Rock Island 1911

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mortimormcsnerd

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I was just wondering if a Rock Island Armory 1911 is a "real" 1911. By this I mean, are parts interchangeable with other 1911's? Is it possible to buy beavertails, hammers, and magazines from reputable manufacturers like Wilson and they fit the Rock Island? I really like the looks of 1911 pattern guns and this would be my first one, so I don't want to buy one that's not a "real" 1911. Thanks and have a great day.
 
Like any other 1911, standard parts interchange with minor fitting.

Buy the RIA "Tactical" and you won't need to do anything to it but enjoy shooting it.
 
Like wally said, get the Tactical and you won't be sorry. I have several high end 1911's, and it sticks in my throat to say this $500 gun will do everything my high end 1911's will do. So I won't. The Tactical is a undiscovered diamond in the ruff.
 
As has been said, get a RIA tactical for $400 or so, and you don't need to do anything other than put not-ugly grips on it.
 
American Classic II Delux is the same as the RIA tactical, just in blued rather than park. Both are low price/high quality 1911s that accept all aftermarket 1911 parts if you have a dremmel and jewelers file handy.
 
I've shot a Rock Island A1 that a friend of mine picked up because it was cheap. It wont fire with his Kimber mags, but other than that its a 1911 by any measure. Only thing I would say is that I would find a 1911 that has the replaceable sights, the sights on all the A1 models kinda suck in darker situations. After that you can upgrade the snot out of it when you get more money.

But past that 1911s are like a project car, tweak it how you like it and make it perform! :D
 
mortimormcsnerd said:
I was just wondering if a Rock Island Armory 1911 is a "real" 1911. By this I mean, are parts interchangeable with other 1911's? Is it possible to buy beavertails, hammers, and magazines from reputable manufacturers like Wilson and they fit the Rock Island? I really like the looks of 1911 pattern guns and this would be my first one, so I don't want to buy one that's not a "real" 1911. Thanks and have a great day.
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if they arent i have been hoodwinked i own 2 a fs and a 4in the fs 5k in the pipe and the 4 4k and no probs some mags work some dont i use wilson
 
I just bought a RIA FS Match pistol two weeks ago and it's a great gun for the money. Has LPA adjustable sight on the rear and a fiber optic front sight. Came with a 5 lb trigger pull which I adjusted tonight for a 4 lb pull. Other than that nothing else needs to be done to it. Yes they are real 1911s and as with all 1911 parts they may need minor fitting to work correctly.
 
Have 2 of them, the only thing I will say is some of the older ones aren't exactly correct and take a little more to fit parts. Also the threads on older ones (grip screws) are more like pipe thread.

They a decent 1911 and for the price I don't think you can lose.
 
American Classic II Delux is the same as the RIA tactical, just in blued rather than park. Both are low price/high quality 1911s that accept all aftermarket 1911 parts if you have a dremmel and jewelers file handy.
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Nope. The American Classic is made by Metro Arms not Armscor.
 
I have three RIA's, one of them is stuffed full of all the WWII Colt parts I could get in it, works just fine.

DSCN3627.jpg
 
I have two; a mid-size (4" barrel) and I just picked up a compact (3.5") Haven't fired the compact yet but my mi-size has been 100% including JHP's. Accuracy is good, etc. I've carried the mid-size a lot so the park finish is starting to wear on certain edges from the holster but that's norm for any parkarized finish.

The only thing I don't like about the Rocks are the grips. They're serviceable grips but just plain ugly.

I add no-slip strip tape to the front strap and it's a great carry package.

Gideon
 
One of my shooting buddies has a standard RIA 1911 that he upgraded with a skeletonized hammer, special guide rod, and maybe a few other parts. It is a pretty good shooter and very reliable.

It has a lot of wear though. The back of the magazine well is very worn and the metal will sometimes leave behind a little powdered metal.
 
Here is a pic of my RIA Officers CS 3.5" in .45acp:
DSC00361.jpg

Ive put 450 rounds threw it with no issues with standard loads, But 2 failures with +P loads.
I have a heavier spring on its way which should clear it up.
The pics were taken when i first got the gun and the grips look nothing like that now, Plus i have a black polymer textured set i like better also.

I use a Kimber mag which flat out failed after 200 rounds, I replaced the spring and follower with Wilson internals and its been perfect ever since.
I had an extra Harrison Design Ionblack trigger laying around and put that in it and cleaned all the mating surfaces in the trigger parts as everything was coated with parkerization and i did a general trigger job and the gun now as an excellent trigger many much high cost 1911's would be proud to have.
 
I agree with getting the RIA Tactical or the Compact Tactical. I have a 9mm tactical which I bought only for range use and, cheap practice with my platform of choice, the 1911. I only carry 1911's in 45 ACP. I also have the 3.5" comp Tac version. I "stole" this gun. I got it for $325 LNIB. It had a couple minor problems but, it ran flawlessly with both FML and JHP right from the start. The minor problems were a broken slide stop and, it would not run well with my handloads, which work in all my other 1911's. It still doesn't love my handloads, but it runs like a top with my carry loads and that is all I really care about. I Duracoated both guns and love to show them off. 004-1.jpg
003.jpg
005.jpg
002.jpg
 
I have worked on a friends RIA M1911, doing a basic trigger job and adding a beavertail safety and round Commander style hammer to it. No problems with any of the aftermarket parts (I think they were from Wilson), except for a few areas were the nickel plate was a little too thick on the frame. He later added Trijicon night sights to it, and they too were an easy fit.
 
Love mine...

I have had my RIA Tactical for a little over a year now, nearing 100 rounds down the pipe. This pistol has functioned flawlessly from day one...never a ftf or fte. Shot about 300 rounds of WWB 230 fmj through it before I tried hollowpoints. Picked up a couple Wilson 47D's for reloads. Also, this company stands behind their products, a couple of their employees post on the 1911 forum and are easily reachable for questions/comments.

Rock on!
 
cz223,


that od looks mighty fine along with that black slide.

RIA makes good products from what i can tell. the american classic line is also well made as well.
 
From a reliability stand point, is there any difference between the GI and Tactical models? How about between the fullsize and compact models?


Chris "the Kayak-Man" Johnson
 
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