I may finally break down and get a 1911 45 ACP...how good is this deal??

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saturno_v

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Hello guys


Never been too much of a fan of the 1911...I think it is a nice pistol overall and I always said that if the right deal comes along I may get one for "historical significance" to add to my collection.

I'm only interested in the GI version...just a simple 1911 how it was originally designed, no fancy stuff added, no "tacticalized", no skeletonized triggers and hammers, etc...

Well, the local Cabela's is running an ad for a simple RIA 1911 for $399 + sales tax.

Good deal?? If I remember correctly, RIA have a solid reputation for reliability and quality (I handled couple long time ago, fit and finish seemed good enough) it is still true?? How is customer service?? Not a nightmare like EAA, God forbid, I hope.

Impact Guns has the GI RIA 1911 for $455 + shipping + transfer

Can the RIA 1911 digest +P loadings??

Thank you!!
 
The Cabela's price is a nice deal. RIAs are still great for the money, and their CS generally gets very high marks.
 
$349 after the coupon code is a great deal, that's what I paid for mine after it's new owner had one magazine load of FTE's (Mag and extractor caused, easy fix as I only use Checkmate mags anyway) and decided to get rid of it.

$350 for a really good 1911 is actually phenomenal, and makes the RIA my second favorite 1911. Mine is flawlessly reliable now.
 
$349 after the coupon code is a great deal, that's what I paid for mine after it's new owner had one magazine load of FTE's (Mag and extractor caused, easy fix as I only use Checkmate mags anyway) and decided to get rid of it.

$350 for a really good 1911 is actually phenomenal, and makes the RIA my second favorite 1911. Mine is flawlessly reliable now.
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My understanding is that the Bud's Gun Shop $349 1911 is a TISAS (made in Turkey) not a Rock Island Armory (imported by ARMSCOR and made in the Philippines I believe)

How the TISAS compares to the RIA for quality, reliability and Customer Service??

Additional Note:

I did a quick search on the 1911 Forum and other venues about the difference between the two and the consensus seems to be that the RIA is the better product.
 
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I'm of modest finances and if I didn't already have an RIA GI I'd find a way to make it happen. I paid $400 for mine about 6 months ago lightly used. It seems like the time to buy your 1911.
 
I only own 5 Rock Island 1911A1 pistols, so maybe I'm not an expert. Actually, one is a Citadel, made by Rock Island, and it's in 9mm.

They all are excellent examples of their class. Officer's, Commander's, Tactical .45, Tactical 9mm, and Match .45. It's doubtful that you could ever find a new pistol that is as reliable and accurate as the Rock Island 1911A1.

Easy to field strip, easy to shoot, ruggedly built.
 
Good price and they can handle +P but why. 230HP works fine

I use +P in Defender to keep FPS up near Commander numbers .

Other wise 230 HP and Ball for play.
 
I have the TISAS and my stepbrother has the RIA. They are very comparable, IMHO. They have both been very reliable and surprisingly accurate. If they are as good as the ones we got, you can't go wrong with either one.
 
donkee said:
This guy can tell you a little about the Tisas.

https://youtu.be/6MK8ffcLL3A
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He's sponsored by Buds Gun Shop, and they are the only sellers of that gun.

I've heard mixed things about Tisas 1911s.
http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/72432-warning-tisas-1911-is-a-do-not-buy/
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?8678-Tisas-Turkish-made-1911-45-s

Consensus seems to be that once you fix the trigger and the sights, its a usable gun. But by then you could have bought a 1911 from an American manufacturer.
 
Heck no!!!

I'm gonna tell it like it is. ANY new 1911 for $399 is no deal at all. When it comes to 1911's you get what you pay for. For $399 your getting a piece of junk. I don't care if you have to save up money for two years, do it and get a top notch gun. If your not spending $1100-$1200 and on up don't do it. It's not worth it trust me. Seen it to many times. I not a rich man, not even close. I just save my money and but good equipment. If the price on a new 1911 is that friggin cheap there'a reason. Please don't take what I said the wrong way. I'm trying to save you a huge headache my friend.
 
OK, saying that above is just silly, almost trolling for an response.

Springfields (6-700 range) and Colts (1991s in the 7-800 range) are both fine pistols, and Colt's product right now is better than it has been in a long time. Springfields are great pistols too. You can stay under $1000 and find some pretty darn good product these days, at least "entry level".

Back to the OP, I don't know the RIA and Tisas first hand - but I can only cite the experience of a a friend, who dumped his Tisa 1911 after a few months, and will only comment on it with swear words ... FTFs, FTEs, etc ...

Another has several RIAs, and his runs them pretty hard. Seems satisfied. He's happy that he can use these as less expensive base platforms to modify as he likes. He did one up in Highland Green with Cerakote Gold slide stop and safety. He call's it his St. Patricks Pistol. Whatever makes him happy - he says they have all been solid pistols.
 
wojownick, You can be assured I'm not trolling to get a response. I could care less. What I said was true. The ones to take offense to what I said ar e usually tight wads who want everything for nothing and have some sort of mental block that won't allow them to spend the money it takes to get a nice gun that isn't ugly and doesn't feed properly and doesn't
jam all the time and have a cheap ugly finish that wears off if the wind blows. Plus there always made in turkey or the phillipines. Your idea of a good gun is way different than mine. I will admit that I am a very meticulous person, a perfectionist. I can't stand cheaply made stuff and sloppy work and craftsmanship.
 
I noticed in another thread that the OP picked up an RIA. Congrats on your first 1911. Between the two (RIA vs. TISA), I think you made the better choice. Enjoy, and looking forward to a range report...
 
How the TISAS compares to the RIA for quality, reliability and Customer Service??
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They are covered by a lifetime guarantee at buds.

He's sponsored by Buds Gun Shop, and they are the only sellers of that gun.
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Actually they are not, they just are the best known. TISAS is relatively new to the gun making world (started in 1993 or 1994). FWIW I have never seen a crappy Turkish made gun to date including Sarsilmaz (SAR), Canik, etc. SAR has gained a lot of notoriety outside of turkey and more in the US as of late even though they have been around since the late 1800's and make guns for the Turkish Military as well as other armed forces.

I had a buddy that had one of the TISAS 1911's and it had no slide to frame slop like some do and several thousand rounds later it still runs great and very accurate. I would take one over a RIA just based on my experienced between the two.
 
I have a American Classic and its a great 1911 . Metro Arms are also a very good 1911 . They are tight and slide feels like on bearings. . You can get a good 1911 from the Philippines at a reasonable price .
 
Um wow! I am new to this forum so I will tread lightly on this response, but anyone that uses comments like "UNLESS YOUR SPENDING UPWARDS OF $1200 its not worth it" and "its junk" "TRUST ME" is full of crap.

This is the same commentator that just yesterday said he had two 1911's that he paid $2000 a piece to own, one a copy of the 1911 Sylvester Stallone used in expendables II......HMMMM SAYS A LOT.

How in the name of all that is Gunly can you claim that the Rock Island Armory 1911 is junk????? Have you fired the gun? Have you field stripped it? Have you cleaned it? Did you read the review in the American Rifleman magazine that said it performed like a much more expensive 1911?????

One of my most gun savvy friends needed a 1911 for four wheeling camping trips that start with a thirty mile trip up the side of a mountain on dusty sweaty dirty trails..........once to the camping area we did a little shooting I shot the RIA, it was awesome, fit and finish were incredible for the price.

I guess my Remington 1911 R-1 Enhanced is junk it was only $960 out the door with a two year warranty free inspection and cleaning at the end of year one and two 8rnd magazines.

Why you feel the need to equate the worthiness of a gun to the cost being high is beyond comprehension to me and I am an educated man.

The few posts you have made that I have seen, you failed to use paragraphs ( everything is better with paragraphs!) and you make bold ridiculous statements like unless you do this its that and unless you spend x its garbage.

So when I said I was going to tread lightly here I lied. That Rock Island Armory is a damn nice pistol and based on my incredible infuriation over the stupidity of your decree that unless you spend $1200 and up its crap, I am going to take the money I was going to put into my Kimber purchase, buy the RIA, and put the difference into a new Edelbrock Carburator on my 1964 Caddy. Why the hell don't you tone down your "expertise" and use this site for which I do.........to learn. Saturno_V buy the RIA the experience I had with one over a week long camping trip was amazing! For the money you are getting a nut crushing good deal! God Bless

Kevin
 
Supertec said:
I'm gonna tell it like it is. ANY new 1911 for $399 is no deal at all. When it comes to 1911's you get what you pay for. For $399 your getting a piece of junk... If your not spending $1100-$1200 and on up don't do it. It's not worth it trust me.
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Heck No!!! I totally disagree and I am gonna tell how it is based on actual experience.

I started match shooting with a Norinco 1911 heavily fortified with Wilson Combat parts. I have shot plenty of 1911s to know which brands/models to avoid.

I was not familiar with RIA pistols until I got to range test three brand new out of the box RIA Tactical 1911s. I was surprised how well they shot and felt. When I got my railed Sig 1911, a friend was looking for a GI spec 1911 and I suggested he get a RIA Tactical. He was glad he got the RIA Tactical with the "extras".

After 7000+ rounds of factory FMJ/JHP and SWC reloads, RIA Tactical with looser tapered chamber reliably fed and chambered all the rounds, especially sloppy reloads that wouldn't chamber in my Sig even when RIA was dirty after several hundred rounds of lead SWC reloads. When my Sig with tighter chamber slowed down, RIA kept chambering rounds and shooting enough for me to consider RIA the "Glock" of 1911s.

Unlike many other brand 1911s you hear about not working out of the box, RIA Tactical did not experience any feeding/chambering issues even with sloppy reloads and did not break any parts. Only thing it needed was replacement recoil springs.

My Sig 1911 did not cost $1200 and did fine during 7000+ rounds. Both pistols maintained very good accuracy and I would not consider them junk. I would consider them "Good Value" for their price range.
 
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My shooting buddy regularly shoots or should I say a Kimber Target II(?) in 9mm. He bought basic RIA in 9mm. He found it grouped as well as the Kimber and feeds any ammo unlike the Kimber. I have bench shot it several times. I must admit it is as accurate as any gun I have tried at twice the price.
 
I have shot and handled many 1911s in my day, and the RIA performed as flawlessly as the Soringfields, Smiths, Sigs, and others I have had the pleasure to fire. The only advice I can shre is if you like it, if it feels great to you, you are the one paying for it and shooting it so make yourself happy.
 
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