ARMCO's Norinco 1911A1 Personal Touch

[BP7]

Not to be a spoilsport but is a .45 really a good first gun? I would think a good .22 that you can buy ammunition by the 500's for the price of a case of beer. You can learn to hit what you are aiming at and not develop a flinch doing it.

Not to say there is anything wrong with having a Norinco .45. Bought mine at $220, added a new trigger, slide release, grips, cleaned it up to break lighter and cleanly, tightened up the barrel, bushing, made some adjustable sights, a little bit of grinding.

Couldn't be happier. Need one in 9mm now.

for what it's worth, my newbie experience with a handful of handguns (thanks to a member here!!!) left me with this: 9mm is SNAPPY, the .45ACP is actually quite controllable, .38 Special in a revolver is a complete joy, and .22LR guns are thin and light (in my hands, heavier things shake less)

cost of ammo aside, i preferred shooting the .45ACP over the 9mm, and the .38 Special over either of those.

 

[RMXC51]

I fianlly got to try my Armco 1911 tonight. I think I made a good choice as it shot really well, and the experienced guys at the local club were impressed by how tight and smooth it works.

 

[enefgee]

I fianlly got to try my Armco 1911 tonight. I think I made a good choice as it shot really well, and the experienced guys at the local club were impressed by how tight and smooth it works.

No question, if you want results an Armco 1911 will give you them at the lowest possible cost.

 

[ChristopherPhoenix]

Thanks to everyone for your answers and feedback.

I like the Norinco 1911A1 that ARMco tunes, very cheap and reliable according to previous replies.
Looks are a factor for me too, although i am totally fine with the military model look the Norc has, i also like the sportier model. So i also have been thinking about a Para Expert G.I a little more expensive but has features that i am looking for.
If i do get the Norc, i would just be replacing the trigger and hammer for ghost and skeleton style. It goes with my project idea for my first gun. not to mention doing some more internal tuning and upgrading. So if i buy a Para or something else along those lines, those are parts that are already on the pistol and it might save me money in tuning.
All in all... i just want a cheap but reliable 1911 i can hammer down as much rounds as i can and get more skilled as a shooter. Then i will upgrade to the Kimber Custom II and start that project.

 

[Mr. Bean]

My first .45 is an ARMCO STI Spartan. It is a beauty! and still well under triple digits $$. Smooth light trigger and very accurate.

Cheers

 

[rdelliott]

Not to be a spoilsport but is a .45 really a good first gun? I would think a good .22 that you can buy ammunition by the 500's for the price of a case of beer. You can learn to hit what you are aiming at and not develop a flinch doing it.

Not to say there is anything wrong with having a Norinco .45. Bought mine at $220, added a new trigger, slide release, grips, cleaned it up to break lighter and cleanly, tightened up the barrel, bushing, made some adjustable sights, a little bit of grinding.

Couldn't be happier. Need one in 9mm now.

I bought a MKIII 22/45 before I bought my Armco 1911. Lovely little gun, very accurate, but I hardly ever shoot it anymore; OTOH, my wife likes it.

 

[RMXC51]

I'm really thinking now of getting a 9mm Norinco Tokarev copy and seeing what Armco can do with it.

 

[FMP]

Once I get my used 1911A1 from the EE, I plan on putting 50-100 rounds through it ( for comparison ) and sending directly to gunnar. I've pm'd many people here and every single one has nothing but great things to say about his work on their 1911.

Can't wait !!

 

[Kevin M.]

My first centerfire handgun was my Norinco 1911A1C. Taught me how to shoot and got me through my black badge course and IPSC Qualifying shoot.

It was a reliable gun, but I just sold it and bought a Kimber. It served it's purpose, but the fit and finish did leave a good bit to be desired. It is fine if you are not at all concerned with looks or quality of machining (not unusable, but not brilliant), but if you will be shooting it alot, then you will probably upgrade in the future like I have. It is a good platform if you want to do some mods yourself as well, because if you mess the gun up, it is a $350 screwup instead of $1500.00.

My .02.

 

[enefgee]

Thanks to everyone for your answers and feedback.

I like the Norinco 1911A1 that ARMco tunes, very cheap and reliable according to previous replies.
Looks are a factor for me too, although i am totally fine with the military model look the Norc has, i also like the sportier model. So i also have been thinking about a Para Expert G.I a little more expensive but has features that i am looking for.
If i do get the Norc, i would just be replacing the trigger and hammer for ghost and skeleton style. It goes with my project idea for my first gun. not to mention doing some more internal tuning and upgrading. So if i buy a Para or something else along those lines, those are parts that are already on the pistol and it might save me money in tuning.
All in all... i just want a cheap but reliable 1911 i can hammer down as much rounds as i can and get more skilled as a shooter. Then i will upgrade to the Kimber Custom II and start that project.

There are far fewer happy Para owners than there are happy Norc owners. You can get Gunnar to install a trigger, hammer or anything else you want on a Norc. Norcs will last longer and look better longer than Paras.