My understanding of these Norincos is that the slide and frame are built of some unusually tough stuff, that lends well to .460 Rowland and 45 Super builds.
My Father has two of these Norinco 1911's gathering dust in his safe, but he's resisted my best efforts to acquire one of them for myself.
He'll capitulate, eventually
Note that unless you specify a beveled bottom you will be shipped flat bottom panels.Originally Posted by Tokarev
Last edited by Robinson; 10-23-2018 at 12:08 PM.
These would probably look pretty good, too.
Interesting. Like, something different than a normal casting or forging?
Both the slide and frame are forged, and it's widely rumored that both the frame and slide were made from tool steel bar stock. A lot of other unsubstantiated rumors abound about being 'railroad steel' and the like.
What is universally acknowledged among gunsmiths that work on 1911's is that out of the box frame-to-slide fitment is very good and Norincos are hardened and tough to the point that they're very destructive to end mill bits and other cutting bits.
Like the Polytech M14S, though, the barrel and internals aren't much to write home about, but they make a great base for a custom build.
For a long time, the Norinco was on a short list of possible options for custom work from a number of the boutique 1911 smiths, including Wilson Combat.
That's really interesting. I didn't even know Norinco made 1911s... and if I did, I probably would have assumed it was lower grade materials/build quality, etc.
That is looking good! Is that the original thumb safety?
I still have the Norinco from the early 90's that I picked up new from my FFL buddy for $277 out the door. Although I still have the original parts, it now wears a Chip McCormick hammer, sear, and trigger, as well as a full length guide rod that was all the rage back then. The FLGR did improve the accuracy of the gun which I would assume is because it helped the barrel lockup more consistently.
Last edited by SecondsCount; 10-24-2018 at 10:59 PM.
-Seconds Count. Misses Don't-
This particular safety came from eBay and was blued not phosphated. I asked Don to checker the little tab and then refinish it with the pistol.
All the original Norinco 1911s I've seen have the little GI-type safety.
Chinese AK variants are very, very solid, as are Chinese AK magazines. The hands-down nicest AK I've ever handled was a Polytech Legend.
The Polytech M14S (M1A clone) has an outstandingly good forged receiver, but like the Norinco 1911 the action parts can be a bit sloppy, but they make an excellent and very consistent base gun for a serious M1A build - just like the Norinco 1911 makes a great base for a 1911 build.
A friend of mine has a NDM-86 in .308 which is a Chinese copy of the SVD Dragunov. It has no trouble at all shooting ~0.75" 100yd groups with taylored handloads for it, and ~1-1.25" groups with most quality off the shelf ammo. It's also worth a shitload of money now, for what it is.
Chinese built military firearms are surprisingly good overall. It's just difficult to reconcile that against most of the Chinese-knockoff products of dubious quality that we see in the US these days.
Recently imported Chinese-made shotguns, such as the Winchester 1886 clones and some double barrels aren't all that great IME, though the "Hawk" 870 clones are surprisingly decent for the price.
I always liked the Chinese M97 pump guns although some could be a bit rough.
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