norinco CQA compatibility
- Thread starter jimmy1234
- Start date
Generally yes but sometimes slight modification is needed. For example, the magpul polymer fore-end may need filing to get it to fit but others have had no issues. I have a norc 14 inch and the handguard needed to be filed. Some of my other buddies have tried other nc star and more expensive quad rails without problems. Stocks on the other hand, I've tried 2.. magpul acs and the fab defense glr16-s. ACS is a commercial tube stock and fit pretty well but with a slight bit of wiggle. The Fab defense on the other hand is super tight and may require filing as well (fab defense says it will fit both mil spec and aftermarket.. no mention of norinco spec!). I don't really care about the fab defense as it'll hopefully be going on my su-16fx... whenever i get it back!
I had a Fab defense quad rail fitted to my 10.5" CQ-A. I could not do it myself and took it to a gunsmith. Turns out, the the 'handguard cap' (I think it's part #10 in the exploded diagram http://www.marstar.ca/html/reflibrary/Manuals/cqa.html) is stamped with what I'll call a round shoulder, which is apparently NOT to m4 spec (gee, who'da thunk it on a chinese clone import, heh). This shoulder fits the stock handguard, but other rails need a cap that's stamped with a sharp or a bigger shoulder, so it gives it more room. Luckily the smith had one in stock, and once that was replaced, it was a piece of cake. But it meant removing eveything on the barrel to do it.
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The majority of issues with Norc CQ's can be worked around - they have a commercial buffer tube (receiver extension), but you can replace it with a mil-spec buffer tube, or use a stock with a supplemental friction lock (Magpul CTR instead of MOE). Quad rail hand guards that will free float the barrel and add rails are available that assemble on to the rifle, instead of requiring the rifle to be completely disassembled. The only part I ran into that was non-negotiable was the safety, you have to use the Norc safety.
No issues with triggers. MY CQ-A currently has a Geissele SSA in it.
Yes, the CTR(Commercial) is a direct drop in. I've had one on mine since new and only recently replaced it with a VLTOR B5 stock setup.
No problems changing out the grip, charging handle or BCG either.
The only issues so far was with replacing the hand guard: the front retaining was undersized so I couldn't install a new handguard until I replaced it wih an in-spec ring.
An old Armalite safety I had kicking around dropped right into a CQA I was doing up for a buddy. Has reported no issues.
