Norinco's M-93 'Woodsman' any good??

happydude

happydude

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There seems to be a lot of Norinco threads around here but not too much on the M-93 (Woodsman copy). For 150$ it's very tempting but if the consensus is that it's a total POS I'd like to know. So... would I be better off spending over twice as much for a new Ruger?? This will be my first handgun so I'm looking for a cheap, reliable, fun .22 plinker that isn't going to give me any trouble.

http://www.marstar.ca/gf-norinco/22-M-93.shtm
 
For the price, (paid 100$ for mine), it's good fun. I can't say it is an accurate gun, but the trigger pull is decent, the sights are decent too. Cheap to own, cheap to feed, altough mine is kind of picky on ammunition, it dislikes Winchester, barely digest Federal, but eats Reminton like candies.

I've own mine for nearly 2 years now (approx 6000-6500 shots fired with it), without too much problems, I had to take it apart completely and re-assemble it twice for fixing the slide stop/release lever.

My only complain, read carefully instructions about how to disassemble it, or else you'll spend a night trying to re-assemble it. It's a ##### to reassemble if the mainspring doesn't stay in the slide.
 
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Letely I have become interested in the Marstar-supplied Norc Woodsman. Yes, it needs work to improve accuracy! That said, I wonder how much? Obviously a better rear sight and better grips.

It looks like it is a series 1 Woodsman copy so used Match barrels might not fit it. Even if they do they will look terrible because of the short vertical dimension of the "frame". The series 2 and 3 are deeper and (apparently) were the only series that were set up for Match barrels (Colt supplied).

Comments? My comments are just based on my interent research so far. I have asked a USA-based Woodsman afficianado for input, but so far he has not replied.
 
i think i'm somwhere about the 2-3k mark with no problems other than the rear set scew has to be tightened occasionally
 
Mine is pretty fussy on ammo,works great with thunderbolts.Anything else jams after around 3-4 shots for some reason.
But seeing as i only paid $50.00....i cant really complain.
 
I would say it is not as accurate as other starter guns like rugers for example but you cant beat the price.

Mine has a left handed slide release though. Does anyone else have the slide release on the right hand side (as you are pointing down range)of the gun?
 
happydude said:
So... would I be better off spending over twice as much for a new Ruger??
Click to expand...

Spend the extra money, get a Ruger and be happy that you did & not look back... ;) :D

2005-12-18_133402_RugerMkII.jpg
 
Stating that you have an M-93 and wishing you had a Ruger is like saying you bought a Mango and wishing you had a Papaya...

Please elaborate as to why you state what you state..

Yes, we all know that the Norc does NOT have the finish, etc of a more labour-intensive (Ruger??) handgun.

What is wrong with your M-93? Can it be corrected by some attention from a pistolsmith knowledgeable with Woodsmans? Or is it something else?

I wanna know as I am willing to purchase an M-93.

Or should I just go to www.armrus.com and purchase one of the "Russian" target pistols?
 
I hate my M93 and I'm in the process of selling it now. (I was completely honest in my post. I referred to it as a "miserable" little 22.) It jams all the time. Oh, I know I can spend lots of time and money experimenting with ammo, but I really don't feel like it. I just want a gun that works all the time, or at least almost all the time, thank you very much. When it comes to guns, I'm like most people are with computers: I just want something that works, period. I'm sure people are being honest when they say their M93's work for them, but mine doesn't work for me.

Somehow, I've been turned off of 22 semi-autos. If I had to go with a 22, I'd go with a revolver. However, you're going to pay a lot more for one of those. Better yet, why not get a really light centerfire, like 38 special? It's even lighter than 9 mm, especially if you get the light rounds intended for LESA shooting. OK, so it's more expensive, but for me, 22's just aren't worth the hassle.

And yes, I am selling a 38sp/357mag revolver. :) However, my advice above is sincere.

/joeplinker/
 
I love mine, never had a hickup in about 1000 rds, all american eagle because its the cheapest I found. Its more accurate than I am, but I have never shot it from a bench.

I did get a nasty cut on my finger while cleaning it, I ran my finger down the rear of the grip with the backstrap removed, dam near cut my finger off!

it was my first pistol, and I probably wouldn't have gone into pistols if not for the low price of the M-93. Once hooked I went on to buy more pistols, but this one started it all.
 
tmac100

I previously posted these M93 woes on another CGN thread.

I bought it last year from Lever and I think some other people got lemons in that batch too.

It had a light firing pin strike and was prone to bump firing.

Took it to my gunsmith who gave me shi* for buying a cheap pistol. He worked on it. Eliminated the light firing pin strike and it doesn't bump fire anymore.

Once per magazine it chambers a fresh round but the hammer doesn't #### so I have to pull the slide back an inch and release and then it'll fire.

It has a horrible amount of takeup in the trigger and the sights are pretty poor.

I saved maybe $200 on the purchase price over a base Ruger. Spent $70 at the gunsmith.

That's why I'm sorry that I didn't just buy a decent pistol to start with.

Many guys here have M93's and are very happy with them. Good on ya!

I think that due to poor quality control on the part of Norinco, I got a lemon.

Caveat emptor.
 
Wow, I thought this thread died.. , in any case though, I think I'll feel safer going with a Ruger since I've never seen any complaints about reliability or quality. And since it's going to be a first handgun, I want a .22 that won't give me trouble, the ruger seems to fit that description nicely.

Thanks for the responses guys.
 
The problem that I've heard about the Ruger line of pistols is that they're not very easy to assemble to disassemble. This might be an issue for people who aren't mechanically inclined.

/joeplinker/
 
Well, as the future new owner of joeplinker's POS Woodsman (couldn't resist the deal on the off-chance that the right .22 ammo will make the difference) I will keep you all advised :)
 
I got a question; how's the recoil like with the M93? (OK I know it's a just a .22LR :rolleyes:) but I've shot a bunch of rimfires and with some you don't even feal anything. Since it's small does it have more noticable recoil than most other .22s?

btw how much does it weigh?
 
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