I'm into "modding" (i.e., making personal modifications) a lot these days, it started with my Motorola V3 RAZR earlier this year. Thanks to the internet, information about almost anything is so much easier to find these days. So, it would come naturally I guess that I would end up modding my Norinco Model 59.
The Norinco Model 59 is basically the Chinese copy of the Russian Makarov Pistol, but chambered in .380 ACP. It will probably be a family heirloom, since it was previously owned by my late father. The gun has a couple of nice features, but also has some disturbing qualities, foremost of which is its Double-Action (DA) trigger pull, which is both HEAVY, and ROUGH.
I sought to find aftermarket parts to try to solve the problem. But, after visiting some gun shops, it seems that in this country, while 1911 parts are almost dime a dozen, Norinco, or Makarov parts apparently are not.
So I turned to the internet, and sure enough, I found some sites which offered advice on how to smoothen, and even lighten the trigger of a Makarov. The primary Makarov site these days, apparently is www.makarov.com, and have offered advice / instructions on how to smoothen the Makarov's trigger.1
The first problem, was where to get the materials. What the heck, is an "Arkansas Stone"? Or a "Jeweler's Rouge"? Whatever they are, they are unlikely to be found at your local Ace Hardware. I settled instead for some Sandpapers, with grades of 300, 600, and 1200.
Next, you need to be able to know how to disassemble and reassemble a Makarov, with stress on the "reassemble". Disassembling the Mak is relatively easy, but you will likely need to make some "pukpok" to get the MAIN SPRING RETENTION CLIP off. The SEAR SPRING will also be a problem, being both difficult to assemble, and reassemble.
After you have disassembled the parts as per the instructions, then just sandpaper away at the instructed areas. I used the 300, then 600, and finally 1200 sandpaper on the TRIGGER BAR. For the more sensitive components, the SEAR, HAMMER and MAINSPRING, I dared not use the 300 sandpapers, only the 600 and 1200. And only veeerrryyy carefully. This is the easy part, in terms of the whole activity.
Now, the hardest part, is the reassembly of the whole unit. It took me a good 2-3 hrs., just to fit all of the things in their proper place. The Mak is a good weapon, but it is nothing like the M1911 in terms of assembly and reassembly. It simply is harder to put back, because the parts need to fit together exactly. I should've tried to practice the assembly / disassembly first, before doing anything. Then it might've felt a lot easier to do.
The end result is that the trigger's now is a LOT smoother than before. Since it is smoother, it feels lighter, and easier to shoot with. I feel more confident I can hit better with it compared to before. The pull is still a bit heavy, though, for my taste. Next project: Lightening the trigger pull. It will be more critical, since some material from the mainspring will have to be removed.
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