Well I was in the market for a handgun, either looking at buying a M&P, CZ, Glock 17, or something of decent quality. But I ended visiting my gunsmith who had a Norinco 1911 A1 Compact 45 auto... I had done reviews on them and lots were mixed but I said what the hell, I kinda wanted a cheaper gun that I didn't have to worry about bangin' around and stuff. It seems to function fine so far, only put 25 rounds through it. I had paid an extra $100 for this model as it had been completely gone through and smoothed out. What is your guys opinion on these guns? Hoping I am not going to regret buying this thing haha.
Well can't believe I stooped this low... Bought a Norinco 1911 A1
- Thread starter Brappp306
- Start date
I wish I had a Gunsmith, but I know what you mean...never thought I would get a Nork either but I wanted to try 9mm to see if it was a round that I wanted to shoot.
Traded a revolver that I paid $250.00 for a NIB Norinco 213/T-33 clone. I now get lots of practice clearing jams when using low cost factory reloads but it runs smooth with AE 124Gr FMJ and others.
The gun turns out to be quite accurate and very compact, I have since bought two more 9mm's so now I "need" to get some dies and a mold and re-load some custom ammo to feed the hungry chambers.
Traded a revolver that I paid $250.00 for a NIB Norinco 213/T-33 clone. I now get lots of practice clearing jams when using low cost factory reloads but it runs smooth with AE 124Gr FMJ and others.
The gun turns out to be quite accurate and very compact, I have since bought two more 9mm's so now I "need" to get some dies and a mold and re-load some custom ammo to feed the hungry chambers.
1911a1 .45 I bought 3 with the deal at canam, 1 is my sons and 1 ?? the one I took apart so far is as advertised I got a good one, over 200 down the pipe and no ftf,fte with norc ammo shoots just a bit high and left ( I am a lefty) but that is mostly me, a slight tap on the rear sight and firmer grip will fix most of that! I love the .45 caliber and the norc, I will run 1000-1500 through her to break in and the start adding aftermarket parts/ adjusting the springs etc. Love the gun!
RAYdiation
Regular
- Location
- Toronto, ON
Went to the CQB course at CFB Borden this past weekend and shot my CQA and 1911 (Sunday was a free shoot) for the first time. They both performed really well.
Had some hiccups with the 1911 with the first 50 rounds, but pretty much went smoothly afterwards. They were brand new mags, so they were not broken in as well. I sure don't regret buying them.
Had some hiccups with the 1911 with the first 50 rounds, but pretty much went smoothly afterwards. They were brand new mags, so they were not broken in as well. I sure don't regret buying them.
handofzeus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Trout Creekish Ontario.
Hmm, you can't believe you 'stooped' to paying a great price for a gun reknowned for its superior metalurgy? You feel silly for not spending stupid amounts of cash for a certain logo stamped on the side? You feel some sort of need to justify buying a well made gun that only requires a $12 spring kit to make it a great gun?.......Sorry but I forgot what your point was.
Bought a Canada Ammo combo. I've put 55 rounds through mine. It is accurate and POI co-incides with POA for me. The trigger is nasty but the gun functions. I'll probably shoot a few hundred rounds through it before I send it out for a trigger job and a going over with Clarence at Bumblebee. He's already done my Shadow and I'm well pleased with the work.
Cheers,
-DF.
Cheers,
-DF.
Well its good to hear some positive things about the pistol! I'm starting to like it more and more every time I handle it. Can't wait to really test it out tomorrow.
But yes I do feel kind of cheap, for a 1911 what I really would have liked is a Sig Sauer, STI, or a Kimber. I do believe in you pay for what you get. But for now this will do until I can get my hands on a SIG 1911 Spartan Model or a Kimber Pro Covert II
But yes I do feel kind of cheap, for a 1911 what I really would have liked is a Sig Sauer, STI, or a Kimber. I do believe in you pay for what you get. But for now this will do until I can get my hands on a SIG 1911 Spartan Model or a Kimber Pro Covert II
I have a Norinco two-tone that I bought several years ago and it has been outstanding! Not a single failure to feed or eject with many different kinds of ammo both factory and reloads. I have done a few mods to it such as springs, Wilson barrel bushing, stainless grip safety, Ed Brown stainless pins, coco bolo grips, etc. Most of these were for looks although the barrel bushing was pretty sloppy from the factory so the Wilson unit was a worth while upgrade. It still shot extremely well with the factory bushing.
