.but I really have to disagree on Rock Island, nothing Rock Island makes has an inkling of quality in it - they're just junk
Ouch! You are going to have to define what you mean by quality, calling something junk because it is.......
I got to pick the best out of three RIA's and each of them was very tight. That is, no wobble on the barrel hood, hardly any movement between slide and frame, no wobble at the barrel bushing, and the trigger was good on all of them. The one I picked had zero wobble between slide and frame, all else being equal.
I took my piece of junk to the range and it fed everything I shot.
Rock Island Arsenal GI M1911 RIA 5" barrel
200 LSWC 4.0 grs Bullseye Mixed cases WLP
18-Dec-17 T = 61 °F
Ave Vel = 718.8
Std Dev = 13.82
ES = 48.91
High = = 747.1
Low = 698.2
N = 19
230 Norinco Ball 1991 headstamp
18-Dec-17 T = 61 °F
Ave Vel = 776.5
Std Dev = 13.74
ES = 57.15
High = = 798.7
Low = 741.5
N = 24
shot point of aim
230 FMJ 5.0 grs Bullseye (1998 & 2005 mix) WLP, OAL 1.265" taper crimp 0.469"
once fired brass
18-Dec-17 T = 58 °F
Ave Vel = 777.4
Std Dev = 14.56
ES = 57.1
High = = 806
Low = 748.9
N = 30
230 Bull-X LFN Hardcast 3.5 grs Bullseye WLP, OAL 1.20 taper crimp 0.469"
18-Dec-17 T = 58 °F
Ave Vel = 607
Std Dev = 11
ES = 42.81
High = = 630.2
Low = 587.3
N = 32
slide functioned every round.
230 gr LRN 4.6 grs W231 Mixed brass WLP OAL 1.250" taper crimp 0.469"
18-Dec-17 T = 58 °F
Ave Vel = 674.5
Std Dev = 21.28
ES = 94.55
High = = 713.8
Low = 619.2
N = 32
230 gr LRN 5.0 grs Green Dot lot 178 WLP OAL 1.250" taper crimp 0.469"
18-Dec-17 T = 60 °F
Ave Vel = 803.8
Std Dev = 25.92
ES = 89.11
High = = 853.3
Low = 764.2
N = 14
I shot more than what is chronographed, as I have been out to the range several times since. I was able to adjust for windage, which I am grateful for a drift adjustable rear, and the thing ejects cases high and to the right, which means they don't go into my net, I have to pick the rounds up off the ground. It is as accurate as any of my series 80 Colts, the irons on this thing are not target sights, and certainly not a Red Dot. With an optical sight I would be able to tell if this thing is capable of target accuracy or not. With irons, if I get a circular group around my aim point, that is good enough. And I am.
My pistol has gone bang every round, feeds and ejects reliably, so what more do you want for $399? I did look at my Gun Test article on this pistol, they were happy, and I did search for other experiences on the web, and I did not find a consensus that these pistols were "junk"
I would have preferred forged/milled trigger sear parts. I am on my third MIM hammer and second set of sears on my Clackamus Kimber. This is a series 70 action, I don't like the Schartz safety, makes it hard to reassemble the pistol.
Can't say a MIM frame is all that bad. The steel in the frame and slide is excellent in this application, far better than the plain carbon steels used in GI 1911's.
To some, junk is simply something they don't own. So, what is your definition of junk?