Could Rock Islands Get Priced Out

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MagnumDweeb

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I've wanted a Rock Island 1911 .45 ACP for a couple of years now but too many good deals fell in my lap in the last couple of years i.e. Ruger GP100 6" half lug for $300, Sig 228 in trade for a S&W M 19-4 6", etc. etc. etc. for me to justify buying one.

Well I finally had four months between gun acquisitions(my own rule because I already have a bunch of guns I don't shoot as it is) and had gotten what I had paid for some of the old used guns I bought back when and I wanted a 1911.

So I wanted a workhorse 1911 I could mistreat(regular shoulder holster carry), shoot 100rds through once every two weeks or once a month, and just enjoy. So I thought of the Rock Island. Well it's gone up by at least $50 in the last year on Buds Gun Shop.

So at around $420 OTD I had to look at the competitors out there. Don't get me wrong, most people who own Rock Islands have great things to say about them. But so do folks who own Springfield GI 1911s and you can get them NIB OTD for around $560. Yes it is a $140 difference.

But the Springfield GI 1911 is said to be okay to use with .460 Rowland(I don't want to but it's nice knowing I could), and Springfield is known for excellent customer service as well regarding its products when it comes to minor repairs and parts replacement.

Springfield GI 1911s are forge cut, Rock Islands are cast. Then you have the Remington 1911 which can be had just shy of $600 in the right circumstances. It has better sights than the Springfield but it only has a warranty repair time of one year. Granted any true 1911 is never truly broken, it just needs new parts.

So with that said, originally Rock Islands held a great deal of appeal because they were quality guns well under $400. But now as their prices have creeped up, has that appeal started to wane against new model 1911s and old guard 1911s that are only a couple hundred dollars more expensive.

I'm looking more and more to the Springfield GI 1911, it's plain and simple, a fighting gun, excellent record of customer service behind it and only $140 more than a Rock Island, for the price difference should I just make the higher jump or try and hunt for a used Rock Island at $350 OTD.
 
It's true the price gap is narrowing.

I will say that if you were to purchase the RIA, and have an issue, RIA's customer service is EXCELLENT.
 
Shop around....you can get a RIA tactical from centerfiresystems for $ 450 shipped and transfered. The options that gun comes with makes the springfield gi not even close.
 
If you are looking at Springfield, I would take a peek at the Mispec. Better sights, a flared ejection port, and a couple other upgrades over th G.I.
 
Have you looked at Gunbroker? I bought one a few years ago for $360.

I see a few RIA that are currently $370 (No Reserve)... Another for $380 with free shipping.

If I went through our local gun club I can get the transfer for $15, which means less than $400 for the GI model. I would personally go with the RIA and save the $$. Or as someone else mentioned, the tactical. I see there a few for $440-445 with free shipping.

I'll note that I have a RIA GI model, a SA stainless target model, a Kimber Clackamas, a SA Range Officer, a Remington Rand 1942, ...
 
I've pondered what my next 1911 will be(I have a Colt Commander w/ the 100 year rollmark), and I am also torn between the RIA and Springfields... I also am not fond of knowing I have a cheap budget pistol... though I think if you feel you won't be happy having a cheap gun... then save up and get the "better" brand.

FWIW I think I will pick up an RIA 9mm 1911 simply because it will be a fun range gun and would be cheap to shoot and would be good for introducing newbies to shooting. I shot a Springfield Target 9mm though and it was oh-so-nice.... which may have just forced me to save up another $400 to pay the difference:cuss:


:banghead:
 
Funny. My RIA shoots very accurately. Go figure. But on topic, yes there is a point where you sould look at the lower end of the SA line as an alternative.
 
I own a RIA Tactical full size. It's a great gun for what I paid for it.

Given a choice today of the RIA or the SR1911 it would be a tough call in Kalifornistan. If I want to get the SR1911 it's gonna cost me extra to deal with roster issues.

If it was as simple as say... $550 OTD for the Tactical or $700 OTD for the Ruger I think the Ruger would win.

