New Norinco M305

From the photos I'd say definitely send it back for an exchange. .

X2

Barrel indexing is retardedly off, good luck on zeroing this without having to waste your windage adjustment on your rear site. that much tilt is gonna torque your op rod like a MOFO, i would bet it dislodges from the reciever on a good cocking pull. If you keep this gun your already in a couple hundred for reindexing.

If the bolt has more then 1/16th inch play I woun't fire it, mine blew up in my face from exsesive headpace with about 3/32 play.

This is why I'm getting out of the norc m305's. I'm so sick of the crapy cunstruction and having to blow $1500 to make it a decent rifle thats still a norc. A good m14 only costs a few hundred more in the firt place and is much better. I have my LRB M25 in manufacturing right now and man does the action ride much smoother on those rifles. Even if you replace everything with USGI parts a norc isn't as smooth as an LRB because the milling on the norc reciever is rough and lose.
 
While the rifle being discussed certainly needs to be sent back; I disagree that you have to spend $1500 on a Norc- I've only upgraded the ORSG and I'm getting 2.5" groups at 80m....with open sights. My Norc would drop anything out to (easily) 150m with open sights- given that most game is shot at under 150M I reckon I'm good to go.....
 
well then you sir are lucky, between myself and friends (6 rifles) I have yet to get a good one. The best one, my latest shorty was tight 2.5 moa for about 150 rounds before it ratled lossy goosy and the triger failed. I've seen bad barrels, worse bolts, gas systems that need another shim after each range trip, stocks that need heavy modification, rear sites that fall apart or fail to hold zero no matter how much lock tite you use. The average "upgrade" includes a new bolt, barrel, rear sites, shims, op rod spring guide .
wow your already over the cost of a basic springfield and breaking into LRB Territory. and a triger job either via a new usgi hammer and triger or a whole new triger group. the bolt and barrel is $700, so thats $700 +450 for the rifle, then $200 to get a gunsmith to install it and check headspace. $1350, shims $15, rear sites $100, new gas system $200, new flash supressor if yours doen't survive breaking the welds to do any of these repairs $85, trigger parts $30, new triger group $200. Then the nicities, a new stock $200, op rod $180, op rod spring guide $35.
wow your already over the cost of a basic springfield and breaking into LRB Territory.
 
Wow!! Looks like I dodged a bullet when I bought mine.
I havent changed a thing on mine The iron sights were leaning so far to the right they would have made Hitler smile. Solution, got a scope.
The stock was way to small for my liking so I swapped it out for an Archangel. My bolt rattles like a charity colection can, so does everyone elses.
Attended one of Hungrys clinics bought some loctite and beat the crap out of all mating surfaces and glued it back together, nice and tight.
Started handloading and now my groups are comfortably hovering around 1 to 1,5 MOA.
Put nearly 1500 rounds thru it this year and the only FTE I had were with new in the box American Eagle.
Spent an 8 hour shift at work dry firing the trigger group, smoother than the wifes ass now.

Seems to me that there certainly are some bad ones out there, but the decent ones are a hell of a deal at the price.
I bought the Norc because of the price, and have no intentions of upgrading anything at all.
Its a bit like buying a Hyundai and expecting it to run like Mustang

It is what it is, a cheap little bang stick....and a :bigHug::bigHug::bigHug::bigHug: load of fun :)
 
Yup, so far it would appear that I've got lucky- but having said that the Norc's sold over here in New Zealand have had few reported issues so we must have got the good ones?
 
While the rifle being discussed certainly needs to be sent back; I disagree that you have to spend $1500 on a Norc- I've only upgraded the ORSG and I'm getting 2.5" groups at 80m....with open sights. My Norc would drop anything out to (easily) 150m with open sights- given that most game is shot at under 150M I reckon I'm good to go.....

Who the frig said "you had too" I said I did...
 
