You are comparing apples and oranges. One is a lowly 22LR and the other much more powerful 9mm Luger. If you want some adrenaline boost from shooting a service pistol go for the Jericho. If you want to save money on ammo (the cheapest 9mm Luger is nowadays about 4x more expensive than 22LR per round) and still shoot a pistol, go for the Olympia. It also depends on what you already have in your gun cabinet. If you have one or two accurately shooting 22LR pistols, then buying 2 Olympias is not worth it. Finally, every glowing review must be taken with a grain of salt. If it was a Norinco's Olympia predecessor, the Walther Olympia, then indeed it would be a completely different talk.
Norinco Olympia .22LR... any reviews?
- Thread starter CanuckShooter
- Start date
You are comparing apples and oranges. One is a lowly 22LR and the other much more powerful 9mm Luger. If you want some adrenaline boost from shooting a service pistol go for the Jericho. If you want to save money on ammo (the cheapest 9mm Luger is nowadays about 4x more expensive than 22LR per round) and still shoot a pistol, go for the Olympia. It also depends on what you already have in your gun cabinet. If you have one or two accurately shooting 22LR pistols, then buying 2 Olympias is not worth it. Finally, every glowing review must be taken with a grain of salt. If it was a Norinco's Olympia predecessor, the Walther Olympia, then indeed it would be a completely different talk.
I just now picked up my chrome surplus Jericho, so here's a quick side-by-side.
The Jericho has some proper wear on it. The slide, frame, and to a lesser extent the grips are covered in minor scratch marks, and the overall impression is that it was definitely "a working man's gun". I can almost picture it being lugged through dusty streets in Israel, and put through its paces at the range.
It seems like a solid weapon, but more a conversation piece, and that's what I really wanted.
Fixed it for you. If anyone gets an adrenaline boost from blazing away with 9mm, they are a complete rube.
Haha funny you mention the model 29, I came across this hilarious comment on YouTube today:
Smith and Wesson Model 29
Do you feel lucky, Punk? I hope so- because you just spent first-car-honda-civic money on a gun that was made famous in 1971 for being so distracting to shoot that even a seasoned officer couldn't keep track of how many shots he randomly distributed into a crowded boulevard.
Much like the city that the Scorpio Killer calls home, this gun somehow manages to look pretty and suck a whole lot of ass to be around. It has a nice blued finish and walnut grips that show how carefully it was designed - it's almost an art piece. But that beauty just makes your b-hole pucker when your neighbor Jerry sees you shooting it and asks if he can have a go. You don't trust him to borrow your garden hose and now the social contract says you need to fork over a revolver that is so expensive that you had to trick your wife into thinking if it as an investment so she'd let you buy it from the gun library at Cabela's.
The 29's only saving grace is that it shoots a .44 magnum, but if you're in love with the idea of a hand cannon to prepare for the moose uprising you should get something more rugged- like a Ruger Blackhawk. It's way cooler and you won't cry when Jerry's wife Alec-Baldwins a pumpkin and drops your Blackhawk in the dirt.
Smith and Wesson Model 29
Do you feel lucky, Punk? I hope so- because you just spent first-car-honda-civic money on a gun that was made famous in 1971 for being so distracting to shoot that even a seasoned officer couldn't keep track of how many shots he randomly distributed into a crowded boulevard.
Much like the city that the Scorpio Killer calls home, this gun somehow manages to look pretty and suck a whole lot of ass to be around. It has a nice blued finish and walnut grips that show how carefully it was designed - it's almost an art piece. But that beauty just makes your b-hole pucker when your neighbor Jerry sees you shooting it and asks if he can have a go. You don't trust him to borrow your garden hose and now the social contract says you need to fork over a revolver that is so expensive that you had to trick your wife into thinking if it as an investment so she'd let you buy it from the gun library at Cabela's.
The 29's only saving grace is that it shoots a .44 magnum, but if you're in love with the idea of a hand cannon to prepare for the moose uprising you should get something more rugged- like a Ruger Blackhawk. It's way cooler and you won't cry when Jerry's wife Alec-Baldwins a pumpkin and drops your Blackhawk in the dirt.
Can't comment on the HS Olympic but not seeing a lot of Victors for anywhere near $600 (try closer to $1000).
