Hey guys I appologize if this has been discussed already (haven't seen anything recently and searches showed nothing) anyways, I'm hoping to take my restricted and sooner then later buy a handgun. I'm on a budget and really like the price points norinco has to offer. I am aware that you get what you pay for and if money permitted I would be buying a more reputable brand. Owners and experts out there if you could give feedback positive and negative that would be awesome. I'm looking at both the 1911 .45 and any of the 9mm
Norinco Handgun Owner/expert reviews wanted
- Thread starter Marlin444
- Start date
.45 hurts the wallet if you are not reloading. new to handguns.....a nice .22 will not break the bank and will assure you hours of fun.
about $25 for 500 .22 bullets=a lot of fun
about $150 for 500 9mm=less time at the range
about $250 for 500 .45mm=more time in your hand at home wishing you had more money to go to the range...
i have a norc .45, love it, dont shoot it as much as my ruger .22......
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There are so many anti Chinese guns here so you may get many negative post. Anyway I bought a used NP-29 a few months ago. honestly I will keep this gun and my G17 over any other guns that I own. The Norinco 1911 is a copy of a proven design as such the gun will work as long as the workmanship is there. you may found many report the mag come with the gun is not that great but the two I have don't have any problems. The gun does have some sharp edge need to take care of but nothing affect the function of gun. The latest 1911 sport give you the best bang of bucks. The good thing is a 1911, you can change parts to fit your need and is easy to DIY.
Trigun
Trigun
The new Norinco Sport 1911's seem to be really well made, and shoots great right out of the box. (Once you get the motor oil out of every little corner). The mags are not that great, but luckily good quality 1911 mags are not difficult to find. Shooting .45 is fun, but really expensive unless you reload. Definitely a good start if on a budget.
My first pistol purchase was a month ago, and it was a Norinco 1911 Commander, in 45.
I love it. Mags work fine but they are not amazing quality but no Fail To Feed at all.
Mine has no sharp edges, and finsih is nice. NO FTF or FTE
45 is a bit expensive, but for me a .22 just doesnt cut it. I like recoil so...yeah.
But if your just plinking, like myself, I buy WOLF brand reloads. At my local store I pay $24.58 for 50 rnds. So still as cheap as my AR, worse then SKS, but cheaper then any of the $1/rnds big rifles so I dont find it too bad.
Hope that helps.
I love it. Mags work fine but they are not amazing quality but no Fail To Feed at all.
Mine has no sharp edges, and finsih is nice. NO FTF or FTE
45 is a bit expensive, but for me a .22 just doesnt cut it. I like recoil so...yeah.
But if your just plinking, like myself, I buy WOLF brand reloads. At my local store I pay $24.58 for 50 rnds. So still as cheap as my AR, worse then SKS, but cheaper then any of the $1/rnds big rifles so I dont find it too bad.
Hope that helps.
You might want to wait until the NP-29 Norinco 9mm 1911 is in stock (or did I miss it?). Much cheaper to feed than the .45ACP and it has an excellent reputation. Much sought after on EE, if you didn't like it someone would take it off your hands ASAP and you'd lose nothing.
http://www.marstar.ca/gf-norinco/1911A1-NP-29.shtm
That said, I have the bog-standard Nork .45 (added wood grips) and I love it. By far my most accurate handgun and it's very reliable - provided my handloads are up to scratch. That's the next suggestion - seriously consider reloading as your next hobby
http://www.marstar.ca/gf-norinco/1911A1-NP-29.shtm
That said, I have the bog-standard Nork .45 (added wood grips) and I love it. By far my most accurate handgun and it's very reliable - provided my handloads are up to scratch. That's the next suggestion - seriously consider reloading as your next hobby
As many have said, if you're going to be shooting 45 the cost of ammo will outstrip the cost of the pistol in no time. Reloading for the 45 is a necessity. Other than that, get your Norc from Armco - it's worth the extra for the peace of mind you get. If you're going to end up with a 1911 but aren't ready to jump into reloading, the GSG 1911 is a 22 that has the same ergos and everything (same holster, mag pouches, grip and feel) and would be a great place to start.
