Advice on a RIA custom 1911

[CZ 42]

I bought a Rock Island 1911 for $400 at a gun show. This is the gov't model, with the rat-tail,full length hammer, gritty slab trigger, horrible GI sights, and hogue grips. Anyway, you can't leave a stock pistol in the rough like this. I want some advice on parts to buy if I was to go for the hair-trigger tactical 1911 setup-
-beavertail grip safety
-commander-style hammer
-that chunk on the back under the grip safety
-the lightest-pull skeletonized trigger (or should I just have sand grooves cut on the slab trigger?)
-ergonomic grips with good texture
-what kind of checkering to have done (I'm thinking square grid about 16 lpi all over the place)
-novak or heinie sights? And what about 2 white dot rear, gold dot front?
-guide rod. I want reliability, but I'm curious about these internal laser things. also, half or full length?
-should I have the barrel, breach, trigger or hammer jeweled?
-Barrel. Cheap if you can help it.
Anyone with experience with these parts, please contribute your expertise.
I want something with great handling first, reliabity second, a light trigger, smooth action, and accuracy...

 

[weisse52]

If you want to do all that, it might be make more sense to sell that one and go find a RIA Tactical that already has most of that stuff done.
By the time you buy the parts and have them fitted (unless you have the skill) you are going to have a ton of money invested in this one.

Then shoot the "poop" out of that one before you have anymore work done.

Or, get the latest Brownell's catalog. Pick out your parts and tools. Use this as a learning platform. This may be the best option.

 

[MrIzhevsk]

As far as grips go, I like the LOOK of the Pachmayr American Legend grips. I do not know how they are from experience goes. They look comfy though!

 

[CWL]

Anyway, you can't leave a stock pistol in the rough like this.

Why not?

Have you fired it yet?

Sounds like you want to soup-up a pick-up truck. When you are done throwing at least another $400 worth of parts into that RIA, you're going to end-up with a probably unreliable pistol only worth $250.

hair trigger

why?

-that chunk on the back under the grip safety

??? -are you meaning a curved MSH? Beavertail grip safety?

It really sounds like you want to do a whole lot of crap -yes crap, without understanding how any of it will affect the gun.

Before you do anything, I strongly suggest that you start by reading this book, it will explain what can & should & should-not be done to a M1911 Govt. "The Colt .45 Automatic - A Shop Manual" by Jerry Kuhnhausen

 

[NGIB]

Just remember that a $400 RIA with $600 worth of parts & work is still a $400 RIA. Buy the tactical and shoot it...

 

[loop]

Your mods will easily cost twice the price of the gun and it will still be an RI.

I customize 1911s for fun and hope to break even when I finish a pistol. My advice is buy or order what you want before tying up a ton of bucks in something that might be worth $700 if you're lucky.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

For a C-note more, the Tactical model gives you most of the features you're looking for. If I wanted to buy a RIA this would be my choice, mostly for the sights. Beavertail grip safeties make 1911s more comfortable to shoot for me, but I would change the guide rod and recoil spring back to GI-style.

 

[VHinch]

Nothing wrong with a Rock Island, but it certainly doesn't make sense to dump a bunch of money into one. You're trying to make chicken soup out of chicken poop, and it just doesn't work.

 

[Sagetown]

find a RIA Tactical that already has most of that stuff done.
By the time you buy the parts and have them fitted (unless you have the skill) you are going to have a ton of money invested in this one.

+1

Of course you can modify it if that's your reason for getting the RIA, but I see nothing wrong with it the way it is. They shoot great.....

 

[AndyC]

Seeing as you already own it, add whatever you like as long as you think it through first.

First priority for me would be better sights - either of the two brands you mentioned are very good; dots or not are a matter of personal preference.

A trigger-job might be nice if your pistol needs it and if you shoot well enough to take advantage of a better trigger-pull. A decent set of grips (eg. Hogue) makes all the difference and you might not even need to have checkering done after all.

Jeweling - yuck

Guide-rods - a matter of taste, but I personally dislike 1-piece guide-rods and always replace them with stock GI.

Hammer and beavertail - I like them because I get bitten by stock 1911s to the extent that I have a callus on the web of my shooting hand, but you might be different. It's not a cheap procedure to have this done - the cost of parts, a 'smith's time then refinishing the frame all add up.

 

[rondog]

Yes. I had a stock RIA GI model, and did all that work to it, plus had it polished and hot-blued. It turned out beautiful and I love it, but I could have bought TWO new Tactical models for the money I have into this one.

Keep this one as-is and buy a Tactical from Centerfire Systems, or sell this one and use the money towards a Tactical. It's only about $50-$60 more than the GI, but a world of difference in details and features. Just the Novak sight dovetails alone in the Tactical slide are worth it, the rest is gravy.

 

[kingpin008]

Shoot the pistol, a lot, for a month. Really put it through it's paces, and then sit down and think about if you really want to fiddle with it or not.

I had a Charles Daly (slightly more upscale than regular RIA's) and at first, I was dreaming of all the tweaks and add-ons I'd be getting for it. Then I actually took it to the range, and realized how great it was on it's own. I'm not one to leave a gun bone stock for the hell of it, but I'm not one to advocate modifying a piece just because I think it "needs" it either.

Seriously, give it a shot (or a lot of shots) and then decide what (if anything) needs upgrading.

 

[cjw3cma]

Centerfire Systems sells the RIA Tactical for $399.00. Either shoot the "heck" out of the one you have already or sell it and buy the tactical with most of the bells already installed.

 

[Fatdaddy]

Like others have said, don't expect to get any of your money back for your mods to the gun...but hey, it's yours and if you plan on keeping it, why not.
The cheapest mod that has the biggest improvement in feel is adding some skateboard grip tape to the front strap of the grip frame. If done tastefully it looks great and really improves the feel.
Here's mine. The grip tape is actually applied to the back of the grip safety and the front and bottom of the trigger gaurd as well.

 

[Beagle-zebub]

Unless the tinkering is part of the pleasure for you, perhaps you ought to look at the STI Spartan.

 

[combatantr2]

You've got every right to mod your RIA but looking at your choices you have been better off dressing up a box stock NORINCO, if you have found one.