Trigger is nice on it as well. It is by far my favorite handgun.
Trigger is nice on it as well. It is by far my favorite handgun.
high end guns are nice to have with out a doubt, but it's also nice to have a inexpensive gun that you don't freak out if it gets a scratch or gets dirty. plus you can try your hand at gun smithing and not worry about breaking it.
Very true
The Norc1911A1 Government model was one of the first HG's I bought when I obtained my Restricted. It served me well and I learned a lot about handling and cleaning it.
I have "nicer" and more expensive HG's now and the Norc1911 is long gone since I picked up a G17 as my "oops" gun(turns out the 1911 platform was not for me)
OP…enjoy your "new" HG and post some pics!
I had a problem with the slide not locking back, when manually cycled, with one of the pistols on the CanAm combo deals.
Switched recoil springs with another gun and it worked fine. One was slightly kinked (I mave have done it?).
Now to fine another spring that is in stock. Thinking a 10#, as my reloads are fairly light. Can't find one.
Tried Brownells and Marstar, "not in stock". Anywhere else?
Switched recoil springs with another gun and it worked fine. One was slightly kinked (I mave have done it?).
Now to fine another spring that is in stock. Thinking a 10#, as my reloads are fairly light. Can't find one.
Tried Brownells and Marstar, "not in stock". Anywhere else?
mildcustom2
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Surrey, B.C.
The new SAM prices from a Wolverine almost make buying a Norinco pointless. Although I wouldn't mind buying a variety of Norinco clones to experiment with.
Superior metalurgy? Is that what it's all about?
I have owned a NP29 and a 1911A1 from Norinco. Bought them after seeing all the rave about them here. I wasn't too sure what to expect when I ordered them but don't fool yourself; You're paying 350$ for a 350$ pistol. There is no "value" in a norinco; you REALLY get what you pay for. Ok, the frame might be made of magic unicorn chinese steel but the craftmanship well... lacks a bit. The mags, sights, springs, grips and small parts are pretty poor too.
Does it works out of the box? Well you obviously cannot shoot one out of the box; It requires a good scrubbing of the factory gunk first.... But if by "work" you mean insert a mag, pull the trigger and hear a bang: I think they can do that. Are they reliable? If you're getting some decent mags they will go bang everytime; big thanks to the loose tolerance.
From my personal experience:
- The factory mags are crap. The lips were not right and induced malfunctions.
- The factory fixed sights were damn low and bad. The Np29 shot 5 inch low and 3 inch right @ 7 yards. The 1911A1 shot 8 inch low @ 7 yards. Sights replacement? Sorry the factory rear sight insert is not standard...
- The trigger; Maybe it was "just" my 2 specimens but if you think this is good, you've obviously never handled a decent 1911.
- The frame and slide are poorly finished; lots of tooling marks. Working in this gun is hazardous; you can cut yourself pretty bad. The 1911 bushing was a b*tch to remove thanks to some heavy machining marks.
- The fit and finish?... Well, you don't buy them for their exquisite finish and fine craftmanship do you ?
To sum this up, the love story with norc didn't work out for me. I wanted to try and like them but I couldn't. The money I had to invest on the frame, trigger, parts, grips and mags could not be justified. The few hundred more you will have to spend (And that you'll never recoop) on the Norc to make it decent would be better invested on an entry level Ruger or STI.
The only good thing I found about Norinco pistols is that they're easy to resell
Guess it isn't great for everyone.... I have to say I've been extremely lucky then... Just sold my m1911-a1, because I prefer my commander version, and my np-22 (latest version) is really great to handle and shoot... It's not a sig, but it's a good pistol...enjoy your purchase........
