debating two directions on RIA 1911s.

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thunderbyrd

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i've got a pair of notions in my head pertaining to a couple of RIA 1911s. someone will speak sanity to me if this is crazy.

i traded a ria off for a much better SA gun. the ria would shoot right one session and screw up all over the place the next. the last time i shot it, i got 7 malfunctions out of 50 rds. and i was using a better magazine than what came with it. i have the idea to go get the ria 1911 back from the dealer (he's not asking much for it) and completely disassemble it. and see if i can figure out what's wrong with it and fix it. a project gun, basically. a learner project for an amateur would-be gunschimdt.

the other thing is that i have always wanted a Super 38. i have found one in stock for a price i can afford. problem is, it's an RIA exactly like the one i got rid of, except the caliber. no, i don't want to buy it and disassemble it. i just want to shoot it.

i could buy both. but that could be problematic in various ways...

basically, how dumb would it be to buy the 38 super? am i likely to get bad service from a second ria? and is it beyond ordinary skills to reassemble a 1911, using one of the books out there on it?
 
thunderbyrd said:
the last time i shot it, i got 7 malfunctions out of 50 rds. and i was using a better magazine than what came with it.
Click to expand...
A few questions -
Did you buy it new or used?
What caliber 1911?
Which model? Barrel length?
What type of malfunctions?
What type ammo?
Same ammo every time out?
Same magazines every time out?
Better magazine than it came with - What does that mean?
Is the 1911 platform new to you?
 
Most of my 1911's are RIA. I have good luck with them. My only GI one is a 38 super. It shoots great. Their CS is excellent too. I called them to order a new slide stop for one of my 45's.. They had me send the gun in on their dime. They gave it a tune up while they had it. Quick turn around too. Sounds like you miss your RIA. Get it back. Call RIA explain what it's doing. They will make it right.
 
1) Choosing to take on a Learning project is never a bad thing. Learning good or bad you still have something beneficial. Never a losing position. (Never) shy away from learning efforts whether they turn out good or bad. If you think you're really into 1911's for life, then go get it back and learn.

THE MO BETTER OPTION>

2) 38 Super-Auto is a parent cartridge for the 1911 pistol. Just like 45 Auto. Arguably the better cartridge for the platform. Ammo will be harder to get. If you don't mind picking up one or two boxes of ammo here or there randomly. Then it won't be a problem. It is a fantastic cartridge well worth experiencing and owning. There are literally not thousands but 100,000's RIA 38 supers running around the world. Your chance of getting what you call a dud again is categorically irrational fear hedging. 38 Super is also an extremely accurate cartridge. Easy to get mags for. (Hint Tripp's Reseach / Cobra mags) ....

caveat: .... I could go on with the benefit's to getting a 38 Super. I'll just say get one or I'll throw rocks at you till you do.
 
PistoleroWadcutterGANG said:
1) Choosing to take on a Learning project is never a bad thing. Learning good or bad you still have something beneficial. Never a losing position. (Never) shy away from learning efforts whether they turn out good or bad. If you think you're really into 1911's for life, then go get it back and learn.

THE MO BETTER OPTION>

2) 38 Super-Auto is a parent cartridge for the 1911 pistol. Just like 45 Auto. Arguably the better cartridge for the platform. Ammo will be harder to get. If you don't mind picking up one or two boxes of ammo here or there randomly. Then it won't be a problem. It is a fantastic cartridge well worth experiencing and owning. There are literally not thousands but 100,000's RIA 38 supers running around the world. Your chance of getting what you call a dud again is categorically irrational fear hedging. 38 Super is also an extremely accurate cartridge. Easy to get mags for. (Hint Tripp's Reseach / Cobra mags) ....

caveat: .... I could go on with the benefit's to getting a 38 Super. I'll just say get one or I'll throw rocks at you till you do.
Click to expand...
you are a fiendish enabler. thank you.

i do, indeed, think i'm into 1911s for life.
 
