RIA 1911s= Junk?

I am with Spats. I have read many favorable reports by paying customers of RIA (and Armscors under other brand names.)

HiBC makes a good point. Tallball's "junk RIA" is a double stack .40 and not a true 1911. If you want a reliable high cap .40 you are going to have to pay a lot more money and have perfect magazines and tailored ammo. Or change to a CZ.
 
Does my bad experience with the doublestack 40 mean the GI 45's are bad? No.

But imho, my continuing poor customer service experience does mean something.

I am not even saying I wouldn't buy another RIA. I am just saying, "I own one, and this has been my experience with it."
 
Thanks so much gang. It's just that a Colt Rail Gun is so expensive... I don't make a lot, so have to make my money count. If the Rock Island guns are good and reliable, I will go that route. It won't wear the pony, but that's no big deal if I can literally save like 600 dollars.
 
HiBC said:
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.
Click to expand...

That has been my experience exactly and I've worked over several MilSpecs.
 
Rock

I own a Rock Island tac ultra. The finish is not as nice as something like my Kimber. The function is awesome! I have come to love this gun, and I don't think you can beat them for the money. Plus they guarantee their guns for life. On a side note I have been told they make many 1911 frames for other manufacturers.
 
HiBC and Sarge,
How old were those guns?

Both Springfield and Rock Island have had kind of before and after guns.
Before and after changes were made in quality, that is.
Most manufacturers have, come to think.
 
So would you guys be comfortable using a RIA 1911 in a defensive role?
Click to expand...

I'm not a big 1911 fan, but if I wanted a 1911 I don't think RIA quality is any more concerning than anyone else. Of course be sure to put it through its paces when you get it before you trust your life to it, like any firearm.
 
I had a stock RIA gi pistol. It was ok. It did ftf about 1:80. It probably did not have 500 through it. I never really tried to see if there was something fundamental wrong. I viewed it as a rough, but good basic gun.

I have a DW CCO it was gtg from day 1. It choked 2-3 times on Saturday me reloads. This is in about 1000 rounds....600 plus reloads. I CCW this gun and count on it.
 
Assuming that the RIA has been put through its paces, as every defensive pistol should be, I know of no reason not to trust one for defensive purposes.
 
I've had a couple of RIA 1911s. Both were GI models. I also briefly owned a tactical through a deal with a friend (I bought it for cheap because he was in a bind and needed money, with a garuantee that he could buy it back for the same price). Friend bought it back a short time later, but I did put a few hundred rounds through it. I have had good experiences with RIA, but my newest GI was purchased recently and it has pros and cons over my old GI. The finish on the newer model is much better, and I like the fact that they didn't put their logo on the whole slide (my old one didn't have a painted logo like the newer ones though). The trigger on my new one, however, left a lot to be desired. It was the worst trigger pull on all of my pistols until I put a 19# mainspring and C&S reduced pull sear spring in. Its much better now, but still is a little on the heavy side (I'm guessing about 6 pounds... It was all of 9 before. Seriously I thought it would never break). Reset and take-up were greatly improved. I don't know if my new one is just a bad example, trigger-wise, but it was horrible. The good news is it was easy to improve with about 15 dollars worth of parts, and everything else has been perfect. Trigger on my old RIA was as good as any I've ever felt.

In summary, a RIA is not junk. Its a good value. It never could be as sweet as a SA range officer, but its not meant to be. I would, and will, trust mine in a defensive role. I got it just for that, as a matter of fact, because I dont want to mess up my nicer Springfield by carrying it. A $400 RIA can take a scratch or two without me freaking out over it.
 
I have the same RIA 1911 Ultra, only chambered in 9mm. I've had it for a couple of months. A nice gun.
 
I had a double-stack .45 from Rock Island. It wasn't pretty but it went bang every time. It ate everything I fed it and it was at least as accurate as I was. I enjoyed shooting it but I'm not generally a fan of 1911s. If I liked carrying a full-sized steel .45 cocked and locked, then I'd absolutely have trusted it and I'd probably still own it. Since I don't, I ended up trading it towards something else.
 
Rock Island guns are made by Armscor which has a huge state-of-the-art facility on Luzon, and is also under contract to the government. While the finish on a Rock Island may not equal the shiny blue of the Colt, the fit and function of Rock Island guns are first rate.

Another manufacturer, Shooters Arms, has a large facility in Cebu City, and also manufactures first rate 1911s. They have outlet stores all over the Philippines and I had several opportunities to examine some of their products first hand. All the guns (including some models that will never be seen in the U.S.) were first rate.

Metro Arms is a smaller company, located in Manila, that seems to produce very high quality guns that sell for higher prices than the other two.

You won't go wrong with a Rock Island. All parts are interchangeable with standard 1911 parts. and fit is excellent and the functioning is very reliable.
 
I like them so much I have 4: 4.25" midsize top on compact/officers' frame for a custom CCO, a 5" Tactical, a 5" 2011 [railed], a 5" GI .38Super.

They are not the world's greatest pistol- yet they are greater than I am, or am likely to be.

I also love their customer service.

Here is a 15yd 3 shot group after having them do some tweaking to my 2011:


I wish I could shoot that well!
 
As an added comment, I have purchased probably a dozen or more Armsco frames from Sarco and built a bunch of cheap "shooters" to use up some Brazilian slides I acquired in years past. I also have a large supply of GI parts I accumulated over the last several decades and I can say that all of the frames were virtually drop ins as far as the parts went and the guns are excellent knockabout shooters.
 
I recently bought the Rock Island Government Model and it's a pretty good gun. I have about 120 rounds through it and it likes the Sig 8 round mag I bought better than its own. Fun gun to shoot and not bad looking. I bought it specifically as a shooter, but I take care of it like it's a Colt.
 
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