1911 guru's...I need your insight.

[Painkillers]

The saga continues:

This Norinco/Nighthawk Commander is going to be the end of my last nerve. I took it to the range today with 3 magazines (all 7 rounders) and a couple hundred rounds of 230 gn, brass cased ball ammo.
Gun was clean and lubed prior to first rounds.
I started with the Chinese Norinco Magazine. I insert the mag on an open slide and slingshot the gun...nope, the round is shoved nose first into the barrel ramp. I clear the gun and note the mag lips are holding the rounds slightly more horizontally than the other two mags (Mec Gar).

I insert a Ruger MecGar mag on an open slide, and slingshot. It chambers and runs that magazine. Perfect!
I insert the other MecGar mag on an open slide and slingshot. It chambers. I fire and the slide is locked partially open at the rear of the mag. An unfired round is in the chamber. I clear the magazine and the live round in the chamber and top off the magazine with that round. I insert the magazine on an open slide, slingshot it and again, the slide stops dead at the rear of the magazine (slide partially open), with a live round in the chamber.

The gun appears to "bump" a round out of the mag, and the slide stops dead at the magazine...guys, I'm stumped. The slide should be shearing a round off the magazine as it closes to battery...this thing is bumping them out of the magazine like curling rocks.

Any insight appreciated.

 

[ShrtRnd]

Have you considered replacing your mag springs? It/they maybe weak not allowing the follower to sit properly thereby allowing the round not to sit properly going into the ramp and allowing the second one to creep forward causing the partial slide locks you mention.

 

[Painkillers]

Have you considered replacing your mag springs? It/they maybe weak not allowing the follower to sit properly thereby allowing the round not to sit properly going into the ramp and allowing the second one to creep forward causing the partial slide locks you mention.

The one mag, the Ruger, is a brand new magazine. Maybe a year old.

 

[derek2007]

My money is on the Extractor. Sounds like it's worn or doesn't have enough tension.

I had a similar issue on my Norinco Commander double feed and jam with high end ammo.

I removed the extractor and gave it a little Bend popped it back in and ran great until gifted it to my new pal buddy before commie rule in Canada.

Was the extractor changed or still OG Norinco?

 

[derek2007]

They make tools and jigs for this but I just used vise grips and a small adjustable on the front half and adjusted it a little to grab stronger. Worked perfectly for me

 

[Painkillers]

It's a Nighthawk extractor, I can give it more tension.

Thanks.

 

[barsik]

I wonder if your magazine catch is the cause? maybe that little spring is broken or the screw somehow backed itself out.

 

[marshall]

Stick a finger under the mag and push up while shooting, I have seen mags sitting too low and will jam the ammo into a poor fitted barrel to frame.
if your finger catches on the barrel ramp, ammo will also. Not a good practice to palm the mag, see it with new shooters sometimes before training.
I have never used much of that Al. ammo, but when I did , I had no problem, but I was running a clark barrel in mine.

The main problem with the Norinco guns where usally the crappy mags, but at the price these use to ne new, they usally ran OK. ( with hardball ammo).

 

[marlin58]

Norinco quite frankly is garbage tried some of the Chinese garbage before never again... I have had a Colt Commander for many many years and never a single issue

 

[Meroh]

I would start with the ammo. Lots of firearms have issues with aluminum cases, perhaps your Ruger is one that can feed it, and the Norinco not.

Aluminum is never as slick as brass, maybe some aluminum building up on the mags? Have you tried the Nork mags in your Ruger?

 

[Meroh]

When it's running, it's a fun gun. I had every intent to bobtail it.
After a few mags of fireballs, the purple-ish slide, that's made out of some c ock hard chinesium, turns to a really cool hickey colour around the muzzle. I should give it more love and range time than I do. The trigger is nothing short of amazing.

I have a nork, full size with adjustable target sights and satin chrome finish. I only run home-loads; and it never fails. I run two Nork mags and two Remington Mags. I sometimes use it for IDPA just for fun, and it is so easy to shoot well!! What you call "chinesium" is most likely Canadian train track rails, bought as scrap from Canada. Tougher than a boiled owl.

 

[XCR User]

My guess would be the ammo. I have had issues with Blazer Aluminum in 9mm,10mm and 45. I just steer clear of it now unless it is too cheap to pass on.

I personally agree with most of the posters on Aluminum Ammunition (Cheap yes.. Function Questionable) I hear most semi automatics have issues with it including rifles. Personally I would blow off whatever you have in a non semi auto rifle or handgun and not buy it in the future.

