I just got my Norinco 1911A1 Commander and I put 150 rounds through it. Giving it an honest test 1/150 jams. Seems accurate and it really needs to be shot. 1988 – 1994: Misc guns of various styles, usually w/o an arsenal stamp and sometimes assembled from scrubbed parts, having a unique 88 thru 93 prefix to the serial number. The parts of these guns may come from any time period, but they were (re)assembled and (re)numbered exclusively for export.
Hi,I recently made an impulse buy of a 'priced to move' Norinco Model of the 1911A1 45 auto at a local gun shop with a couple of knockoff Colt mags thrown in with a knock off Seville mag.
Regardless, the pistol itself is in good working order and 100% original (crappy grips and all), it appears to have been only lightly, if ever, used. Serial number is in the 507xxx range, marked CSI Ontario, CA import.I intended for this to be a beater, no frills 1911a1 though I'm thinking of sending it off for a quick buff & polish job on the internals including the trigger (less than $100 according to Frontiersman) to improve reliability long term. I did swap on a pair of Hogue grip panels since the greasy brown plastic jobs that come stock are worse than I expected even in a Norinco but that's as far as I intend to go with exterior modifications unless hammer bite is a problem in which case it is getting a beavertail grip safety & commander hammer.
Just curious if this pistol has any significant collectible value besides being my first Clinton 'pre-ban' firearm that should steer me away from beater duty or a future upgrade project? Before I spend anything on the pistol it's going to the farm to eat a few hundred Winny white box out of some Novak and Kimber magazines so I can inspect for hammer peening or anything else out of sorts, of course. I'd hate to be 'that guy' that destroyed even a bit of twisted firearm history out of complete ignorance. My Google search of Norinco 1911a1's makes me think this is an ideal beater gun but just in case...
Also, any suggestions for local shops/individuals who do a good post-factory fitting/fluff on a 1911 in the $100 or less range (assuming nothing needs to be replaced, etc..)?