My RockIsland 1911 out-performs USP 45

[Kramer Krazy]

My Best Shooting 1911

With eight 1911-type handguns in our household, I can honestly say that my RIA (in my hands) has proved over and over again that it can shoot better groups than:

1) Missashot's RIA
2) Missashot's 2005 S&W 1911
3) My 1981 Colt Officers ACP
4) My 1989 Colt Government
5) My 1970's Colt Gold Cup
6) My 2005 Colt XSE LW Commander
7) My 1993/94 Norinco 1911A1

 

[Retro]

I attached picture of my RIA 1911 and USP 45.

http://www.pbase.com/wqewqe/image/60823153

Enjoy!

 

[boofus]

Did you oil up the USP before taking it to the range? Some guns need a little bit of lube to work smoothly.

I prefer the USP Tactical myself, the match trigger is worlds better than the mushy standard USP trigger. $900 is about what a brand new USP Tactical in .45 would cost.

 

[nelson133]

I too was suprized by my RIA gov model, accurate and reliable. I own more expensive guns, but if the RIA was all I had, I would feel confident in it.

 

[Pilot]

I prefer the USP Tactical myself, the match trigger is worlds better than the mushy standard USP trigger. $900 is about what a brand new USP Tactical in .45 would cost.

Me too. My USP Tactical .45 is one of my favorite handguns. Very soft shooting, 100% reliable and extremely accurate. I paid $900 for my Tac. Plus the threaded barrel can take a suppressor, or combination flash suppressor/recoil reducer which works well also.

 

[litework]

This is your first time using the USP, and you equal the score of a familiar firearm at 12 yards and are only an inch off the pace at 30 yards. Not too bad.

A couple of things…you may be analyzing your new firearm instead of concentrating on shooting it. I’m frequently guilty of this when I buy a new firearm. Instead of shooting, I get into a “comparison mode” where I focus on the differences of my newly acquired firearm and lose focus on the target.

The USP should not need a break in period. The one brand of ammo I stay away from is Wolf. I made the mistake of shooting this brand in one of my rifles, and I vowed to never use it again. I have never used Wolf in a handgun. The USP is not a finicky gun, but maybe you should switch cartridge manufacturers.

I don’t know how you determined the amount your pistols rose above the plane of the earth without a second observer and/or recorder, but all these characteristics may change when you get used to the firearm. Same can be said about accuracy. I can now shoot my USP better than any of my 1911s. Wasn’t always the case, but I’ve become pretty comfortable with the USP. If I start shooting my 1911s as often as my HK again, who knows? I can’t shoot my CZ as well as many of my other guns, but I’ve only had it a couple of weeks, and I’m rapidly improving with it. It could be a winner.

I’d hold off on buying that Sig 220 for now. It isn’t any more accurate than the USP, and your patience will save you from having to start a second thread about your RIA outperforming your more expensive Sig.

The RIA is a 1911, and 1911s aren't too bad.

One more thing…I looked at your picture. Is that a factory magazine in that USP? The base-plate looks weird.

 

[Retro]

Haha... you are right... It's a Mk23 mag. I bought an extra mag (MK23) because that store ran out of USP 45 mags. Surprisingly, the MK23 mag worked fine for the USP .45.

Also notice how the new USP .45 has different marking on the grip. Instead of saying "HK USP", it now only says "USP". This gun was tested in January 2006 by factory with spent cartridge sealed in an envelope. I am not sure if this new USP version is any different from the old ones.

 

[Tman]

Retro:
I own several 1911's and a USPc 9mm and I find it easier to be more accurate with my 1911's (besides a longer sight line)
1. single stack versus double stack - I have smaller hands and it is easier for me to get a better grip with the 1911 than a USPc (which is slightly smaller than the USP grip)
2. 1911 single action trigger versus USP DA/SA (mushy SA)

Still, the USP is a good gun. The only time I've shot a USP that failed to go into battery was shooting a really dirty rental gun. Felt like they changed the oil on it every 3 years or 36,000 miles. :banghead:

 

[Geno]

"New" Pistols

The fact that I have never owned, nor even fired an HK is a mute point. The is a more important consideration, which some previous notes have touched, and which I wish to second. That regards the learning curve of pistols. Any new pistol I have purchased has required some degree of learning its grip, etc. The longer I fire it, the better I fire it. I also note that after firing just so many rounds, for one reason or for many reasons, my consistency ultimately drops. Rather than firing 200 to 300 rounds in an afternoon, I have come to enjoy firing not more than 50, and doing so with the best precision I can. So, it appears to me that perhaps the HK is breaking in yet, is a new grip/angles/other, and perhaps you were simple fatigued. The last consideration is over-estimating. When we lay out that big money for a hyped-name pistol (whether the pistol lives up to it or not), we almost come to expect that this pistol is so good that it could fire itself. In short, give the HK time before you did to have it melted down and made into some more useful object.
I hope that in the end it becomes a treasured addition to your collection.

Doc2005

 

[1911 guy]

I'm a 1911 fan and even of Filipino guns, but...

I'll repeat what the others have said. Give the USP some time and effort at the range and see how you do with it after a few hundred more rounds.

Having said that, don't be too surprised if your RIA continues to equal many other handguns. For all the harsh comments from the philistines about "filipino beer cans", they tend to be well made and accurate. My carry gun is a Charles Daly, with a spare Daly, a Springfield and a Para Ordnance in the "45 drawer" (that's what my wife refers to it as. Sock drawer, underwear drawer, shirt drawer, 45 drawer).

Just don't give up the ship yet. It's a double stack, different height of bore axis, etc. Spend some time and ammo before calling it.

