SAM 1911 vs Norinco (vs ruger)

wayupnorth

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was trying to tie up some projects i have on the go before spring hits in full.
i had made a note to make a video comparing my SAM to my Norinco's since there always seems to be someone asking about the differences and which one is better.

so i whip'd up a quick video comparing the 2 (and chucked in a ruger as i went for giggles)

in a nut shell.
comparing the 2 guns i had on hand.
1 - the Norinco - i have 3 of them i could have picked to compare the SAM to but this one was by far the best of the 3. the norinco is about as plain as it gets for 1911. nothing is upgraded everything is about as base model as you can get. bluing on this one is fantastic. grips that came with this gun where a joke and came broke. mags that came with it are so nasty i toss them into the parts bin and never use them. this gun has also been tuned a bit already, i went at it with some 2000 grit and some polish and of course its been fully disassembled and cleaned and oiled with G96 a couple times already. the gun rattle, the fit is nasty, the finish is good but the machine marks on it are horrid, no de-horning at all on the gun and you can get cut from the sides of the slide and the serrations. gun does run good and hits where you point it.
cost - $350.00

2 - SAM Tactical Commander.
out of the box the gun was nasty dirty, did a total strip down and cleaning with G96. finish is not a smooth bluing like the norc but rather a matte finish that i would almost call a parkerizing. gun came with match trigger, match hammer, ambidextrous safety, tactical pic rail, threaded barrel and novak style sights. gun came with one ACT mag.
cost - $495.00

there is just no getting around this, there is no comparison between the 2 guns.
the SAM beats the Norinco on everything. Fit, finish, mags, sights - every part of the gun is superior to the Norinco.
in fact the SAM Tactical Commander is almost identical to my $860 Ruger SR1911 CMD!

here are some pics.

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dont get me wrong, i love playing with my Norc's but if your looking for a sub $500 1911 you have to go with the SAM.
 
The SAM finish is a very basic blast and blue job.... Not fancy, but looks good IMHO and easy to touch up if needed. I find the recoil spring they come with is too light and should probably be swapped out for WOLFF or other decent quality spring.
 
If you're going for looks, get the SAM. If you want reliability, go Norc.

dont know if id go that far.
while ive never had a failure with my norcs ive never had a failure with my SAM either.
until something breaks on either of them or the finish starts to come off id say the SAM has the norc on every front beat.

while the norc may be made with stroger metal the fit and finish is not even in the same ball park.

what i would LOVE to see is a $500 Norc that is actually fit and finished like the SAM with all the upgraded parts like the SAM.
THAT would be a interesting gun to see.
 
dont know if id go that far.
while ive never had a failure with my norcs ive never had a failure with my SAM either.
until something breaks on either of them or the finish starts to come off id say the SAM has the norc on every front beat.

while the norc may be made with stroger metal the fit and finish is not even in the same ball park.

what i would LOVE to see is a $500 Norc that is actually fit and finished like the SAM with all the upgraded parts like the SAM.
THAT would be a interesting gun to see.

Yes, I would like to see a good Norc also, but we never will in Canada. I was told by someone who sells a LOT of Norincos that Canadian shooters would not pay for a good Norc, and what would be the point, as we already eat up the cheap Norcs that are here. The Asian countries get nice Norinco Mustangs. What we see is a drop in the bucket.

http://www.guntechinterarms.com/pistols/norinco-pistols/
 
Some very nice Norinco's in the Phillipines in that link above. Currency convertor says they come in at about $800+ CDN.
 
Well I back then they have the Norinco NP30 Nickel finish pistol sell for $450. I dong know much about the NP30 but I almost certainly definitely get all the bells and whistles that SAM has. If i can get the NP30 Nickel I will definitely get it over the SAM, but since that is gone, SAM would be a great 1911 to start with. Hopefully Marstar import more nickel Norc 1911s :)
 
I had a SAM I picked up from Wolverine a few years ago and I loved it. No issues. I ended up selling it to my buddy who also loves it, and I still get to shoot it when we go to the range together.
 
ya no worries, any excuse to take and post more pics!

what exactly do you want?
some side by side?
some of them taken down and side by side?
some glory shots?
some with me wearing ###y clothes? (unless your into fat hairy guys i wouldnt recommend this option!)
 
If you want to take it to the US, anything but a Norc!

This seems to be a popular misconception. I took my Norc to Front Sight in Nevada. Batf had no problem issuing me a form 6 for the Norc so long as I was bringing it back to Canada with me.

You CAN take your Norinco to the US.
 
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