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CoalCrackerAl said:
Most of my 1911's are RIA. I have good luck with them. My only GI one is a 38 super. It shoots great. Their CS is excellent too. I called them to order a new slide stop for one of my 45's.. They had me send the gun in on their dime. They gave it a tune up while they had it. Quick turn around too. Sounds like you miss your RIA. Get it back. Call RIA explain what it's doing. They will make it right.
Click to expand...
i don't at all mean to insult anyone's guns, i have read several accounts of folks getting good service out of RIA. but i'm a once bitten twice shy type.

but, no. i am not missing my ria. i'm loving my SA's. my thoughts are that i can't make that particular pistol any worse.
 
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kidneyboy said:
A few questions -
Did you buy it new or used?
What caliber 1911?
Which model? Barrel length?
What type of malfunctions?
What type ammo?
Same ammo every time out?
Same magazines every time out?
Better magazine than it came with - What does that mean?
Is the 1911 platform new to you?
Click to expand...
bought it new.
45acp
gi model, i guess. 5"
fail to feed, fail to eject, fail to go into battery. and once, it just "locked up" and i had great difficulty getting the mag out.
230 fmj, usually armscore
always 230 fmj. early on, i tried some HP but gave up on that real quick.
i used a kimber mag most of the time. worked better than the mag that came with the gun, but it still malfunctioned.
the 1911 platform was totally new to me 2 years ago when i got this RIA. first i ever shot. but much less so today.
 
Buy the RIA back! You won’t be sorry.

My first 1911 was a used mid-size .45acp (commander) that had been owned by a deputy sheriff. I had to get help disassembling it because it had a full length guide rod. The folks in the shop were not much help at all, but I got it sorted out eventually. Over the next 6-9 months I took it apart what felt like hundreds of times. Had to replace the reverse guide rod plug when the original broke after who knows how many rounds Replaced ALL the springs, replaced the tritium front site (staked), firing pin, firing pin stop with a flat bottom FPS, grips, and the grip safety with an STS grip safety requiring filing the tang to fit. The GS that came on it had been “deactivated” by the previous owner by filing the shoe till it would not contact the trigger bar.
I attempted 1 change at a time and verified function and firing over those months after each change. I learned what to stone to smooth up the action. Eventually I learned enough to do a trigger job with the Brownells sear tool. Fortunately the pistol came with Wilson Combat mags and I added a few more of the WC ETM’s. I learned that mag springs wear out, but mags usually don’t. I also began reloading during that time to feed my habit.

It was a totally reliable pistol after I got done with it. The education was more important than reliability early on. I would not trade the experience I gained with that RIA for anything.

I sure wish I had kept it rather than trading it away. 🙄

You can certainly learn a lot with it and RIA customer service can help if you get stuck.
 
kidneyboy said:
A few questions -
Did you buy it new or used?
What caliber 1911?
Which model? Barrel length?
What type of malfunctions?
What type ammo?
Same ammo every time out?
Same magazines every time out?
Better magazine than it came with - What does that mean?
Is the 1911 platform new to you?
Click to expand...
This^^^^^^^, we need to know more. It's like going to the doctor and you tell him it hurts here when I do this, and he replies, don't do it than.
 
now another thought: those sites on that ria super 38 are those little black GI things. my eyes aren't very well calibrated for those, will RIA sell me a slide that can be fixed for better sites?
 
I recently bought a RIA GI 1911 in 9mm on sale for $300 new. I bought it with the intention of taking it apart and rebuilding it with upgraded parts and hopefully learning something along the way. It has 4 mags through it and so far it has been a good shooter.

The GI sites SUCK!!!! They will be the first thing I replace, with some fiber sites. I look forwards to doing a lot of polishing on the internal stock parts. If I go too far (I am just using Flitz) I figure I was going to replace them anyway. A new trigger will also be a must. My large hands prefer a long trigger instead of the stock short one.

My RIA 1911 .22tcm/9mm double stack came to me used and it is MUCH smoother than my new GI 1911. The double stack will get new sites too, eventually. My eyes aren't what they used to be either. The hassle with sites on 1911's is figuring what dovetail cut was used on the slide and ordering the appropriate mating sites. There seems to be some debate on which dovetail pattern RIA uses.

I personally would only do 38 super if I reloaded my own (which I do). I don't think I would go that direction if I was confined to off the shelf ammo. 38 super is usually only popular with competition shooters wanting to make major power factor with a 9mm bullet. If you want more oomph than a 9mm I would consider a .40cal or 10mm 1911 instead.

