Nickel Norc 1911, should I buy?

Bobby Ironsights

Bobby Ironsights

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Hi, my GF, is buying me a belated birthday present, a .45 auto 1911. I'd tenatively decided to get a nickel 1911.

I'm wondering, does anyone have an opinion on the nickel finish on these guns? I like shiny guns, but I know that shiny can highlight flaws in poorly polished metal.

Also, I noticed one of the models featured a "full length guide rod". Is that important on a 1911?

This will be my first autoloader. Up until now I've been entirely into wheelguns, both single and double action, and I don't expect Dan Wesson accuracy or finish out of norc's but I have heard they are good value for a poor university student.
 
Not only flaws in the base polish but also if the prep for the nickel isn't done just right it can lead to bubbling and lifting over time. And then it just looks scabby.

Polished stainless may be a better option but either polished stainless or nickel from a better known line means bigger bucks than the Norc lineup.

Perhaps the two of you could sit down and shop the used lineups for the right one? The price would be close or perhaps equal to the Norc but with a plating that has better known aging longevity or issues.

Or pick up a basic blued Norc and make it into a project gun that you strip to bare metal, then selectively polish or bead blast to a nice combination of surfaces and then have the parts nickel plated by a chroming shop?
 
Ok, I'm convinced. The word "project gun" brings to mind those two .32 single action revolvers I need to deal with, the aquarium stand I need to finish building, the fact I haven't vapour barriered the balcony door, the cart I haven't made for the photo-enlarger (I do B&W darkroom)....

I don't need another project of any kind. I'll order the .45 nickel, and if it sucks send it back. If it flakes in six months, then It'll be summer and being a student, I'll have time to deal with that then.

I'm sure it'll be fine. Chinese tech. has improved dramatically over the last ten years, and one of those .32 revolvers from the 1890's still has it's hard nickel finish. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that a cheap red-chinese gun from last month is likely to be as good or better than a cheap american gun from horse and buggy days.
 
Bobby Ironsights said:
Ok, I'm convinced. The word "project gun" brings to mind those two .32 single action revolvers I need to deal with, the aquarium stand I need to finish building, the fact I haven't vapour barriered the balcony door, the cart I haven't made for the photo-enlarger (I do B&W darkroom).....
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That sounds a LOT like my own list of things to do.... Things that are better put off for a rainy day but when the rainy day comes it's too wet to work on them.... :D

Yeah, I hear you about the Chinese tech. I only saw my first Norinco a few days back and really I was impressed with the finish on the outside. Even the slide worked well and was a decent fit if you didn't compare it to a premium brand like STI. I'm sure the insides are rough as stated by many here but if the parts that rub are done right where it counts then there's no reason for it to not work just fine.

I've read enough threads about success with Norcs to know that I'll be getting one at some point. Outside of a few things and some improvement mods everyone seems to be more than happy with them even if they do add on the proviso "for the money".
 
CanAm has them for like 349 free shipping, while I saw one (older model!) in Buffalo Gun Center sale for 699 USD!!!

Do a search on Norinco 1911, you will find lots of positive reviews.
 
I think the standard 1911-A1 from Norinco are the best deal. You can build just as you like them, reblued, hard crome, nickel, coated in different colors.

The steel on those guns is tough no cast frames there.
 
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CanAm said it's hard chrome instead of Nickel.
 
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Marstar is selling the nickel model for $399
from Marstar's website: "These were manufactured by Norinco for sale on the European market,
Marstar managed to get a small allocation from the producer."
 
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CanAm said:
I have never seen a nickel Norc.
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I don't know anything about Marstar's new model, but there were apparently some factory nickel 1911's made before the US import ban. There were pictures of a couple of them on one of the 1911 sites a few years ago. These were the really early models too. The ones with the lanyard loop and the stubby GI thumb safety. I thought it was novel enough that I saved one or two of them, but since I'm at the office I can't post them. There currently is one on Gunbroker, though.
 
Okay, sorry, I have to chime in here, just because it is my solemn duty to try to protect my brothers and sisters from disappointment.

I had a 1911A1 from Norincrap, and it was essentially useless as anything other than a paperweight. One of the factory magazines launched it's "welded" floor plate off the bottom of the mag tube the first time I loaded it. Each time I stripped and assembled it, more metal would chip off the hole in the frame that the take down pin went through. It would reliably fire two out of three rounds, then stop, with ball ammo, and CMC mags. It would not feed semi-wadcutters at all, and JHP's were slightly less reliable than ball. It was accurate enough, if you could see those itty-bitty non-replaceable sights, but frustrating to operate in "bang, bang, tap, rack" mode ALL of the time. My pistol got wet, once (funny, it occasionally rains here in Vancouver). By the time I got to cleaning it three hours later, there was surface rust all over the firing pin and firing pin tunnel. I would regularly draw blood when seating mags home, as the finishing on the mag well was so poor - I did take a file to it eventually. I became so disappointed with the thing that I literally gave it to my wife as her first pistol. She sold it, and bought an XD.

A good friend of mine has a Norc 1911 as well - He used it for IPSC, until out of competition for medical reasons. His works great! Of course, he did buy his for $425, and then spend $700 replacing EVERYTHING inside of the frame and slide.

I realize that my experiences with Norc are about 4 years in the past, and yes, I suppose Chinese tech may have improved, BUT...

I would STRONGLY suggest that there are far better quality 1911s out there, for not much more money. We all have a budget (mortgage, 2 car payments, and trying to save some dough for incoming children here - That's why I reload ammo!), and I have no more money to spare on guns than you. Please, for your sake: Don't buy Norinco!!

Good luck with whatever you get,

Neal
 
Are the chromed models better finished then the other Norks?
My Norks have all benefited from a de-tuning of the sharp edges....I wouldn't want to have to de-tune a chromed model.
 
I know it's not a 1911, but I got one of the Norc P228 copies a few months ago. It had Hogue grips on it, nothing else has been changed. I haven't had any issues with it. Shoots better than the 2 Hi-Powers, Beretta 92, or any other pistol I've owned. Not bad for $300!
 
Norino Does make A nickel plated 1911 A1 ( NP30N ) enhanced capacity .45 ACP. I bought one from Marstar a while ago and it again is available for the premium price (for a Norinco)of $449.00. The pistol has been a flawless performer no FTL,no FTF,no FTE issues in 500 rounds of FMJ factory ammo.It is smoothly finished inside and out.The one problem is the small size of its 3 dot sights.I did add a full length recoil guide as an upgrade.
 
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