Norc 1911 grip bushing blues

[Greenhorse six]

Why didn't anybody tell me a long time ago how easy it is to retap the grip bushing on a norc from the metric to standard tread ?

And that you can do it yourself with just a few tools from brownells , 236-60 tap @ $39.99 , this tap has only one reason for being , that's 1911 grip bushing , nothing else and a magna tip 1911 auto bushing driver bit @ $13.99, so you don't mess up the thin skirt of the bushing , still cheaper then a gunsmith .

I'm not sure about staking them though , might just do the loctite thing ,it is just norc after all.


This is from the Q&A beside the tap details on the brownells website
Question2/24/2011

Will this tap work, to tap a Norinco bushing screw to fit the standard bushins for a Colt?


Answer This Question Answer3/1/2011

Yes, it will. This is the bushing tap for the frame.

Brownells from Montezuma, IA

 

[haretrigger]

I still managed to mess mine up! I've got a frame that's now worth less than the gunsmithing fees by a long shot.

 

[Greenhorse six]

How'd you do that , can you still use the oversized bushings ?

 

[Cocked&Locked]

How'd you do that , can you still use the oversized bushings ?

yep this...easy fix. 10 minutes tops

 

[haretrigger]

Re tapped the holes out of plumb and managed to crater out the top of them pretty good so there isn't enough thread for the new bushings to tighten up sufficiently. I know about the oversize bushings, but I'm mad at myself now for being a dumbass and I'm not going to spend any more money trying to save money being a shade tree gun smith. I'm impatient with ordering from Brownell's then having to wait a month, to receive the product.

Sorry for the defeatist attitude, but I've been living in shame for screwing up an otherwise great pistol. Either I get a smith to repair it and pay through the nose for it or it'll be sold off with full disclosure of my idiocy.

 

[Cocked&Locked]

Worst case, get a local weld shop to tig the holes and then redrill and tap.

Cheap and nasty, epoxy a set of grips on and don't look back. I won't tell if you don't

 

[haretrigger]

Cheap and nasty LOL - Zip tie the grip panels to the frame... Tactical upgrade!

 

[northlane1]

haretrigger

If you think the Oversize Tap/Bushings will fix it ,I have the Tap and both Slim/Standard Thickness Oversize bushings, also a tap guide but it will not work with upper bushing left side location (plunger tube is in the way) as well as the bushing driver bits for Slim/Standard if you don't have them

Coming through the Lower Mainland end of April out to Pender Island for a couple of weeks, if you want to do them and I could pickup the Tap on my return trip

Wont cost you anything to get the Norc back in action

My wife had a Colt LW Commander 38 Super, it came with Slim Grips/Bushings, was taking out the Bushings to replace with standard thickness and one felt odd coming out, went to replace and the bushing just dropped in the hole, not a good feeling at all, so got the Tap/OS Bushings , did sell the gun with full disclosure and 2 sets of Stnd/Slim OS Bushings

Let me know

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[haretrigger]

First off sorry to the OP for the thread hijack -

northlane1 - Thanks for your offer to help!

Do you know what the OD of the oversize bushings are? I'll need to measure the existing nastiness to see if the oversize bushings will even work without having to add more metal to the holes. Feel free to send me a PM and we can work something out.

 

[Greenhorse six]

This might help to keep it lined up .

None at all, I used a drill press to apply mild pressure and keep the tap centred during the tapping (without running the drill, ofcourse). No need for drilling the hole oversize. Normal thread tapping practice, lubrication, backing out the swarf etc will get you through.

 

[Greenhorse six]

No worries , it's all helpful , I've only done the one bushing so far , waiting on bushing driver bit to remove other bushing , so as to possibly have a few good norc bushing for anyone that might need one .

First off sorry to the OP for the thread hijack -

northlane1 - Thanks for your offer to help!

Do you know what the OD of the oversize bushings are? I'll need to measure the existing nastiness to see if the oversize bushings will even work without having to add more metal to the holes. Feel free to send me a PM and we can work something out.

 

[haretrigger]

I didn't have a drill press at my disposal so I improvised with a scrap oak block with a hole drilled through very slightly larger than the tap size, and a hand tap and rapidtap cutting oil. Somehow I wasn't able to keep the tap perpendicular to the frame and hence the problem I've created for myself.

 

[northlane1]

Oversize Thread OD is 6.3mm/0.25in

Standard Bushings are 5.7mm/0.22in OD

 

[haretrigger]

**Update: So my Norc 1911A1 is up and running again, with the kind lending of the tap set and bushings from northlane1. It's nice when someone is willing to help so much when I've never even met him before. A refreshing change from some of the negativity that seems to show up now and then on this forum.

That tap and guide work great!

 

[Greenhorse six]

Sweet , thanks for the update .