Highly customized Norinco 1911 better than TRP?

[Min]

If you took a Norinco 1911 to a good gunsmith, had him replace all the internals with high quality parts, tune, polish, and buff the insides - would you end up with a better gun than say a high-end production gun like TRP, Kimber Warrior, etc?

I think it would cost you the same.

 

[schmeky]

Tough call. I have a modified Norinco that is one of my prized 1911's. I think any hand fitted 1911 will have an egde over most production 1911's. I have read nothing but good about the TRP's.

But for a base 1911, the Norinco is one of the best, IMHO.

 

[krs]

I have a rare Norinco 1911 - rare because it wouldn't shoot worth a darn. I mean it wouldn't group better than 8" from a rest.

I put in a Fusion barrel with a tight bushing and now the ugly sucker will shoot with most any bullseye gun. I changed out the sear and hammer (hammer only because I like a wide spur type), went through the gun smoothing and honing, and used Colt springs and now that pistol is still ugly but it's one of my favorite 1911's. A real sleeper at the range.

I do all my own work except good finishes. (I beadblast stainless here, but can't bring myself to paint a gun yet so send out for blueing or Ionbond.

I'm not so sure that you could have someone do all the work on a Norinco and beat the Kimber prices. Kimbers aren't really that much comparatively, and gunsmithing doesn't come cheap.

Yes, the Norinco steel is harder than what's generally used in the US but it would work against you in labor time to do things like sight mounting, checkering, or any of the fine fitting. Parts add up too, and you could easily find yourself with a $3000. Norinco. That'd be bad.

 

[loop]

Here's a Norc I redid this summer. It will shoot as well as anything out there, but it was a piece of junk when I got. I considered an 8-inch group pretty good for it.

Now it shoots a 1-inch group, just like most of my .45s, but it only hass about nine original Norinco parts left.

The parts I'd keep on a Norc are frame, slide, barrel, sear, disconnector, link, link pin and plunger tube. Beyond that it gets iffy.

The Norc is now my carry gun. It is way more accurate than I am.

Been posted before, but once more won't hurt...

 

[loop]

Yeah, I'd much rather have this than a TRP - any day.

Forged frame and slide vs. cast. Tight specs. True mil spec. The TRP varies from mil specs in at least a couple areas. (See firing pin and ejector to start.) The Norinco is as close to true mil specs as you will ever see.

 

[theken206]

loop, where and gods name can i find me a pair of grips like that??

 

[loop]

The grips are made by Esmeralda.

I have to confess a weakness for her work.

Her site is: http://www.esmeralda.cc/

 

[Min]

loop, that is an awesome Norc. But what kind of finish is that? It looks like stainless. Did you do something to the finish?

 

[loop]

Factory nickel. It only looks like stainless because of my poor camera skills.

I did nothing to the gun but clean it up and replace parts.

It will get a new nickel job in the near future. There are a few spots where it is wearing through. Among the parts replaced there are a few that were stainless and they won't be touched.

I like the appearance and feel of blued parts. So when it is refinished it won't be a nickel gun all over. It will have some blued parts.

I like making my guns shoot better and work better, and, in the process, making them look better...

 

[krs]

Loop,

you must have the only Norinco barbeque gun in the country! Looks great!

Mine, as I said, stayed ugly....

 

[mainmech48]

Perhaps, but you'd also very likely have just as much, if not more, money in the finished product, given a closely similar list of features.

 

[Rangegod]

I"ve owned a TRP and have a PRO, a Valtro, and four Browns plus a few more. And to answer your question; yes, this Alex Hamilton built Nork is better than all of them.

The cost was about equal to the PRO.

JAC

 

[phrozenlikwid]

Assuming similar cost, and a good 'smith doing up the Norinco, I'd take the chinese gun.

I know what I want in a 1911, and what I don't; Having a gun built up to my specs appeals to me more than buying a factory gun (though the TRP's aren't at all "bad" 1911's).

 

[schmeky]

Rangegod,

Wow, that's one of the best lookin' Norc's I have ever seen. Beautiful gun.

 

[Sniper X]

I agree with the Esma grips, and he website is kind of like soft porn for the gun guy.

 

[Jolly Rogers]

Loop said...

Forged frame and slide vs. cast. Tight specs. True mil spec. The TRP varies from mil specs in at least a couple areas. (See firing pin and ejector to start.) The Norinco is as close to true mil specs as you will ever see.

Never heard of a cast frame or slide on any Springfield 1911 format gun. All forged in Brazil....but forged.
Joe

 

[loop]

I just like building up 1911s. I've found the Norinco is the best format to do that.

They are true mil specs. They also are made of the best metal of any 1911 available.

Springers have a good rep, but I'm still trying to figure out why.

TY for the kind words, folks. It's just kind of something my wife calls a hobby.

I've never sold a Norc I've rebuilt for less than I had in it. The one in the pic is a keeper. It will do one inch at 25 yards and look good doing it.

It is built to tight specs. It takes a wrench to get the bushing to break loose. OTOH, that's the EGW custom fit bushing I ordered (for less than $25 shipped).

It took about $800 to make the pictured gun a $2,000 gun. If I'd paid someone else to do it it would have cost about $2,000.

Esmeralda's grips are a kind of like porn. They are so nice. Just load up the debit card and buy them ASAP when you see the ones you like.

I can't say much about Springfields aside from the fact they have an undeserved reputation for quality. I do have to wonder how they get all those bubbles in there in a forgery. It must be a metallurgical trick.

 

[kcshooter]

Entirely depends on the Smith.