I’m a retired class A CNC machine builder and a engineering lead tech. I see things from both sides of the fence on how things function. I been a car/jeep/truck mechanic too.

I found this over a decade ago for $300. It was orginal in condition before bubba got to it. When I arrived home I found the barrel bushing was loose in the slide. My norinco with its forged steel frame and slide became my first project 1911a1. I wanted to do a build using the cheapest new parts I could buy to see how accurate it could be. I purchased a USGI surplus barrel, a national match barrel bushing, adjustable trigger, I added the disconnector ramp, polished the feed ramp, FLGR with 18# recoil spring. I purchased every dvd on “how to” work on 1911a1’s. From Wilson combat, agi, Jerry k book and video. I watched them over and over. I fitted the nm barrel bushing to the slide were the last little bit of locking it up the bushing wrench is needed. Then I fitted the barrel to the bushing and slide. The barrel was fitted for 100% lock up in full battery with no barrel spring in either direction, in full battery or when it hinges down to load the next round. The lug engagement was within spec, the length of the barrel link was perfect. The disconnector ramp took out that bump as the slide moves forward when cycling. This smooths out the action. I actually took my time in fitting the barrel to the nm bushing. I stoned it then lapped it for a 100% lock up in full battery. The barrel has no play in it. In full battery the bushing has a upper and lower “C” opening. Looking at the bushing from the side the c opening is the upper rear and lower front. These will hold the barrel perfect to the outside dimensions of the barrel for % lockup with no barrel spring. When you hold the barrel in full battery and let go it doesn’t move. Then the bushing is clearances in the upper front and lower rear so it hinges down to load the next round. Again no barrel spring in this position too.
The slide to frame fit isn’t too bad a tad loose like any other USGI 1911 clone. I used moly to lube it.

At the range at 25 yds using Russian wolf 45 acp ball ammo she shoots cloverleafs and clusters. She shot 1 1/2” groups that not shabby for a standard fit slide and Russian ammo. I did notice the barrel bushing was a tad too tight. One more time in lapping/ honing the barrel into the full battery fixed that. The second outing she shot the same group with no tightness.

This was my very first 1911a1 build. It went fine.

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Plant garlic in the fall

More proof that slide to receiver fit is not that critical to practical accuracy. Proper and consistent barrel lockup, good sights, and a good trigger provide the bulk of the accuracy in a semi-auto pistol.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Those Norinco 1911’s were a great basis for custom work.

It's fun to fiddle with 1911's and tune them up. Years ago a fellow mechanical engineer and I enjoyed tricking up our G.I. 1911's on the cheap. He tipped me off to a gadget called a Group Gripper, a spring loaded barrel link that jams the barrel lugs tightly into the slide lug recesses with the gun in battery. We found that this gadget and a collet bushing achieved near the same level of accuracy improvement as tedious fitting. Years later when I got my hands on a Series 70 1911 Gold Cup with an exquisitely good trigger pull, I slapped in the Group Gripper, the poor man's accuracy job, and was thrilled with the results. It's probably not at good or durable as a quality accuracy job by a competent pistolsmith, but for us kitchen table gun surgeons it was was rewarding and cheap. It's still in my Gold Cup.

The Norinco 1911s were good quality guns, often used as bases for custom builds.

Bill Wilson is often quoted as saying a good 1911 should be fit right, not tight.

Sounds like you did a good job with your 1911. Even better would be some pics. *hint, hint*

All of the important things to get right in a 1911 are in the upper. If you can get it to return to battery the same every time you have an accurate gun. Within reason the slide to frame fit means nothing and too tight there can lead to malfunctions over a long course of fire.
I was around for the first Bianchi Cup and remember when Bill was building guns in a shed. The Norincos made a great base but at the time the Springfield guns were not that much more

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk

Here’s pics

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Plant garlic in the fall

I think the full length guide rod makes a big difference in recoil side to side jump and how fast it returns to battery. The recoil is straight up then down. No twist to the side. Without the FLGR and 18# recoil spring I hear the spring coiling and binding without the rod guiding the stronger spring.

Now this norc 1911a1 has a tad more wear in the front grooves in the slide. I been trying to figure out why. I’m thinking the PO used a stronger spring and it put more of a horizontal pressure to the front frame rails as it was coiling and binding. Or not the correct lube on the rails. The frame rails are parallel front to rear exactly the same. So this tells me the wear is in the slide grooves in the front. I purchased the tools to Swage the frame rails from brownells to tighten up the front but with this kind of accuracy using Russian ammo why touch it.

