Has anyone purchased gun parts from China?

In my experience, I have ordered some things through Amazon that shipped directly from China, and the waiting period can be lengthy. From 1-2 months it can take. Now, what I ordered wasn't gun parts, but it still took a long time. Quality was ok.

Timing is important, also. I think it's Chinese New Year right now, which is about a month long celebration and slows a lot of commerce.

I've bought e-cig stuff directly, since they make it all, anyways.

I've bought a few cheap parts off Aliexpress, scope mounts and flashlights. Anywhere between two weeks and 2 months for delivery. Quality was as expected - cheap.

Some stuff is the same as OEM, some is junk potmetal that breaks on first use. Pay your money, take your chances. I would not use the stuff for critical applications unless you test it thoroughly

Oh, and if you have ever heard from anyone who tried to get a broken boresnake out of a barrel...it can be a challenge. I would stick to major brands for those.

A few years ago dx.com had Fobus-replica holsters for approximately $7 each. I bought a couple and when they arrived the only apparent difference to the real deal was lack of branding. They've held up just like originals so far. Not all items are nearly this good so be sure to read as many reviews as possible from the product page, especially the 1-2 star ones. Small number of orders and/or no proper reviews can be a warning sign. Caveat emptor.

I've bought direct from Chinese sellers, but only through eBay. Same with Russian sellers, it can take 2 weeks or more for an item to make it to me from either country depending on things out of my control.

Maxxhavoc is right. Even the Hoppes boresnakes need to be thrown away when it starts fraying so I would especially not buy the cheap boresnakes on Amazon or Ebay. Besides, the Hoppes on sale is maybe $5 higher--no worth it. I actually prefer the Otis boresnakes which also work with their pull through cleaning kits.

Like Radagast, I have bought things like flashlight mounts, etc. and generally have not been that impressed with the no-name generic stuff. Some stuff, like india stones, certain tools, even a borescope, etc. have been decent but only buy the stuff and sellers that have been reviewed pretty extensively.

I've also bought from DX.com. Some were genuine OEM products, others were poor quality reproductions. Fasttech & Banggood were better suppliers of similar goods, but they are still resellers of inexpensive low to mid quality products.
These days anything to do with optics & mounts I purchase from an Australian importer or American exporter of American branded goods. They may be produced in China, but the QC to suit the American parent corporation will be there.

www.budgetlightforum.com is the discussion forum for cheap flashlights, they run separate discussion threads on most of the Chinese internet suppliers of flashlights, batteries and pocket knives. A little time browsing there may give the OP some idea of their reliability.

I have used dhategate and AliExpress. Mostly for knives. I've been very pleased so far, and to my knowledge nobody has stolen my credit card. Chinese flashlights are a good deal too. And to be fair, you are kidding yourself if you think stuff like notes makes and slings or almost anything isn't made in China, no matter what it is branded over here.

There is cheap crap and good quality stuff and everything in between on AliExpress. Have fun.

Acera wrote:
Has anyone used one of these sites for gun parts and accessories?

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Not knowingly.

There are plenty of USA resellers of Chinese gun accessories, you don't need to order direct from China. I have a Chinese bipod, AR15 forend and rail flashlight holder, that were dirt cheap from USA sellers and of good quality.

I have ordered electronics parts direct from China and yes they can take quite a while to arrive, sometimes up to six weeks. I've also received parts direct from China in a few days, go figure. The reason for ordering direct was cost, USA electronics outlets have huge markups and charge an arm and a leg for shipping.

Some folks have been compairing the Zenitco items from Ali with little or no difference, Midwest mounts etc as well. very very hi priced items served for cheap. Beware some folks question this gear as Airsoft quality, alot of the guys claim no difference. Shipping 25-30 days is typical for Aliexpress etc.

hdwhit said:

Not knowingly.

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Same here. I try to buy quality parts, but you never know.

rskent said:

Same here. I try to buy quality parts, but you never know.

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In late 80's and early 90's Norinco 1911A1 was a common starting point for old school IPSC race gun builds, because the steel used in its slide and frame was superior to those of Colt and AMT of the era. Nobody knew whether this was a lucky accident or done on purpose but by 1994 "Norcs" were everywhere. Fit and finish were mediocre at best so overall quality impression was a far cry from Gold Cups that dominated the scene a few years earlier.

Most chinese production is cheap bulk but you have to remember that the country also made Ming vases. Sometimes chinese manufacturers get everything exceptionally right, even though not necessarily intentionally. Norinco 320 Uzi clones were next to indestructible plinkers at some point, too.

hq said:

but you have to remember that the country also made Ming vases.

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Are you trying to make the point that they could make good quality stuff if they wanted?
I think they most certainly could, if they wanted. I also think it’s pretty clear that they would rather produce cheap crap for the US market.

rskent said:

Are you trying to make the point that they could make good quality stuff if they wanted?

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Yes. The problem is that China has been "under new management", so to speak, since 1949 and their focus has been quantity over quality. There are exceptions to the rule but it'll still take a lot of effort to change the public perception by radically improving overall QC.

Before I retired, my business bought quite a bit of (non-gun) stuff from China. I made several trips over there, and you simply would not believe most of the factories and their conditions and QC, if any. My experience was that they would give you whatever they thought you would accept. If you made it abundantly clear that you wanted high quality, that's what you got. We had to return several shipments to be remade before we started getting good quality.

Just some new feedback from a 12" Picatinny rail blank I bought on eBay for $14.00 from an American seller, but the part is from China.

The Picatinny rail at the mounting lug section is slightly undersized in width and height. So, if you install standard scope rings they won't tighten up. Burris Zee rings can be torqued down until tight, and cheap-o NCStar type rings mount tightly, but not the regular Weaver/Picatinny rings I have on hand.

I work pretty hard to avoid products from China so I've never intentionally sought out a direct source.
I do know that QC and standards we take for granted are hit and miss at best.

I have purchased several electrical and electronic parts through AliExpress. First of all, you are not buying from AliExpress directly. They are an " umbrella" website that handles the marketing and representation for individual sellers who sell through the AliExpress website. So you have different levels of experience, competence, quality control and customer service depending on the individual seller. I have encountered sellers who, when asked questions regarding electronic components, either did not have a clue or insufficient command of English to answer my questions.

I'm sure that that the same would be true with gun parts and accessories. So I would not recommend buying "critical" components through AliExpress. YMMV