Chinese "Norinco GLOCK"

China makes very good military weapons. It's the products they make strictly for export to civilian markets that are at the level of garbage.
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That's simply not true. The Norinco 1911 was a decent gun made from harder steel than Colt used. The Norinco 87 and 97 shotguns are very good guns.
 
The Chinese will build to whatever quality levels a US contractor specifies.
The blame for low quality export goods does not lie strictly on the Chinese, a major part of that blame lies on the US company that specs quality to those levels, and accepts those levels, because that company wants to move cheap merchandise to a market that doesn't want to pay for better quality.
Denis
 
Meh. We aren't ever gonna see them, so it's difficult to care.

If anything, I'm surprised it took them this long to copy it.
 
kyjim:
Isaac Asimov's classic Foundation science fiction series from the late 1940s and 50s had a plot line where a new empire/republic rose from the ashes of the old based on just such a strategy. I wonder if the Chinese were Asimov fans.
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Spoiler: yes. I'm reading a chinese science fiction novel that quotes Asimov.
 
I read an article on the internet at one time about Norinco M14 clones. The article claimed (not me, the article) that the entire gun was a piece of junk with the exception of the receiver. This article claimed (and I have no way to verify this), that the receiver in these Norinco M14 clone rifles are actually better than USGI M14 receivers.

Not long after reading this, I came across one that a guy was selling due to a divorce. I think I paid $75. I scrapped everything on the rifle other than the receiver. I eventually had a complete rifle assembled by Fulton Armory using the Chinese receiver and all USGI parts other than I got a new aftermarket barrel.
 
I thought Norinco M14s were reputed to have soft receivers. I recall seeing them for $300-ish, but never took the plung.

The one I missed and have since regretted was the Norinco 1911. I handled a parkerized version once that had a nice trigger, but the shop wanted $450 for it. Having previously paid $220 for a blued version, I just couldn't make the leap.
 
No

They were reputed to have soft bolts
When headspace becomes excessive, you put a USGI bolt in it.
I cut to the chase and put a USGI bolt in it immediately.

The receivers are forged with excellent heat treating.
 
Superb write-up, Wyosmith and worth re-reading. We're going to regret destroying our heavy industry, one day, and allowing the Chinese, et. al. to control the market place. Our children are going to pay the price for this in treasure if not blood! Buy their products if you must, but don't kid yourself about the potential outcome.

Regretfully, Rod
 
Is NORINCO in Nationalist China (Taiwan)? Or mainland Communist China? I just looked it up. The headquarters are in Beijing, mainland China.
 
Norinco is a giant manufacturing combine consisting of multiple smaller manufacturing facilities, all in China.
Denis
 
^^^ And just to be 100% clear for the permanent record, Norinco is in the People's Republic of China, i.e. mainland Red Commie China. ;) Not the Republic of China, aka Taiwan.
 
I hate to say it, but the glock is in some ways similar to the kalashnikov ak47. Simple and reliable. Which should also mean easy to copy. Patents on the originals are long expired. Doesn't mean you have to like them.

Also possibly means we should really be seeing 200-300usd copies on the market. I'm surprised hipoint didn't just clone them.
 
brian33x51 said:
Also possibly means we should really be seeing 200-300usd copies on the market. I'm surprised hipoint didn't just clone them.
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Don't count on it. :) Glock has trademarked (not patented!) the square cross section of the slide along with some other visual design cues, and they've repeatedly taken toymakers and blank-firing gun manufacturers to court for unauthorized trademark and trade dress infringements. These lawsuits are obvious proverbial warning shots across the bow of any gunmaker who thinks about doing the same. A gunmaker may be able to get around expired Glock patents for functional aspects of the design, but Glock will presumably sue the pants off anyone who tries to sell a cosmetic lookalike.

The reason the Chinese and the Iranians can do it is that they aren't marketing the pistols in places where the courts are going to pay attention to Glock's lawyers. :D Iran in particular is infamous for copying Western defense products without authorization, notably including parts and armaments for their Grumman F-14 Tomcat fleet.
 
Germany's largest firearms dealer Frankonia teamed up with Norinco in 1988 and since then many firearms have been imported and sold in Europe by them, including a copy of the Lignose Einhandpistole. They founded a company called "Narconia" for the cooperation.

http://www.norconia.de/w/?cat=18
 
It's the products they make strictly for export to civilian markets that are at the level of garbage.
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And even some of them are pretty good.

I have one of the IAC-imported Norinco Winchester 1897 shotgun clones and it's a well-made and reliable gun with pretty nice walnut to boot.
 
And even some of them are pretty good.

I have one of the IAC-imported Norinco Winchester 1897 shotgun clones and it's a well-made and reliable gun with pretty nice walnut to boot.
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In the 90s, Norinco made a 22lr KKW look alike from their JW15 (a CZ/BRNO copy) for $120. A dealer told me that Norinco didn't just harden the chamber, necessary for a 22lr barrel because of the interaction of chamber face and firing pin, but the entire length of the rifling as well.

There was a little industry of smiths customizing Norinco 1911s as well. It was as if they were pioneering the idea of an arm that was only 80% manufactured. The items were a bit rough around the edges.
 
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