1911s: RIA v/s JMB

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Nickel plating stands up to use very well. Many LEO's carried nickel plated handguns until stainless came along.

Ammonia is the enemy of nickel plate if there is flaking or damage that allows the ammonia to get at the copper plate that is put on under nickel plate.. Some bore cleaners use ammonia.
 
A true captive half-cock position IS a safety as described by Browning himself. Intended to catch the sear nose due to an inadvertent hammer drop as when thumb-cocking. What comes standard today, as illustrated is a shelf at ~90 degrees located to engage much closer to the uncocked position (closer to the firing pin).

Engaging this quarter-cock shelf will allow the hammer to fall with a trigger press, the theory being there is insufficient inertia from that position transferred to the firing pin to ignite a primer. I have read and believe otherwise.

The captive version of course does as its name implies, captures the sear nose with its positive angle hook design such that the sear cannot escape without further cocking of the hammer and rotation of the sear by trigger press.

Most 1911s sold today utilizes the quarter-cock shelf and most aftermarket replacement hammers do as well.
 
Skylerbone: Thank you for the information. I think I almost understand. I'll ponder it for a while before I post any more questions. Btw, this is not the first time I've benefitted from your knowledge.
 
Hope it made some sense, much of what I know has come from being wrong, staring at parts and reading. Anyone whose had a manual winch on a boat trailer will get the relationship between hammer and sear. Flip that little clicker in place and it jams between the teeth.

If you printed out the diagram of the two and used a compass to draw the arc made by the sear when it rotates it's much easier to see. Chuck Warner has a close-up diagram with the arc showing, I'll look for a link to add.

http://www.warnerpistols.com/_____NEW_____.html. Toward the bottom of the page labeled P1, shows the full-cock engagement and radius on a captive hammer. If you were to draw that arc through the half-cock position you would immediately run into a protrusion, preventing the sear from moving. The new system would look like the full-cock engagement where the sear is free to disengage when the trigger is pressed.
 
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Not that I see it as a major concern, but have we determined which style hammer is in RIA guns? I don't remember from the detail strips I've done on mine, and don't have a need/desire to pull a full teardown on any of my Armscor-made guns at the moment (maybe in a few weeks, the TCM I ordered will have a few hundred rounds down the pipe and be ready for a full teardown with the hammer out for viewing)
 
Series 80 and newer have the firing pin safety as well, therefore if your RIA has a firing pin safety it has the newer style hammer. No Safety in the firing pin mechanism = series 70 or the old style hammer.
 
The Wilson Combat hammers I have bought (3) all have had a capturing device on the half cock. The premium hammers have the hook in the middle, such as to, only impact the sear in the middle away from the hammer hook contact areas of the sear. If you are fully machining a hammer, it would be a bit cheaper to just machine the shelf. If you are going to MIM the hammer, there would be littlecost savings. I dont want to start a MIM vs debate, but Iassume a RIA would have a MIM hammer. It will be perfectly safe. Who has an RIA they want to take apart and take a picture?
 
My memory may be foggy but I believe it has the shelf. Anyone with a Rock handy can unload it, chamber check it, pull the trigger then cock the hammer to the "half-cock" position. If newer style, it will click almost immediately and will drop with a pull of the trigger (and squeeze of the grip safety).
 
Well, it's not gonna happen. Friend of a friend who wanted to sell his - not trade it. Though, I may put mine up here just to see what happens - gonna think about it a bit. Still, an interesting discussion none the less. Thanks again everyone!
 
My RIA is noticeably inferior to my 3 other 1911's; series 70 combat commander, 1991a1, sig sauer nitron rail. The RIA shoots 2' low at 15 yds, and groups poorly. The GI sights are too small to be filed to correct. Frame/Slide tolerances are the loosest of my 1911, and it won't reliably feed cast handloads that my other 3 1911's will. That said, for $300, it allowed me to "test the waters" of 1911 ownership, and I'm sure when I sell it I won't lose money.
For the $400-$450 that the RIA's are going for new, I'd just get a taurus 1911, or save up a few hundred more and get a sig sauer nitron rail for $650 or so NIB, or look for a gently used colt 1991A1.
 
My RIA is noticeably inferior to my 3 other 1911's; series 70 combat commander, 1991a1, sig sauer nitron rail. The RIA shoots 2' low at 15 yds, and groups poorly. The GI sights are too small to be filed to correct. Frame/Slide tolerances are the loosest of my 1911, and it won't reliably feed cast handloads that my other 3 1911's will. That said, for $300, it allowed me to "test the waters" of 1911 ownership, and I'm sure when I sell it I won't lose money.
For the $400-$450 that the RIA's are going for new, I'd just get a taurus 1911, or save up a few hundred more and get a sig sauer nitron rail for $650 or so NIB, or look for a gently used colt 1991A1.
 
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