Norinco or SAM 1911

hellbound

hellbound

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I am in the market for a 1911, and the Norinco and SAM are sitting high on my list due to price. I'm not opposed to spending more on one, but its my first 1911 and second pistol and am afraid it wont get as much love as my Shadow. I did how ever hold a Sig 1911 carry today which I found very comfortable. Havent had a chance to hande the other 2.
Any one have experience with the SAM and Norinco? One better then the other? Why? Am I better off just spending the cash and getting a higher end?
Also, I am sure I will be dropping extra cash on the cheaper ones to make them my own/smooth them out a bit.

Thanks
 
hellbound said:
I am in the market for a 1911, and the Norinco and SAM are sitting high on my list due to price. I'm not opposed to spending more on one, but its my first 1911 and second pistol and am afraid it wont get as much love as my Shadow. I did how ever hold a Sig 1911 carry today which I found very comfortable. Havent had a chance to hande the other 2.
Any one have experience with the SAM and Norinco? One better then the other? Why? Am I better off just spending the cash and getting a higher end?
Also, I am sure I will be dropping extra cash on the cheaper ones to make them my own/smooth them out a bit.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Well, I own a Norc 1911 and have examined SAM pistols. The Norc is a lot cheaper to buy and is made from forgings which is good. I had to debur my Norc and replaced the mainspring. The SAM gives the impression of being better fitted and nicer finished but is made from castings, bar stock and PIM (Powder Injection Moulding) small parts. Its a tough call, I don't have any idea how the SAM pistols will stand up. I don't think I'm willing to pay the current list price plus tax and shipping for a SAM but I would seriously consider buying a lightly used SAM at a reasonable price.
 
I have a SAM Commander .45 and like the way it shoots,the sights are better than the military version and the matte black finish is flawless.
Another contender in the entry level 1911's is the Regent R100 distributed by Umarex and made in Turkey..check the reviews on the net.
I am in the process of buying a slightly used Regent for $450.00 delivered,had a look at it and it appeared well made for the price.
Here is a link to the Regent R100:

http://regentarms.com/products/models/r100.html
 
hmm Havent seen that Regent before...
The price jump from the Norc to SAM isnt too bad. $470 vs $530 plus tax and shipping.
I do like the finish of the SAM but isnt a deal maker for me yet if the nor is the better gun
 
ya feeding the beast is what had kept me from a 1911 so far. Also why I am considering the Nor and SAM, as they are both offered in 9mm (wife likes 1911's but cant shoot much .45) Figure I would decide on the gun first and then the caliber....
 
Norc because it's fully forged from the toughest steel and is a decent bit cheaper. With the savings, you can do some nice tweaking. Spend an extra few hundred bucks down the road to refinish whatever rough edges there might be, and you will have one of the finer 1911s for under $1K.

I'm seriously thinking of returning my Sig 1911 for a Norc, then pimping it out later.
 
SAM all the way. Pleasantly surprised at the value for the money. The Norc is Forged but you will at minimum need to (or get a smith to) replace the sear spring and polish trigger track, trigger bow, sear and disconnector unless you enjoy an 8 pound single action trigger... You will also probably want to debur it. Basically you can make a norc into a decent 1911 but if that's not your thing get the SAM.
 
applebook said:
Norc because it's fully forged from the toughest steel and is a decent bit cheaper. With the savings, you can do some nice tweaking. Spend an extra few hundred bucks down the road to refinish whatever rough edges there might be, and you will have one of the finer 1911s for under $1K.

I'm seriously thinking of returning my Sig 1911 for a Norc, then pimping it out later.
Click to expand...

The blasphemy! Just kidding. I'm getting a Sig 1911 soon and I've only heard good things about them. I was thinking about buying a Norinco or Sam, but am going to pass right now. Might buy my first Glock.
 
hellbound said:
hmm Havent seen that Regent before...
The price jump from the Norc to SAM isnt too bad. $470 vs $530 plus tax and shipping.
I do like the finish of the SAM but isnt a deal maker for me yet if the nor is the better gun
Click to expand...

You can get a good used Norc for $325 plus shipping.
 
The SIG is ###y...but I could get a Norc, 1000 rounds of ammo, and still have almost $500 to refinish and modify it.

I have until the 16th to decide if I want to exchange, but I just can't let the SIG go.
 
You will not need to change much of anything out of the box if you get the Norinco sport model
It comes with:
- Three dot sighting system
- Extended slide release
- Front slide serrations
- Ambidextrous safety
- Raised anti glare rib on slide
- Large beavertail grip safety
- Lite weight competition hammer
- Lightened target trigger
- Full length guide rod
- The finish is non-reflective satin blue.
- Extended mag release
 
Frames would be cast on the SAM, slides will be machined from bar stock . Some small parts would be MIM. Slide to frame fit and the fitting of all the small parts is one of the most important things on a 1911. I'd go with one of the SAM models over the nork
 
It depends on what YOU value for this pistol purchase. I have a Norc, my bro-in-law has a base-model SAM. Both offer excellent value, IMO. All of the observations here are correct, and it's up to you to decide what is more important to you. Fit and finish and feel? Go SAM. Pricepoint and better steel all around? Go Norinco. Short to medium term function should be the same with both.

Try to get both in hand, and your decision will probably be very clear. If I was really unsure, I'd just buy both. Resell the one you decide against at a loss of $25-$50, probably before your credit card balance is due.

Another factor that may or may not be significant for you: A Canadian Norinco cannot legally be taken to the USA.

Whatever you decide, IMO don't dump a bunch of cash into the pistol before at least a few hundred rounds are downrange. Swapping out springs (mainspring mostly) and adjusting the sear spring are cheap to free, though, so by all means go ahead on those.
 
Buy SAM - better fit and finish. Nothing wrong with Norinco, but Chinese QC can be hit or miss plus the cast frame won't be a problem anyway.
Somewhere out there I'm sure a quality cast frame has cracked or failed…just like the forged ones (BHP comes to mind).
Whether forged or quality cast, the frame failure is more of an individual frame thing than something that can be predicted in general for the respective process.
The cast vs. forged frame is not an issue with me when we talking a decent quality manufacturer and I believe that SAM is one of them.
Don't expect miracles though, as these pistols were produced within some price point right from the start.
 
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