Norinco 1911 any good? Is $300 a good price? Anyone?

4

45automan

New member
Hey guys looked at one of these today. Held off on buying it cause I don't know much about this gun. It had decent bluing and was in nice shape. Good fit,not super tight but not very loose either. Is $300 a good price for this gun?
Should I get it? I almost can't resist buying new guns. Every time I go into a shop I buy one. Am I ok guys?
Thanks,45automan
 
Used or new?

I'm far from a 1911 expert, but in my limited experience the price good for NIB but high for used. Not too long ago there was a NIB for sale in the classified at $400 plus shipping. I came across another NIB one from a reputable vendor at $350 shipped. I've also seen them at shows in the $350 to $400 range NIB. $300 for a used one is high considering you can find a higher quality used Springfield for roughly the same price.

[Edited by Tecolote on 01-23-2001 at 09:53 PM]
 
Thats not bad for a NIB... The Norinco - dispite where it came from is a good pistol. Not great - not a Match pistol, but a good service pistol that should give you 3-4 at 25 with good reliability.
 
Norincos are made the old fashion way: forged. In their heydays, they were considered by some gunsmiths to be a sound basis for building match guns. $300 is a good price IMO.
 
Some feel that the NORINCO is a good base gun for customizing, and they are sometimes sought out for that reason.

I have one that was built up/worked on by two different 1911 gunsmiths, and it shoots on a par with Les Baer and Wilson guns costing many times more than I've got in it. It isn't as pretty, to be sure, but its just as accurate and just as reliable.

The downside is that there seems to be some variation in the fit and finish of these guns, even when NIB. Some are outstanding, and some are just so-so. The three that I've been exposed to were pretty good. A friend bought one NIB recently for under $300, and it hasn't really needed much work.

Gun Test magazine, a few years back, said that Norinco 1911A1s had gotten back to the basics. They said they'd probably need a little gunsmith work, but rated them over Colts and Springfields and other 1911as that were hundreds of dollars higher. They gave them a definite BUY.

The price you cite seems to be about the going rate: $275 - $325.
 
Norinco Models of the 1911A1....

are, for the most part, well built pistols with forged frames and slides. The slides are hard or at least tough. I have two of them that are real keepers, feed, fire and eject everything I've tried through them. $300.00 is not a bad price, IMHO. Wilson and some of the other 'smiths liked to use them as bases for custom work.

The people that complain about where the pistols are made never seem to mind owning TV's, VCR's, microwave ovens, etc produced in the same country for some reason. (I should have edited the posting when I did it. PRC Pistols = Bad : PRC TVs = Good for some people)

[Edited by Jim V on 01-24-2001 at 10:24 AM]
 
45: I am glad to see that you realize you have a problem. As I was reading this post I thought to myself, this guy is on here talking about buying a new gun a couple times a week. Glad to see that I am not alone.
 
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