Gonna go out to the garage...grab my torch...

[atblis]

Let's see

it has gone back twice.

Contact RIA

I'd tell call them, tell them you're really frustrated (point them towards this thread). They should offer you a new gun (if they're smart).

Update us on the results. Every company makes lemons (some more than others).

The results will determine whether I ever buy anything from them, or recommend anything from them.

 

[MachIVshooter]

wouldn't go that far. The man has a gun that isn't working, and refuses to work completely after trips to the dealer and a reputable smith

From the sounds of it, the unit only has a couple hundred rounds through it. I have seen similar issues with much more expensive commander and officer size 1911's at low round counts. While I consider such failures unacceptable for a $2,800 Nighthawk (and I've witnessed it first hand), I would give a $325 gun the benefit of the doubt until I got at least 500 rounds through it. If it doesn't loosen up and start working by then, I'd start tinkering (or send it back). If it still didn't work 200 or 300 rounds after teh factory repair, then I would consider other options.

Also, the first thing I'd have done would be to try a different, high quality mag or two from different manufacturers. 1911's can be very picky about magazines.

Nearly every issue I've had with autoloaders (both handguns and rifles) could be traced to the magazine. My Witness Compact wouldn't run for beans with hot loads until I swapped the mag spring with one from a Beretta 15 rounder. Once I did that and beveled/polished the bottom of the extractor, the thing has run like a champ with all kinds of stout ammo, as well as the wimpy stuff. Sometimes the less expensive guns need a little fluff and buff. If you're unwilling to do this, buy more expensive units that had it done at the factory.

 

[STAGE 2]

I feel your pain, but you get what you pay for. There are plenty of threads here illustrating the substandard quality of RIA 1911's. The cheapest 1911 that one can get without suffering in reliability or accuracy is springfields GI. Anything else, and you're rolling the dice for reliability and quality.

 

[ugaarguy]

MachIV, I agree with you that the pistol is low on round count and would normally say to give it at least a 500 round break in. However, it's been back for service twice and to his own gunsmith once. We know from the original poster's comments that the bbl was throated and feed ramp polished. Between the three service trips it should be plenty fluffed and buffed.

Also, the first thing I'd have done would be to try a different, high quality mag or two from different manufacturers. 1911's can be very picky about magazines.

In the post that started the thread Magsnubby states that he tried the factory Mec-Gar, a McCormick, and a Novak Mag. One mag that's bad I can see. Even two or three mags from the same maker bought at the same time if it was bad lot isn't unheard of. But a bad mag from each of three reputable makers, all of which functioned in his friend's pistol? That's tough to swallow. I think the magazine has been suffieciently shown not to be the source of the problems.

I feel your pain, but you get what you pay for. There are plenty of threads here illustrating the substandard quality of RIA 1911's.

STAGE 2, from what I've read here and on http://forum.m1911.org, Armscor (who makes RIA and several other brands of 1911) 1911s are far from substandard. The recent news of the Armscor/STI Spartans seems to back this up. I think it is clear that Magsnubby has a defective if not full blown lemon pistol, but no manufacturer is ammune from having this happen. As I said earlier, I think it's best that we all let this play it's course and see what Mr. Walcott does when/if Magsnubby contacts him. This thread has potential to be a good test case for RIA/Armscor customer service, so let's see what develops before we finalize our opinions.

 

[wally]

Failure to go fully into battery is not unusual in a new 1911.

Exactly what Wolff 22lb spring did you install? The RIA "commander" is 4" bushingless bull barrel and not 4.25 inches like the Colt! If you put a "Colt Commander" spring in, there is a good chance the spring is a bit too long and all the coils will touch in recoil stopping the slide short of reaching the impact surfaces. It'd be no surprise that the reverse plug broke in short order if this is indeed what happened.

Get a high quality replacement reverse plug (they've been known to break on Colt's Officers ACP models too) and the proper recoil spring and you should be fine.

I put a Wilson "commander" recoil spring in my Charles Daly EMS at about 7000 rounds (4" Armscor made, basically the same gun as the RIA "Commander" but in stainless with better creature comforts) and noticed it was too long. I cut off a few half turns until I could see the slide was travelling the full stroke and the spring coils were not touching when fully back. Its worked great, I chaged the spring not because I was having problems but because the brass started flying much further that it used to when the gun was newer so I was losing too much brass to the weeds. The stronger recoil spring keeps the brass close enough I can find most of them again now.

--wally.

 

[RandomMan]

the FLGR wouldn't affect the function of the pistol

Really now?

The recoil spring guide rod is just kind of hanging out the end of the gun.??? I popped the slide off. The recoil spring is missing. The collar that holds the recoil spring on the guide rod is sheared in half.

FLGRs and their associated parts arn't really my cup of tea. Sorry, I've seen them fail on $3000 custom handguns. And I've seen and shot extensively an Officer's model that has a bushing and plug/recoil setup that does not have the extensive problems that FLGR officer's types have. Are they all bad? No, but I'd say his went bad and I don't trust 'em to work in a 1911, at least not work right.

That said, I thinK RIA makes a good product, with good customer service. Contact them and tell them what's going on. If they can't make you happy, I'll gladly buy the gun off you and make it work. I need a Commander to match my full size.

-Rob

 

[STAGE 2]

STAGE 2, from what I've read here and on http://forum.m1911.org, Armscor (who makes RIA and several other brands of 1911) 1911s are far from substandard. The recent news of the Armscor/STI Spartans seems to back this up.

Feel free to do what you like. Every manufacturer has a lemon once in a while, but I've read enough threads of dissatisfied people, and enough warnings from those that are experts on 1911's to take a gamble, Because that what is it, a gamble.

 

[magsnubby]

Quote:
"This thread was nothing more than a 1911 bash and GLOCK love-fest. I think Magsnubby is approaching troll territory."

TROLL????I write about my experience with one gun, and even stated the reason i bought it was BECAUSE I LIKED MY BUDDY'S RIA BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN SUPER RELIABLE and you call me a troll? If you even bothered to read my post, you'ld know i fixed the gun (i paid for the recoil spring out of my own pocket) so it would go into battery, which i know is a common problem with commander size pistols, replaced the magazine springs, another commom problem after the recoil spring is replaced with a heavier spring, (again paid for out of my own pocket) and made the gun function. It was cheaper for me to replace the springs myself than to pay for shipping and insurance. I went to a local shop today and ordered the parts to fix it. Again because it's cheaper than shipping and insurance.

That's not what pissed me off about the gun, i was raised on S&W wheelguns and 1911's, i know some 1911's have to be tinkered with to work reliably, that's just the nature of beast. What pissed me off was the fact that the gun broke with less than 200 rounds through it.

I'll see what happens after i fix it again.

 

[HSMITH]

Dude, you are pissed, and rightly so. You bought a POS, you expect more.

What do you want for it shipped? I know the story with it, and am not 'an unsuspecting soul'.

Been there and done this myself, you could send it in and everything work 110% for the next thousand rounds. Once a gun has a bad taste in your mouth it won't ever get any better, you won't ever trust it. Ditch it and start over.

 

[1911Tuner]

RIA

I've handled a few RIAs and they're actually pretty good pistols for the money. A couple of'em had return to battery failures, but that was resolved in just a few minutes of attention with the extractor. Why not give Ivan a shot at makin' it right. He's been Johnny-on-the-Spot thus far.

 

[ArmscorBA]

magsnubby,
Please send the pistol back to me at:
Armscor Precision
150 N Smart way
Pahrump, NV 89060
Attention Ivan
If I can't Repair it I will replace it. We have a life time warrenty on all RIA pistols. The only variable is if someone takes a dremel to it an ruins the frame. Sorry about your problems, We as well have pistols that are out of wack! I wish I could have got it back the first time.
Thanks
Ivan

 

[1911Tuner]

re:

Welcome aboard, Ivan. Pull up a chair and set a spell.

 

[clown714]

WOW!

if that aint customer service,what is?

welcome aboard,Ivan.

clown

 

[magsnubby]

When i started this thread it wasn't to bash any particular brand, or type, of handgun. As i stated, i was raised on S&W wheel guns and 1911's, so i was well aware of how they can sometimes try your patiences. I bought the RIA because my buddy had really good luck with his, and i liked the way the gun handled. It's also hell for accurate. I just figured some of you older 1911 owners knew what i was talking about, get a chuckle out of it, shake your head and think "Yeah. I know what you're talkin' about". And your ole 1911 is still one of your most cherished handguns.

As i stated, every problem that came up, i fixed, out of my own pocket, because it was cheaper for me to pay for it myself than to pay shipping and insurance. I just didn't exspect it to break with under 200 rounds through it.

The failure to go into battery is a common problem with Commander size pistols. I knew that when i bought the gun. It's been that way ever since the first one left the factory. I fixed that problem.

Having to replacing the magazine spring is also a common problem after going to a heavier recoil spring. I knew that. I fixed the problem.

I knew most 1911's don't like hp's. Another common problem.They were designed for hardball. No problem. Find a good 'smith (the one that did mine is a damn fine 'smith, has done several guns for me, been in business for years, and i trust him completly) and have 'im fix it up. The factory doesn't guarantee them to run on hp's stright out of the box. There may be some that do but i don't know of any.

I also know some 1911's are picky about what kind of ammo they like. My Commander doesn't like Milwall reloads. My buddy's Springfield and his RIA Commander seems to like 'em just fine. His Commander doesn't like Magteck, mine ate the hell out of them. My Charles Daley (which i found out later is the same company as the RIA) is also a little finicky about reloads. It seems to like most factory loads just fine.

As i've stated several times, it was cheaper for me to fix the gun myself than to pay for shipping and insurance. Or have to worry about dealing with the insurance carrier after it disappeared out of the back of that old big brown truck.

I just thought some of you would get a kick out the trials and tribulations of breaking in a new 1911.

And Ivan, thanks for the offer. I ordered the parts to fix it yesterday. We'll see how it goes from there.

 

[nelson133]

Every company has products that make it out the door and are lemons. I bought an RIA full size last year and it has been flawless, feeds everything I have tried without a bobble.
I didn't get what I paid for, I got a lot more.

