Marlboro Gun Show - Good Deal or Bust?

Rockrivr1

Rockrivr1

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While leaving the Marlboro Gun Show yesterday I was carrying a new addition to the family. Ok, let me preface this in that I was going there to see what reloading equipment was around. (some but not much) Within 5 minutes of being there and only being at the second table for the day I was holding a Norinco 1911A1. It wasn't priced and I noticed the guy selling it was from CT so I figured it was one of those look but cant buy kind of deals. I started talking to the guy and it belonged to his buddy who's getting married in a month. He was selling off part of his collection to raise money. I of course have to ask how much and he states $300. At this point there are a few other guys around me eying it as well. While still holding it I say "To bad your a CT dealer as I cannot buy this from you". He tells me the guy next to him is an MA FFL and he'll do the transfer. He then states he'll drop the price to $275 to make up the difference for the $25 transfer the guy charges to do it.

Before I can think I'm saying "SOLD"!!! To the disappointment of a few other guys that were just waiting for me to put it down. The dealer from CT had all kinds of stuff at pretty good prices. He had a 220ST that he sold to a guy next to me for $425. He also had a Intratec AB-10 with 3 large cap mags that went for $500 to a guy that was standing to the other side of me. Basically this guy sold three handguns in less then five minutes and that was before 10am.

So, what do you think? Good deal or bust on the Norinco? I'm thinking good deal, but then again what do I know. I didn't care for the plastic grips that came with it and was looking around for new ones. I found the Colt grips in a $5 bin that was next to the Zero Arms table. I think the gun look much better with these on.

The only problem with buying this handgun was that it was only the second table I'd been at and I had the whole show to go through and no money to spend. Oh well. There's always the Big E. :-D
 
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I know my Norinco SKS rifles shoot and are made very well. I don't know anything about the pistols they made except that there was a Norinco copy of a Russian Tokarev floating around in the classifieds here.
Still, at $300 for a 45, its hard to argue that you overpaid. Sounds like a fair/good deal to me.
 
My cousin has a Norinco .45 he's been very happy with. I call it his "Third World ChiCom slave labor gun"

But in a nice way..........
 
As long as the fit and finish is decent, I'd say you got a very good deal!!

Congrats!

If you had blinked, it would have been gone, guaranteed.
 
You did good, considering that there are many people that consider the
norinco frame itself to be a good building block for a custom gun.... supposedly the steel is really good, or something? (forget what the
mystique is....).

One FFL I know says he sold a norinco to a guy for $400, and the guy had
a huge poop-eatin grin on his face like as if he was getting a golden goose
for half the price they normally cost. To the FFL it was just another
cheap .45... but I guess to some those guns are "special", or at least the
frames are.

-Mike
 
Rockrivr,

You got a great deal judging from the 1911 forum I belong to! Without fail, the Norinco is praised as being the best of the inexpensive 1911s, and as good or better than some of the other guns the owners compare them to including S&W, Kimbers, Springfield's.

As long as the condition is good, I've seen these at $400- $600 pretty consistently.

Let us know how it shoots!
 
Sounds like I got a good deal. It was definitely one of those impulse buys. I think what pushed me was one, obviously price, but more importantly there were two guys at the table that I could tell were just waiting for me to put it down. I was actually looking for a Sistema and I saw one after I bought the Norinco, but that was going for $600.

I did take it to the range late Sunday afternoon and ran about 50 rnds of WWB 230gr FMJ through it. It worked with the mag that came with it and the Wilson 10 rnders I have. It fed, shot and ejected without any issues.

Off the bench at 15 yards using a small pistol target, it was shooting a little high and to the right. By high, it was hitting approximately 2 inches high and maybe a half inch to the right. I can try punching the rear sights over a tad to shore up the off center issue. Not exactly sure how I adjust for the elevation problem. Any recommendation short of just knowing I have to aim a little low?

If I aim 2 inches low and slight to the left I was leaving one ragged hole in the X ring. So it's accurate, just the sights are a little off.
 
only thing i can think of is making the rear sight shorter relative to the front. imo , DON"T DO THIS. i would replace the sights, or just aim low, and replace the sights when i can. i like the sights on all my guns to hit the same so i don't have to remember where each hits. i'd get new sights.
 
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I'm not sure what distance Norinco's are calibrated for. You might check online though. If you shoot high at 15 yards, they may sighted in at 25 yards.

If you're not liking how it shoots, replace either both front and rear sights, or just get a higher front site. Judging from the pics you posted, the sights are standard mil-spec.

The Norinco's are supposed to be dead on in their reproduction BTW.
 
I had a norinco several years ago short money for a good pistol.
Mine didn't like 8 rd mags no biggie but I did replace the barrel as it looked like it was made in a cellar someplace.
had to sell needed themoney purchaser took it to the range next door and came back saying "you really want to sell this" i got the impression it shot well for a "Frankenstein' gun
 
the more i think about JB Weld is a really REALLY bad idea. if it doesn't hold under recoil, a small piece will come back directlt at your eye. i'm going to edit the original ppost and remove the idea.
 
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