Norinco Model 1911A1 .45

[Reeferman]

The ones I have is alright. Shoots as well as most costing 2 or 3 times what I paid for it. Only issue is I could almost shave with it as it sure had sharp edges everywhere. Took a stone and took the edges off and is much better.
A company up here a few years ago who was the importer had a deal for it and a 1000 rounds of chicom 45acp for $500.00 which would have been about $400.00 or so US.
Many I know bought 3, 4 or more at that price.

 

[Slamfire]

Kind of like the older story that the best London Twist (Damascus) shotgun barrels were made out of used horseshoe nails that had been "condensed" by heavy hauling. ("It ain't the 'eavy 'aulin that 'urts the 'orses' 'ooves, it's the 'ammer, 'ammer, 'ammer, on the 'ard 'ighway." Kipling).

Humans come up with weird explanations for things they don't understand. Read Moby Dick: Captain Ahab has a harpoon made from horse shoe nails, and the heat treatment ends with a quench in human blood!

Early wrought iron had large amounts of slag that was mechanically beaten out of the hot bloom. Primitive steel making must have had a mystical aura, the Viking/Medieval/etc smith beating on a red heat billet, with showers of hot sparks



I highly doubt anyone was conducting a metallurgical analysis of the material beaten out of a bloom, but they did know that pounding refined the billet. And, given more processing, in the presence of carbon, a steel object would emerge. But the thing is, pounding on iron was associated with improved, if not, mystical properties. What I believe, is that iron horse shoe nails were thought to be the best iron to use in a weapon project, because of all the pounding horse shoes experienced in use. I am sure the only thing horses did to the nails, was wear the heads off.

Every society has these myths and legends, some honest explanations due to ignorance, other created to hide the misdeeds of an organization. These sacred cows make excellent targets to shoot. Acolytes get real upset when their sacred cow goes bang, flop!

 

[The Black Prince]

My uncle had one of these, and I've always wanted one. I would really like an Ontario CA imported one since it's where I grew up. Other than that the Norinco stuff has always seemed like decent range equipment. Seen lots of Canadians shooting it in videos.

 

[GONRA]

GONRA's is like msmp5's but Ni plated and <8,000 numbers off.
Purchased direct from importer decades ago.....
Looks too nice to shoot! So I haven't. "Safe Queen".
Suggest msmp5 keep his for a nice collector item!

 

[MikeInOr]

Back in the late 80's a Norinco 1911 was the third pistol I ever purchased... and my first 45 acp. It was a good gun. It shot well and fed everything I put through it. It hit what I aimed at for the most part.

A new trigger, hammer, beavertail, ambidextrous safety, and sights really brought it to life. It shoots every bit as well as my much more expensive 1911's. The gun smith I took it to balked at first but when he dug into it he was actually quite impressed. I remember him commenting oh how hard the steel was. It is still my favorite 1911! Someday it will get some fiber optic sights to help out my middle aged eyes but with the internet I will install them myself instead of paying someone else to do it.


The Pachmayr grips are the ones that came on it when I bought it (used). I have always liked them and have put them on some of my other 1911's because they fit my hand so well.

I would be delighted to pick up another one for a couple hundred bucks or so!

 

[flightsimmer]

I still have mine, the first seven shots I fired I fell in love with it, its never failed and it's as accurate as anything I've ever had.

I bought it as the base for my 10mm Mech Tech carbine.

 

[Jim Watson]

GONRA's is like msmp5's but Ni plated and <8,000 numbers off.
Purchased direct from importer decades ago.....
Looks too nice to shoot! So I haven't. "Safe Queen".
Suggest msmp5 keep his for a nice collector item!

Ha ha. Gonra so funny with ChiCom railroad track too pretty to shoot.
Of course I have the same opinion of an $8000 super custom, too.

 

[Speedo66]

There were stories in NYC that before WWII the Japanese bought up all the steel from the torn down elevated NYC subways and turned them into guns prior to the war. Not too long ago it seemed the Chinese were the prime purchasers of all the scrap metal here.