I did tune the extractor as per info on the net. They flare the bottom of the extractor so the case rim slides up into the extractor smoother. I did purchase all the tools for setting the extractor to the correct tension. I know some guess at it. But I figure with the extractor set to specs if I had cycling problems I know it’s not the extractor. She cycles fast like a race gun.

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Plant garlic in the fall

Nice! Well... except for the stocks. I really do like nicely figured wooden stocks.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

I've tried the Group Gripper in a couple of 1911's. They do help with providing a more consistent lockup between the barrel's locking lugs and slide, so long as the spring can maintain that tension.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Those Norinco 1911s were made with some excellent Chinese steel from what I have read.

"Bill Wilson is often quoted as saying a good 1911 should be fit right, not tight." Tell that to Les Baer!

I was recently “offered” a Norinco 1911 on trade towards a S&W revolver.
The guy had the nerve to tell me Norinco was considered better that a Colt by some people. Also no longer available which made it worth more. I have to go back and look but I think S&W was in $800 range. I might have been born at night but it wasn’t last night. You all can have my share of anything Norinco makes.

Uhhhhhh... better than a Colt? Hmmmmm... no.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Maybe sought after by collectors but not better than a colt. Maybe better for a project build.

The steel is supposed to be our scrap rail road track.

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Plant garlic in the fall

I've owned this Norinco for many years. It's an early import. It is well built, dependable, and as accurate as either of my other 1911s ( Springfield and Colt).

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John

Best bang for your buck. Forged frame and slide, chrome lined barrel. Better than many modern built 1911 with MIM parts. Objectively better than Colt from a cost and performance standpoint from a collection POV is debatable. My $.02

Considered equal in quality to any WWII / Korea vintage USGI guns . Still got one around here . Made it into a loaner HB gun for CMP matches . Bomar sights , IMI NM barrel / bushing . Holds the 10 ring @ 50 with brown box GI ball .

Years ago when the Norinco's first came out Jan Libourel, (editor for a few different gun rags,) got one and took it into King's Gunworks to have them work their magic on it. King's accurized it with their parts.

This was back when Colt was having all kinds of quality issues. As I recall King's said it was a good pistol for the price. They were able to start with a mil-spec 1911 and do their usual work on it without having to "fix" things before moving forward.

Colt was having quality problems in the 70/80’s they laid off their QC people. Big mistake.

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Plant garlic in the fall

About six years ago I picked up a used, but completely original Norinco 1911A1 for $375. Some of the best money I ever spent. The gun is completely reliable and reasonably accurate for what it is.
I thought long and hard about turning it into a fancy custom pistol. But then I realized that there aren't that many unmolested Norcs left out there. So I decided to leave it completely stock just for the hell of it.

Years ago, I mentioned to my soon to be wife that I wanted a basic 1911 to build. I would stop in at my LGS and look around but the manager always would discourage me from a 1911 in the case for one reason or another. On my birthday, she gave me a box and wrapped up in packing paper was a Norinco. Turns out the manager and she were in cahoots and he was holding the Norinco for her.
I eventually replaced and cleaned up every internal part with Wilson and other quality parts, beavertail, etc and had a gunsmith lower and flair the port and install Bomar sights. The gunsmith commented on the quality of the Norinco and it's steel.
It's the one gun I'll never sell. We've been married over 20 years and she's still supportive of my shooting hobby.

Me too. And without finger grooves please.

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Expect the unexpected

You can always peen the slide rails for a tighter fit if you please.

With the rubber finger groove grips I can squeeze my fingers into the rubber so firm the 1911 becomes an extention of my arm.

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Plant garlic in the fall

The front part of the slide and frame rails seems to be a tad looser over the rear section which is acceptable. I need to measure the slide and frame rails more closely. I did purchase all the tools to tighten up the frame rails.
Since the barrel bushing was so loose in the slide I’m thinking it had many 1,000’s of rounds through it when I purchased it, shooting clusters and cloverleafs and 1 1/2” groups using Russian wolf ammo at 25 yds isn’t too bad. I’m thinking there’s a horizontal side to side pressure as the recoil spring coils up inside the slide. The FLGR eliminates this pressure.

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Plant garlic in the fall

You probably won’t see a big accuracy improvement from tightening the slide. You just won’t have a rattle pistol any longer.