- Location
- Montreal, Quebec
Chinese steel is extremely hard.
I owned up to 4 Norinco handguns and have trimmed down to two. I regret selling the 1911.
If you are handy with your hands, Norinco is a fine platform to work on. On earlier Norincos, the finish was rough and required some hand finishing to smooth it out. New Norincos are much better finished.
Their 1911 will accept any after market part which will allow you to customize it to your hearts content. That being said, if you decide to buy a .45, then you should also consider to reload as ammo gets expensive.
.22's are fun, but tend to get boring. A 9mm packs a nice punch and is more affordable. Again, if you start shooting a lot, consider reloading unless you have a lot of disposable income.
A Norinco is approximately half the price of the "original brand name". I still have my CZ knockoffs in 9mm and 40 S&W. They shoot every bit as accurately as the original CZ's. The CZ has a much nicer trigger "out of the box", but like I said, Norcs can be smoothed out if you are mechanically inclined. If you must have the work done by a gunsmith then your price advantage is lowered.
BTW, the 1911 platform is very very very simple to work on. If you can tie your own shoes, you should be able to work on a 1911. The CZ platform is more complex.
Don't let yourself be influenced by the nay sayers. If Norinco was such a piece of crap, there would not be so many of them in the hands of shooters.
Welcome to the hobby.
I owned up to 4 Norinco handguns and have trimmed down to two. I regret selling the 1911.
If you are handy with your hands, Norinco is a fine platform to work on. On earlier Norincos, the finish was rough and required some hand finishing to smooth it out. New Norincos are much better finished.
Their 1911 will accept any after market part which will allow you to customize it to your hearts content. That being said, if you decide to buy a .45, then you should also consider to reload as ammo gets expensive.
.22's are fun, but tend to get boring. A 9mm packs a nice punch and is more affordable. Again, if you start shooting a lot, consider reloading unless you have a lot of disposable income.
A Norinco is approximately half the price of the "original brand name". I still have my CZ knockoffs in 9mm and 40 S&W. They shoot every bit as accurately as the original CZ's. The CZ has a much nicer trigger "out of the box", but like I said, Norcs can be smoothed out if you are mechanically inclined. If you must have the work done by a gunsmith then your price advantage is lowered.
BTW, the 1911 platform is very very very simple to work on. If you can tie your own shoes, you should be able to work on a 1911. The CZ platform is more complex.
Don't let yourself be influenced by the nay sayers. If Norinco was such a piece of crap, there would not be so many of them in the hands of shooters.
Welcome to the hobby.
I admit that I was never a big fan of Norincos. I took a chance and bought a 1911 Police Model last year from one of our advertisers. I was blown away by the fit, finish and accuracy of this gun. In my opinion it is the best new 1911 out there for the money.
rfo1
rfo1
I can only echoe the sentiment of the ones that reply to your thread. I bought a Norinco 1911A1C sports model and I love it, its very well made, the finish is exceptional.
I had some problems with the mags, but are working just find at the moment.
Reloading is a must, not only for the cost, but you can tune your loads to your liking.
If I was in the market for another Norinco I would not hesitate.
Whatever you decide to buy, enjoy. But I'm warning you it's an addictive sport.
JonnyBender
I had some problems with the mags, but are working just find at the moment.
Reloading is a must, not only for the cost, but you can tune your loads to your liking.
If I was in the market for another Norinco I would not hesitate.
Whatever you decide to buy, enjoy. But I'm warning you it's an addictive sport.
JonnyBender
Norinco 1911's.
I've owned a few different Norinco 1911's. I've never had a lemon amongst any of them. They are economical and if you look after them easy to sell and recoup most of your money back.
