Norinco 1911A1 = 70s or 80s series?

[duckfoot]

Norinco 1911A1 = 70s or 80s series?

Got one coming to me in the next few days and want to order some replacement parts. But have no idea what series the internals are? I'm pretty sure it's 70s but just want to be sure?

Thanks for your time

Duck

 

[1911Tuner]

'Rinco

Howdy Duck,

The Norinco will accept either, the same as a Springfield, a pre-Series 70
or Series 70 Colt will.

Series 80 parts differences are in the firing pin, extractor, firing pin stop,
and grip safety. All these S-80 parts will work in a pre-Series 80, Series 70, or pre Series 70 pistol, but not vice-versa, unless the two levers in the
frame and the plunger and spring in the slide are removed from the
Series 80 pistol. The removal of the frame levers require that you use
a shim in the frame.

All other parts...hammer, sear, disconnector, trigger, mainspring housing, slide stop, barrel bushing, mag catch, and all springs and pins are the same.

Shoot straight!

Tuner

 

[BluesBear]

Tuner,

Do you know anyone who will mill a Series 70 frame to use a Series 80 slide?

 

[1911Tuner]

Frame Milling

Howdy Bluesbear. You're up early, or up late!

Not sure if anybody would try that except Colt. If the reason you want the
frame retro-cut for the levers is because of a concern over the open hole
in the Series 80 frame, don't be. I've got a trio of ORM 1991A1s that
I use and carry with the hole open and it's caused zero problems for
me. It would probably be a fairly costly mod, even if Colt would do it,
and may not be worth the hassle. It would probably be cheaper and
easier to just get a Caspian or Essex slide. You may be able to find
a Colt S-70 slide for a reasonable price.

Just curious...Why do you want to retro-fit it?

-Edited-

I just reread your question, and wondered if you just want to install
a Series 80 slide on a Series 70 frame without the 80's extra safeties.
The slide will work without modification, assuming that the frame rail
dimensions are correct for the slide in question. That's a matter of fitting
the slide and frame, and the operation would be the same as with any
frame and slide. Other than the hole in the underside of the Series 80 slide, there's no difference between the two. Barrels, however, may
not be. The NRM and Enhanced Colts are fitted with a narrower barrel
hood than the older ones. If you have a newer slide and want to use an older barrel, you will need to fit the barrel hood to the slide.

Tuner

 

[BluesBear]

I want to get a Safari/Olympic frame (the one with the finger groove) and put a Series 80 slide on it so I can have the FP block.

Then I want it Bobtailed by Brown and that'd be my Ideal carry piece.

 

[1911Tuner]

Carry Piece

Ahhh...I'd say that maybe Nowlin might make those cuts...but it's not gonna be cheap. I doubt that Colt would touch it.

From the experiences that I've had with Safari Arms frames, I'd have to
advise you to steer clear. So many of those were badly out-of-spec, and
a real headache with parts replacement, that I nearly cried whenever
one would come into the shop. Recently a friend asked me to fit a
grip safety to an old one to use for a range beater. I spent 4 hours on it
before I could get it all sorted out. That was the first one I'd seen in
nearly 15 years. The most-often noticed issue was with the distance
between sear and hammer pin locations. That would likely make a retrofit
to Series 80 a real problem. Not saying that it can't be done...just that
it's gonna be a challenge.

I like the extra security of the Series 80 design for open topped holster carry, but it's more of a mental thing than a real need. I'm currently
carrying a Frankengun of many colors with no type of passive firing pin
block, and am completely comfortable with it in an open IWB rig.


Good luck with this one.

Tuner

 

[BluesBear]

Well in my case I can just drive down the road a ways and walk in the factory and pick out a frame.

If I do this I'm going to already have the slide and other parts to check for fit first.

 

[1911Tuner]

Pick a Frame

BuesBear said:

Well in my case I can just drive down the road a ways and walk in the factory and pick out a frame.

If I do this I'm going to already have the slide and other parts to check for fit first.

Now THAT might just be the best approach. If you can check, or have
someone check the specs on the frame to get a good one, you might
just be in business. You can contact some Nowlin to see if they'll take
on the project. Novak may be another route. Others may come to mind
later. If they do, I'll re-post.

One thing for sure. It'll be a first. Maybe you could arrange for a special
serial number on the frame to make it a real one-of-a-kind. 100 years
from now, some collector might run up on it and lose sleep tryin' to
figure out how it came to be.

Keep us posted on it.

Tuner

 

[duckfoot]

Thanks Tuner

Got it strait now