Continued Good Luck with "Home-Tinkered" Norinco..

Renown Browning Hi Power Expert - Stephen A. Camp. Unfortunately, Stephen passed away and he will be greatly missed.

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Stephen A. Camp

Continued Good Luck with "Home-Tinkered" Norinco..

#1

Post by Stephen A. Camp »

Hello. A few years ago I came across a used but like new Norinco 5" at a decent price and bought it. The thing fed flawlessly and grouped pretty well, but the POA vs POI resulted in groups that were high and right by a few inches at 15 yards and considerably more pronounced at greater ranges. The trigger pull left a bit to be desired and with the GI grip safety and spur hammer, my hand usually looked like I'd lost a fight with a pirahna after a hundred shots or so. (I am cursed in this regard.)

Anyway, it occurred to me that since I had a pretty decent parts bin, I might be able to tinker this pistol such that I could use it efficiently and still not have a bundle in it.

To make a long story short, parts were changed and there was some minor filing and stoning, but the job was not difficult. A drop-in Pachmayr grip safety (which actually did drop in and worked properly in this case) completed my job.

I did have a gunsmith install a King's Hardballer rear sight and an appropriate height front sight (I don't remember whose front sight, but it is staked and silversoldered) to the pistol. I shot it and made but tiny adjustments (via a stone) to the front sight and then had the 'smith blue the slide after polishing out some of the tool marks.

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This is my "home tinkered" Norinco. It is not my most accurate 1911 pattern pistol, but it is "accurate enough" for its intended purposes: just knocking about and as a "serious" gun if need be.

I couldn't say just how many shots have gone through it, but I'd estimate around 2K. The gun has proven itself reliable.

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This is accurate enough for many of my "needs" and reliability has been there, something I prize in any gun and require in one that might be called upon for self-protection. My only complaint with this gun is that my gun's particular barrel runs a bit slow compared to the same loads fired from Kart, Colt, SA, Kimber, or STI bbls, roughly 40 ft/sec. (This group was fired at 25 yards, slow-fire, while seated and with both wrists braced.)

As these are no longer imported into the US, most found here will likely be used. If not abused and at a decent price, I believe that they make a really nice base gun for customizing or can be good shooters as they come. The factory fixed sights are a tad small for me, but such is not necessarily the case for others.

So far I have not found a bullet shape that this Norinco will not feed.

Best.
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carlson1
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#2

Post by carlson1 »

I would mind having that home tinkered pistol. Excellent work and shooting.

KBCraig
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#3

Post by KBCraig »

Wow. Stoning one side of a staked-and-soldered front sight is a pretty radical way to change POI.

Thanks for the report. The ChiComs have a pretty good history of stealing/copying others' designs and mass-producing them. It's a shame that Clinton gave them nuclear secrets, but cut off their firearms sales to the US.

Kevin

Topic author
Stephen A. Camp

#4

Post by Stephen A. Camp »

Hello. I stoned the top of the front sight for elevation, but not the sides. Just moved the rear sight slightly. I should have made that more clear.

Best.

big 54r
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Re: Continued Good Luck with "Home-Tinkered" Norinco..

#5

Post by big 54r »

I know this is an old thread but I didn't even no norinco made a 1911 style pistol.
I had one of their type 57? 9mm pistols and I liked it very much, it felt decent in my hand's.

zigzag
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Re: Continued Good Luck with "Home-Tinkered" Norinco..

#6

Post by zigzag »

These pistols command a price nowadays considering they are cheap when imported a decade ago. Norinco still exports them to Canada and have the improved and slightly enhanced version called the Police Model.
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