I dunno, I bought one. Mine came in a couple days ago, me and the wife are taking it out on Monday so I can't say anything about reliability but it seems pretty cool. The finish is actually pretty good, the engraving has some chatter marks but it's clean enough. It all fit very very tight out of the box but after stripping and reassembling it a dozen times ish and racking it a couple dozen times after a good oiling everything seems to have likened up to each other. I don't foresee any problems, other than the safety still being very tight occasionally, but the range will be the test of that lol
Mine didn't have rough edges really at all, the only place where it gets really "Norinco-y" is the base plates for both mags look like they were kicked down a few roads on their way to assembly but the gun itself is perfectly fine. It came in a crappy styrofoam box that *STANK* but held everything surprisingly securely to be honest. The strip down like a Makarov, the trigger plate hinges down and the slide pulls back and lifts off. Super easy. Nothing like the Woodsman clones...
I have somewhat big hands, I wear a size 10 glove, the grips fit me excellently. The sights have excellent visibility, I am going to probably clear nail polish all the screws in place before I shoot it because apparently the grip screws like to go on adventures but if it cycles whatever HV I happen to buy at Canadian Tire over the weekend I'll be perfectly happy with it.
I wanted a Glock 44 and chased at least a dozen overpriced ones across the EE and GPost and just got so frustrated, I put in a buy offer (at a $300 inflated price over brand new mind you) on one an hour after it was listed and didn't get it and just gave up and bought this and a Heritage rough rider and had enough left over from what I had aside for that Glock to pay for 50% of the price of the very last Pietta 1873 Thunderer in 357 Magnum from Marstar and I know I haven't shot any of them yet so this is a risky statement but I have no regrets.
Mine didn't have rough edges really at all, the only place where it gets really "Norinco-y" is the base plates for both mags look like they were kicked down a few roads on their way to assembly but the gun itself is perfectly fine. It came in a crappy styrofoam box that *STANK* but held everything surprisingly securely to be honest. The strip down like a Makarov, the trigger plate hinges down and the slide pulls back and lifts off. Super easy. Nothing like the Woodsman clones...
I have somewhat big hands, I wear a size 10 glove, the grips fit me excellently. The sights have excellent visibility, I am going to probably clear nail polish all the screws in place before I shoot it because apparently the grip screws like to go on adventures but if it cycles whatever HV I happen to buy at Canadian Tire over the weekend I'll be perfectly happy with it.
I wanted a Glock 44 and chased at least a dozen overpriced ones across the EE and GPost and just got so frustrated, I put in a buy offer (at a $300 inflated price over brand new mind you) on one an hour after it was listed and didn't get it and just gave up and bought this and a Heritage rough rider and had enough left over from what I had aside for that Glock to pay for 50% of the price of the very last Pietta 1873 Thunderer in 357 Magnum from Marstar and I know I haven't shot any of them yet so this is a risky statement but I have no regrets.
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Don't worry. I think you did fine. There are many more positive reviews, than negative. I am quite happy with mine and when you factor in the price of one of these, I guess one should be ecstatic. I'm sure you've spent way more, on way less - I have.
Right-on fire@will....my attempt at sarcasim (can't even spell the word) failed and I couldn't find the emoji lol.
Super accurate and reliable gun, the only drawback is 8-rd mags. A hidden gem, in my opinion.
An extended Hammerli 10-rd mag may solve the magazine capacity.
There is still a lot of unjustified bias against Norinco; I don't have one of these as I have a very nice High Standard Target pistol (impossible to improve on perfection), but I do have a 1911 in Satin Chrome with adjustable target sights, and a two-tone NZ85B. Both very accurate, both super reliable, both finished quite nicely. Yes, they had a few sharp edges, but for the money I paid, they have been great value and I will never sell either of them.
Interesting to see the prices asked and the praise being afforded towards these Norks now; yet when I bought them, there was more negativity than positivity here. Almost certainly, you will be very happy!
sharp edge... lol
i bought a 500$+ Marlin 336 a while ago. i literally split my finger open when i was roaming around the receiver.
the stock had ZERO lacquer on it. i walked around in the rain for an hour while hunting and next thing i knew the buttstock had swelled up like bread in water.
i bought a 500$+ Marlin 336 a while ago. i literally split my finger open when i was roaming around the receiver.
the stock had ZERO lacquer on it. i walked around in the rain for an hour while hunting and next thing i knew the buttstock had swelled up like bread in water.
These seem to have good reviews in most places but you’ll always have the anti anything Norinco guys who will say it’s junk based just on its place of origin. I don’t have mine yet but I ended ordering 2 of them. I couldn’t find the Ruger 22lr I wanted so this seemed like it might be a ok option for the price. I originally ordered one but when I was told $60 for each spare mag I figured I might as well order a second. You get two mags with the gun so I look at it as the second gun cost $80.
I did end up finding the Ruger 22/45 Tactical I wanted so not sure how much use these will see. But if my brother in law gets his restricted before the Libs stop transfers he’ll likely take one of them off my hands.
