A Chinese Hand Ejector Copy

[Goony]

Looks like a good candidate for a rechambering job to the .357 magnum

QED with these precision Chinese rechambering tools....



I did actually check to see if the cylinder was bored straight though so as to allow a .357 Magnum cartridge to be inserted, but that round wouldn't go in. It does seem that for any of its other shortcomings, the gun was correctly chambered to accept .38 Special only.

 

[Onomea]

Quite fascinating, really. Thanks for bringing the topic to our attention. Interesting historical relics.

 

[alwslate]

I would shoot it without hesitation with light cast bullet handloads. if it hasn't blown up with factory ammo or WW2 full metal jacket over all these years it is surely safe to fire with light loads. It might become your favorite plinker

 

[Bill Lear]

I have never seen a photo of one , but I have heard the the Chinese made copies of the 1928-A1 Thompson.

I have however seen parts kits from Thompson that were converted to 7.62 x 25.

I have also heard of Chinese copies of 1911s and M-3 SMGs.

I do believe NORINCO is a 1911 "clone" and highly regarded as being quite sturdy and decently reliable with no more end-user fiddling than the Genuine article - nor even the S&W COPY of the 1911!
What?

 

[Bill Lear]

The Chinese made AKs that were permanently banned from import thanks to Old Joe, Hills, and James were of outstanding quality and reliability.

Off-topic: I watched a documentary showing Filipinos building 1911s in huts, using basic hand tools and files. The final product looked machine made.

 

[merl67]

Reminds me of some Khyber Pass guns I've seen...

 

[Goony]

I have never seen a photo of one , but I have heard the the Chinese made copies of the 1928-A1 Thompson.

There's one such held in the collection of the Imperial War Museum. See: Chinese Thompson copy & 'Thampson' | Imperial War Museums

 

[Goony]

Just to show that, for all they may be disparaged, these Chinese copies can in fact bring big money...

See: Lot Detail - (C) CHINESE BROOMHANDLE MAUSER C96 SEMI-AUTOMATIC .45 ACP PISTOL.

More on these: Chinese Warlord Pistols: The Huge Shanxi .45 ACP Broomhandle

 

[Goony]

1900's

Copies of the Fabrique Nationale Model 1900 are among the most common "warlord" guns, although they vary a good deal in their details. I posted mine in reply #6 above. Several years ago, the Rock Island Auction Company sold a group of four Chinese pistols, three of which were 1900 types. Interestingly, one of those is pretty similar to my example, right down to its horn grips. But in keeping with the theme that no two of these will be precisely alike, you can pick out differences in detail, such as the style of the sights, serrations, and safety lever. See: Four Chinese Semi-Automatic Pistol Copies | Rock Island Auction (it's the one at the bottom that's fairly close to mine).

Here's an article about another of these as well: The Chinese 1900, A Hand Crafted Copy -The Firearm Blog (if you look at the photo of the gun disassembled, you have to afford respect to some small shop's ability to fabricate all these parts by hand and come up with any sort of working sidearm).

 

[LVSteve]

I do believe NORINCO is a 1911 "clone" and highly regarded as being quite sturdy and decently reliable with no more end-user fiddling than the Genuine article - nor even the S&W COPY of the 1911!
What?

I've heard stories of the steel on those Norinco 1911s being as tough as old boots.


As for their Mauser rifle clones, 98s and FN Model 24s, all the ones I've seen were long past "rode hard and put away wet", so shooting them to find out if they hold up hasn't been an option. I thought the South Americans put their guns through hell, but the Chinese carried it to another level.

 

[Goony]

Spotted this single photo of another Chinese hand ejector copy on the internet. The trade mark on the frame and the grip medallions are passable facsimiles of the real thing. It's also better than most from the standpoint of decipherable markings, in that "SMITH & WESSON" is correctly spelled on the side of the barrel, but both words are inexplicably inverted, so when you rotate the gun 180°, it reads "WESSON & SMITH" instead.

 

[Goony]

Once again, proof that these crude "warlord" pistols can nowadays fetch respectable prices. This trio was sold by The Rock Island Auction Company late last year: Three Chinese Semi-Automatic Pistols | Rock Island Auction

 

[bmcgilvray]

Spotted this single photo of another Chinese hand ejector copy on the internet. The trade mark on the frame and the grip medallions are passable facsimiles of the real thing. It's also better than most from the standpoint of decipherable markings, in that "SMITH & WESSON" is correctly spelled on the side of the barrel, but both words are inexplicably inverted, so when you rotate the gun 180°, it reads "WESSON & SMITH" instead.

Dyslexia perhaps?

 

[Goony]

The prices these "warlord" guns are commanding now have gotten pretty substantial. The Rock Island Auction Co. sold this one just last month: Chinese Manufactured External Hammer Semi-Automatic Pistol | Rock Island Auction

Here's another that looks worse but went for even more: Chinese Manufactured Semi-Automatic Pistol with Carved Grips | Rock Island Auction

 

[Goony]

A couple of articles talking about the revolvers that have been recently produced and issued for Chinese police use.

See: China'''s Police Will Carry Guns Unlike Any Others - WSJ

And also: Shanghai Police Officers Now Carry 9mm Revolver -The Firearm Blog

 

[walnutred]

A couple of articles talking about the revolvers that have been recently produced and issued for Chinese police use.

See: China'''s Police Will Carry Guns Unlike Any Others - WSJ

And also: Shanghai Police Officers Now Carry 9mm Revolver -The Firearm Blog

Everything I've read and seen about the "new" Chinese police revolver cartridge makes me think they have reinvented the 38 S&W.

 

[mikerjf]

It might become your favorite plinker

You shoot it, and then an hour later you want to shoot it again!

 

[Goony]

An interesting video produced by Ian McCollum -
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XonhtyFHDY[/ame]

 

[Goony]

A fun video, detailing a quirk of the handmade FN M1900 copies that I was not aware of. It made me get mine out (see post #6 above) to check its serial number (which is not 26063).
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m27_Wg1H9Tg[/ame]

In the Rock Island Auction Co. sale I provided a link to in post #30 of this thread, it turns out one of the four pistols is serial numbered 26063 and another is 126063.

 

[Goony]

Once again, the prices these warlord pistols are fetching, even when non-functional, are simply astronomical -

Chinese Manufactured Semi-Automatic Pistol | Rock Island Auction

Documented Chinese Manufactured Semi-Automatic Pistol | Rock Island Auction