 

[Shootcraps]

Polymer-framed Wunder-pistols aren't supposed to need a breaking-in period. They are guarranteed to jump out of the box, load themselves and with just one drop of oil, shoot perfect cloverleafs everytime. Yours must be a lemon.

 

[Pilot]

My USP Tac .45 is my ONLY polymer framed pistol. I dislike polymer, but I view the USP line as an updated 1911. I like how the safety/decocker works and that it can be used C&L like a 1911. 12 rounds of .45 is nice also.

 

[wally]

Yes 12 rounds of .45 is nice, but at $50-60 for a USP .45 spare mag, you can have 48 rounds of .45 in CMC 8-round 1911 mags.

Everytime I think about getting an HK the price of it and a couple of extra mags really put me off and I easily find something I'd rather have instead -- like last show, I grabbed a DPMS AR-10 clone for only a few hundred more after looking at and thinking about finally getting another HK handgun (I've an HK-91 rifle and a 9mm P7-M13, talk about over-priced mags!).
OTOH, HK-91 mags are one of the few bargins left, I've got them as low as $2 each for very good looking used ones, at the last show they were 3/$10.

--wally.

 

[Dienekes]

I dunno. I have had bargain-basement guns that have shot like a house afire in my hands, top-of-the-line guns that made me look like a klutz, and all kinds in between. Personally I don't think that a big price tag guarantees very much these days.

Something else--when the 1911 was in gestation there was at least some desire to make it into a good weapon. These days, I think the concern is more to make new guns into engineering exercises to accomodate bureaucratic desires. Then the committee composed of lawyers, beancounters, and chairborne managers votes on what the warriors can have.

But then I could be full of it.

 

[Spotty-Shottie]

Ria nib

I bought an RIA NIB back in March. The first day I bought it I took it to the range. 300 rounds, not a single hiccup. Since then i've put about 500 more rounds through it. Solid. I'm not saying that its better than an HK or Kimber or any other pistol, I am saying that I am confident it will work when I need it, and that is the main focus when deciding on a firearm-or at least in my opinion. Another 1911 that i've heard great things about is the Taurus Pt1911. Never shot one, but some people I know swear by them. I guess with these 2 examples in particular, you get a lil more than you pay for.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

The full size USP is hopelessly large for my hands, but the little 2000SK is intriguing. But, considering that polymer frames are supposed to be a cost cutting measure, I fail to see where the extra $$$ of HKs comes from.

 

[BHP FAN]

Sell the USP, BUY three more RIA'S and be happy!

 

[vikz]

Why am I not surprised!! I know RIA is not a high end 1911 but in my little experience in 1911(just 5yrs) I will take RIA than a KIMBER anyday of the week and 2x on sunday!!..and some people say the 1911 design is obsolete!!yah good luck with that!!

 

[Strahley]

I'd take the RIA over the HK, too

 

[oasis618]

How dare you suggest that the Teutonic engineered, sprinkled with magical midnight Black Forest pixie dust HK USP tested by the world famous German Combat Divers cannot outperform an indifferently hardened, Fillipino-American special machined during the gastrointestinal cramping of a San Miguel hangover?!?

I'll take this:

over this:

Every time.

I know this is zombie but....***?

 

[Stevie-Ray]

The lower perceived recoil from the 1911 might be a function of the guns weight, not the high tech muzzle brake you have on there. I believe the 1911 has at least a half pound on the USP.

I don't know, I've said it before, but my HK is a USP compact and even though it is quite a bit larger and heavier than my Kimber Ultra CDP, it recoils more. I was actually dreading the recoil of the Kimber when I bought it to replace the HK-figured it would be rather punishing at only 25 ounces. Wrong. It is far easier to control even in rapid-fire with the same load. 1911s aren't for everybody but they are for me. Seems I keep coming back to them no matter what new crap comes out.

 

[badbadtz560]

I'm sorry if someone mentioned this earlier... Just a question for the experts here.. but assuming a lower level of experience w/ different triggers and all other things being equal, wouldn't the heavier trigger be a potential cause of inaccuracy as well?
I'm also assuming the RIA1911 has that typical hairpin trigger that everyone loves on 1911s and that the USP has its typical trigger.

edit: my mistake.. everyone already mentioned it.

another way to look at grip size though - grip w/ your right hand normally and see if you can fit your thumb in that gap of grip that is uncovered. Is there a lot of free space around your thumb? If so, maybe consider getting something smaller. If your hand can't grip that double stack grip well, it could affect accuracy

 

[piece of meat]

LOL...a $900 gun should not need a 'break in period' or need to be specially lubed/pampered before shooting...

i just dont get this reasoning.

my $500 CZ and $400 rock island 1911 did not need a 'break in period'. the glocks/xd's ive shot did not need a 'break in period' nor did they need to be 'properly lubed' and prepped before shooting.

i dont know why anyone would buy an HK when they cost $900, have mags that cost $60-70, if you can find them, and offer performance, reliability and durability no better than a $500 glock or xd.

 

[badbadtz560]

I think by break-in period for HK, they mean that you gotta break your muscles in to the new grip, recoil, general feel of the USP since it differs from a 1911... not so much that the gun needs a mechanical loosening. I've rarely heard of any of those more reliable polymers requiring break ins.

 

[possum]

You probably need to break the USP in a bit more before you start making definitive determinations

you shouldn't have to "break in" any handgun especially one that cost so much at a USP.

When an expensive gun doesn't run it is blamed on it not being broke in

when a cheap or less expensive gun doesn't run it is a pos.

This is big in the 1911 world, and something seen oh to much.