 

[1911 guy]

If it were my money and my pistol,

I'd forget about the parts I ordered and let Ivan handle it right now. He just offered you a replacement if he couldn't get it running.

 

[Working Man]

Kudos Ivan.

There are people in big business who still give a d@mn!

Welcome to THR.

 

[magsnubby]

Quote:
" If it were my money and my pistol,
I'd forget about the parts I ordered and let Ivan handle it right now. He just offered you a replacement if he couldn't get it running."

As i've already stated, it's cheaper and easier for me to fix the problems myself than to pay for shipping, insurance and having to worry about the gun disappearing out of the back of some truck. I also stated i'll take Ivan up on his offer, a very generous offer at that, if i can't get the gun up and running.

 

[AndyC]

Hmmm - nice to see service isn't dead in America. Might consider buying an RIA myself now

 

[asknight]

1911 guy, as a follow up to your comment that Armscor supplies the slides and frames to STI, I emailed them. Here is their response.

Aric Knight <**********@gmail.com> Fri, Oct 13, 2006 at 3:48 AM
To: [email protected]
I have been deciding on purchasing an STI handgun for quite some time, but a bit of internet rumor has me intrigued. Can you confirm or deny if your frames and slides are manufactured by Armscor in the Philippines?

Thanks,
Aric
sales <[email protected]> Mon, Oct 16, 2006 at 8:58 AM
To: Aric Knight <**********@gmail.com>
Hello Aric,
That is a internet rumor.
We manufacture all our frames and slide in Texas.
Thanks


John Kestel

STI International
114 Halmar Cove
Georgetown TX 78628
Tel:512-819-0656
Fax:512-819-0465
www.stiguns.com

 

[ugaarguy]

STI / Armscor

Asknight, to clarify on the STI/Armscor thing. Early in the thread I posted

The thing is, the guy bought a Rock Island. If he had bought a more reputable brand, something closer to the $500 range, he would have probably gotten a reliable tack driving machine.

Blood Donor do a search on the STI Spartan. The results may surprise you

1911 Guy responded to further comments deriding Armscor/RIA quality with

Oh, and for those kicking RIA in general, the reference to the STI model earlier should have been a clue. RIA supplies the frames and slides for these and may supply other models in the future. I don't hear anyone talking about their POS STI.

He wasn't saying Armscor supplied all STI frames and slides. He was saying that Armscor is supplying the frames and slides for the upcoming STI Spartan model. It wasn't entirely clear that 1911 guy was referring to the Spartan, so I posted again trying to clarify;

For that other issue of RIA/Armscor doing business with STI here's a thread with some good info;
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=223731

Hopefully that clears everything up for all concerned.

 

[asknight]

ugaarguy, I understood the following pretty clearly.

We manufacture all our frames and slide in Texas.

Does anyone have a "Spartan" in their hands yet? That may be why we haven't heard of any complaints yet... Do we know if it's going to pass STI's QC and hit the streets?

 

[ugaarguy]

Asknight, I was just trying to clarify, not start an arguement.

Does anyone have a "Spartan" in their hands yet? That may be why we haven't heard of any complaints yet... Do we know if it's going to pass STI's QC and hit the streets?

http://www.stiguns.com/SkinnErgrams/SGRAM-88.html

A "lower end" (in price) 1911 built with many high quality STI parts, but assembled "off shore". It'll be .45ACP (what else?) only, unramped bushing barrel, full length guide rod, single sided thumb safety, and Parkerized. It's name is to be the "Spartan". (Russell Nichols from our Slide Dept. takes the cash for this suggestion.) We should have been "on the street" with this one already but I think we confused the U.S. State Department and Homeland Security (Customs) with our desire to "take ‘em out and bring ‘em back". If you order now, your lead time should be about our normal quoted period but this one is subject to slippage due to the "powers that be" in Washington . We'll keep you posted.

That was back in May. Then on 25 Sept. Correia said

Okay, here is the scoop on the new Spartans. I've received a bunch of PMs asking for specifics.

The slides and frames are from Armscor.

All other parts are STI standard parts.

They will be assembled in Texas.

The finish is a matte Parkerizing.

Retail is going to be somewhere in the low $600 range.

Yes, I can get them on the group buy. PM me for the group buy price.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=223731

If Correia can get them on group buys now then they're here or will be shortly. I'm sure he'll give us an update since he also ordered pistols for his store inventory when he made the group buy order. Hopefully someone bought a Spartan in the last group buy and we'll all get a review soon. I'm looking forward to seeing how the new Spartans shake out.

 

[asknight]

ugaarguy, oh I didn't mean to sound argumentative. I was just reaffirming while you were reclarifying.

I had to point out the fault with the argument that "no one is complaining about their POS STIs.", when in fact, no one has an Armscor STI, yet.

 

[ugaarguy]

I had to point out the fault with the argument that "no one is complaining about their POS STIs.", when in fact, no one has an Armscor STI, yet.

Well put asknight. I think it'll be interesting to see what develops from the Armscor/STI partnership. Though, between Ivan's customer service and STI's great reputation I expect it will be a fruitful venture. I guess we'll both have to sit back and watch.