Rock island armory 1911

H

Hunter562yards

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Hey I am looking at a rock island GI 1911 and I'm new to the 1911 world, I was wondering if anyone could give me some insight on wether or not this is a good quality 1911 or not. It's for sale for $440 plus background check. Anything would help, thanks.
 
Rock Island 1911s are made by Armscor in the Philippines, one of three gunmakers there who offer 1911s. They have been around for a number of years and they have an excellent reputation. And their customer service is exemplary -- far better than anyone else in the industry.
 
Nothing wrong with a Rock Island. Its not as pretty as the higher end 1911's but its right up there with them as far as dependability goes and is pretty accurate too.
 
Its not a bad price but its not a stellar one either. I never could find a fault in the Rock Islands except they aren't as nice as a Sig, Ed Brown, Nighthawk, etc. But it is a reliable functioning 1911 that you will enjoy.
 
Buds lists it at 422 but then you still have shipping and transfer fees. Slick guns has it for 464 with free shipping but you still have transfer fees. Sarco has it for 367 with shipping and transfer.
 
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The Rock Island 1911 that I owned worked flawlessly for the 500 or so rounds I put through it before selling it. I only paid $389 for mine but I bought it 2 or 3 years ago so I expect the price has gone up a bit since then. Also, the reason I sold it was nothing against the gun. I merely found something that I wanted more.
 
Highly dependent on the model...

As has been shown, a basic GI model is less than that. One with some upgrades will be a little more.

The basic Tactical model would be the one I went for if you didn't want to spend too much. CDNN had it for $399... They have other models that can go up a little more in cost and have a bit more features.
 
I have 2 rock island 1911's

My first one was a 3.5'' compact tactical. After the break in period it has never gave me any problems. Feeds HP's without any issues either.

I liked the compact tactical so much that when I saw a like new 5'' GI model for a good price I jumped on it. First shot out of it I hit the bullseye!! No feeding issues with FMJ ammo. Haven't tried any HP's through it.

Both are great shooters and would make a for a great first introduction into the 1911 world for the $$.

Never had to send them back to be repaired. But as mentioned their customer service has a good reputation if ever needed.
 
Were I you, I'd add another 100.00 or so, and get the auto Ordnance bare bones GI 1911. I have mine for over three years and it works flawlessly right out of the box. Parkerized finish, and made 100% in the USA. I put about 600 rounds through it so far without a hitch..and its 100% made in USA
 

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I own four Kimbers and one Colt Gold Cup and two Rock Island 1911's.
I love the .45 a.c.p. round & own an H&K USP as well.
The 1911 is a stellar pistol.
The R.I.A.s I have are a .45 & 9mm, both run just as well as the Colt & Kimbers that cost 3 X the money! I paid $389 (roughly) for the 9mm new for my sons 12th b-day. (He's almost 15 now) I gave just $300 for the R.I.A. .45 used from a guy that didn't believe in cleaning a firearm.:eek:
It was filthy dirty & I honestly didn't think it would even run at all. When I got home I loaded her up and she ran perfectly with all the crud you'd ever imagine.
Of course I stripped her down & gave her a good cleaning and have shot at least 500 rounds thru her without a hic'up.
She runs as well as any auto I own. She isn't as accurate as the Gold Cup or Kimbers but she's plenty accurate enough.
From the bench with good handloads ( or premium factory amm0 ) she gives me 2.5 inchesat 25 yards if I do my part & the trigger breaks clean at 4 pounds. She isn't fussy about magazines either & runs with even el cheapo mags I only use for range work.
You won't regret the Rock Island & it will serve you well.
Should you buy it please post a range report for us.
I'm not sure but I think Rock Island markets the .22 TCM caliber, a .22 cneterfire with some real power. Think I'd like to get one of those to play with.
 
Were I you, I'd add another 100.00 or so, and get the auto Ordnance bare bones GI 1911. I have mine for over three years and it works flawlessly right out of the box. Parkerized finish, and made 100% in the USA. I put about 600 rounds through it so far without a hitch..and its 100% made in USA
Click to expand...

I'll probably take some flak for this but Made In USA doesn't mean much anymore. The RIA is the better deal.
 
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"I'll probably take some flak for this but Made In USA doesn't mean much anymore. The RIA is the better deal. "

To me, in this case it does. I shot the RIA, then I shot the AO. I preferred the AO, as to me, it has a better feel, and it was more accurate, and better quality, but of course that's my take on it, and I wanted an as close to bare bones GI style as possible. Kahr is a good company, run well, and makes fine guns..I can't speak for any factory in the Philippines, but I have spoken to the guys at Kahr.Id pick thier 1911 GI over anything for the money. Ya get what ya pays for..

Z
 
I dunno, the AO fit what I was looking for almost exactly. But the RIA is a solid gun, they have a much better reputation for reliability, and are pretty much the king of budget 1911's. I like my AO and wouldn't trade it, but I think RIA is the way to go for someone just getting into 1911's, just my opinion.
 
I've got a GI in 9mm and it is fantastic. The grip safety didn't work on the first one I bought, and I had to send it back... they sent me a brand new pistol with some slight trigger work, polished feed ramp and spare recoil spring, this new one is great and shots like a dream, well worth the money!

I would not hesitate to buy another RIA of any type.
 
I can definitely see and feel the difference in quality between my Colt and RIA. That being said, there's not much the Colt can do that the RIA can't.

I also got the RIA on sale for $329. i.e. about 1/3 the price of the Colt. No regrets.
 
I got the most basic G.I. model for $330 new (it was a smoking Black Friday deal, $400 is about typical).

It doesn't blow me away, but I'll be darned if I can find any particular flaws. It has about 400 downrange flawless including hollowpoints, and is quite accurate even with stock G.I. sights.

For what I wanted it to be - a very basic 1911 to learn the design - it has done a great job, but having shot almost exclusively on Berettas I can't get myself to care for cocked-and-locked. Not the RIA's fault, my own.
 
I have a plain jane RIA and have been carrying it for several years so if I ever do have to use it, it won't get lost in a property room.
 
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