Bought my first AR (Norinco)

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SteveD

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I just purchased my first AR, a Norinco CQ-A 14.5" bbl from SFRC.

I was slightly hesitant to purchase strictly from a aesthetics perspective but I have to say this rifle has very few 'machining marks' that I've found yet. In fact other than the branding stamp and the flattop receiver it would be hard to pick apart the differences between this and the C8 I used to carry.

Haven't been to the range yet, waiting on ATT but I'll add a range report (in like 6 weeks once I have the ATT... *sigh*).

My reasons for purchasing a Chinese knockoff:

-They have a good reputation for function and accuracy
-I don't like all the rails, gizmo's, and bling found on a lot of the Canadian brands. All I need is a flattop for possible optics
-I never go to the states, so bbl length isn't a concern for me
-Dirt cheap.. $675 brand new
-Added bonus, the safety is ambi

I have some doubts about the bluing as it seems more like a top-coat rather than the staining style found on the C7/8, and may be more prone to chipping. Only time will tell. Some light scratches came as a 'feature' :)

Obligatory pics (yup, its an AR...):
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Good purchase in my opinion. I was think about selling mine and just running my DPMS....but screw it, it works and is accurate enough for me. Besides, they are so cheap new, I can't really ask for much on resale.

I've replaced the grip and stock, added single point sling mount, optics and muzzle break. I'll likely go with FF handguard some time in the future.....maybe...in don't know....depends.

While you are waiting for your ATT, order up some Pmag and/or LARs from Questar or other board retailers. The mags that come with the norc do not seem to work well on all accounts. One of my two is pure garbage and causes a lot a stoppages. It stays home. Also, you might want to consider honing your trigger with the paracord trigger job. Do a search on that here and/or the Service Rifle forum. Makes a nice improvement on how crisp it is. Basically you cause advanced wear on the trigger to break it in an get rid of rough spots.
 
We have two of them. ZERO malfunctions! Very happy with our two!

Cheers
Jay

Here's HER'S... With PINK furniture!!! I swear it IS the greatest shooting sport ambassador! ALL the ladies @ the range want to try the PINK gun!!!
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Here's MINE...
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The finish isn't the greatest on them, but they are reliable.

Just make sure you clean it VERY well before you take it to the range, I've heard some horror stories about how they come packaged (stuff in the lower, barrel).
 
Thanks for the comments guys, I preemptively included why I bought a Chinese knock-off to hopefully keep the anti-commie gun comments away and it may have worked!

I'm thinking of purchasing some optics, and I like the size/form/magnification of the Burris AR-332 but don't have any experience with it, other than that the rifle will stay stock on the outside (just like my car :) )

Bolivar said:
While you are waiting for your ATT, order up some Pmag and/or LARs from Questar or other board retailers. The mags that come with the norc do not seem to work well on all accounts. One of my two is pure garbage and causes a lot a stoppages. It stays home. Also, you might want to consider honing your trigger with the paracord trigger job. Do a search on that here and/or the Service Rifle forum. Makes a nice improvement on how crisp it is. Basically you cause advanced wear on the trigger to break it in an get rid of rough spots.
Click to expand...

I ordered 4x LAR mags with the rifle, forgot to mention that. In fact if there wasn't a 10 round mag option, I wouldn't actually have purchased an AR. Rifle mag restrictions have held me back for about 5 years. I just stumbled across a thread about a month ago mentioning the LAR mags and within 5 days I had ordered the AR!

I'll take a look at the trigger job, but the trigger feels pretty crisp right now, I'll see how it is at the range then go from there.

Jay said:
We have two of them. ZERO malfunctions! Very happy with our two!

Cheers
Jay

Here's HER'S... With PINK furniture!!! I swear it IS the greatest shooting sport ambassador! ALL the ladies @ the range want to try the PINK gun!!!
photo-302.JPG


Here's MINE...
photo-292.JPG
Click to expand...

lol, awesome.

Are those stripper clips (and assumed speed loader) salvaged from a range at some point, or do you have a line on them? I really miss those...


shredder said:
The finish isn't the greatest on them, but they are reliable.

Just make sure you clean it VERY well before you take it to the range, I've heard some horror stories about how they come packaged (stuff in the lower, barrel).
Click to expand...

Mine was surprisingly clean, came in a sealed plastic bag with some weird white grease on the end of the barrel and some (cotton?) swabs stuck in random places. I think its typically the SKS's that get dunked in bacon fat before they get shipped over :)

Either way I gave it a good cleaning/inspection. I've always said if there's one skill the CF provides that transfers to civvy land, its janitorial :)
 
Mine arrived from Leverarms in Vancouver in plastic with no grease covering, ready to use out of the box with just a few bits of cloth stuffed in places to remove.

Not quite a hundred rounds through it yet but no stoppage issues at all, its very accurate and a joy to use.
 
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