I did end up finding the Ruger 22/45 Tactical I wanted so not sure how much use these will see. But if my brother in law gets his restricted before the Libs stop transfers he’ll likely take one of them off my hands.
Why buy a so-so pistol when you can get a fantastically accurate 22LR target pistol for not much more, used? There's a good looking UNIQUE DES 69 Olympique on the Switzer's auction just now. A real target pistol with an ergonomic adjustable grip, and fully adjustable micrometer sights. It'll run all day on CCI SV and it's more than capable of hitting the 10 ring if you are. These have been going for $500 or sometimes less at auction. All steel and very durable. Fantastic 1000 gram (2 lb) fully adjustable trigger. My friends and I have had several. Other options include the Italian pistols marketed at various times as IGI/Domino/FAS (tho they are said to prefer european ammo made for a tighter chamber). These are all a cut above even the S&W Model 41 -- and way above any Ruger ever made.
So, having bought one of these TT-Olympia .22s, I went to The Shooting Edge in Calgary today to test it with various types of ammo I had on hand. I had no standard velocity ammo available.
Of the 6 types of high velocity ammo I tried in groups of 5 shots each, it seemed to prefer the Federal 525 Value Pack 36gr. 1260fps. Copper-Plated hollow points, which were shooting into 1 1/4" at 10 yards.
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I find black on black handgun sights to be very undefined under the artificial lights at an indoor range, and usually shoot outdoors at Drumheller, but couldn't be bothered driving out there today.
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My eyes aren't what they used to be 50 years ago even with corrective lenses, so once I got back from shooting I painted the front sight blade with fluorescent orange paint which should help next time out.
Anyway, my Olympia is no target pistol and isn't even in the same class as my Rugers Mk. III and IV, but as a reasonably accurate, inexpensive and fun little plinker, I'm impressed by it
Of the 6 types of high velocity ammo I tried in groups of 5 shots each, it seemed to prefer the Federal 525 Value Pack 36gr. 1260fps. Copper-Plated hollow points, which were shooting into 1 1/4" at 10 yards.
I find black on black handgun sights to be very undefined under the artificial lights at an indoor range, and usually shoot outdoors at Drumheller, but couldn't be bothered driving out there today.
My eyes aren't what they used to be 50 years ago even with corrective lenses, so once I got back from shooting I painted the front sight blade with fluorescent orange paint which should help next time out.
Anyway, my Olympia is no target pistol and isn't even in the same class as my Rugers Mk. III and IV, but as a reasonably accurate, inexpensive and fun little plinker, I'm impressed by it
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CZ Shooter
CGN frequent flyer
So, having bought one of these TT-Olympia .22s, I went to The Shooting Edge in Calgary today to test it with various types of ammo I had on hand. I had no standard velocity ammo available.
Of the 6 types of high velocity ammo I tried in groups of 5 shots each, it seemed to prefer the Federal 525 Value Pack 36gr. 1260fps. Copper-Plated hollow points, which were shooting into 1 1/4" at 10 yards.
[/url][/IMG]
I find black on black handgun sights to be very undefined under the artificial lights at an indoor range, and usually shoot outdoors at Drumheller, but couldn't be bothered driving out there today.
[/url][/IMG]
My eyes aren't what they used to be 50 years ago even with corrective lenses, so once I got back from shooting I painted the front sight blade with fluorescent orange paint which should help next time out.
Anyway, my Olympia is no target pistol and isn't even in the same class as my Rugers Mk. III and IV, but as a reasonably accurate, inexpensive and fun little plinker, I'm impressed by it
That is not bad at all...at least you got yours in.
I ordered about 3 months ago and so far my mailbox is very unsatisfied.
One thing I found was that reloading the magazines was a bit of a p.i.t.a. as the mag bodies are 'keyhole' shaped, the mag springs are fairly strong, and the fairly small follower assist buttons are almost flush with the mag bodies.
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I remembered having one of those flat black plastic '.22 magazine loader assist' pieces somewhere in my bits box, so once I found it then 5 minutes with a couple of needle files made it fit, and it now works fine with the Olympia mags.
I remembered having one of those flat black plastic '.22 magazine loader assist' pieces somewhere in my bits box, so once I found it then 5 minutes with a couple of needle files made it fit, and it now works fine with the Olympia mags.
CanuckShooter
CGN frequent flyer
I couldn't bring myself to pay $500 for a Ruger when they were normal price, nevermind $800-$1000. I'm really looking forward to getting my Olympias though.
You're probably better off. I think Norinco might actually have better quality control than Ruger. Lol
