A USER’S REVIEW OF THE NORINCO FE II .45 ACP – A FACTORY ENHANCED 1911A1
By Antonio Alan
O. Lopez
The NORINCO
(China NORth INdustries COrporation),
now China Ordnance Industries Group Corporation Limited) 1911 Pistol has been
around for quite some time now. I’ve
owned a “basic” 1911A1 Model, about
two decades back in time, and it was way and far off compared to today’s more
refined offerings.
My old NORINCO
literally came in a thin carton, with a Styrofoam Insert, containing the pistol
(with a magazine inserted), an extra magazine, and a cleaning rod. I couldn’t remember having been provided a
User Manual along with it.
After about
twenty long years, I think that it is just about time that I would re-acquire a
new 1911, and was offered a Factory
Enhanced Model, by a good friend, Joseph V. David of Blue Knights Guns and Ammo,
a duly licensed firearms dealer.
The new NORINCO currently
comes in a plastic ‘gun’ case, which is kind of crappy, but is, still, a great “upgrade”
over the carton packaging that it used to be in, decades ago. Inside was the pistol with a magazine
inserted, a spare magazine, the usual cleaning brush, cleaning brush handle,
and a nice User’s Manual for the operation and maintenance of the gun.
I was quite
happy that, as I was promised by the dealer I was transacting with, the pistol
that I received (considering its local price offering equivalent to only about USD
374) already sports some custom features - three-dot fixed Iron Sights, a lowered
and flared Ejection Port, double Slide Serrations, a Combat Trigger, a skeletonized
Combat Hammer, an extended Beavertail Grip Safety, a full-length Guide Rod /
Stabilizer, a hard-chromed Barrel and an ambidextrous extended-shelf Thumb
Safety, for it could cost much to customize, even to a minimal degree, these
days, a 1911 Pistol.
Surprisingly, too,
this NORINCO no longer rattles when shaken and has a nice, tight fit of parts. My earlier piece feels more like that of the
standard G.I. model of the early 1900s which was (intentionally) ‘loose’ to
allow for the interchangeability of parts between the different manufacturers
contracted for its high demand, back then, and for field reliability.
Comparatively, pulling
back on the Slide now feels slick, whereas, my earlier pistol felt a bit ‘gritty.’ I remember that to me, it was like the
perception of having very, very fine sand on the Slide Rails, back then.
The new Slide
also has extra wide and slightly angled Serrations machined unto it up front (for
a press check) and another at its usual place at the back, which provides for an
exceptionally good purchase. It feels a
bit sharp but not enough to cause a cut or unnecessary injury to one’s hands or
fingers.
The Grips are
quite satisfactory, and are made of a rubber-like material, akin to Pachmayr, which
offers a good grasp for gaining a proper hold and control of the pistol.
Another
characteristic that greatly interests me is that the enhanced NORINCO is made
of forged steel – frame, barrel, and
slide. Thus, the gun
feels pretty much ‘solid,’ though, admittedly, is a bit on the hefty side,
considering that it is an all-steel full-sized pistol. Adding seven (7) rounds of .45 Auto, on tap, to feed the gun does, admittedly,
add more weight, as well.
Engaging and
disengaging the Extended-Shelf Thumb Safety, with either the left or right
thumb, is very positive resulting to a loud audible click for upon close
examination, I have noticed that the surface engaging the Slide Stop Plunger
is, much to my astonishment, dimpled, which is not characteristic of a standard
1911A1, but is often done as part of customization work. It, however, already comes from the factory, that
way.
Trigger Pull is rather
smooth and consistent with a short travel and reset which is good for close
follow-up shots, if needed. The
extractor seems to clock a bit, in its slot, but does not make contact with the
hammer, in any way.
I have not fired
the pistol, yet, at this point in time, but did ‘hand-cycle’ a magazine load of
PMC Bronze 230 grains Full Metal Jacket and Hornady’s Critical Defense 185 grains FTX Jacketed Hollow Point, a couple of
times, without any failure to feed (FTF) or failure to eject (FTE).
The magazines
are very ‘basic’ - stamped, with a fixed floorplate, but does its job,
nonetheless. Inserting seven rounds, to
its full capacity, however, does require a bit of effort, though, as the
magazine follower spring is quite strong. I have also learned that the
factory-supplied mags are of the Hybrid Feed Lip Design, which is being
used on Colt contract 7-round magazines only. It's a Colt design and
the vendors who make it for Colt, nowadays, use those specifications. NORINCO, ingeniously,
copied the design and that the magazines included with their pistols now
have the Hybrid Lip geometry.
Spent shell casings are ejected up and away properly clearing
the pistol through the lowered and flared Ejection Port. The Slide faithfully returns to battery, with
a vigorous and forceful snap.
The lugged Barrel
positively locks tight and does not exhibit any movement when pushed down with
a finger from above the Ejection Port, which is a good thing for accuracy.
It is not blued, but hard-chromed and aptly marked
.45 ACP on top, as the platform for launching the .45 Auto Cartridge. I have, yet, to see how it feeds and how it would handle and accept Jacketed Hollow Points (JHP), during live fire, which is my choice of everyday carry (EDC) ammo.
This new NORINCO feels
excellently well in the hand as if to reassure the operator of good quality refinements
and tight-fit for better accuracy over the original mil-spec 1911 pistol.
After a thorough
go-over and manipulation of parts and control surfaces, comes the mandatory
disassembly of every newly acquired firearm, to be able to meticulously check /
inspect, clean, and properly lubricate all parts.
