Norinco or Springfield ???
- Thread starter biggerair
- Start date
where did you get that little nugget of info?- fact is, there were so many m14s abandoned by the south veitnamese army that there was hardly a need to import them- the real story of the chinese m14 has to do with something much later and a botched insuressection and filipiono guerillas- they wanted a clone of what the government forces were carrying at the time, so a real m14 was obtained and then reverse engineered-besides, the nva liked the ak better, and the vc used both the sks and the ak, plus whatever else they captured- to them the m14 was like the m1- big heavy, and hardly worth the trouble
ipscgraz
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I have had the same argument with myself about which to buy.
I want an M14 clone (M305 or M1A) because my CA M14 is not allowed out of the safe.
Neither is my L1A1, dammit.
I am leaning towards the M305 because I have already had two wonderful-to-shoot rifles go prohib (and therefore unshootable) on me because of politicians who knew what was good for me.
I don't want another expensive rifle to sit in the safe when Bob Rae as Liberal leader prohibs semiautos.
I want an M14 clone (M305 or M1A) because my CA M14 is not allowed out of the safe.
Neither is my L1A1, dammit.
I am leaning towards the M305 because I have already had two wonderful-to-shoot rifles go prohib (and therefore unshootable) on me because of politicians who knew what was good for me.
I don't want another expensive rifle to sit in the safe when Bob Rae as Liberal leader prohibs semiautos.
you really need to do a bit more research- but i see you've been to the FULTON armory website and drank his kool-aid- well, i've got one of those EARLY pattern norinco's and what he says applies to maybe 1/3 of the old ones coming out of one factory if that-the rest of the production is ok, and the headspace problems for the most part HAVE BEEN REMEDIED-these rifles are at least 15 years old in the canadian market-you can tell most of the early ones die to an angle grind over the scope mount hole, but not always- it will NOT BLOW UP IN YOUR FACE in spite of what clint mackee has to say-and the ones that have needed it have had the bolts replaced by usgi or at least have the headspace checked- he's in the business to sell receivers and work, so his thoughts are jaundiced- if you buy a new one and you're unsure about the headspace, fire three -five rounds and ship them to hungry, and he'll tell you yay or nay- and if it's nay and you buy from marstar, they've got a warranty-springfield will "fix " the problem, but you've got a long wait as far as turnaround goes
as far as the vc are concerned, between marvin the arvn dropping their kit and the corrupt supply system over there, in some instances they were better equipped with newer kit than we were
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from a builder's point of view, and after last months attempt to build 3 all usgi rifles using current model springfield receivers....... the owner of these reciever's has now gone out and bought two norcs to be torn down to do what he could not do with 2 of his springfield receivers.
the bolts would not fully close on 2 of them (roller bottoming out before lugs fully engage).... and i thought the superior springfield had addresssed this issue in thier rifles
the oprods would require massive fitting
usgi barrels, both new from tubes, would require 6 thou stainless shims on both to bring to proper index.... or they would need a 'serious' amount of time in a roll peen..... possibly making them unusable
one of those recievers will also not accept an arms mount nor a smith enterprise mount
all of the above are NON issues with the norc receivers, as in..... very little fitting required for a drop in fit for nearly all usgi parts.... with the exception of a light oprod tab lapping and of course lapping the bolt in for desired headspace.
I've also seen to many unmodified, standard norcs shooting superb groups, reliably to ever recommend someone dumping the cash on a springfield.
buy 3 norcs for one entry level springfield and you will have one rifle and many years worth of spare parts should your shooter need it thousands of rounds down the road.
the bolts would not fully close on 2 of them (roller bottoming out before lugs fully engage).... and i thought the superior springfield had addresssed this issue in thier rifles
the oprods would require massive fitting
usgi barrels, both new from tubes, would require 6 thou stainless shims on both to bring to proper index.... or they would need a 'serious' amount of time in a roll peen..... possibly making them unusable
one of those recievers will also not accept an arms mount nor a smith enterprise mount
all of the above are NON issues with the norc receivers, as in..... very little fitting required for a drop in fit for nearly all usgi parts.... with the exception of a light oprod tab lapping and of course lapping the bolt in for desired headspace.
