Cheap 1911's: Norinco or Armscor???

M

malmon

Inactive
Hi there,

My name's Ivan and I'm currently contemplating about getting my first pistol ever and enter the world of sport shooting/collecting. Since this will the the first gun (I've used other people's firearms in the past) that I will buy I kinda need help on which brand/model would be OK to buy given my limited budget.

I live in the Philippines of which there are thousands of gun afficionadoes, most notable of which is Jethro Dionisio. One drawback in this country is the high prices of firearms and overly prohibitive (IMHO) laws. Namebrands such as Colt and the like would cost me an arm and a leg. Because of my limited budget I am choosing between the Chinese Norinco or our homegrown Armscor 1911 clones.If you've heard of these brands, I was wondering which if the two would be a better buy in terms of material strength, reliability etc? The Norinco comes as a plain Jane 1911 while the local Armscor comes with oversized ambi safeties, beavertale grip, front slide grooves, tooled trigger and hammer - in a word, "dressed-up" and for about the same price. Because its a locally made weapon, I am leaning towards purchasing the Armscor. Excuse the pun but it seems like it literally offers more "bang for the buck". However, some people say that the Norinco is a worldclass gun in terms of the metal used (same as the ones used for the AK???). A 1911 site which I visited went so far too say that Bill Wilson would customize a Norinco if his customers wanted given that the strength of the Chinese gun's metal is suitable for customizing. I am also thinking into the future here. Unless they're collectors, I don't think many modern 45 owners leave their guns "stock" for long. I am wondering if the Armscor is also suitable for customizing or if its strong/reliable enough. Based on your experience, which of these two do you think I should get. Know anybody who has both guns and can compare? If not, could you point me out to sites with reviews on the guns? I apologize for the overly long post but thanks for your help. :-)
 
1. Reliability
2. Durability
3. Does it fit/suit you?

If it meets the above, I would go for the Armscor.

Welcome to TFL, Mabuhy

Sam
 
I have had good luck with my Norincos, they are made from properly heattreated forgings. I don't know about the Armscor pistols. If the US sold Charles Dalys are mad by Armscor, most of the ones I have seen have been decient pistols. I still think that I'd take a Norinco however.
 
Not having seen Armscorp, I'd go the safe route with Norinco. Norinco has very old fashion machinery, which means they make things the old fashion way and that suits me just fine.
 
Don't by any Norinco products!!! Have you forgotten about the little incident of a couple of weeks ago, or even the Vietnam war? Let the Commie Bastards Starve!! Don't buy anything Chinese.
Show the courage of your commitments.
 
Thanks

First of all, thanks for the replies. I didn't expect the amount of replies I would receive would be this much and this quick.

Somebody mentioned that the Charles Daly 1911 A1 Field models are made by Armscor.. Can anybody confirm this? I checked out the CD Field models on their site and the Field EFS model is nearly identical to the Armscor model I plan to buy, save for the rear low mount sights, the grips and of course the brandname on the slide. Otherwise, the trigger, hammer, finish and serrations on the slide front area bear an uncanny resemblance to the Armscor I checked out in a store a week ago. Which brings me to my next question? If indeed the Charles Daly Field models are made by Armscor, which would be a better buy then? CDs or Norincos? :)
 
Armscor does produce the Charles Daly line of 1911's. I own the FS model and couldn't be happier. I have 9oo rounds thru it so far, and not one problem. 100 of the rounds fired were Federal Hydrashoks. My pistol is nicely finishedand has a nice smooth action. The accuracy is outstanding.
 
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