Norinco Rifles

[Deacon]

Hey fellas,

I'm new to the forum but it looks like a pretty handy thing to be apart of and i look forward to learning a thing or two from you all.

Anyway, i'm looking at picking up a nice little .22 for a bit of rabbit shooting and a general muck around on my range. The Norincos are cheap as chips and i've heard they go alright. Has anybody got any experience with them? Are they worth putting a halfway decent optic on? The other option i was looking at was a Henry lever repeater and they are WAY more expensive (was looking at the frontier model). If you have other ideas they are for sure welcome too, just keep in mind i'm buying a couple other rifles soon as well so nothing majorly bank breaking will work for the .22.

Any help would be appreciated thanks guys.

[Supaduke]

Norincos are cheap and cheerful. I have one. The machining is rough, the fit and finish are average but they generally shoot straight and with a bit of use will wear in and smooth up. A Nikko Stirling scope woul suit a norinco perfectly. I also have a Henry Frontier and they are an excellent rifle. Very accurate and cycle beautifully. You would be very happy with a Henry lever.
The Norincos are tough and use milled steel parts so you will never break it. The Henrys are just a nice thing to use but not really comparable to an el cheapo norinco.

[p3seven]

I have a Henry 22, basic H001 model fitted with a Bushnell Red dot. As a short range (to 70 m) small vermin rifle hard to beat. Points well accurate and cycles fast. A LGS in the coastal town North of Brisbane has them on special at the moment in the $600 range. You can get adapters to go up from the 3/8 groove to the normal scope base fit.

My lady friend who had never fired a shot in all of her 3 score plus years. After 5 practice shots into a tree (for shoulder fit and trigger feel) then, aimed at a SSAA rabbit target at 50 m and put 3 out of 5 in its head 2 in its ears. Next weekend it is walking through the paddock with drink cans in the the tussocks. After that I think I will have lost the Henry.

[sakoBC]

Welcome aboard

My Norinco JW15 has been my only .22LR for the last 25 years. Thousands of rounds have gone down range without a single issue. The trigger has a lot of creep, but you get used to it. The only modification I have made is to strip back the ugly factory stain and refinish with Tru-oil.

As with all .22s you need to find the ammo that it likes. If I want maximum accuracy for punching paper I use SKS Match, otherwise Winchester PowerPoints for bunnies.

It started life with a Tasco 4x32, but now has a Leupold VX1 3-9x40, which has been great for paper and fur out to 50m.
I noticed that they now make a synthetic stocked version and a model with a 16inch barrel. If you want something that does the job and you won’t cry if it gets scratched, then a JW15 is just the ticket.

[Wm.Traynor]

Crikey those Norincos are cheap compared to a CZ. Just looked it up. Boy it's tempting.

[sandgroperbill]

I've only heard good things about them (except the whole political prisoner slave labour thing, but lets not get into that). Apparently they're a bit rough but tough and reliable.

Take a look at some older used .22s. I particularly like the lithgow/slazenger model 12s, but you also have bsa, winnie 310/320 (bit of aussie history and sort of the predecessor to kimber) and sportco.

[sandgroperbill]

Oh, a lot of single shots were produced around that era, so just remember to check its not a ss you're looking at. (I know, stating the obvious, but better not to assume)

[Deacon]

Thanks all. I went in to my local and he has set me up with a synthetic stock norinco jw 15a, an extra mag and an optic for $280. I think i'll end up with a Henry at some point whether its in .22 or something bigger *cough* 45-70 *cough*, they are just too highly regarded by everyone i've spoken to that has one. I should have mentioned this will be my first .22 and i have a feeling that i may end up with an absolute boatload of them after looking at some of the things that have been suggested.

[Supaduke]

Henry 45-70 and .22 Frontier

image.jpeg (1.3 MiB) Viewed 6622 times

Or get a 45-70 AND a .22

[Wm.Traynor]

Deacon,
I hope this does not stuff you up mate but after logging off this morning I found this site
www.acme-firearms.com.au/rifles/norinco-rifles.html
The site says to buy a CZ magazine
Hope this is not too late

[Supaduke]

I run CZ 10 round poly mags in my Norinco and they cycle fine.

