as they should. My NP29 was temperamental with certain ammo, it really likes Blazer Brass in 124gr. For now, I prefer my 1911.
