Joined
·
1 Posts
just got a norinco 1911 a1 seems pretty well made ,any info would be great.needs new finish should I duracoat, blue,what do you guys think?
norinco 1911a1
1 - 20 of 44 Posts
Joined
·
583 Posts
The information below is from the buyers guide on 1911addicts.com. From what I have heard, the small parts of the norinco are sub par, but the frame and slide are of high quality steel. If you find one at a decent price, it sounds like a great gun to build on.
Norinco 1911A1
I’m now going to talk about a 1911 no longer imported into the United States, in the Norinco 1911-A1. While values are steadily increasing, they can still be found in like new condition for $400-$500 on the used market. The Norinco is one of my favorite USGI replicas and is built in China from heavy duty recycled forged steel. Refined and polished, they are not, but construction quality is unsurpassed at this price point. The sights are small, but equipped with white dots for ease in aiming. The ejection port is lowered, but not flared, and the finish is a thin bluing. The trigger is heavy, but certainly not out of the realm for a USGI and the serrated mainspring housing is equipped with a lanyard loop. Roll markings are humorous, in my opinion. The right side is clean, but the left side states “Model of the 1911A1 - 45 Automatic”, which sounds as if some of the meaning was lost in translation. To me, these are very impressive guns and I’m quite fond of them. I like the way they handle at the range as well. In fact, in my opinion, they more closely represent the look and feel of real USGI models, than any other replica I own. My example is the deluxe model, which is basically the same as the standard model, other than the addition of wood grips.
This 1911 uses no firing pin safety.
Unloaded weight: 39.0oz
Slide: Forged carbon steel
Frame: Forged carbon steel
Country of origin: China
Approximate 2015 street price: $500
[IMG]
[IMG]
Norinco 1911A1
I’m now going to talk about a 1911 no longer imported into the United States, in the Norinco 1911-A1. While values are steadily increasing, they can still be found in like new condition for $400-$500 on the used market. The Norinco is one of my favorite USGI replicas and is built in China from heavy duty recycled forged steel. Refined and polished, they are not, but construction quality is unsurpassed at this price point. The sights are small, but equipped with white dots for ease in aiming. The ejection port is lowered, but not flared, and the finish is a thin bluing. The trigger is heavy, but certainly not out of the realm for a USGI and the serrated mainspring housing is equipped with a lanyard loop. Roll markings are humorous, in my opinion. The right side is clean, but the left side states “Model of the 1911A1 - 45 Automatic”, which sounds as if some of the meaning was lost in translation. To me, these are very impressive guns and I’m quite fond of them. I like the way they handle at the range as well. In fact, in my opinion, they more closely represent the look and feel of real USGI models, than any other replica I own. My example is the deluxe model, which is basically the same as the standard model, other than the addition of wood grips.
This 1911 uses no firing pin safety.
Unloaded weight: 39.0oz
Slide: Forged carbon steel
Frame: Forged carbon steel
Country of origin: China
Approximate 2015 street price: $500
[IMG]
[IMG]
Joined
·
583 Posts
Couldn't share the pictures, you can see them here: https://www.1911addicts.com/proxy.p...023.jpg&hash=c3e228c26a52e538169f0b969e5cd0d5
Joined
·
522 Posts
I bought one that had very little use and changed out ignition parts, trigger, barrel, grips, grip safety and thumb safety and it's definitely a keeper and fine shooter suitable for carry. Runs like a top. Other than the barrel, the rest were just personal preference, not problems with the OEM parts.
Barrel fit is often the main or only weak link: if you buy one and quickly see unusual wear on the upper lugs, like I did, fit a new barrel and you're good to go. Ironically, the original barrel was accurate but was showing lug peening and I didn't want to risk damaging the slide.
Lots of good threads on http://forum.m1911.org
Barrel fit is often the main or only weak link: if you buy one and quickly see unusual wear on the upper lugs, like I did, fit a new barrel and you're good to go. Ironically, the original barrel was accurate but was showing lug peening and I didn't want to risk damaging the slide.
Lots of good threads on http://forum.m1911.org
Joined
·
4,254 Posts
I purchased a blued used one last year online and it seemed ok operationally and functionally. I wanted a bit better accuracy and made the following changes for accuracy and peace of mind:
Checkered rubber grips
Wolff 16 lb. recoil spring
Wolff 23 lb. hammer spring
Wolff extra power firing pin spring
Cylinder & Slide light pull sear spring
Wilson Group Gripper *
Custom fit EGW angled barrel bushing**
EGW flat-bottom oversized Firing Pin Stop***
* The Group Gripper provided more consistent groupings
** The EGW bushing noticeably increased accuracy
*** The fps provided excellent and consistent ejections. I put a tiny radius on the bottom. Pretty much just a tad more than breaking the edge.
Great pistol IMO.
![]()
Checkered rubber grips
Wolff 16 lb. recoil spring
Wolff 23 lb. hammer spring
Wolff extra power firing pin spring
Cylinder & Slide light pull sear spring
Wilson Group Gripper *
Custom fit EGW angled barrel bushing**
EGW flat-bottom oversized Firing Pin Stop***
* The Group Gripper provided more consistent groupings
** The EGW bushing noticeably increased accuracy
*** The fps provided excellent and consistent ejections. I put a tiny radius on the bottom. Pretty much just a tad more than breaking the edge.
Great pistol IMO.