I think we are all gonna be the winners. RIA & STI are putting out some excellent guns and I really think some other manufacturers are finding they need to deal with it.

Naturally, that doesn't apply to the higher end makers. Somebody looking at Les Baer or Dan Wesson is probably not really interested in a Rock.
 
It's a dog eat dog business and all the manufacturers are wearing Milk Bone underwear.

More than a few have entered the 1911 game and not lasted more than a year.
 
I have both, a Springield G.I. that underwent extensive "rehab" and was turned into a custom build and a stock, out of the box Charles Daly, Made by the same company that makes the Rock Island pistols.

The finish on the C.D. is not as durable, it's only lasted ten years of nearly daily holster carry.

Reliability isn't quite on the same level, I get a malfunction about every blue moon or so. Every other blue moon with the Springfield. I honestly cannot remember the last time either one of them had a stoppage. Probably more than a year and 1 or 2 thousand rounds ago.

The Springfield is noticeably more accurate. I can whack an index card at 25 yards with the S.A., can only nick around the edges with the C.D.

Now if it were my money, I'd see if I could wait it out and save up the extra few dollars and get a Springfield. You do get some benefit for the money. But if I had to go out and buy another RIA/CD instead, I wouldn't feel cheated.
 
rugerman07 said:
The RIA is the cheapest .45acp I know of. A friend of mine has one and can't hit the broadside of a barn door with it at 25 yards.
Click to expand...
I would suggest that he would probably have the same problem with a $2,000 Les Bauer. My RIA is quite accurate.
 
The RIA GI has also gone up significantly in price over the last 5-6 years, which has made them less of the stellar value they were when they first hit the market. When they were less than $300, they simply couldn't be beat.

Note that ever since about 2006 RIA slides have been forged. The frame is still cast.
 
The RIA is a nice 1911 for what you get, I do own one and will be doing a review of it soon on my website http://www.dayattherange.com

But consider all raw materials are going up which is the bulk of the increase in the RIA product. What we all are missing though is all 1911 and firearm sales are going up because of this increase in raw materials. I believe as long as RIA keeps it's competitive price difference they aren't going any where.

For instance 4 years ago
RIA $350
S&W1911 $695

Today
RIA $449
S&W $800
 
Yep, that was my photo essay a couple years ago.

To be honest, IMHO it's a toss-up between the Springfield and the RIA. If I had to pick one, I'd probably pick the RIA since it's closer to GI spec than the Springer.
 
I have an RIA 1911 and it is OK. Fist thing I did was strip it down.

Lots of machine/tool marks and burrs, some very serious but none that condemn it completely. I spent about two days with needle files and sandpaper to fix the worst. I pulled the grip screw bushings and wish I hadn't. They were brittle, they broke apart, and had to be replaced (BTW I use a brownells' bit made for the job, not any old screwdriver).

Still no idea how it shoots. I'm thinking it will be fine but need to shoot it before I really know. I ran functioning dummies thru it and so far so good.

My thoughts about half way thru deburring it enough to get the extractor back in: "shoulda spent another $200 and got something better".

If they go up in price much more, there would be absolutely no incentive to buy one. The guns at the next higher price point are a much better value for money spent. The RIA will not magically become better with time. The better guns will always be better quality and better value.

Would I buy another? Not unless I fell into one at a screaming deal, and I had two solid days to spend doing all the finish work that the factory apparently doesn't want to perform.
 
Why do people keep saying that they keep going up?

In the last ~3 years, the RIA GI model I bought appears to have gone up a total of $20... I paid $360 shipped and I saw a couple just a few days ago for $380 shipped. Compared to everything else that's not much.

If you don't believe me, check the new gun auctions on GB.
 
Why do I say that they "keep going up"?

Perhaps it's because they were being sold by SARCO between 2003 and 2006 for $289 shipped (sometimes less during sales). Then it went up to $320-ish. Now it's apparently a full $100 more than the original price.

Seems pretty apparent to me, but suit yourself.
 
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