Norinco .40 S&W vs Norinco 1911'Commander' .45 ACP

Well there is no 40 S&W Norinco 1911 being produced. Norinco only makes a NP-40 CZ copy in 40 S&W. They do however make 2 1911 models in 9MM a NP-29 1911 A1 model and i think NP-28 double stack model.

I had a 45 ACP 1911 A1 model and i really liked it. They need to be tuned up by a gunsmith first to really appreciate them. A great Beginner or WW2 Colectors pistol. 45 ACP is more expensive to shoot and reload than 40 S&W.

I own a Dark 40, which is a .40 Caliber double stack 1911 style pistol. It is made by the same company that makes norinco pistols but is specially manufactured for, and designed by Rodger Kotanko of Dark International, based in Ontario.

Way better quality and completely gone over, tightened, smoothed, polished re-blued when Rodger receives it. Most people customize it so that it is IPSC ready. A totally loaded totally customized version is the same price as a Para Ordnance new stock plus 3 times stronger and harder steel. And is on the same level as an STI pistol in craftsmanship.

I have a Dark 40 1911 thread in the pistols and revolvers forum section. list all options and have pics. It's worth a look.

Thanks.

Here's the link. Copy and paste.

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=222687

Or: darkinternational.com
 
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Just confused as to why anyone would have a want to buy some thing "new" that has to be sent to the smiths'?

Why not save up a bit longer and go with a sig or a glock? Or even a para ordnace.. Just never hear too much good about anything comming out of norinco.
 
that's easy- factory pistols are mass produced, and after a cursory inspection, shipped- kind of like the way your car comes off the transporter-
where you buy it from- some smiths , like armco( gunnar) and dark( roger) take the time to go over every rifle/pistol they ship, and "fine tune" all the rough spots out- they also won't ship a gun that doesn't meet their exacting standards- you may pay a little more, but it's worth it
as far as the quality of the norcs themselves, you haven't been listening to the right people- and there's those in every manufacturer
 
Why buy a Norc

In ref to the last post, I would say that if you compare any out of the box 1911 to a Norinco you would arrive at the same conclusion - it is going to need a trip to the gun doctor to bring the trigger down a reasonable pull, and depending on the Norc it might need a beaver tail to make it more pleasurable to shoot, not to mention that the sites on a standard 1911 leave some what to desire esp as you hit the bifocal age.

Having said all that you can take a Norc and get all that done and still have some money in your pocket vs buying any other new 1911.

Buy the Norc 1911 in 9 40 or 45 and have at her. as long as your happy with it it just don't matter.
 
blasterbailey said:
Just confused as to why anyone would have a want to buy some thing "new" that has to be sent to the smiths'?

Why not save up a bit longer and go with a sig or a glock? Or even a para ordnace.. Just never hear too much good about anything comming out of norinco.
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All including the norinco are adequate. What people are doing is sending the gun to a smith to turn an adequate pistol into an extraordinary one.
 
blasterbailey said:
Just confused as to why anyone would have a want to buy some thing "new" that has to be sent to the smiths'?

Why not save up a bit longer and go with a sig or a glock? Or even a para ordnace.. Just never hear too much good about anything comming out of norinco.
Click to expand...

Not just Norinco, people buy 10-22 need modiflcation, a lot of people also sent their expensive revolver or 1911 to do a trigger job inorder to bring the trigger pull a little bit lighter. Norinco 1911 just give you a good and solid platform to start with.

Trigun
 
Here's my $0.02...

I've fired my buddies norc 1911 and it was ok, and I've fired my NP40 which seems better overall (to me).

I'm more accurate with the NP40 and there is much less "snap" to it (i know, comparing .40 to .45). At the same time, I prefer the .40 over my 9mm. Go figure.

I've had no feed/fire problems with my NP40 to date. Could be just my luck...

Best advice I can offer, is if you have the chance, take both out to a range and fire at least 100 rnds through each before you buy (firing 0-10 rounds tells you next to nothing, I think). Might come down to which feels better in the hand (your hand that is).

Cheers
 
The last batch of Norinco 1911 Commanders came with a extended beaver tail, and a very nice finish. The plus of the 1911, is there are tons of upgrades for it and you can have a super nice pistol for very little. The downside is .45acp is expensive to buy and you should be reloading if you are going to shoot it.

The NP-40 is decent pistol, the biggest problem with the CZclones is that the price differance from the real CZ is not much, so it does not make a lot of sense to do any upgrades to it. The Nork CZ copies are not exactly the same and you may have a harder time finding holsters for them. I hope the next batch of norks coming over have better sights as this is the one area all of the nork pistols lack in. Norinco quality continues to improve every year without a significant increase in price.
 
I have no issues whatsoever with my Armco tuned Norc Commander, it feeds, handles, shoots and ejects as well or better than any pistol I have owned (and I've owned a few pistols). It is also tighter than many "brand name" pistols. Every functional part on the pistol is Norinco, except the sights. The trigger breaks at 3 1/2 pounds clean and the pistol shoots better than I do. One of the short comings of Norinco pistols out of the box is that they appear to have no final cleaning and polishing, I've found that a lot of the problems people have with Norcs could be solved by properly cleaning them before going to the range. I had one Norc 45 that actually had grit inside the mag release assembly. Same goes with the finish, take the dull, sort of ugly, blueing and use some Flitz metal polish on it and you'll find there's actually a nice even blueing job under all of the crap.
 
Norinco stories

karansinghgill said:
did you get them fixed before shooting or they were good out of the box

thanx for rpl.
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The NP40 came used, apparently with low rounds. It did not appear to need any fixing, and worked very well. It was more accurate than the 1911A1,but I sold it because it didn't fit my hand.

The .45 1911A1 was my first center-fire pistol and became a project. It has been a learning experience, which means that I have spent more time and expense than is worth-while, but I have learned something about 1911-A1s.

Out of the box, it worked well, with no issues,except the casings ejected 30 feet while firing factory ammo and both plastic grips were cracked from over-tightening at the factory. This last was not a problem as I wanted to add Hogue wrap around rubber grips. They have been a complete success as they fit well and aren't affected by rain or sweaty hands.
The ejection issues were solved by adding Wolff springs and loading some softer ammo.

The next issue was the sights. The factory sights are an exact replica of the originals, which are very poor, especially for older eyes.
I put a Hi-Viz fiber-optic front sight on it, only to find that the rear sight was now useless (too narrow, too low). I then added an adjustable rear sight which is the source of the current problems because they will not hold zero. I think I've solved that issue, and will have no more problems.(I hope)

What have I gained by all this? On a positive note, a gun that I know very well, and will shoot near where I point. On the negative side, a cheap gun that has cost me time and trouble and is not worth much more than I paid for it, especially because it's now "used", not "NIB". I will hang on to this one, not for its great value, but because I do like it!

There is no such thing as a free lunch. Buy the best you can afford and it will cost less in the long run. A very experienced shooter told me to see what the best guys are running, and buy that. Don't commit the same mistakes they did. Good luck,
Geoff
 
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