Problems with a Norinco Enhanced pistol

[valor1]

I posted this in another forum but didn't get any response. I'll try it here.

I am trying to change some parts for my Norinco Enhanced and I had some interesting problems.

Beavertail:
I bought an Ed Brown memory groove beavertail (been my favorite for years) and the frame happens to be "cut" so much that the Ed Brown part wiggles. I thought the memory groove beavertails are supposed to be "oversized" a little. Does this mean that there has to be some building up to be done on the frame to get a good fit?

Magazine Release Button:
The stock mag release button had some burrs and the magazine cannot be inserted easily. I need to press the button to insert the magazine. I replaced the button with an Ed Brown release button and is still getting the same result. The first one developed some burrs until such time that the magazine is no longer flushed when inserted. I also notice that the spring on the mag release button is a bit stiff. What could be a good solution.

The Norinco is still a very good shooter and the fit is better than the earlier versions. Thanks for your help.

 

[1911Tuner]

Nork Issues

Hey valor! Sorry I didn't see your question on John's forum...Time has been at a premium lately.

On the mag release...Sounds like maybe a tolerance stack issue. Either the
hole in the frame is located a little too far to the rear, or the catch shelf is a bit too long...or both. You can smooth it up a little by lightly scraping the catch shelf. Be careful to follow the radius and remove just a tiny bit at a time. Use a piece of 600-grit paper to polish off any rough edges. It'll be a cut and try exercise, so go slow. Use the tip of a small pocketknife for a scrape.

The frame tangs...I dunno. I've been goin' out of my way to look at every Norinco that I can get my hands on for a while now, and have yet to see
an "Enhanced" version...so I don't know if the tangs were already cut for their version of a beavertail/ducktail grip safety.

Most Norincos that I've seen vary a lot in how carefully they're machined,
and some are fairly crudely done. Norincos are generally good pistols, but few are what I'd call "nice" unless reworked by a skilled custom smith.

If the tangs on your enhanced pistol were machined for an upswept-type grip safety, they may have been overcut a little, since the object was probably to just get the safety on the gun and working. If the tangs weren't machined for that type of safety, it's possible that they were just badly machined. You may be able to get a cleaner fit by using a safety with a radius cut for a Springfield, which is a little smaller than standard. (.250 standard vs .220 Springfield)

Hope this helps...

 

[valor1]

At last! I've been waiting for you Tuner! I believe the frame tangs were machined too much since even the old upswept beavertail that came with it, "wiggles." Thanks for the suggestion on the Springfield Beavertail, I'll do some shopping again.

i'll try your suggestions and probably post some pics later. More power to you Tuner!

 

[1911Tuner]

Wigglin' Ducktail

"Wiggles"...In which direction? If there's side to side slop, it could be that the space between the tangs was over machined. If it's loose in the normal direction of travel, and doesn't stay positively in the disengaged position, you may just need to bend the far right leg of the sear spring to increase tension on the safety. I thought you meant that there was a gap between the fitted area of the safety and the tangs.