stinger 327 said:
Does it shoot good out of the box?
Yes it does.
I handled several RIA pistols (MilSpec and Tactical models) several years back and did not like the way the slide cycled, felt gritty and catching, somewhat loose and not smooth. Trigger was OK, like most MilSpec 45s.
Fast forward to mid 2011 and I was on a hunt for a 1911 with a shooting friend. I handled and range fired several range rentals and other shooting friends' 1911s (Colts, SAs, Paras, Kimbers, S&Ws, etc.) along with a couple of RIA Tactical models. The RIA Tacticals were just bought by the owners and they felt different than the models I handled in previous years. The slide-to-frame fit was much tighter, slide cycled smoothly and even the trigger felt better.
By the end of the range test, I got the best shot groups off hand at 7-15 yards (dime to quarter size shot groups) with Kimbers. But what surprised me was how well the RIA Tacticals shot - they were surprisingly accurate.
When I failed to get 1 of 200 Dan Wesson PM7s made for California, I decided on a Sig 1911 TacPac ($850) and my friend got the RIA Tactical ($495). Since he was not familiar with 1911s, I offered to strip the pistol for a cleaning and check for any problems. When I took the Tactical model apart, I found that it was nothing like the typical MilSpec models I have worked with in the past. The slide-to-frame fit was comparable to my Sig 1911 and although components lacked higher level of finish and lack of tool marks of Sig 1911, the components fit well and tight. There was no packing grease many posted about RIA and the Tactical model just needed a quick wipe down with Hoppes #9 and generous lubing with BreakFree CLP. Everything became very slick and smooth after the cleaning/lubing. Only thing I suggested to the friend was changing the black front sight to a white/fiber optic sight and offered to polish/lighten the trigger (but recommended he break-in the pistol first with some jacketed rounds).
Since then, we have both shot several thousand rounds of factory jacketed (CCI/Blazer TMJ, PMC FMJ) and Berry's plated RN/Missouri Bullet lead SWC reloads without any issue. When I was developing the reloads using the barrels, I noticed the RIA chamber was more generous and tapered towards the ramp end. Start of rifling/leade was not as short as the Sig barrel and accommodated SWC OAL to 1.265" with .472" taper crimp and fed/chambered without any issues. I suggested Chip McCormick Power Mags and they functioned without any problem (factory magazines actually have worked wells with only a few feed issue when brand new).
As to accuracy, at 7-10 yards, I can't tell the difference in shot groups between the Sig and RIA but at 15-25 yards, Sig produces tighter shot groups (BTW, the Sig is shooting very comparable to Kimbers). I think this may be due to the smoother trigger of the Sig. We may do a light polish job on the RIA trigger and see what happens to the shot groups but I would be very happy with how the RIA has been shooting so far had I bought the pistol.