I'm not of fan of buying new Chinese products at this point, but stuff that is already here and can no longer be imported, no problem. Chinese copies of 1911's, AK's, etc. and of course SKS's all seem to be of decent quality.

 

[CoalTrain49]

I tried for years to buy or trade my neighbor for one he had. He wouldn't let it go and it went to his son who isn't a shooter or collector. Now the prices are way beyond what I want to pay for a 1911 import but as others have said, it's a very good knock off a Colt. The metal is probably harder and the tooling somewhat rougher internally.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

There were stories in NYC that before WWII the Japanese bought up all the steel from the torn down elevated NYC subways and turned them into guns prior to the war. Not too long ago it seemed the Chinese were the prime purchasers of all the scrap metal here.

I'm not of fan of buying new Chinese products at this point, but stuff that is already here and can no longer be imported, no problem. Chinese copies of 1911's, AK's, etc. and of course SKS's all seem to be of decent quality.

Of course, dont forget about the Argentine Ballister Molina quasi-1911s supposedly made of armor plate salvaged from the wreckage of the German cruiser Graf Spee....
I read an article several years ago where they chopped one up to do a metalurgical analysis and proved it wasnt armor plate steel, but likely WAS of German origin.
My Dad has one and loves it, shipwreck scrap or not.

 

[Jim Watson]

Swedish steel was highly regarded in those days, made from naturally clean ore.

I read that steel from the Graf Spee was used as a radiological baseline, never exposed to fallout.

 

[Speedo66]

Of course, dont forget about the Argentine Ballister Molina quasi-1911s supposedly made of armor plate salvaged from the wreckage of the German cruiser Graf Spee....
I read an article several years ago where they chopped one up to do a metalurgical analysis and proved it wasnt armor plate steel, but likely WAS of German origin.
My Dad has one and loves it, shipwreck scrap or not.

Argentinians having dealings with Germans, are you shocked?

 

[Speedo66]

Swedish steel was highly regarded in those days, made from naturally clean ore.

I read that steel from the Graf Spee was used as a radiological baseline, never exposed to fallout.

Don't know if it's true, but I've read the Swedes specified Mauser use Swedish steel for their '94's and '96's because it was considered some of the best at the time.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Swedish steel was highly regarded in those days, made from naturally clean ore.

I read that steel from the Graf Spee was used as a radiological baseline, never exposed to fallout.

Not sure about the Spee, since she was only half submerged, but this is the reason many preWW2 wrecks, even deep ones, are being salvaged/stolen/looted. The untainted steel is used in sensitive sensors and instruments.

 

[AlexanderA]

Not sure about the Spee, since she was only half submerged, but this is the reason many preWW2 wrecks, even deep ones, are being salvaged/stolen/looted. The untainted steel is used in sensitive sensors and instruments.

More likely, we're talking about the scuttled ships of the WW1 German High Seas Fleet, at the Scapa Flow anchorage. Here's what Wikipedia says:

Shortly after the end of the First World War, the German Kaiserliche Marine was scuttled by its sailors while held off the harbor of the British Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow, in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. The High Seas Fleet was interned there under the terms of the Armistice while negotiations took place over the fate of the ships. Fearing that either the UK would seize the ships unilaterally or the German government at the time might reject the Treaty of Versailles and resume the war effort (in which case the ships could be used against Germany), Admiral Ludwig von Reuter decided to scuttle the fleet.

The scuttling was carried out on 21 June 1919. Intervening British guard ships were able to beach some of the ships, but 52 of the 74 interned vessels sank. Many of the wrecks were salvaged over the next two decades and were towed away for scrapping. Those that remain are popular diving sites. The ships are a source of low-background steel.
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[hso]

pretty solid, well made gun

Excellent shooters. If you like classic 1911s these are great shooters.

 

[tark]

I once asked Bill Wilson at a shot show if he would work on a Norinco 1911. He said yes. Then I asked him if he would work on a Les Baer 1911 He said no.

Bad blood between those two. Has been going on for decades. Never understood why...