I love my norc. To the OP, as suggested before I would say you have an indexing problem with your rifle. It is an easy fix at a clinic or with some one in the know. (I would not pay a gunsmith to do it unless you have no other option).

The tooling marks on the flash hider are pretty rough though..

On my 14, i had non working rear sights (replaced with Grand sights.), a bent flash hider(USGI replaced) and an indexing problem about the same as yours. To which I met up with Hungry and have reindexed it. And I love it now, it will stay 2" atleast with crappy hand loads at 100yards. And iv never had any FTF or FTE.

If you can return it, might be a good idea to do that and try another one. Norcs seem to be hit and miss, some are great and some can be a pain in the ass. I would say yours is easily fixable by the right person, but not worth taking to a gunsmith and spending $200.
 
Well.....I'm certainly cooling off on my lust for one of these, thanks to this and similar posts. Certainly would not mail order one. I'll see if Wolverine has a decent looking one in Brandon. ..and then hope there are no hidden issues.... I've no desire to get into building silk purses, or worrying about blowing myself up if I don't.
 
Don't listen to the neigh sayers.

The m305 is an excellent platform for two things. One, a cheap but power full fun gun
Two, a build platform.

My basic $400 rifle plus $1200 in accessories has put my gun on par with the $2300 rifles made by the states

People need to know what they are buying and what they are buying it for.



The problem is -- in my case -- If I try to "fix up" this crappy looking "new" rifle, I'd still have a rifle that looked like it was assembled by someone who just came off a bender AND I would have sunk more money into it.

Kind of like putting fancy big rims and a spoiler on 1.5L Honda Civic with crooked doors and saying it was a Lexus sports car.

Sounds more like a money pit. Not as good a deal as I had hoped.

Had I known that the rifle I would receive would have looked like this, I would not have purchased it. For the same reason, I don't buy anything that has the disclaimer "Sold As Is". I had no intention of purchasing a "fixer-upper"

I'm glad those of you who have the inclination to tinker with things enjoy working on "fixer-uppers". It's just not for me and not what I intended to do with this purchase.
 
Last edited:
Looks underindexed--not tightened enough.
Got a pic with bolt locked back showing chamber?

Here are some photos of the chamber:

8248460369_1436bff9ae_b.jpg


8249526772_14a6fb931a_b.jpg


8248460595_1f03c2a0b3_b.jpg


8248460745_ceb01d0bf9_b.jpg
 
Question about the bolt lugs. Can anyone foresee a problem with the left bolt lug not sitting flat against its matching surface on the receiver?

8248460457_6b332d33c3_b.jpg
 
Well I wanted a black semi. Most out there were around 3k and restricted. Plus you would still have to stick money into them.


I am happy with my low cost, non restricted, alternative.

There is literally tonnes of info on these rifles all over this sight and the internet. So you didn't do your homework, now you blame the gun.

Yes your gun looks a little rougher then most
 
Are you sure you don't have an older version? Mine doesn't exhibit any of the rough features than the one in the pictures above.

If you picked it up new try exchanging it. I think yours is an exceptionally rough misaligned rifle.

I would say take it back to the vendor
 
Well.....I'm certainly cooling off on my lust for one of these, thanks to this and similar posts. Certainly would not mail order one. I'll see if Wolverine has a decent looking one in Brandon. ..and then hope there are no hidden issues.... I've no desire to get into building silk purses, or worrying about blowing myself up if I don't.

Sounds good, more for the rest of us.
 
Question about the bolt lugs. Can anyone foresee a problem with the left bolt lug not sitting flat against its matching surface on the receiver?

8248460457_6b332d33c3_b.jpg

uneven lugs, another staple of a norinco, that will open the group right up.... but I would be more worried about the barrel coming off the reciever at an angle. that cannot be fixed and is a bad reciever. I can't be sure because Im not holding the rifle myself but in that picture When I took a strait edge to it I can see it coming out at a angle to the right.
 
Back
Top Bottom