The holy grail. Every gun collector has one. It is that gun you've always had your eye on. It might be a $1,000,000 Luger carbine in .45 or $125 Cooey. You've kept a lookout for it on the EE, just waiting to snag one.
Ever since I started shooting pistols, I've wanted to get myself Norinco NP-29 - the single stack 1911A1 clone in 9mm. Marstar didn't have any and none seemed to pop up on the EE. As one CGNer once told me, "they are as scarce as hen's teeth". I know that Marstar is planning on bringing in a shipment in December, but I just couldn't wait.
I've always liked the 1911 platform. I like the substantial weight, the slim grips, the well-placed controls. The only thing I didn't much care for was the caliber (heresy, I know). So a 1911 in 9mm seemed just ideal.
Well, I waited and waited. And finally one hit the EE and I bought it. The former owner, CGNer "eltorro", had obviously taken very good care of it. He had replaced the trigger, sear, hammer and beavertail/safety with Chip McCormick parts. It now has an extended slide release and safety. He tossed the original grips and installed a set of Hogue wrap-arounds with finger grips. It looked great. The gun also came with four Italian-made MecGar mags with Pachmayer rubber baseplates.
Well, three weeks and one hard-to-get Ontario transfer authorization later, the pistol arrived at my house. I stripped it and inspected it. "Eltorro" was as good as his word. This pistol had clearly been very well cared for.
There was only one thing for me to change. I've always preferred both the feel and look of wood grips on the 1911, so I picked up a pair and put the Hogues in the parts cabinet.
I took her to the range on Sunday and was blown away by the accuracy of this gun. Compared to the lighter Glock 17 that I was used to, the 9mm recoil was barely noticeable. The heavier frame and slide and longer barrel eat up the 9mm "snap".
I am not a great marksman, so believe me, I was more surprised than anyone when my first four shots from 20m were touching. Gradually, I began to revert back to my old ways, but the groups still stayed quite tight and consistent.
If anyone has any comments/suggestions about the 1911 platform or the NP-29 specifically, please let me know.
Here are some pics of my new favorite toy:
Ever since I started shooting pistols, I've wanted to get myself Norinco NP-29 - the single stack 1911A1 clone in 9mm. Marstar didn't have any and none seemed to pop up on the EE. As one CGNer once told me, "they are as scarce as hen's teeth". I know that Marstar is planning on bringing in a shipment in December, but I just couldn't wait.
I've always liked the 1911 platform. I like the substantial weight, the slim grips, the well-placed controls. The only thing I didn't much care for was the caliber (heresy, I know). So a 1911 in 9mm seemed just ideal.
Well, I waited and waited. And finally one hit the EE and I bought it. The former owner, CGNer "eltorro", had obviously taken very good care of it. He had replaced the trigger, sear, hammer and beavertail/safety with Chip McCormick parts. It now has an extended slide release and safety. He tossed the original grips and installed a set of Hogue wrap-arounds with finger grips. It looked great. The gun also came with four Italian-made MecGar mags with Pachmayer rubber baseplates.
Well, three weeks and one hard-to-get Ontario transfer authorization later, the pistol arrived at my house. I stripped it and inspected it. "Eltorro" was as good as his word. This pistol had clearly been very well cared for.
There was only one thing for me to change. I've always preferred both the feel and look of wood grips on the 1911, so I picked up a pair and put the Hogues in the parts cabinet.
I took her to the range on Sunday and was blown away by the accuracy of this gun. Compared to the lighter Glock 17 that I was used to, the 9mm recoil was barely noticeable. The heavier frame and slide and longer barrel eat up the 9mm "snap".
I am not a great marksman, so believe me, I was more surprised than anyone when my first four shots from 20m were touching. Gradually, I began to revert back to my old ways, but the groups still stayed quite tight and consistent.
If anyone has any comments/suggestions about the 1911 platform or the NP-29 specifically, please let me know.
Here are some pics of my new favorite toy:
