If Norinco had put out technical data on the things, the steels they were made of particularly, I would have been interested. I did have a friend who purchased a Norinco M14, had the receiver ion blast tested. I forgot what SAE steel it was close to, but both of us looked in our Machinery Handbooks and saw transmission gears, and other hard use, tough applications as appropriate. Our book value analysis conclusion was that the Chinese picked a steel that was much better than US GI. US GI receivers are made of 8620 steel, the bare minimum for the job. Which is OK for a battle rifle which only had to pass a 6000 round endurance test, and then, any and all parts could be discarded in rebuild.
Since then, my Cold War era prejudges about Chinese equipment have flipped. We were taught that Chinese Communist products are garbage, everything Chi Com was bad, and the early stuff that came in the 1980's, that was not far from wrong. The Chinese 3/4 drive ratchet set I purchased in the early 1980's cost me only $50.00 and I have beat and used the heck out of those sockets. But at the time I did not expect them to last. I got them because they were cheap. Same day, at the Flea Market, looked for a used American 3/4" drive ratchet wrench, because I figured the Chinese one would strip, and bust my knuckles. I paid $75.00 for a used
Easco 3/4 drive ratchet wrench . Guess what, the Chinese wrench still clicks and
Easco is out of business. Now I am typing on a Chinese made computer, most every part I put in my vehicles is Chinese made, and so are the new tools. Having gone through four Chinese made AC Delco starters, the aluminum nose cones are thin compared to the old American ones, so nothing is perfect.
But had I known that the Chinese had smart metallurgists, excellent engineers, and knew how to build long lasting 1911's, I would have purchased one of those cheap Norinco's. But that was then.
