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  #1  
Old 04-15-2011, 05:48 PM
alphabrace alphabrace is offline
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Default Rock Island Armory 1911

Anybody got one of these? If so how do you like it? At $500 it certainly is attractive for my first 1911.
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  #2  
Old 04-15-2011, 06:26 PM
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Excellent value for the money.
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  #3  
Old 04-15-2011, 07:17 PM
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My local shop said the opposite, He said that the gunsmith that works for him said it was put together ******. On the other hand he did say that the ATI 1911 .45's were put together much better. Even though they are made in the Philippines.
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Old 04-15-2011, 07:26 PM
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I think they all come from the same Armscor factory in the Philippines. They just have different quality control standards for certain lots. This is just me guessing though.
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Old 04-15-2011, 07:42 PM
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I seen a lot of those new for under $500 last time I went to a gun store. I was curious about why they were so cheap considering most M1911s are expensive guns. I researched them online and it seems like they are a hit or miss. Some people say it is total junk, but others say they are okay for the price. I would suggest you spend the extra money and buy a low end Springfield Armory M1911 instead.
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Old 04-15-2011, 07:45 PM
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I should have also noted. If your dead set on the 1911, then an import is gonna be your cheapest bet. But if your joansin' for a .45 then I would suggest a Smith and Wesson. Pretty much any of em.

I was looking for a 1911 and really wanted the Para O Warthog or the ATI Titan FX in stainless.

I rented a warthog and while that one was extremely reliable in that it failed to eject the 5th round on every magazine.
For the Titan FX, I read on other forums this one was prone to minor problems. These could be fixed with buying other parts.

Then it hit me, I would be spending MORE for one of these, then I did for my S&W and they didnt go bang every time I pulled the trigger. And I would have to buy other parts to make it reliable.

My choice is to keep my Smith as they have gone bang each and every time I pulled the trigger, and I didnt have to spend a dime on other parts to make them that way.

Just my .02

Last edited by Punisher102; 04-16-2011 at 11:11 AM.
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  #7  
Old 04-15-2011, 07:48 PM
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The two people that I know bought them were disappointed. Not very good quality control and cheap parts. I have heard from a couple of pistolsmiths that they were pretty junky. You would probably be better spending $500 on a good used 1911 from Kimber, Springfield, S&W that came from the factory as a quality pistol.
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  #8  
Old 04-15-2011, 07:53 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Punisher102 View Post
I would suggest a Smith and Wesson. Pretty much any of em.

Just my .02
S&W only makes high end M1911s though. I'm sure NO ONE would by a Rock Island Armory gun over a S&W if they could afford the price tag, but not everyone has the money for a dream gun. Springfield's low end M1911s are a good alternative to S&W price wise.
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Old 04-15-2011, 08:23 PM
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My brother has a Rock Island. He bought it mil-spec, and added some parts like the full length guide rod, beavertail and things to it. He just was talking about it the other day, he has about 10k rounds through it and it has held up very well for him. It was always reliable. He realizes its no Kimber, Smith, Springfield, Etc, but for the $350 he paid new for it a few years back hes very pleased with it.
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Old 04-15-2011, 08:52 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EAS2011 View Post
S&W only makes high end M1911s though. I'm sure NO ONE would by a Rock Island Armory gun over a S&W if they could afford the price tag, but not everyone has the money for a dream gun. Springfield's low end M1911s are a good alternative to S&W price wise.
Your quote of mine was miss quoted.
I said if your looking for a .45 I would suggest a S&W, any of em. I wasnt referring to S&W 1911, but the caliber.
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Old 04-15-2011, 09:17 PM
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I absolutely LOVE my RIA 1911. Great pistol! Reliable, accurate and put together very very well. I have no complaints with it.
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  #12  
Old 04-15-2011, 09:19 PM
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save your money. buy a springfield armory or a good used american 1911. a lesson learned the hard way!
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  #13  
Old 04-15-2011, 09:25 PM
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Default I have two

Among other higher end (at least cost wise) 1911's I have two RIA's - a tactical and a compact. Both have been 100% reliable with all the types of ammo I've tried in them. collectively they have nearly 3000 rounds through them. While certainly not using the highest quality parts and not the best platform for future customization I believe they are a good value for the "casual" 1911 shooter. A lot of the rounds through mine have been in introducing newer shooters to the 1911 platform.
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  #14  
Old 04-15-2011, 09:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Punisher102 View Post
Your quote of mine was miss quoted.
I said if your looking for a .45 I would suggest a S&W, any of em. I wasnt referring to S&W 1911, but the caliber.
I thought you meant any of the 24 S&W M1911s.
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  #15  
Old 04-15-2011, 11:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alphabrace View Post
Anybody got one of these? If so how do you like it? At $500 it certainly is attractive for my first 1911.
I had two RIA 1911 45’s and sold them both. I bought one used for $400 and one like new in box with papers for $410. The used one had been shot a lot by a competition shooter and the firing pin had been peened out of shape. I replaced the firing pin and it worked fine. In fact they both worked fine but I am retired and older and my eyes just could not use those tiny sights.