[Deacon]

Yeah i've heard that. If i have any dramas i'll just pick up a couple of CZ polymers online. What did they cost you Supaduke?

[Supaduke]

I can't remember , I think about $60

[MR. WINCHESTER]

Ducati motorbikes are cheap and cheerful. I have one. The machining is rough, the fit and finish are average but .....

Lol .....

( am still recovering at your assault on my current ride )

[NukeBOMB88]

I Bloody love my Norinco to the point that I am thinking of getting the JW-25 that looks like a K98

[Supaduke]

Ducati motorbikes are cheap and cheerful. I have one. The machining is rough, the fit and finish are average but .....

Lol .....

( am still recovering at your assault on my current ride )

Ducati's have been ruined by hipsters.

it's a KTM

[MR. WINCHESTER]

Ducati motorbikes are cheap and cheerful. I have one. The machining is rough, the fit and finish are average but .....

Lol .....

( am still recovering at your assault on my current ride )

Ducati's have been ruined by hipsters.

it's a KTM

Ohh ....

Sincere apologies

[bladeracer]

Also don't be put off the idea of an older second hand .22, my neighbour bought an old BSA sportsman 5 for $50 which will out shoot any of the new guns that will come up new in your budget.
http://m.usedguns.com.au/Product_Desc.aspx?Pid=83943

I've got a 1950 BSA Sportsman Five as well and it shoots great, more accurate than my Ruger American Rimfire.
I'd prefer a shorter barrel and some means of mounting a scope, but it belonged to my father-in-law's brother-in-law.

I also have a 1930's Cooey Ace that belonged to the father of the husband of my father-in-law's niece
And I have my father-in-law's 1940 Remington 510 he got on his 14th birthday.

[bladeracer]

Oh, a lot of single shots were produced around that era, so just remember to check its not a ss you're looking at. (I know, stating the obvious, but better not to assume)

Some are single-shot versions of repeaters and easily converted.
I put a US Army 513 stock and magazine catch on my father-in-law's Remington 510 and turned it into a ten-shot repeater.

[Supaduke]

Get one, they are cool and you can fix a standard 98 bayonet to it. It's one of my favourites , despite its initial roughness.

JW-25 with bayonet

image.jpeg (870.14 KiB) Viewed 5377 times

[Gwion]

Also don't be put off the idea of an older second hand .22, my neighbour bought an old BSA sportsman 5 for $50 which will out shoot any of the new guns that will come up new in your budget.
http://m.usedguns.com.au/Product_Desc.aspx?Pid=83943

I've got a 1950 BSA Sportsman Five as well and it shoots great, more accurate than my Ruger American Rimfire.
I'd prefer a shorter barrel and some means of mounting a scope, but it belonged to my father-in-law's brother-in-law.

I also have a 1930's Cooey Ace that belonged to the father of the husband of my father-in-law's niece
And I have my father-in-law's 1940 Remington 510 he got on his 14th birthday.

So... You have a bunch of old guns that used to belong to people you never met and one that belonged to your gf's dad. Cool!

[bladeracer]

I've got a 1950 BSA Sportsman Five as well and it shoots great, more accurate than my Ruger American Rimfire.
I'd prefer a shorter barrel and some means of mounting a scope, but it belonged to my father-in-law's brother-in-law.

I also have a 1930's Cooey Ace that belonged to the father of the husband of my father-in-law's niece
And I have my father-in-law's 1940 Remington 510 he got on his 14th birthday.

So... You have a bunch of old guns that used to belong to people you never met and one that belonged to your gf's dad. Cool!

Yep, just trying to keep them in the family

[Flyer]

Shot a Norinco JW21 .22 lever action (Winchester 9422 Legacy copy) the other day and it was great! First time I'd picked it up and hit 22 silhouettes (two rams @ 100m didn't go down). The bloke I was sharing the rifle with hit 23 (again, two rams didn't go down). After my first shot over the turkeys @ 75m, I knocked the next four down - bloody accurate little rifle for open sights (no peeps) shooting T22 ammo.

Dunno if I would buy a CZ copy when you can get a second-hand 452 etc for $500, but I'd definitely buy a Norinco lever-action. Especially as the real thing (Winnie 9422) is so hard to find.