The NP-18 is a Norinco copy of the Hungarian made pistol ''
FEG P9R''. Like the FEG P9R, it combines the design and operation of the
Browning Hi-Power with the trigger mechanism of the
Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (S&W) is an American firearm manufacturer headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States.
Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson as the "Smith & Wesson Revolver Company" in 1856 ...
double action trigger.
Design
The Norinco NP-18 is a Chinese copy of the FEG P9R. The handgun uses the
9×19mm Parabellum round, which is common in this type of guns. It has a heavy duty forged (not cast) steel frame and slide, which makes it one of the most solid, robust self-loading pistols that are actually in the market, because, unlike
cast steel
Steel casting is a specialized form of casting involving various types of steel cast to either final/net or near-net shape. Steel castings are used when iron castings cannot deliver enough strength or shock resistance.Oberg, p. 1332
Examples ...
,
forged steel
Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which it ...
is made with strength and toughness in mind.
It has a chrome-lined
barrel to extend the barrel life, make it easier to clean, and better protect it from corrosion and erosion than a non-chromed barrel. Because it's a handgun, one doesn't need to worry about the little difference of accuracy between a chromed and a non-chromed barrel (which has better accuracy).
The gun has a slide-mounted
safety/decocker, which makes it slightly more safe than other types of safeties or decockers, because, when the safety is engaged, it also decocks the hammer, preventing accidental shots.
As an inspiration of Smith & Wesson, the NP-18 has a
double-action trigger. With this system, the gun can be fired with the hammer cocked or decocked.
The gun has a ten-round double column magazine, similar to that of the
Browning Hi-Power, which was one of the first guns to adopt the
double column magazine.
The gun frame has a blue finished steel and a plastic grip that can easily be replaced by taking out a couple of screws.
References
{{reflist
9mm Parabellum semi-automatic pistols
Semi-automatic pistols of the People's Republic of China
Norinco