I would also skip buying back your original RIA 1911. Take the money you plan on spending on the 38 super and the money to buy back the original RIA and buy an upper end RIA instead. Like one of their Tac Ultra models.
 
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thunderbyrd said:
i don't at all mean to insult anyone's guns, i have read several accounts of folks getting good service out of RIA. but i'm a once bitten twice shy type.

but, no. i am not missing my ria. i'm loving my SA's. my thoughts are that i can't make that particular pistol any worse.
Click to expand...

I have seen a lot of nice things written about RIA customer service online but my experiences were the opposite. I had 2 horrible encounters with their cs and have basically decided not to buy anymore of their handguns, or anything with their name on it to be honest, even though I do like some of their product admittedly. I purchased one of their double stack 10mm 1911s. It was a lemon. I tried different types of ammo and purchased new magazines for it to no avail. I sent it in for them to look at it (they did cover shipping) but when I got it back it was not fixed, I could not even tell that they had touched it. The gun store I purchased it from took it back off my hands. I would not buy another one. Im not trying to dump on anyone elses opinion of them though as I am sure a lot of people have had good experiences with their handguns and their service.

If I was in the market for a .38 Super 1911, I would aim for a Colt.
 
JB111 said:
I have seen a lot of nice things written about RIA customer service online but my experiences were the opposite. I had 2 horrible encounters with their cs and have basically decided not to buy anymore of their handguns, or anything with their name on it to be honest, even though I do like some of their product admittedly. I purchased one of their double stack 10mm 1911s. It was a lemon. I tried different types of ammo and purchased new magazines for it to no avail. I sent it in for them to look at it (they did cover shipping) but when I got it back it was not fixed, I could not even tell that they had touched it. The gun store I purchased it from took it back off my hands. I would not buy another one. Im not trying to dump on anyone elses opinion of them though as I am sure a lot of people have had good experiences with their handguns and their service.

If I was in the market for a .38 Super 1911, I would aim for a Colt.
Click to expand...
Just a note.....ive found RIA 10s need fairly short ammo, mags are the same as the 40s.
I reseat factory 10s a bit for mine and my handloads are crimped into the very edge of the bullet shoulder when running 180 mbcs.....i run them hot also.

After i figgured that out both of the ones i had (still have one) have run very reliably.



Ive swapped parts quite a bit on my RIAs and others, 9mm 22tcm, fitted a 10mm barrel to a 40 slide. Everything has been pretty close.....my current gun is a 6" slide on a slab side 5" frame....things a brick, i love it. Took an hour or so to get it running smoothly.
 
I've got two RIAs, a .45 1911A1 (bottom) and the equivalent model in .38 Super.

1911s.jpg

Both run fine out of the box, accuracy being about on par with the pricepoint. IMO, 38 Super is a handloaders cartridge. The only problem it has presented me is segregating it from the lighter .38 ACP handloads I use in my Spanish 9x23 Largo pistolas -- I use the same brass for both. I've got a couple thousand cases, plenty of Unique and an ample stockpile of .356" Berry's plated bullets that have worked fine for me in both loadings.

BTW, I later installed this set of Aztec Piedra del Sol motif grips on the RIA .38 in honor of our southern neighbors, the real devotees of this cartridge.

RIA3801.jpg

When you say disassembly, do you mean field strip? 'Cause the 1911 isn't difficult to strip once you've done it a few times. Find a YouTube video and be brave. You shouldn't need to mess with the scary trigger/hammer/sear bits to debug feeding problems.

Sarco carries a lot of RIA components and parts.

Search results

www.sarcoinc.com www.sarcoinc.com
 
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MikeInOr said:
I recently bought a RIA GI 1911 in 9mm on sale for $300 new. I bought it with the intention of taking it apart and rebuilding it with upgraded parts and hopefully learning something along the way.
Click to expand...
RIA uses the same frame for the 9 mm guns as for the .45 ones (and I presume for the .38 Super ones as well).

I bought an RIA in 9 mm, and discarded practically everything except the frame, building a WW2 clone in .45. (I had the parts needed, including a GI slide and barrel, in my spares box.) The only thing I had to do with the frame was replace the ejector, and slightly widen the feed ramp.

