I recently bought a very nice Colt Gold Cup. Judging by the wear marks, it had been shot very little.
I own a number of Norinco 1911s in a variety of calibers, and they all shoot well. Most shot well right out the box, although most got new grips, new sights and some trigger work. The Norcs were available in two versions, the old and the new style. The new style, called the Sport, were the first ones we bought. A friend and I each bought one. I got a 2 tone. He got the all blue. These are the models with the forward slide grooves. Both shot very well, immediately.
There is no doubt the Colt is much better finished, inside and out. It is also tighter, and has a better trigger. But does it shoot any better than a Norinco? I can shoot fairly well. The group above was shot 2 handed, standing, at 25 yards. In my youth I could do a lot better than that. But to compare the two pistols fairly, I dug out a Ransom Rest.
I then shot the Gold Cup and a pair of Norincos. The 2-tone Norc and also the older model than is rough finished and lacks the "Made in China" marking. These pistols were sold of in a promotional bundle with a case of ammo. I bought a number of them from guys who wanted he ammo, not the pistols. I paid $200 to $225 for them. Some got changed to other calibers, like 460 Rowland and 7.62x25.
So how does a $200 Norinco compare to a $1,200 Colt Gold Cup?
For a Ransom Rest, these are not good groups. The rest was C-clamped to a wood shooting bench with a 1/2" top. I assume the bench is not as solid as it should be for this job.
I own a number of Norinco 1911s in a variety of calibers, and they all shoot well. Most shot well right out the box, although most got new grips, new sights and some trigger work. The Norcs were available in two versions, the old and the new style. The new style, called the Sport, were the first ones we bought. A friend and I each bought one. I got a 2 tone. He got the all blue. These are the models with the forward slide grooves. Both shot very well, immediately.
There is no doubt the Colt is much better finished, inside and out. It is also tighter, and has a better trigger. But does it shoot any better than a Norinco? I can shoot fairly well. The group above was shot 2 handed, standing, at 25 yards. In my youth I could do a lot better than that. But to compare the two pistols fairly, I dug out a Ransom Rest.
I then shot the Gold Cup and a pair of Norincos. The 2-tone Norc and also the older model than is rough finished and lacks the "Made in China" marking. These pistols were sold of in a promotional bundle with a case of ammo. I bought a number of them from guys who wanted he ammo, not the pistols. I paid $200 to $225 for them. Some got changed to other calibers, like 460 Rowland and 7.62x25.
So how does a $200 Norinco compare to a $1,200 Colt Gold Cup?
For a Ransom Rest, these are not good groups. The rest was C-clamped to a wood shooting bench with a 1/2" top. I assume the bench is not as solid as it should be for this job.
