Norinco 1911

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loadedround said:
There is a fellow I know trying to sell a used Norinco 1911 clone for 900.00. I am aware that the government banned the sale or importation of Norinco firearms into the US, and it is also my understanding that these 1911 clones were POS. Any comments regarding quality would be appreciated. BTW, I have no intention of buying this pistol.
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100% correct - they suck-diddly-ucked. Had not KLIN - TON I banned them, they'd of STOPPED importing them due to LACK of sales.

Bought one new in February of '93. It started jamming on the second mag. :cuss: Of hardball. :eek:

You couldn't pay me $9,000 to take one. :barf:
 
Norinco 1911 sounds like Kung Pao Steak. Doesn't even sound right, but they work- to some that's what's it all about. They look like there has been no improvement since 1913.
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There's been some huge improvements in metalurgy.
 
I have shot mine quite a bit and it's accurate and not a hiccup thus far.

My son loves the nork and wants it when he is old enough to get a permit and carry.


For $300 or less I would jump on it asap. Good hunting!
 
I bougt a Norinco 1911 frame from a friend for $50.00 back in the 80's and it became the base for my first build. I've never had a single issue with the frame but I used Milsurp parts to keep it on the cheap which lead to issues. As I could afford new parts, I replaced them and now have a reliable gun. A used Norinco for $900.00? Too rich for my blood! Maybe $300.00 is more realistic!
 
I was more or less thrown out of a good gunsmith's shop when I asked him to check the head space on one. He had quite a rant about how much of a piece of trash the Norcs are.

He showed some ignorance that day. And of course, he didn't get the money in my pocket either.
 
I bought a Norinco last year which was new in box, for $425.
I have only put about 200 rounds through it, mixed hardball and JHP.
Zero malfunctions, and decent accuracy.
I did a lot of reading on Norinco 1911's both before and after I bought mine...the posts here are the first I have seen claiming jam problems.
The only problems I have read about concern some norincos having premature barrel locking lug wear.
 
Everyone who owns Norinco 1911 thinks they have a goldmine that everyone wants. At most they could reach $ 500 if in new in box but other than that the Nork 1911 are not that high of $900.
 
The Norinco pistols apparently were made of very tought steel and had barrels which had an excellent reputation for accuracy. That being said they are built much like the Russian guns with plenty of machining marks on the inside where they do not impact on he guns performance. Solid guns but not worth $900.
 
early 90s

My early 90's one is still 95%, rather loose, feeds perfectly, is a tad bit less accurate than a name brand 1911. Bluing looks like a 1932 Smith.
 
Since we will probably never see any more new Norinco 1911's in this "free" country, who is to say what a NIB one is or will be worth?
 
1911Tuner said:
This assessment comes from the only one that you bought?

All of'em? Really?

Wow.
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You're welcome to MY old one - and ALL others.
smiley-happy088.gif
 
You're welcome to MY old one - and ALL others.
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Now all I have to do is raise the money...

I've owned an even dozen Norincos, now down to six, and I've been involved with about three times that many more to some degree. Either a little tweak on an extractor or polish up a disconnect or eliminate a little grittiness in a trigger...to barrel replacement and fitting to slide/frame tightening. Back in the day, they sold a lotta Norincos in this area. They were literally everywhere you looked, and they were generally well-liked...because in spite of the "Diamond in the Rough" niche that they occupied...they flat ran.

The general concensus was along the lines of: "Well...it ain't pretty and it's not bughole accurate...but I can't get this thing to choke."

I knew many more people who owned'em in multiples, having been duly impressed with the general performance, they went back and bought one or two more. Around here, we're very big on the "Two is one and one is none" philosophy.

The early ones often had barrel fit issues related to insufficient vertical lug engagement, and it was a slide/frame dimension problem. That problem seems to have been corrected after about a year, as the percentage of bad ones was low. I've personally seen only three with that particular glitch, and it was a bad one. They'd beat the upper barrel lugs to gobbits within 500 rounds.

Of all the Norinco "Model of the 1911A1" pistols that I've encountered...there was only one real lemon. A good friend in Tennessee picked it up at a gun show, and realized why the price was so low after his first outing with it. It had every problem known to the 1911 and a couple that I'd never seen. Like running the fault codes on a Ford, I had to start at one end and work my way to the other. I wound up with about 25 hours in the thing before it finally submitted to my whims and started to behave like a proper 1911.
I now refer to it as "The Nork from Hell" whenever we speak of it. He calls it "The Rehab Nork." He reports that it's been 100% ever since I ran the gauntlet with it, and I have to admit that this one nearly whipped me. I'm not one to give up easily, but I was ready to buy it from him just so I could take a big hammer to it to keep the demons that inhabited it from escaping and possessing other innocent pistols.

Maybe you were unfortunate enough to have had its evil twin.
 
You're welcome to MY old one - and ALL others.
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That got my attention! I'd gladly take it. The one I have works very well, and as far as I know it's the only 1911 I've ever seen with a hard chromed barrel.

50 years ago we all thought Japanese goods were junk, everyone knows better now except the ones with such bias blindeness they can't see. 20 years ago Chinese goods earned a bad reputation, but their quality control has reversed all that in spades.

In another 20 years India will get the message that America has forgotten, that quality equals long term loyalty. When they do it will be their time to be the newest "Japan" or "Korea".
 
loadedround said:
There is a fellow I know trying to sell a used Norinco 1911 clone for 900.00. I am aware that the government banned the sale or importation of Norinco firearms into the US, and it is also my understanding that these 1911 clones were POS. Any comments regarding quality would be appreciated. BTW, I have no intention of buying this pistol.
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While that is 2x more then I would pay for one in top shape there are some out there paying $1300+ for Soviet era military Makarovs. For some money must really grow on trees. Five bucks buys very good pair of pliers form PRC I'm sure these are at least as good as $400 1911s from Philippines when Chinese had an empire Europeans lived in mud huts with straw roofs.
 
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Boris bush said:
They are not POSs. They are not worth $900.00 either..
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This. They are a solid piece, but that price is BS. If all you are after is a decent shooter, check out the RIA for less than half that.
 
When I saw "Made in China" on my incerdibly "Buy American" grandpa's full size 1911 it made me cringe. But not so bad that I didn't want to shoot it. Much to my surprise, it felt good in my hand, never jammed, shot reliably and was accurate, even with crap brand ammo that jammed my Mauser. If you covered up the wording and had me shoot it I never would have guessed it was anything other than American.

That said, despite being a good gun, I still would never own one, and laugh when I see them being advertised for the same price as an entry level Springfield or used Kimber.
 
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I remember calling Wayne Novak's shop back in the 80's about doing some work on a Norinco. At the time they told that they felt the Norinco was of inferior quality and they wouldn't work on them. That being said, I have a Norninco 1911 that works great and seems to be a fairly well made pistol. The various Norinco rifles I've owned have all been super accurate but crudely made internally.
 
I've got one I bought N.I.B. for about $300 when they were still importing them. If I could find another one in that price range, I'd buy it, too. Very solidly made guns, and Colt parts are interchangeable; it's basically like a GI issue 1911A1 as far as fit and finish goes. I replaced the plastic grips with checkered walnut, added an ambidextrous safety, and a stainless steel full-length guide rod with a fitted barrel bushing to mine. It shoots very well, and even feeds lead semi-wadcutter target ammo reliably, which is something my Glock won't do. I wouldn't pay $900 for one, though if I could find another one for less than $400, I'd be tempted. I consider the Norc as good as any of the imported 1911s like those from RIA.
 
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