Here's the result (the upper gun in the picture below): (The bottom gun is a clone built using an Auto-Ordnance / Kahr as a base.)

IMG_0306a.jpg
 
All of the RIA 9mm and 38 Super 1911's I have seen are all cut for the Clark ramped barrels. So there is a difference between the RIA 9mm/38 Super frames and their 45 frames.

I really wanted a RIA 38 Super but couldn't find any available in 2020. I bought the 9mm version and then ordered a 38 Super barrel and magazines from Advanced Tactical (RIA web store front). I won an older RIA Tactical model in 45, RIA Compact in 45, and my RIA 9mm/38 Super.

I did have an issue with the 9mm and I can say RIA customer service was good to go for me. I definitely bought a lemon but they sent me a replacement pistol quickly.
 
38super is a fun cartridge. It has authority but feels as controllable as 9x19.

If RIA/Armscor worries you from prior experience, TISAS makes a 38super (IIRC, if not them, then one of the other Turkish builders).

I loved 38super back in my IPSC days. Some of the prices have had me feeling like I'd like to scratch that itch again. Seeing an Armscor at a gun show for $500 was very tempting. The $40/box ammo pricing tempering that somewhat.
 
12Bravo20 said:
All of the RIA 9mm and 38 Super 1911's I have seen are all cut for the Clark ramped barrels. So there is a difference between the RIA 9mm/38 Super frames and their 45 frames.
Click to expand...
All I can do is attest to my personal experience. I built two WW2 clones using RIA frames -- one, as stated above, from a 9 mm, and the other from a .45. The frames were absolutely identical -- except perhaps that the feed ramp on the 9 mm was a hair narrower. This was something that was remedied with a few strokes of a needle file. But this wasn't an inherent difference in the frames, but rather in the final fitting of the frames.

Incidentally, there is no marking on the RIA frames to indicate caliber. That marking is on the barrel.

These were the Parkerized GI versions, btw.

For those wanting to clone a WW2 gun, the Auto-Ordnance / Kahr is a better, more economical starting point than the RIA. For one thing, the AO / Kahr has a usable slide, without a lowered ejection port. The biggest drawback to the AO / Kahr, for this purpose, is the Series 80 firing pin safety. That can be removed and replaced with GI parts (plus a spacer in the frame) but it does leave a hole in the bottom of the slide. At least that's not normally visible.
 
AlexanderA said:
All I can do is attest to my personal experience. I built two WW2 clones using RIA frames -- one, as stated above, from a 9 mm, and the other from a .45. The frames were absolutely identical -- except perhaps that the feed ramp on the 9 mm was a hair narrower. This was something that was remedied with a few strokes of a needle file. But this wasn't an inherent difference in the frames, but rather in the final fitting of the frames.

Incidentally, there is no marking on the RIA frames to indicate caliber. That marking is on the barrel.
Click to expand...
There is definitely a difference between frames when comparing standard barrels and ramped barrels. The 45 was purchased in 2007 while the 9/38 was purchased in 2020

In both photos the 9mm/38 Super frame is on the left.

IMG_3467.jpeg IMG_3468.jpeg

Ria/ArmsCor has produced their 9mm/38 Super 1911's with and without ramped barrels. So yes the 9mm/38 frame for NON ramped barrels will be the same as the 45 frames without a ramped barrel. And looking at Advanced Tactical's website, they also sell both ramped and non ramped 45 barrels too.

https://advancedtactical.com/parts/...s/barrels/government-model-full-size-barrels/

So make sure that you stick with the correct type of barrel for the frame you have.
 
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Series 70 (no firing pin safety)1911s aren't hard to detail strip; they are actually, amazingly simple. Throw in a Series 80 linkage, and that complicates things. The linkage is somewhat fiddly to reinstall.
For the OP, if you just want something to work on, without too much concern about making a mistake, go for it.
IIRC, the only part that really needs to be 'fit, building from new, is the barrel link; you shouldn't be able to push the barrel hood down when the gun is assembled but empty. Those links are available in a series of lengths.
Nineteen elevens are fun to fool with, feel great in the hand, and launch a big bullet with modest recoil. What's not to love?
BTW, Supers are interesting, but pricey alternative to 9s. Unless you have a specific reason, (or reload) no need fooling with them.
Moon
 
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