The New Marstar Norinco 1911A1 Commander (VIDEO UPDATE)

Ive got a Norc Commander. It was my first 1911. Good gun for the money. More fun than my glock and its still stock. Cant wait to do it up. Also remember Norcs have forged frames. Not that with modern manufacturing it matters as much yadda yadda. Its still a little tank for $400.
 
While I dont personally own any Norcs it seems like there are a lot of comments in here about the looks rather than the function. For what you pay for a Norc you really cant demand the highest standards in fit and finish, especially if the gun runs well in that condition. If those rough edges and machine/tooling marks don't hinder the function of the gun then I'd say it was still a great deal and you got what you paid for.
 
I just bought one from Al Simmons, haven't picked it up yet still waiting from transfer to be completed.
I have not taken it apart but my first impression is that it looks surprisingly good regardless of the price point.The finish on the outside at least looks like NAA's which is pretty decent in my opinion. Also the only sharp edges on mine are around the mag well but I intend to dehone it anyway since I plan on painting it black.
In comparison to the Para 1911 in the show case it has a nicer trigger. The Nork is a not that bad breaking at about 6-7 lbs (purely an estimate) but it is smooth and crisp not at all gritty as riflechair described his. The Para on the other hand is spongey and unpredictable all though it is a little lighter but not much.
The fit between the slide and frame is much tighter then the Para and has almost no movement at all when you grab the slide and wiggle it. Adjustable rear sight is tight and I am hoping it stays that way but only time and rounds downrange will tell.
I agree with NAA and will be replacing the slide release and safety with regular length and also non ambi for the safety.
I bought my Nork with the intention of playing gunsmith. I want to do a bobtail, trigger job (polish mostly), change the slide stop,oversize mag release and safety, possibly a fibre optic front site and then blast and paint.
Not looking to make a silk purse out of a sows ear but since I already have most of the parts needed my total investment should be around $600-$650 and it's a lot cheaper then ruining my Colt or Kimber if I screw it up. When finished I hope to end up with a great looking, smooth running bobtail commander.
 
hicaliber said:
I just bought one from Al Simmons, haven't picked it up yet still waiting from transfer to be completed.
I have not taken it apart but my first impression is that it looks surprisingly good regardless of the price point.The finish on the outside at least looks like NAA's which is pretty decent in my opinion. Also the only sharp edges on mine are around the mag well but I intend to dehone it anyway since I plan on painting it black.
In comparison to the Para 1911 in the show case it has a nicer trigger. The Nork is a not that bad breaking at about 6-7 lbs (purely an estimate) but it is smooth and crisp not at all gritty as riflechair described his. The Para on the other hand is spongey and unpredictable all though it is a little lighter but not much.
The fit between the slide and frame is much tighter then the Para and has almost no movement at all when you grab the slide and wiggle it. Adjustable rear sight is tight and I am hoping it stays that way but only time and rounds downrange will tell.
I agree with NAA and will be replacing the slide release and safety with regular length and also non ambi for the safety.
I bought my Nork with the intention of playing gunsmith. I want to do a bobtail, trigger job (polish mostly), change the slide stop,oversize mag release and safety, possibly a fibre optic front site and then blast and paint.
Not looking to make a silk purse out of a sows ear but since I already have most of the parts needed my total investment should be around $600-$650 and it's a lot cheaper then ruining my Colt or Kimber if I screw it up. When finished I hope to end up with a great looking, smooth running bobtail commander.
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Sounds like a great project and a good base gun! I've got a bobtail project on the back burner but I'm going to use one of the older Nork Commanders....here's a picture of another guy's bob-tailed Nork that I keep for motivation!
bobtailedNork.jpg
 
It's nice eh, I saved it from another forum a few years ago.... I guess the ambi safety is good if you are a lefty otherwise it's only good for keeping the pistol from sliding down your pants when carrying "Mexican"....:D

You can get a jig for making the frame cuts we should maybe do a group pass around of the jig here on CGN!
 
I was going to order the jig from Ed Brown's web site but it's not a secure site so I cancelled the order, I will call in the order instead.I would be willing to loan it to you for the cost of shipping both ways.The jig is only for locating the hole the hole, reshaping the frame should be straight forward using the new main spring housing as a guide.
 
Right you are, I was thinking about the jig for cutting the frame when putting on a high rise beaver tail safety....
Brownells sells the jig for around $45 and they also sell the bobtailed mainspring housings.


edit. looks like it's on back order at Brownells.
 
black sunshine said:
um looks ok on the outside.
but the rails and other inards look like crap ...
if i saw a gun in that condition ,i dont think id even take a chance firing it.
probably the worst milling job i have ever seen ...
I mean really guys , it honestly looks like its chisseled outta stone...
i haven had the chance to exanine the internals on one first hand .
are they all this cruddy .
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The funny thing about the rails is that they look rough now, and more than 5,000 rounds from now, they'll look exactly the same. Apparently it's hard to do a good job on tool steel without relatively fresh cutting heads - which is one reason it's rare to find this grade of steel in a 1911 frame.
 
I had a Norinco 1911 sport TT it was alright, got it used so for $300 couldn't complain!

Taurus 1911 before that which was a bit nicer but still left something to be desired. I now have a Sig 1911 Carry stainless and it's well worth the money.
 
Thanks for the Video RC, Does de-horning a Marstar Norinco really void the warranty? I find that hard to believe...
What else can you say about the target rear sight?
Is it a standard Bomar sight cut? Is there a set screw under the top part?
 
happiness is a warm gun said:
garbage in garbage out .......he started with a piece of s**t gun and he still has a piece of s**t gun! and I bet it shoots like s**t
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f:P:

Seriously?........

I have some high dollar gear and I also picked up a norc for a beater gun. Here's my problem, the finish on mine is pretty darn good.

You can bet all you want about how it shoots, but why cut up a guy who takes time to post pics and a video for review on his new toy. I've never understood that.
 
Because he did all that work for nothing if it doesn't group. Why do all that work on something to make it fit better and look better if you have never shot it! Its like buying a clunker, doing all the body work yet never take it for a test drive.
 
happiness has a point. I guess we'll have to wait and see. However I did the work for no other reason than to improve function, nothing else was achieved me thinks.... I certainly did nothing to improve accuracy.
 
Riflechair said:
happiness has a point. I guess we'll have to wait and see. However I did the work for no other reason than to improve function, nothing else was achieved me thinks.... I certainly did nothing to improve accuracy.
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I was not trying to put down your work. It looks very nice and you did a great job on it. If you decide to sell it, you will get very little for it. Its a Norc and will always be just a Chinese Norc. If it was a base Springfield, Para etc it would have some value on a build up. The Norcs are just not worth it.
 
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