Considering another 1911

[vector16]

I have been thinking about buying another gun. I was interesting in the M&P 45 and then I was thinking I might want a "real gun" this time, not a plasic gun. I have started looking at the 1911's again. I have looked at Kimber, Sig, springfield, s&w, Colt and Rock Island keeps coming up. I have done a little research today on the Rock Island. I generally like to buy American made guns, They are not. They use the same basic design and old Colt Machinery to make their guns. They also have a lifetime warranty and great customer service I have read. I have only recently heard of these. I put ALOT of rounds down range with the guns I own, thousands. Has anyone heard bad things about them? If I purchase one, will I have it for the next 20 years as i would one of the more expensive guns? I do mot want to buy another **** gun. I made that huge mistake with my LLama 1911. I have seen these Rock Island 1911 taken apart and the big difference with them vs. the others is Guide rod configuration. Would I be better off just sticking with a $1100 gun or see how the $400 gun stacks up. I had good luck with the Sigma. I really would like a 1911 that will be with me for a while and work just as good as the day I bought it if not better in 15-20 years.
Also, I am not sure if I should go with the internal extractor or the external.

Any thought on the above. All of it.

 

[arjay]

I have and have had colts,kimbers and springfields and liked them all.No experience with rock island,but I have only heard good things about them.I've only had one gun with an external extractor ( kimber ) and it's one reliable and accurate gun.Yea I like the 1911.

 

[epj]

Look at the STI Spartan. Made by Armscor with STI small parts to their specs. Hard to find a better 1911 for the $.

 

[vector16]

I forgot to mention, It has to be CA legal. I would have included Ruger but its not on the CA legal list, maybe it's to good for us Californians.

 

[Mickey D]

... Not interested in RIA.

 

[Arik]

If youre looking for a "work of art" look somewhere else. If you want an inexpensive shooter they are great! They have some machine marks inside and the finish comes of easily (parkarized ones) but my hasn't failed yet. And I don't mind if it gets scratched or marked up. Btw my is a Citadel, a rebranded, RI. Also check out Norinco 1911s. The old ones that were banned not the new Turkish ones. They are true A1 copies and partsprojects interchange with Colt and other 1911s. The frame and slide are made from railroad track steel, some of the hardest steel around. Small parts are machinery not MIM, however are softer steel bit still fairly good quality. They are not match grade but will hold their own with other production 1911s. Can be found for $500 And under. I just picked one up for $250. Most custom 1911 makers started out by modifying Norincos.

 

[epj]

I forgot to mention, It has to be CA legal. I would have included Ruger but its not on the CA legal list, maybe it's to good for us Californians.

I don't think any of the RIA's or STI's are California compliant, ie no firing pin safety.

 

[A10]

The rock island gun looks like a good basic 1911, but I can't speak from experience. If I were in the market it would probably be a Springfield or ParaOrdinance single stack. If I could afford it, I'd buy a Dan Wesson. They are very well built.

 

[Bruce51]

CA compliant

There are lots of RIA autos for sale here. I purchased mine 2 years ago and I run it hard with ball ammo. It's a decent gun for the price. I changed the #16 spring for a #181/2 as it would toss cases clear across the range.
I've run it with a #22 spring as well.
If you want a gun to shoot and not worry about the RIA will work.

Bruce

 

[labworm]

I forgot to mention, It has to be CA legal. I would have included Ruger but its not on the CA legal list, maybe it's to good for us Californians.

The first thing you should do is move to a Free State like Massachusetts.

 

[vector16]

I don't think any of the RIA's or STI's are California compliant, ie no firing pin safety.

YUP, They are CA compliant

The first thing you should do is move to a Free State like Massachusetts.

If I could afford to move I could afford to buy them all. I would probably move to WY or CO where you can buy anything you could think of including military stuff, mini guns, grenades, cannons etc.. Never been much for the E coast. I'm from CO originally and was cursed when I was a kid by Mom and Dad that hated the cold winters. Now I have to settle for hunting dear the size of med. sized dogs and have to bare through the 85 deg weather to even try to get one. There is only a 5% success rate to boot.
The 1911 will be my side arm for next season.

 

[vector16]

I don't think any of the RIA's or STI's are California compliant, ie no firing pin safety.

YUP, They are CA compliant

The first thing you should do is move to a Free State like Massachusetts.

If I could afford to move I could afford to buy them all. I would probably move to WY or CO where you can buy anything you could think of including military stuff, mini guns, grenades, cannons etc.. Never been much for the E coast. I'm from CO originally and was cursed when I was a kid by Mom and Dad that hated the cold winters. Now I have to settle for hunting deer the size of med. sized dogs and have to bare through the 85 deg weather to even try to get one. There is only a 5% success rate out here to boot. I am new to hunting but thought I would try new things while I have been unemployed. I also took up fly fishing, thats fun.
The 1911 will be my side arm for next season.

 

[labworm]

I also took up fly fishing, thats fun.

I did a lot of salt water surf casting for Stripe Bass and Bluefish.

And then a friend convinced me to go trout fishing, that was it, fly rod only, no more salt water surf casting. Might say I got hooked.

 

[vector16]

I also took up fly fishing, thats fun.

I did a lot of salt water surf casting for Stripe Bass and Bluefish.

And then a friend convinced me to go trout fishing, that was it, fly rod only, no more salt water surf casting. Might say I got hooked.

don't want to get off suject in this thread but, I personally have gone Marlin fishing with a fly and landed a a 200 pounder. Fly fishing is a sport you can do with all types of fish, saltwater, still water, fresh water, stream and river. don't just limit yourself to to trout. I live near 1 lake and trout fishing is not that great. I mostly go to the ocean to fly fish. Learn how to teie your own with small hooks and large hooks alike.