Joined
·
73,411 Posts
I remember the review of one back in the early 1990s by Jan Libourel in Handguns magazine. He wanted to write an article about minimal customizations, and used his personal Norinco as a base. He started with a new barrel link and bushing, and the groupings were still all over the place. Then he had a King's barrel fitted, and it became a one-hole wonder after that. His gunsmith's assessment was that the factory barrels in the Norincos weren't much to shout about and were usually poorly-fitted to boot.
Norincos are very good pistols. I had one and should have kept it. At one time, Bill Wilson would only work on Colts and Norincos. You scored a great .45. Depending how bad the existing finish is, I might shoot it for a while to see if you think it's worth spending money to refinish. I'm a big fan of blued guns, but I've recently seen some duracoat finished that looked great.
I used to work for a dealer and we built about 5 race guns on Norincos and they turned out very nice. Very good steel in those guns. I still have some original Norinco parts that were replaced and they are pretty good quality. For a finish I would Parkerize or blue it. Check the upper lugs (slide and barrel) for corner damage - a few of the guns showed poor fitting from the factory.
Joined
·
13,342 Posts
Anybody remember how guys called the Norincos crap when they first came out?
It took many years but finally they are getting the good reputation they deserve.
I remember when I bought my Argentine Sistema Modelo 1927. It was priced low at the gunshop because the guys there said it was just a Cheap South American Copy of a real Colt. A "fake"
Now this was to be my first 1911, but I had handled & shot many Colt 1911's before.
I field-stripped it & looked at all the pieces. I found absolutely NOTHING wrong with how the gun was made. I was actually very impressed with the craftsmanship. I paid my $175 & took it home. Still have it. To hell with those guys. Their worthless opinions were clearly based on the country of manufacture, not the gun itself.
A few years later I was gun-shopping with a buddy. There was a used Norinco for a very good price. I examined it inside & out. I told my pal that it looked good & that he should choose it instead of the more expensive brand-new but crummy P38. Money was tight for him & the Norinco was clearly the better gun, & cheaper too.
He bought the P38.
This is the same guy who would not buy the Hyundai I found for his wife. Said it was "Korean Crap" So he bought her a Chevy Celebrity instead.
The biggest pile of poo ever. Broke constantly then blew a headgasket at 75k miles.
Briansnork--- You have a good gun there. Hang onto it!
It took many years but finally they are getting the good reputation they deserve.
I remember when I bought my Argentine Sistema Modelo 1927. It was priced low at the gunshop because the guys there said it was just a Cheap South American Copy of a real Colt. A "fake"
Now this was to be my first 1911, but I had handled & shot many Colt 1911's before.
I field-stripped it & looked at all the pieces. I found absolutely NOTHING wrong with how the gun was made. I was actually very impressed with the craftsmanship. I paid my $175 & took it home. Still have it. To hell with those guys. Their worthless opinions were clearly based on the country of manufacture, not the gun itself.
A few years later I was gun-shopping with a buddy. There was a used Norinco for a very good price. I examined it inside & out. I told my pal that it looked good & that he should choose it instead of the more expensive brand-new but crummy P38. Money was tight for him & the Norinco was clearly the better gun, & cheaper too.
He bought the P38.
This is the same guy who would not buy the Hyundai I found for his wife. Said it was "Korean Crap" So he bought her a Chevy Celebrity instead.
The biggest pile of poo ever. Broke constantly then blew a headgasket at 75k miles.
Briansnork--- You have a good gun there. Hang onto it!
Crowd I hung with did not call them crap ....they bought the crap out of them to make race guns......loved them, they were excellent quality...still are. Anyone in Canada willing to send me a bunch....j/k ATF just put me on a list...would take a M14 also....:rock:
I still do..LOL
don't get me wrong, I think it;s it's a fine THREE HUNDRED dollar pistol
It's just silly the way it's grown "cult like" status and some will spend $500 for a used one :scratch:
their claim to fame is "hard steel"....
Seriously??...97.38% of gun owners won't wear out an aluminum frame 1911
..L.T.A.
Joined
·
4,989 Posts
Back in the early 1990s, in the company I was in in the US Army, there were several that bought Norinco 1911s. They then had them refined by gunsmiths, and became their prized possessions, concealed carry pieces, and superb shooters.
I kick myself in the butt for not buying 1-2 of them and doing the same. Instead I bought a Smith and Wesson 6906 (IIRC) that was not that accurate and I offloaded a few years later.
I kick myself in the butt for not buying 1-2 of them and doing the same. Instead I bought a Smith and Wesson 6906 (IIRC) that was not that accurate and I offloaded a few years later.
Had mine since ~1993. Great pistol. It should provide a lifetime of service to most owners. The original finish and polish isn't the cleanest, but a competent refinisher could have it looking good in either blued or parkerized. I'd go blued, but that's all personal preference.
Joined
·
3,696 Posts
Amen to that
Bought mine in 1993. To date, it has approximately 25K rounds thru the barrel. Last year I had an issue with the slide release. Had it replaced along with a long trigger (I've got long fingers), new springs & a two tone cerekote (the blue was really worn).
It's been a great pistol for all these years.
You've got a great, inexpensive 1911.
Shoot the snot out of it then replace what you want/need.
I asked about the quality of the internals on them a few years back. The consensus was that they were probably on par with the WWII GI pistols. I have four of them. Pretty they ain't, but they are excellent pistols, save for a couple issues - the barrels aren't fitted real well. Two of mine now have Colt barrels. The other issue is the firing pin retaining plates can be loose enough to allow the extractor to clock. That is a simple problem to fix, and besides those two issues, they are great!
1 - 20 of 44 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!