NORINCO 45 AUTO QUESTIONS

[cobra44]

I found a Norinco 1911 45 for sale close to me.
The asking price was 400.00. After some talking, I was told 275.00 plus tax out the door.
I have searched GB for completed listings, and not much information,
The auto is in good shape. Not rusted. It is the standard model.
The question is - Is it worth the price?
Also, are they any good? I really do not need another 45, but it caught my eye.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Bob R]

That is a good price for a Nork. Many a custom gun has been built on a Nork frame.

bob

 

[cobra44]

Bob R - Thanks for that reply.
I have to let him know in the morning, so I may have another 1911.

 

[hangtree]

My brother has one and likes it just fine. He's never had any trouble out of it that I know of. I haven't shot it so that's about all I know about em.

 

[canoeguy]

I bought one from a friend in 1997 who needed some rent money, it had been to Clarks Custom for their accuracy job. Super accurate and reliable, it was actually the most reliable semi-auto pistol I have ever owned.

I put over 15,000 trouble free rounds through it, I would still have it but my friend asked for it back a few months ago, so I sold it back to him.

$275 sounds like a rare deal, the Norinco's have not been imported in years, since the Clinton administration, and are very desirable as a platform for building a target or other custom gun.

 

[stumper]

$275 is a real good price if it it in functional condition. If you pass on it let me know

 

[Peter J.]

Those chinese 1911's are fine pistols. I'd jump on it fast at that price!!

 

[Last of the Mohicans]

The Norks are extremely popular up here. Lots of guys buy them and then have custom work done on them. My standard Nork actually shot better and fed everything more reliably (100%) than a SIG/Browning BDA that I had at one point.

$400 is more than what the new two tone "Police Model" goes for up here...$275 is actually on the low side for a used one up here too. So, that's a very good price, even for here.

On the minus side for the Norks, one of the few complaints I and others have is that the sights are very small...even on the newer ones.

 

[haggis]

Run, don't walk, back to the seller and grab that thing before it disappears. Norcs are made from very hard steel, much harder than other 1911's, and the entire thing is machined (no MIM or cast), even the small parts. The only thing substandard about mine was a little creep in the trigger, easily fixed with a little stonework. If it matters to you, the grip screw bushing threads are different from standard.

Buck

 

[cobra44]

Thanks for all the information. I did not know anything about these. Sound like they are pretty good.
I will be leaving here in a little while to pick it up.
Another 45 auto

 

[cmort666]

I found a Norinco 1911 45 for sale close to me.
The asking price was 400.00. After some talking, I was told 275.00 plus tax out the door.
I have searched GB for completed listings, and not much information,
The auto is in good shape. Not rusted. It is the standard model.
The question is - Is it worth the price?
Also, are they any good? I really do not need another 45, but it caught my eye.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.

I have one as a regular carry gun and love it. It shoots everything from 230gr. ball to 200gr. Hornady TAP to 200gr. LSWC wadcutter loads to 117gr. Aguila IQ!

If I were you, I'd break it down COMPLETELY. I bought mine from a friend for $300 with the first Bush tax rebate. The slide, frame and barrel are first rate. The smaller parts, not so much. Mine had a "following" problem. When I pulled the mainspring housing to bend the leaf spring, I discovered that the latter was BRIGHT red with rust! It seemed to be bare metal that had never had any sort of finish applied to it. The first time I cleaned it, the plastic grips melted to my hand! The guy that works on my guns replaced most of the trigger parts, and it's now 100% reliable since the work. I've since added Ajax fake ivory grips.

I'm about to start working on a tuckable IWB holster for mine.

 

[Rule3]

GRAB IT!

 

[Sid V.]

Mine came with a chrome lined barrel,and real nice trigger.---Sid V.

 

[perrazi]

sold lots of them back in the day. never had a complaint about them not working. used to be the only 1911 besides colt that had forged frame

 

[cobra44]

Thank you for all the information.
I went and picked it up today. As soon as I got home I had to fire it.
Fired a couple of mags without a miss. Had a 5 inch group at 50 ft, off hand. Trigger pull is about as good as any 45 that I have fired.
Looks to not have been fired vary much.
I like it

 

[buckeyeshooter1]

mine shoots very well and feeds just about anything you want to feed it.

 

[Mr. Squinty]

Here's my customized Norinco. ( DBAS means, "don't be a schmoe")

It has an STI stainless barrel;
Ed Brown checkered 1911 straight mainspring housing
Millet rear sight
Colt front sight
Ed Brown extended grip safety
Craig Spegel double diamond walnut grips
fire blued screws
parkerized finish.

 

[Gary]

I have 2. One had a problem with an out of tolerence barrel. The front of the lugs rounded off after shooting it a couple of hundred rounds. I ended up replacing the barrel with a take-off Springfield barrel that I bought from a gunsmith that builds custom 1911's. He said that he has seen several Norincio's with this problem. It is worth watching for. It is a good idea to replace the barrel anyway. The stock barrel is not tapered. This makes it difficult to install a tighter barrel bushing without running into clearance problems. My groups shrunk significantly once I installed the new barrel and a tighter bushing. They are kind of rough around the edges but are nice because they are forged and not built from castings.

 

[redlevel]

I also have a couple of Norks. The two forums dealing with 1911s that I am a member of have lots and lots of info about them. The hardness of the steel, without being brittle, seems to be a common theme. Some 'smiths say they won't work on them because they dull their machinery.

I got one of mine new way back when they were "importable." I got my second one about three months back. I paid $400 OTD for the gun, two boxes of factory ammo, and several extra magazines, one of them a McCormick, or whatever that brand is. I am old fashioned, and I like the all forged, no MIM features. Mine have both been reliable, with very good combat accuracy. By that, I mean I can keep all eight rounds on a 9" paper plate at 30 feet with room to spare, using aimed rapid fire. I only use 230 grain ball ammo in my .45s.

I like my 1911s pretty much as JMBrowning designed them. That's pretty much what you get with a stock Nork. The only upgrades I believe are desirable are a little trigger work, and some better sights. My newest gun has had a trigger job. I would say about 5 lbs, but no creep. It also has some kind of high-profile sight. My older gun is box-stock.