Got the custom Nork back!!!

Unregistered said:
Now you spent more than the price of a new Norinco on improving it... It sure looks wonderful though. My main block in doing mods has been reliability - given that sometimes "improvements" can have unexpected adverse effects. When you post your range report, I would be most interested in hearing about its feeding and cycling, though given what I've seen so far, I wouldn't be surprised if its perfect after break-in.

My only other thought is that you've spent more than $1000 on that pistol. But being a Norinco, it's resale value will likely be lower than that. Was it a wise decision to build up the Norinco to this degree as opposed to buying a Kimber or something?
Click to expand...

FWIW, a new Kimber will depreciate too. Not many people build or buy a top gun for themselves expecting to recoup their investment. What do you think a Kimber you pay $2000 for at TSE is worth in the exchange forum after you put a few boxes of ammo through it? $1500? Maybe on a good day?

As for reliability, I function tested the gun with all the internals fitted and the trigger job completed before Jason finalized the work. It worked 100% reliably with all the ammo I tried and shot to point of aim. Everything after the function test was cosmetic, so it should work just as well now unless blueing and polishing exterior surfaces affects something I'm not aware of.

Also, I bought this gun like 5 years ago and enjoyed it now and then for all that time before I had it rebuilt. It had more than paid for itself. Now it's like new again and is a whole different piece of kit. In that sense, it only cost me the labor and parts - less than the cost of a new Colt rollmark. To me it was more than worth it. To someone else... well, you'd have to ask them!
 
One interesting gripe I will make about this gun as I bought it originally: For some odd reason, this gun was blasted matte on the flat surfaces and polished on the edges ??? A big part of the money I paid in redoing the gun was having this reversed - blasting the edges and polishing the flats like a dual-textured 1911 is SUPPOSED to be finished. What was Norinco thinking???

I think though that the later Norinco rollmark guns are different though and also have lowered and flared ejection ports right from the factory.

I also suppose that even if they had done it right, Iwould still have gottne the gun's outside refinished like this as Jason;s work is SOOO much better than the factory work.
 
Well you've put forth a convincing argument. BTW can you post a jpg of the sight picture if possible? I'd like to see how the stock sights can be best improved. Also, did you say you got it done at this place:
http://www.armco-guns.com/labour.htm

I don't have enought money for a fancy job like yours at the moment, but I might want to turn my stock Norinco into something that can shoot 2.5" groups at 25 yards. What do you think I would need for that? A trigger job at the very least.
 
No, I didn;t use Armoco (though Armco does fine work), I used Gunco (no website) - mostly because I know Jason's work first-hand and he's close by.

I'll try to do some new pics tonight, such as sight picture and front sight installation for those who asked.

If you just want the Norinco to shoot good and don't need cosmetics, there are easier ways to go. The mods I'de recommend "on the cheap" are:

1) Trigger job. You can even use the Norinco parts as the steel in them is good and they hold a good polish if done properly.
2) Sights. The stock sight picture SUCKS. Easiest (and cheapest) way to get a good sight picture is to drop in an adjsutable rear sight that uses the Norinco dovetail (like the Pachmayr drop-in adjustable rear I have for sale in the EE forum right now - shameless plug!). this sight will work with the stock front sight if you bottom out the adjustment, but sight picture will be WAY better if you replace the front sight with a taller and slightly wider front sight. Marstar sells some inexpensive tenon sights that will improve things ALOT. Using a tennon sight will keep costs down - dovetail milling is expensive.
3) Bushing. The Norinco bushing is built liek a USGI bushing to handle mud, sand, etc. Not great for precision paper punching. Get a Wilson or Ed Brown drop-in match bushing. Your groups off a rest will shrink right away.

I view the above mods as the most critical in terms of improving accuracy. Almost everything else you can do to the gun will bring diminishing returns in all honesty. But then, there's alot to be said for the satisfaction of owning and shooting an aesthetically pleasing 1911 too...
 
Almost forgot to add: your VERY FIRST purchase should be some new Wilson Rogers 1911 mags. Either 7 or 8 rounders will suffice. Accept NO substitute. Throwing away the Norinco mags, along with any other non-Wilson mags you might have accumulated will pay dividends in feed reliability over the life of your 1911. Learn from my experience on this one folks...

I view 1911 shooting in terms of two distinct eras:

BW and AW. "Before Wilson [mags] and After Wilson [mags]". :!:
 
OK, as requested, here is a pic of the front sight installation and a pic of the sight picture - unfortunately the front sight didn't turn out right in the pic, but when aimed, the front sight nearly fills the rear sight notch.

The slight indent seen at the rear of the sight is what's left of the flat Norinco milled for the tang site. It's not as obvious in person, but hte lighting really showed it out in the pics.
2005824181434_fsight.JPG

And here is the rear sight pic:
2005824181444_sightpic2.JPG
 
My Nork's 7 years old, I shoot it a lot and it's never let me down. I did all the work on it myself except for the installation of the sights. :)
Yeh, I probably spent more than I should have..but I learned a LOT about 1911's in the process, and also learned my "gunsmithing" limits.

Nork1911.jpg
 
You have a nice looking gun, no doupt. The attention to details is definitely there.

As for the economical side of it, is up to you to do what you want with your money !!

You are probably over a $1000 by now. The barrel remain a mill spec Norinco and I just hope for you that it shoot and function well. Personnally I would not have spend that kind of money on it. A S&W 1911 is selling around $1250 and a Springfield 1911 Stainless fully loaded with adjustable sight are selling $1150 at our shooting club ( CTVSP in Montreal ). Kimbers are in stock at Dante Inc., about $1450.

Life is made of choices, be good or bad. The only important thing, is that YOU are happy with it. Have fun. Again, nice gun. :wink:
 
Nice mods on all the Norcs here...

Can anyone "ballpark" the cost of having a 'smith do a new foresight job on a Norc slide? I handed my 1911A1 on to my wife... (Not because it's a Norc - Honestly, I do believe that the Norinco is as nicely made and assembled as the majority of 1911s I have handled... I just bought it because it was an inexpensive 1911, and discovered that I just don't "get" the design. My metaphor is kind of like those people who like Harley Davidson motorcycles... You are welcome to them, I just don't understand why you'd want to putter around on that uncomfortable, noisy, unreliable, EXPENSIVE and inefficient (45 rear wheel HP???????????) thing when there are SO many better products on the market... BUT - Hey, you like it, so good on ya'!

:lol:

Sorry, I digress. Anyway, yes, my beloved is doing okay with the Norc, but would certainly like some bigger sights. I'm just wondering if it is worthwhile to get the sights replaced, or now that she's had some trigger time, whether we should be looking at a new gun...

Again, beautiful work on the above guns!!
 
Hmmm wilson 47d mags (the best you can buy ) throw 2 of them in to the total (50.00 each ) Ok well i think you have got about 1500.00 into that pistol. I hope it shoots as good as it looks !
 
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