You are right to some degree. Barrel lockup can compensate for a ****** slide to frame fit. However, that being said, a good slide to frame fit will allow a good shooting auto to continue to shoot well for hundreds of rounds longer than one with a ****** fit. I've had a lot of guns come into my shop that had been set up to lock up on the link. This was done to compensate for a really bad slide to frame interface. More than one of these had been damaged due to prolonged shooting while set up like this.
Slide frame fitting is not hard once you've done a few hundred of them. Some need a little, some need a lot. It can make the diff between a good gun and a great gun you hand down to the Grandkids.

Your experience pretty much mimics my own first 1911 build Big Bill. Except I started with a surplus Gold Cup slide from Numrich and a ss Caspian frame. Don’t remember where the bbl came from but probably was a Wilson along with the other bits and pieces. Bought a copy of Kuhnhousen’s book too. Fit an oversized NM bushing with a drill press no lathe. Used good old Colgate to fit the tight slide to the frame. Added a full length guide rod. Thinking it’s a Videcki trigger. The red grips and beaver tail safety are relatively new. It originally had a ss beavertail without the speed bump. One of my better builds. I’ve never done another 1911 build that was that involved. Never owned a Norinco .45 but do have their 1897 Trenchgun and an ATD .22 Browning copy. Both good firearms. The .22 is very accurate.

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I’m going to try my quality SWC target loads first before I touch the rails.

I have the orginal barrel and parts in a plastic bag marked for the norc. I’m educating my son where everything is kept. So he understands what goes to what.

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Plant garlic in the fall

It doesn’t rattle as Bad as I seen other 1911’s rattle.

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Plant garlic in the fall

My Norinco ( see post #15 ) has closer tolerances, and is "tighter" than either my Colt or Springfield. As posted above, it's unfortunate that really nice , unaltered Norincos are very hard to find. They may get snubbed by folks who know nothing about them because they were made in China, but I, for one, highly recommend one for a "Mil-Spec" clone.

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John

I agree, long linking is bad all around. It screws up the timing of the barrel unlocking from the slide, dragging on the edges of the radial locking lugs, can cause the rear of the bottom lug to bash the receiver abutment and barrel bed and place the barrel feed ramp edge too close to the edge of the receiver feed ramp. Long linking is the stuff of Bubba and his kitchen table gunsmithing shop.


Poor man's lapping compound! Yep, been there, done that, and it actually works pretty darned well.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

I’ve bought 3 current production Colts in as many years. I still have my Norinco. The fit and finish were not up to my standards for a 1911 of any make. I’ve repeatedly discussed this with the Colt reps at SHOT. They just grimace and say they’re within specs.
The over travel/squishy thumb safeties drive me crazy.

I’ve also heard that Norcs are made from old rails and or 4150 steel. I know they’re hard on cutters.

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213th FBINA

Maybe I have misjudged Norinco 1911. I may go back and contact the guy who wanted to trade one for a $800 S&W. Then I can pair it with the Norinco AK that shoots 1” groups at 100yds all day long. No reason to own other “junk” when you can own that kind of quality. There is always the exception but I was in business when Norinco came on the scene and had enough complaints from customers, over 1911s, that quit selling. Had some trouble with other low end clones at same time period. That was back in $99 AK days.

Good idea. The commies know how to make weapons. Here is my combo. The shotty was made in the USSR.

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I own different norinco products they all shoot great.

We need to start importing them again. The manufacturers here cried foul they can’t fight more competition. Who cares everything else comes from China.

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Plant garlic in the fall

A few months ago I was offered 2 Norks in 9mm for $500(I live in Canada;they are still imported here).One is a copy of the Sig 226.The other a copy of the 1911.
I've owned a Sig 220 and a 226.The Nork groups as good(maybe a little better)than both Sigs.I shoot offhand at 20 and 35 yds and I think I'll keep it because it fits my hand good and groups average to good.
My 1911 gas a hard trigger but the thing groups good to very good.I think I'll make it a project.
Norks(and I've seen quite a few)are roughly finished but their functionning is very reliable.When you look at the value per dollar invested,they are top notch.
This comes from a guy who has a Combat commander('70s)and a Gold Cup.... granted in .45.If only they'd be made in Canada or US,they'd be closer to perfection!!!

My norc had horizontal machine marks under the bluing on the feed ramp. I polished this ramp to a mirror finish.

Now I polish every feed ramp that’s not polished on every 1911 I get. My 1911’s all have the FLGR too. I’m using the 18# recoil spring.

Extractor tuning. 1911

Extractor Tuning Tips

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Plant garlic in the fall