 

[jcpal]

I have always had issues with that ammo

 

[Painkillers]

I have a nork, full size with adjustable target sights and satin chrome finish. I only run home-loads; and it never fails. I run two Nork mags and two Remington Mags. I sometimes use it for IDPA just for fun, and it is so easy to shoot well!! What you call "chinesium" is most likely Canadian train track rails, bought as scrap from Canada. Tougher than a boiled owl.

The steel is remarkably tough (I've never tried to boil an owl, I usually broil them ). I bought this way back during I think it was the Marstar craze; $300 got you a 1911 (Gov. or Commander-I don't think they had Officer?) and a 1000 rounds of Chinese .45 acp shipped for free. The ammo alone...anyhow, I don't believe there is so much as a scratch on it. I don't think it can be scratched with normal handling.

The slide and frame took the bluing differently and I believe are different steels. The frame is blued black, as stated, the slide is a dark blue plum/purple, and reacts when heated by shooting. A super cool effect. While some guys bought dozens of these gun packages back in the day, I couldn't afford to. I bought one package, and picked up a solitary Government model, second hand, yet unfired, off a guy. We were swimming in Chinese 1911's at the time, I think I paid $250 shipped for the Government. It has drift rear sight, standard staked post up front.

My Government doesn't have this blue plum/purple slide. That steel seems to be consistent in the frame and slide if bluing is an indicator, and is also tough as a boil owl.

This thread has two range sessions with the Commander, and on this last session I didn't bring the SR1911 with me, so verifying the Chinese mag in it wasn't an option, but you offer an excellent suggestion. Next time I go, I'll bring both guns.

 

[Painkillers]

Norinco quite frankly is garbage tried some of the Chinese garbage before never again... I have had a Colt Commander for many many years and never a single issue

Thanks. As mentioned, this gun was built with Nighthawk components. I believe the vast majority of my Chinese Government model components are stock, and while I don't shoot it as often as I should, it hasn't given me any issues...yet.

 

[marshall]

The few Ruger I have seen used a different mag to standard 1911, the front end has more squared off corners.
I sold a few commanders, Dominion Arms was bringing them in under there trade name , model np27 I think.
they where a two toned gun, blk slide silver frame. They all seemed to run just fine, I never had any comebacks.
$300 tax included.

 

[NAA]

I have this Norc compact [commander] .45ACP that I picked up out of the LGS quite a few years back. In the evolution of the Norc pistols this is a later one. Gotta say it's run like a champ right outta the box.

The only thing I replaced on it are the grips & screws; trigger & swapped out the extended slide stop for a standard one. It even feeds 200 gr JHP's flawlessly. Also, no problems with any of the factory mags or aftermarket I've used in it.



--------------
NAA.

 

[Meroh]

The steel is remarkably tough (I've never tried to boil an owl, I usually broil them ). I bought this way back during I think it was the Marstar craze; $300 got you a 1911 (Gov. or Commander-I don't think they had Officer?) and a 1000 rounds of Chinese .45 acp shipped for free. The ammo alone...anyhow, I don't believe there is so much as a scratch on it. I don't think it can be scratched with normal handling.

The slide and frame took the bluing differently and I believe are different steels. The frame is blued black, as stated, the slide is a dark blue plum/purple, and reacts when heated by shooting. A super cool effect. While some guys bought dozens of these gun packages back in the day, I couldn't afford to. I bought one package, and picked up a solitary Government model, second hand, yet unfired, off a guy. We were swimming in Chinese 1911's at the time, I think I paid $250 shipped for the Government. It has drift rear sight, standard staked post up front.

My Government doesn't have this blue plum/purple slide. That steel seems to be consistent in the frame and slide if bluing is an indicator, and is also tough as a boil owl.

This thread has two range sessions with the Commander, and on this last session I didn't bring the SR1911 with me, so verifying the Chinese mag in it wasn't an option, but you offer an excellent suggestion. Next time I go, I'll bring both guns.

Certainly, the steel may be different, or, maybe slides and frames were made by two different plants, and brought together for assembly. I think the Nork 1911 was likely one of their two best pistols, the other is the NZ85B, a cz/sphinx clone. I bought it based on reviews with the thought that if I liked it, I would buy a "real" CZ75; damn thing shot so well, I never bothered. The grips were crappy, but I got a pair of CZ take off ones, the overmoulded rubber ones. Fit perfectly, as do the internals that I have replaced. Feeds like a million bucks and shoots like a laser. I had a NP58 in .40 S&W, lots of feeding issues.

 

[maple_leaf_eh]

Lots of oil on the moving parts. Any JMB design needs to run wet. In fact, the wetter the better. If I had a choice when I was on an Army pistol team, I left my BHP all carboned up and poured more light machine oil on it.