[Rutterbg]

I just left the pawn shop with this Norinco 1911A1 with serial 301679. From what I've read, it appears to be an early 1990s import. I've done a ton of research and found that it's quite a rare gun and made of forged steel 😁.

The only part that appears to have been changed out is the barrel. It has a Colt NM 7267177. I paid $400 OTD which seemed like a fantastic price. I inspected all the lugs and headspace and it appears to have been fitted correctly by a gunsmith. I'll be shooting it today, so I'll report back how it is.

 

[Hoptoad]

Waiting for a range report

 

[Rutterbg]

Waiting for a range report

Just got back from the range. My god is this thing accurate! I shot out to 21 yards with some of the best clusters I've ever shot. The sights are a little small for my liking, but this thing handles fantastic. Not a single hiccup. Put about 100 rounds through it and it's definitely going to be a keeper!

I'll likely swap out the grips for some nice wood or ivory ones, but I think I'll keep everything else as is. I need to visit pawn shops more often 😁

 

[Hoptoad]

Excellent!

 

[ussmanlovede36]

Made in China

 

[824tsv]

Yup, made in China, and to be honest they are excellent pistols. Lots of them up here.
Be careful of over tightening the grip screws. The bushings are metric, standard 1911 bushings wont fit. Metric replacements are unobtainable.

 

[Rutterbg]

Made in China

Look into it! These are quality made 1911 clones. Forged slides and frames. The steel is as much as 30% stronger than the steel used in Colts. These are not Chinese junk like a lot of the products we send to be manufactured there.

 

[Rutterbg]

Yup, made in China, and to be honest they are excellent pistols. Lots of them up here.
Be careful of over tightening the grip screws. The bushings are metric, standard 1911 bushings wont fit. Metric replacements are unobtainable.

Thanks for the heads up! I did snug them up, but just barely. I saw someone say they were using colts grips on these?

 

[Boge]

Of course you know that the Colt barrel kills any collector value for the Norinco!!

 

[Rutterbg]

I'm not too worried about any collector value. I bought it to shoot and to keep. The frame and the slide being forged were well worth it to me.

 

[Ivan1911A1]

The Chinese factories are able to build some good stuff when they want to.
Barrels seem to be a consistent problem but yours has that resolved.

- Ivan.

 

[dsk]

The early 1990s Norincos like yours were very good guns, and in fact they were whipping both Colt and Springfield Armory's butts for sales when Slick Willie suddenly decided to ban Chinese guns and ammo from entering the USA (yet the rest of their junk is still okay). The barrels were never known for accuracy but it appears a previous owner fixed that problem with yours. I'll concur that the steel is very hard as I remember gunsmiths complaining about it.

BTW in addition to the barrel it appears they also replaced the slide stop as it's a WW1-era unit.

 

[Rutterbg]

Good to know on that slide stop! I'm pretty new to 1911s, so I have a lot of learning to do. It shot like an absolute champ with zero issues. I might try to find a local 1911 expert to do a one over just to be safe and make sure there's nothing I'm missing. As far as I can tell though, it should be a good shooter as long as I own it.

 

[NDL]

X

 

[dsk]

BTW this is officially a WW2-era pistol according to Band of Brothers. If you watch the episode where the American GI threatens the German baker over bread intended for the concentration camp victims you'll see where the GI's 1911 has the distinctive 3-dot Norinco sights.

 

[Jim Watson]

Barrels seem to be a consistent problem but yours has that resolved.

The poster known as 1911Tuner said a Springfield barrel was a good replacement for the Chicom part which was not as good quality as the slide and frame.

 

[Rutterbg]

The poster known as 1911Tuner said a Springfield barrel was a good replacement for the Chicom part which was not as good quality as the slide and frame.

I've seen their posts. I did some research on the colt barrel in it and it seems to be held with high regards. So long as it was properly fitted, which it appears to have been, I think it will continue to perform well.

 

[silverback53]

Congratulations, that is a great looking pistol.

 

[mkk41]

Marstar in Ontario, CA may be able to help with replacement Norinco grip bushings.

Or , grip bushings with oversize threads (for stripped out standard frame threads) are available from Brownells. They take standard US grip screws.Don't know what size the Chin bushings are , but the oversize could be an option.

I hate dealing with metrics!

 

[dsk]

If the existing bushings are not stripped or damaged I see no reason to mess with them, as long as the grip screws themselves are still standard USGI spec.