I currently have a compact [commander] 1911A1 in .45ACP and a NP-29 [full size 1911A1] in 9mm. Love 'em both.
Norc compact:
Norc NP-29:
If you don't reload, I'd say go with a 9mm for the cost of ammo, but if you you reload or plan to you can't beat the .45ACP.
On the various Norinco 1911 models I actually prefer the older ones without the forward slide serrations. Hence what I currently have in my collection. Personal preference is all, though.
NAA.
I've owned a few different Norinco 1911's. I've never had a lemon amongst any of them. They are economical and if you look after them easy to sell and recoup most of your money back.
I currently have a compact [commander] 1911A1 in .45ACP and a NP-29 [full size 1911A1] in 9mm. Love 'em both.
Norc compact:
Norc NP-29:
If you don't reload, I'd say go with a 9mm for the cost of ammo, but if you you reload or plan to you can't beat the .45ACP.
On the various Norinco 1911 models I actually prefer the older ones without the forward slide serrations. Hence what I currently have in my collection. Personal preference is all, though.
NAA.
THIS. If it is your first pistol, buy a .22 rimfire and shoot it a lot. The only way to get proficient at shooting is to practice and that costs $$$. It won't be your last pistol and you can buy one of several different quality rimfires for less than $400 brand new.
The difference I find is that I almost never shoot pistols and use less than 100 rounds per gun, per range visit. I seldom shoot 100 rounds of centerfire rifle ammo in one session, even when developing loads.
+1. 9mm is the only centerfire pistol or handgun caliber that is reasonably economical to buy commercially. At that, only BDX or Wolf reloads are cheap enough to make reloading a labour of love instead of massive money saving.
Excellent advice. The GSG is getting a great reputation and gives you full size feel without the full size ammo costs. A GSG is going to be my next pistol purchase.
Mark
easyrider604
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Greater Vancouver, BC
No need to apologize. The search function seldom works for me either.
Lots of good advice above. From your post, seems you are new at this game. Only thing I would add is this: if cash is really tight and you can only afford or are only willing to spend 300 bucks on a Norkie Sport or Commander (they are out there on the EE), you will still be able to learn a lot without spending your food money on ammo.
I am not a expert by any stretch of the imagination. However, I was taught by a very good instructor back in the day, though, that the best, cheapest and most effective practice is this:
In two words, Dry-fire. Dry fire and then dry fire some more. You will learn more while dry firing than you will learn by shooting live ammo. IMO, shooting live ammo is the last stage in learning how to shoot, specially handguns. Benefits are many but the biggie for budget conscious shooters is that dry-firing is free. Of course, this only applies to those who seriously want to learn quickly without spending a bunch of coin.
If you shoot 1911s or similar hammer-fired pistols, snap caps are not necessary. Just find a piece of rubber or elastomeric material that will fit behind the the firing pin to prevent the hammer hitting it directly, and fit it tightly so it will not fall every time the hammer falls or when you #### the hammer.
That's all I can say without hi-jacking this thread.
- Location
- Halifax, NS
Im in the same situation as the OP but Im not interested in the 1911.
Has anyone had any experience ith the Norinco Sig-Sauer P226 knock off? It looks like a fun pistol with reletivley cheap ammo.
Thanks.
Has anyone had any experience ith the Norinco Sig-Sauer P226 knock off? It looks like a fun pistol with reletivley cheap ammo.
Thanks.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
I am looking at getting one of these as well, I just wanted to know which of the new models have the square trigger guard? Just the new 'Commander' or all of them?
was thinking of getting a Norinco NP-20, any thoughts on them??
Certainly is an ugly sucker, but cheap. Haven't heard of functional problems with it, but I do think the grips are prone to chip. As I enjoy cheapies, I was thinking of buying the companion model (finger-cocker) but never got around to it. I don't think it's been in stock at Marstar for some time, unsure if there's an ETA.
