RIA 1911s= Junk?

M

Model12Win

Moderator
Hey guys. Well I went and done it... I rented a 1911 at the range today, and I have got to have one!! :)

I originally was planning on a Colt Rail Gun... but man, how expensive. I did some reading on the net and it turns out there is a company called "Rock Island Armory" based out of the Philippines who make inexpensive 1911s. Now I've got a Filipino sister in law, and I know them people can cook, but can they make 1911s?

Here is the model I'm interested in:

http://armscor.com/firearms/rock-series/rock-ultra-fs-45-acp/

51486_1911_A1_ROCK_Ultra_FS_45_ACP_leftprofile.jpg


It's got a 5" barrel, .45 ACP (of course) and has a nice blacked out look to it. I doubt I'd change anything on it. Oh, and it's half the price of a Colt Rail Gun.

So does anyone out there know if these RIA guns are any good or not? Seems awfully inexpensive, but if they're good enough for defensive use I might as well save hundreds of dollars.

Let me know gents, thanks! :D
 
I wouldn't hesitate for a second to pick one up. They are well made, well priced, well finished and certainly more accurate than I am..:). As for a rail on a 1911? To each their own, ill leave it at that..:)
 
I currently own an $800 Colt Government Model O1091. I formerly owned the $400 RIA GI .45

The Colt is nicer, but the RIA was not junk. All was in-spec and with a pair of Wilson ETMs it ran through its first 300 perfectly.

I sold it, but it was NOT junk.


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Thanks guys. I'm hoping this would make a good start for a first 1911, but at the same time I need a gun that won't fail on me in case I need to use it in defense or in the field.
 
The price for the 45 with 22LR conversion is pretty attractive as well.

Only RI I've actually shot is the TMC22. One of my shooting buddies showed up with his new TMC22 when I was first shooting mine. Both behaved well and we consider the trigger to be pretty good for a factory 1911 pattern especially in its price range. (We both shot military 1911 for comparison).
 
I have no personal experience with them, but I have reads almost nothing but great reviews on them. Very few people seem to be unsatisfied with them. I would not hesitate to buy one base on that reputation. I wouldn't mind one in 38 super, or one of their 9mm/22 TCM packages.
 
I had a GI version for a couple years that I later sold to a buddy of mine. Honestly, I would own another one. They aren't super expensive or nearly as nice as a Dan Wesson, NightHawk, etc. but they are reliable.
 
I have also read many great things about the RIA. My stepbrother adores his. Sadly, mine is junk. I had to send it back for the third time recently. It has never functioned correctly. The first two times they just did random things to it which did not fix it at all. Maybe the third time will be the charm. I seem to have just gotten unlucky.

My other three 1911-esque pistols have been great:

Colt Government Model - basically a smaller 1911 in 380 and it is pure awesomeness.

Tisas GI Model 45acp from Buds - 100% reliable. A very basic Turkish 1911 going for around $350 these days.

Star Super B - 9mm milsurp pistol from Spain that looks and feels like a 1911. It was $250 OTD and a very high-quality pistol.
 
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Gratuitous Pictures

My first 1911, a very basic no-frills Tisas. It goes bang every time, has a pretty nice trigger, is more accurate than I am. It started me down the slippery slope.

TISAS1911_zps2f156e47.jpg
 
My Colt Government 380. It is larger than the Mustang. I think they only made them in the 1980's. Due to the weight (steel) and locked breech, it has very light recoil. My 11-year-old daughter is recoil-shy and enjoys shooting it. I think Browning and RIA both make something similar now, but I don't believe theirs are steel and locked breech.

Colt20380_zpsi17ywq4d.jpg
 
Star Super B in 9mm. I believe there are still some out there. To get this quality of pistol for what I paid is ridiculous. It is accurate and reliable. It looks like a 1911, but I believe the locking system is that of the Browning High Power.

5a33b013-68df-4590-a966-7ec51194954a_zps8ece0ofq.jpg
 
Here is my junk RIA. I like it. It feels great in my hand. It is accurate. Unfortunately, it is very rare to get through 10 rounds without a FTF. It is a 40 caliber doublestack. Perhaps that's why they don't sell them anymore. I told them that if they can't make it function reliably, they should give me another pistol. The only reply they sent me was a (THIRD) shipping label. So far I am not impressed by their customer service.

Sorry for highjacking the thread a bit. I happened to be in a picture mood. :)


RIA40b_zpsau6uld3w.jpg
 
My RIA is very similar to the pictured one except it is the Tac 1 (now known as the Rock) in 9mm. It is accurate and has been flawless. It is the first gun I have bought and not had any malfunctions of any kind, including user error. It is a great gun and my out the door cost was just under $500.
 
I have a son in law that I think very highly of. Upon occasion I have assisted him in being an armed citizen.
I bought him an RIA or ATC or some basic Philipine Mil-Spec 1911.
Then I took it apart.
Generally,it was done better than a Springfield Mil-Spec I worked over.The Springfield had a loose plunger tube,a problematic, poorly done mis-angled die grinder feed ramp,and a heavy burr on the upper edges of where the trough is cut in the frame for the bbl underlug.
No such problems in the Philipine gun.
However,I just did not like the looks of the slide stop and some of other small parts,
They had an "as cast" Harbor Freight look to them...for lack of a better description.That does not mean they were no good,it means I lacked confidence in them.It could be my own mental problem.
I upgraded those parts to Colt quality or equivalent.Wilson,Brown,STI,EGW,Cyl and Slide,etc.I put on a 10-8 U-notch sight and a Trijicon front.
It cost me some.I can do my own work.
Oh,and I gave him some good magazines

It runs good and I think it will serve him well.
Was that the smartest thing? Shrug...I dunno.I'm happy

It would be nice if your LGS would field strip the handgun so you could look over the parts for a general impression of quality.
A more direct answer,yes,I think the Philipine 1911's represent good functional value.
Understand,you are talking about a single stack 45 1911.

Those who had unfortunate expeiences were talking about a double stack 40 cal.Without going into detail,the reliability of one does not apply to the other.
 
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