For me, this is
standard practice and with good reason(s): (1) to assure myself that no
‘shavings’ or burrs from the manufacturing processes are ever left in the
pistol; (2) to be able to clean the formation of any film of rust, if any (considering
the length of time that may have elapsed from the factory floor, shipment, to the
dealer’s shelves and its final release to its new owner); and (3) to be able to
properly lubricate all parts to ensure for proper functioning.
Disassembly is
straightforward 1911, with the exception of removing the Recoil Spring Plug and
Barrel Bushing, since this particular model comes with a one-piece full-length Guide Rod
/ Stabilizer. The hollowed-out Recoil
Spring Plug is a bit more difficult to remove, when compared to the standard
plug, which can easily (and comfortably) be given a simple push of the thumb to enable the Barrel
Bushing to be rotated for removal.
The internals of
this Factory Enhanced Model appear to be ‘standard
1911,’ with the exception of the Recoil Spring Plug, Combat Trigger, a skeletonized
Combat Hammer, an extended Beavertail Grip Safety, a full-length Guide Rod /
Stabilizer, and an ambidextrous extended-Shelf Thumb Safety.
The flat Mainspring
Housing is, curiously, made of plastic, and may be a candidate for replacement
soon, since it contains a rather powerful spring necessary for expeditiously propelling
the skeletonized Combat Hammer home to fire the gun. I am also wondering, why on earth, is the
Sear Spring colored red.
On the other
hand, one good thing about the 1911 is that there are countless sources of parts
available, in addition to new brand offerings, which makes it the most
customized pistol in the world. I,
though, on a personal matter, have a strong preference for US Brand and US made
parts.
It may also be worth mentioning that the extended-shelf Ambidextrous Thumb Safety of this particular gun is quite novel for it is of the King’s Gun Works Type, wherein, the right Safety Lever, which is a necessity for left-handed shooters, has a dovetail on its inner surface which is used to hold it in place by ‘riding’ a specially made extended-portion of the Hammer Pin.
Such design provides
for a cleaner look, devoid of the traditional ‘leg’ which swivels and holds the
right Thumb Safety in place through a hollow that has to be specially tailor-cut
on the inside of the right Grip Panel.
The Safety’s shelf is extended for easy reach and engagement with either
thumb, but is also made narrow enough to avoid snagging.
The extended
Beavertail Grip Safety, which is of matte-black color, has a cutout for
clearing the skeletonized Combat Hammer and also has a ‘Speed / Memory Bump’ to ensure for proper actuation, when the gun
is correctly gripped by the shooting hand. It has a rather ‘shallow’ movement, for my personal
taste, but works just fine, though.
However, be
forewarned that the rearmost edge of the Beavertail is a bit sharp, enough to
cause small cuts on the plastic case in which the gun is shipped from the factory.
A steel, fixed,
three-dot Front and Rear Sight may not be the best, nor to everyone’s liking,
but it is as functional as it was designed to be with the original 1911 iron sights. Its size and shape do not cause the gun to
snag against holsters, bags, or clothing.
It may not be readily adjustable but is, surely, durable and strong
enough with sufficient surface area which can be used to rack the slide against any
hard object, should there be a need, in an emergency, or when the shooter’s
other hand is unable to, or injured.
A skeletonized Hammer comes as ‘standard,’
for this 1911A1 model, which is supposed to improve lock times (shorter time to
hit the Firing Pin). For me, its
elongated shape provides not only for good aesthetic looks but also affords for
a good hold when easing the Hammer down, from its full-cock position. It also has
adequate Hammer – Slide Clearance and does not rub against anything other than striking
the Firing Pin – its one and only function.
At such a down-to-earth
price range, one may think, something has to be compromised. Yes, indeed.
NORINCO has to scrimp on something to lower manufacturing costs, and I
am glad that it is not on materials or workmanship and function, that truly make up the
pistol.
To be able to
bring down overhead, NORINCO opted to sacrifice on the cosmetic side, rather
than take a risk on materials, function and reliability. Upon very close examination, some tool-marks can
be found. These are
carefully smoothed out, as standard, for the more expensive brands, and are virtually
non-existent for 1911s in the USD 800 and above, price range. Although
present, I wasn’t even able to notice such ‘defects,’
nor did my friends who had the privilege to see and handle the pistol, right
after it arrived from the dealer.
These cosmetic ‘imperfections’ only became evident as a
result of my shooting the gun with my high resolution semi-pro dSLR in RAW file
format. The said ‘flaw(s)’ does not, however, in any way, affect the pistol’s function and performance,
which is first and foremost.
I have been
doing months of rigorous research on reviews made for the NORINCO, even before
I decided to re-acquire one, and have found that it is one of the budget 1911s
that have good accuracy, out of the box, and do gobble up on anything that it
is fed, from Full Metal Jackets (FMJs)
to Jacketed Hollow Points (JHPs).
However, if choosing to load it with Hollow
Points, it would be best to stick to those that have a more-rounded Bullet Profile
and to avoid those that have large gaping ‘holes’ up front, to ensure for reliable
chambering since this particular NORINCO model does not have a ramped barrel.
There are,
perhaps, some that, unfortunately, experience issues and problems with theirs,
but just like anything else, they are an exception and is not the norm. As earlier said, the NORINCOs of today, as I
have found, are much more “refined,” than the ‘basic’ mil-spec models of
yesteryears.
Having said a
mouthful, all that remains is for me to take ‘ol Slab-Sides to the Firing
Range, for it to be able to exhibit and demonstrate its performance downrange.
I am not after Competition-Type Precision. All that I am looking for is acceptable accuracy and enough take-down power for defensive purposes, which John M.
Browning designed this pistol for, more than a hundred years ago!