I decided not to mess with putting expensive sights on them and sold them. They sell an upgraded tactical version for a little more money but the sights are not much better. To me, $500 for the basic gun sounds real high. If I were going to get a 1911 and pay that much for one with so few quality features, I would pay a little more and get a used S&W 1911. There are plenty of them out there and many with very few rounds through them. I have seen them for sale in the $650 dollar range with Novak type white dot sights and in SS.

However, if you don’t mind the small military sights and just want a very basic and reliable 1911, then the RIA is fine, but I would try and get one for a lot less than $500. My brother bought one of their tactical 1911s for a little over $400 ($429 I think) new on line about six months ago and the standard models are often on sale for under $400 + shipping.

What many people do is buy an RIA then put on several upgrades that end up costing as much as a S&W and still not being as good as a Smith. Don’t get me wrong if the RIA’s that I once owned had better sights I would still own them as they were totally reliable and relatively accurate, if not the best cosmeticaly. While no one has the kind of warranty that S&W does RIA reportedly has a very good warranty and good customer support.

Also the RIA are truly military style and you can use standard military parts in them. I think they bought the old Colt 1911 machinery and use that to make their guns. Some of the so-called 1911 guns out there are not truly compatible with standard military 1911 parts.

Also you might consider an American Classic II Model if you want a less expensive 1911 (under $500). I have not owned one, but if I were going to try for a new low end 1911, I would go with the American Classic over the RIA or the RIA upgrade tactical. The American Classic has a lot more features and a good reputation as well.

If you don’t have to have a 1911 single action, then buy a good used 4566 and IMHO you will have a much better self-defense weapon.
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  #16  
Old 04-16-2011, 12:54 AM
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+1 on the 4566! I like mine much better than the RIA I had.
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Old 04-16-2011, 02:06 AM
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my brother in law bought one 6 year ago and has shot over 10,000 rounds through it. he loves it. he had a kimber that fell apart and he sold that, saying he'd never buy another. my old colt fell apart last weekend so i can't say much either.
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  #18  
Old 04-16-2011, 04:13 AM
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I have no personal experience with the Armscor built 1911's, but it seems like a hit or miss thing as to if if you will be pleased with it. If you are wanting a lowest possible cost 1911, for a range toy or plinker..then there's no reason NOT to get one.If you want something to maybe upgrade or compete with, or more inportantly, trust your life with, I would strongly recommend spending a bit more $$$ on perhaps a Remington R1 (+/- $600) or a Springfield Range Officer ($750). I have and shoot Para 1911's and mine have been utterly reliable, retail for a single action Para is about $800-$1000, and you can find used ones for substantially less. My first Para was a PXT 14-45 double stack I bought at Academy for $650 a few years ago.
Plenty of choices out there, especially now that everyone in the world is making a 1911 of some sort.
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Old 04-16-2011, 05:57 AM
Airedale Airedale is offline
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If you want opinions from folks who own and shoot the RIA 1911, go to the 1911 forum. You will find that most who offer negative opinions about them don't own them.

You will find all but ~1% extremely happy with them. Warranty service is what the industry standard should be. (It's handled in Nevada).

While on that forum, read through the Kimber,Springer, etc threads and you will see owners of those brands have many more problems with QC from the their respective factories.

I have owned RIAs for several years. Every one has run as intended. I have ~10k rounds through one and several thousand each through a few others. I shoot USPSA single stack with them.

I have owned Baers, Browns and Wilsons. I still have one Wilson CQB and it is a dandy. I can buy 5 or so RIAs for the cost of one CQB. The Wilson is great but doesn't shoot any better (in my hands) than the RIA.

You don't need to change a bunch of parts to "bring it to the level" of Kimber, Springer, etc. While they may be more attractive than the parkerized RIA, I have found they don't function any better.

You may read comments that Rocks are built in bamboo huts. Go to the Armscor website and take a look. It's an ISO certified plant.

My 2 cents-
Dave
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  #20  
Old 04-16-2011, 07:50 AM
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Default Love, Hate

Thanks for the responses so far, as usual there is a real love or hate relationship with a particular gun. I have not been on the 1911 forum but I will try that next. I am looking at the Springfield Range Officer but its at around $750 if you can find them.
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  #21  
Old 04-16-2011, 09:22 AM
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I learned this lesson the hard way too. I'm not a basher of Rock Island products, just stating what happened to ME with MY gun. I had under 1,000 rounds through it and the slide stop notch on the slide got peened so out of whack that it wouldn't lock back anymore. It gave me a good enough introduction to 1911s so I parted with it (buyer was well aware of the issue) and got something better. A SW1911!
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1911, 4566, 650, colt, gunsmith, kimber, lock, military, novak, parkerized, remington, smith and wesson, springfield, sw1911, tactical

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