I've also seen to many unmodified, standard norcs shooting superb groups, reliably to ever recommend someone dumping the cash on a springfield.
buy 3 norcs for one entry level springfield and you will have one rifle and many years worth of spare parts should your shooter need it thousands of rounds down the road.
we all know springfield makes nice rifles.... no argument
if you lived in the u.s. maybe springfield is the way to go.... but here in canada, with someone new to the m1a/m14 rifle...... you can get 3 norincos for the price of one entry level ...... used springer.
I'm not pissing on springfield and worshipping norinco, But as a builder, I feel it's prudent to share my experiences...... if you are a builder as well..... please share yours.
I've shot my share of wonderfully accurate, superbly fitting springfields, norincos, LRBs and genuine (CA in canada) M14 rifles all in all, you can find shining stars and sour lemons no matter what manufacture you choose.
if you lived in the u.s. maybe springfield is the way to go.... but here in canada, with someone new to the m1a/m14 rifle...... you can get 3 norincos for the price of one entry level ...... used springer.
I'm not pissing on springfield and worshipping norinco, But as a builder, I feel it's prudent to share my experiences...... if you are a builder as well..... please share yours.
I've shot my share of wonderfully accurate, superbly fitting springfields, norincos, LRBs and genuine (CA in canada) M14 rifles all in all, you can find shining stars and sour lemons no matter what manufacture you choose.
buy local
They are both good rifles, and like anything mass produced, you will get the odd bad bannana.
But for me, I want my money to put food on the table of my American brothers and sisters, and not to a Chinese factory that feeds Communism, and also an extremely large army.
Anyone working on an assebly line ( building North American cars or anything to do with manufacturing) will know what I'm talking about.
They are both good rifles, and like anything mass produced, you will get the odd bad bannana.
But for me, I want my money to put food on the table of my American brothers and sisters, and not to a Chinese factory that feeds Communism, and also an extremely large army.
Anyone working on an assebly line ( building North American cars or anything to do with manufacturing) will know what I'm talking about.
not at 2x-3x the price i don't - i beleive in getting value for money, and a little investigation on your part would reveal all the problems with springfields- you're far better off getting a norc receiver and putting all usgi parts on it rather than getting a out of spec springfield- which is EXACTLY our brothers down south are doing, or they're buying used and refurbishing- i monitor one of those boards really closely- and they're using the OLD norc receivers, or smiths, or lrbs- to name a few- only the unwise are buying new springfields
i can't believe this thread is still around. springfield vs norc is a tired debate which still makes me smile.
fwiw. just check the threads in this forum asking for norc help, ie stocks, barrels, bolts etc. then do the same for springfield.
it comes down to economics, if you can afford the very best no further discussion is needed. springfield is the premier m1a maker, but they are not cheap.
fwiw. just check the threads in this forum asking for norc help, ie stocks, barrels, bolts etc. then do the same for springfield.
it comes down to economics, if you can afford the very best no further discussion is needed. springfield is the premier m1a maker, but they are not cheap.
As will doing the same for the Chinese rifles .... actually I did a poll on a M14/M1A form and the very large majority at most had to send their rifle back once.
So yes they may have had and have some issues, but the squeaky wheel gets all the attention.
Dimitri
Thanks for all the info guys
I picked up a Norc just today, it should be here in a few days. Then I can take it out for a test drive.
I ended up with the Norc because I am going to build it. And the Springfield is just to much money to spend, if something for WAY LESS MONEY !!!!!!!! is going to do the same, maybe even a better job, Its a no brainer.
With the money I saved, I can already begin building it up.
I picked up a Norc just today, it should be here in a few days. Then I can take it out for a test drive.
I ended up with the Norc because I am going to build it. And the Springfield is just to much money to spend, if something for WAY LESS MONEY !!!!!!!! is going to do the same, maybe even a better job, Its a no brainer.
With the money I saved, I can already begin building it up.
Just remember, you require an export licence now for M1A and M14 parts from the US. The seller is required to have the export licence from the State Department. The supply of parts will diminish over time so enjoy it while you can. I believe this might make improving the norincos a bit more challenging as the legal supply of parts gets limited. Marstar offers so upgraded accessories or parts but other items like barrels etc get a bit more complicated...