Once again, I'd rather Not get off subject with this thread and turn it into something else.

 

[Kanewpadle]

The rock island gun looks like a good basic 1911, but I can't speak from experience. If I were in the market it would probably be a Springfield or ParaOrdinance single stack. If I could afford it, I'd buy a Dan Wesson. They are very well built.

I second the Dan Wesson. Best production 1911 made IMO. The Rock Island is a good 1911. Made by Armscor as well as American Classic, Citadel, and others. They've come a long way in recent years.

 

[oldman45]

I have been the owner of several 1911 guns. Some pricey, some really El Cheapo. The worst one I ever bought has been a Llama and I feel I gave away $125 when I did.

This being a S&W site, I am shocked that someone did not mention the excellent quality of the S&W 1911. The bottom of the line is not much higher than a Rock Island at dealer shelves but a lot better quality, accuracy, fit and finish. It is the only 1911 that I loved well enough to buy two of the same brand and looking for a third.

Pull out the credit card and buy one of the upper models and you will find it to be as good as any on the market.

S&W has a lifetime warranty as do many others. The issue is should you need the warranty. Neither of my S&W 1911 has been returned and the only problem I had was taken care of in the mail by a user installed replacement part.

Try selling a used RI. You will take a beating. There are people waiting to get a good used S&W.

 

[vector16]

I have been the owner of several 1911 guns. Some pricey, some really El Cheapo. The worst one I ever bought has been a Llama and I feel I gave away $125 when I did.

This being a S&W site, I am shocked that someone did not mention the excellent quality of the S&W 1911. The bottom of the line is not much higher than a Rock Island at dealer shelves but a lot better quality, accuracy, fit and finish. It is the only 1911 that I loved well enough to buy two of the same brand and looking for a third.

Pull out the credit card and buy one of the upper models and you will find it to be as good as any on the market.

S&W has a lifetime warranty as do many others. The issue is should you need the warranty. Neither of my S&W 1911 has been returned and the only problem I had was taken care of in the mail by a user installed replacement part.

Try selling a used RI. You will take a beating. There are people waiting to get a good used S&W.

I know there are people waiting to get a used s&w 1911. there are people waiting to get a new one as well.
I bought a LLama 1911 a couple of years ago. I was told the gun had never been fired. I thought that was a good deal at $450. they forgot to tell me the company went out of buisness 20 years ago and parts were next to impossible to find and if you did find one, they were not drilled and it was next to impossible to find a gun smith to work on the gun. That gun shop lost all my buisness and I spread the word on that little mess up quickly, they lost alot of buisness for taking advantage of a new customer.

I am not really one for selling guns. I want a gun with a lifetime warranty so I don't have to sell it, ever. I want the gun to last no , matter what brand the gun is. After each tyime I fire a gun I do a thurough cleaning, not just a field strip and clean. This is why all my guns still look nand act like they are new.

 

[smitty_bs]

This is an S&W site.....here's the more basic model. No forward slide serrations, GI guide rod, blued steel and walnut grips. Shoots like a dream.

 

[vector16]

Most of the 1911 clones being produced today a pretty good. The rattiest one I ever owned (finish wise) was a $299 Norinco I bought at a gun show in the early 90's. And in spite of its finish, it out shot all my Colts, Springfields and Kimbers.

I've gotten very good service from RIA's too. The last time I corresponded with their tech reps in the P.I. they were making 1911's under 5 different company marquees.

The most recent makers to jump on the 1911 bank wagon are from Turkey. Pick a Turkish company name and "Google" them and you'll find that most are ISO 9001 rated which translates to high quality for the price point.

If at all possible try to find a find or gun club mate that has a good collection that'd be willing to let you test drive a few of the bargain brands. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Yes that would be awsome. The problem is, I'm the one with the collection out of everyone that I know. I do not belomg to any gun club. Besides that, the only gun clubs that are around are not local. The nearsest one to me is abaout and hour and a half drive. You need to know someone to get an invite and I don't know of anyone that belongs. It was really difficult to even find anyone to go hunting with. Southern Californians, for the majority, don't own or want to own a gun except for LEO's and nmost of them just want to associate with other LEO's. Its a wierd thing.

 

[vector16]

This is an S&W site.....here's the more basic model. No forward slide serrations, GI guide rod, blued steel and walnut grips. Shoots like a dream.

I am not just interested in the RIA 1911. Infact I am not leaning towards it at all. It is not a standard 1911. I am interested in all of them. I planned on spending a MAX of $1300 total. This would include tax, and BG check. As I said I want a good quality 1911 that I will have for YEARS to come. I put Thousands of rounds thru my guns each years. To give you an example, I bought a s&w Sigma .40ve in April/2011. So far I have put over 20,250 rounds thru it w/o a single malfunction. I do not want a gun that I am going to start having to buy parts for in a year. I want a gun that is going to remain stock, for most of my life and will stand the test of time. I shoot reloads, cast bullets, +p and +p+ rounds through the guns I have and that will not change. I do not want another plastic gun at this time. I will never own a Glock just because of the ammo I like to use. Glocks will explode. I know people love them but don't have anything to say when this ammo subject comes into play. I own a Colt 1911 and a LLama 1911.
I really want to know the good and the bad about the 1911'smade by s&w's, Sig sauer, Springfield etc.. I do not feel the RIA is a great choice for the fact being, its not a standard 1911. The internal extractors is something I have never had on anything else but my Colt. The Colt was passed down to me by my GF and its not exactlly a gun I take tpo the range and fire a whole lot, maybe once a year.