Norinco 1911, should I bother?

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Felix_the_Cat

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Hey there guys

I have been an avid glocker for as long as I can remember. But nagging in the back of my head has been a slight infatuation with the 1911 pistol.

I would love to add one to my collection, and even though I love the Springfield and Colt pistols, I cannot justify the price.

I just noticed that Marstar has their Norinco 1911's in stock, and I am tempted.

Should I bother with these pistols? And if so, what sort of work am I going to have to put into one. I have heard they need some TLC in the Fit and Finish department.

or would my money be better spent on a more traditional brand?
 
I got one of the first generation parkerized ones over a dozen years ago. Its a tank. Finish metal wise was good. It lacked decent sites though. ONly other issue in the parkerized was they type of phosphate coating they used wasnt very durable. Metal quality wise its superior to most domestics in that the steel is extremely hard and makes for a great platform to build on. Factory grips were cheap plastic checkered slabs..i changed to Pachmayr. All in all a very good pistol. However I have seen some that are sort of loose. They are not all created equal, check it out in person, some are really amazing and some are alittle sloppy.
 
ScrewMartin said:
I got one of the first generation parkerized ones over a dozen years ago. Its a tank. Finish metal wise was good. It lacked decent sites though. ONly other issue in the parkerized was they type of phosphate coating they used wasnt very durable. Metal quality wise its superior to most domestics in that the steel is extremely hard and makes for a great platform to build on. Factory grips were cheap plastic checkered slabs..i changed to Pachmayr. All in all a very good pistol. However I have seen some that are sort of loose. They are not all created equal, check it out in person, some are really amazing and some are alittle sloppy.
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hmmm, good to know.

The only problem is I would be ordering it online from Marstar, so I will not be able to inspect the pistol myself.

If I get a "Friday" gun, how hard would it be to fix the fit and finish, not to mention the sort of money I have to poor into it.

Personally, if its going to turn into a 700-800 gun after all the aftermarket doo-hickies, would I not be better off with just a namebrand pistol?
 
no you wouldnt be...

alot of custom guys start off with norinco frames and slides as their metal hardness is very high. SIdes I think you could get a new spring, maybe a shock buff, and see how it goes?

I redid the factory sites (which were an odd shade of dull orange) with flat black paint with flat white dots..for the dot look. The accuracy out of the box is quite high.

Once I was lazy and didnt clean it for over a 1000 rounds...no problems.

If you want to start cheap..get it..if you want an platform to build on get it...why start off wiht an overpriced springfield or colt if your gonna gut it? Maybe a Les Baer or something else but they are 2k plus.
 
I've shot 2 Norc's
Get one from Armco , he prep's the trigger , don't know what else he does but his was like a completely different gun .
Well worth the money for what it is , but ...
You will probably spend the difference in add on parts ( grips / sights , etc..) .
With some prep work a good solid gun .
 
Bullet proof

I agree with what everyone is saying, biggest question
is what do you want it for, Bullseye, IPSC, Tactical or
just plinking ? I shoot a pre-A1 1911 Govt. with just a
trigger kit (cheap) the NOR was my sons first auto.
Nothing has been done except grips. Since June he has
put easy 10,000 thru No problems or breakdowns. He
is a couple of points shy of 'C' level in IPSC standard.
For the money you will never go wrong.
 
Buy yourself the Norc. You will be happy. Like most, you will want to change things. When compaired to brand name 1911's the Norc is not as refined but that does not matter. What does matter is that the base materials for a very good gun are there and it only cost half as much as a brand name. I bought mine 6 years ago. Built it, with some help from Gunner @ Armco, into one of the best looking, very reliable and accurate 45 I have owned.
 
Felix_the_Cat said:
Hey there guys

I have been an avid glocker for as long as I can remember. But nagging in the back of my head has been a slight infatuation with the 1911 pistol.

I would love to add one to my collection, and even though I love the Springfield and Colt pistols, I cannot justify the price.

I just noticed that Marstar has their Norinco 1911's in stock, and I am tempted.

Should I bother with these pistols? And if so, what sort of work am I going to have to put into one. I have heard they need some TLC in the Fit and Finish department.

or would my money be better spent on a more traditional brand?
Click to expand...

I'm a huge Colt fan and have a few...But if I was a 'newbie' to the 1911 and wanted to get one but didn't want to shell out the 'big bucks' I'd go for a Norc 1911A-1.

But I've said this a number of times on here. I spend the extra $$ and get a 'tuned' one via Armco. You get a smoothed out Norc 1911A-1 all ready to go with two mags... ;)

http://www.armco-guns.com/bulletin_board.htm
 
Personally, if its going to turn into a 700-800 gun after all the aftermarket doo-hickies, would I not be better off with just a namebrand pistol?
Click to expand...
yes you would, after you spend $700 or what ever it's still a Norinco and if you ever decided to sell it you won't get a half of what you paid for it...

but if you just want a 1911 and have only $400 to spend go for it...
 
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Single Stack vs. Double Stack...

Personally, I'd go for the single stack Norinco 1911A-1. Double stack has only 10 round mag capacity & only mags available are the Norinco factory ones...:eek:

There are LOTS of quality after market mags for single stack 1911's including 7, 8 AND 10 rounders. So you are no farther ahead by getting the double stack Norc, IMHO... ;)
 
I used to have a Norc NP-30 (Double-stack), and overall I was really satisfied considering the price. Sights are crap, and the trigger pull is a nightmare, factory grips are so-so, but aside that, no complains. Probably the best bang for your bucks.

Altough I've never owned one, I've played alot with the single-stack norc 1911s, same complains than above, minus the grips, which were a tad better. The best thing is, like NAA said, that you can use any single stack 1911-style magazine in it, unlike the NP-30, that uses proprietary magazines which are somewhat costly.
 
Felix, I would not suggest a Norinco anything.

I've owned several types of Norinco Products and all I can say for it is; "You get what you pay for". Norinco 1911's are okay if you:
1. Don't care for decent receiver machining
2. Don't care for Metallurgical quality
3. Don't care if you cut yourself on sharp edges and burrs
4. Want to have the link pin fail and have the slide fly off the receiver and onto the ground beyond the firing line, causing extreme embarasement....

In my opinion trying to modify a Norinco is a lost cause, like tying to make a jalopy into a show car...

May I suggest a CZ-97B?
 
DCLXVI;
I have read your posting with great surprise, when did all these problems occur ?
Did you purchase from Marstar ? It should have been replaced under warranty....
We have sold thousands of Norinco firearms, problems have been few and far between....Otherwise we culd not offer our "ironclad warranty"
As for the quality of the material used, please take a moment research the many comments posted here....
Regards
John
 
The NP29's are pretty well finished. Only spot that looks machined by a monkey is inside the dust cover......looks like it was chisled out.
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