Rock Island Armory

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savage116

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I was in a new gun shop yesterday to buy some ammo and saw a RIA 1911. It is a very small shop and I was the only customer so I asked if he could get it out so I could hold it. The second the gun hit my hand I fell in love with it.

I am in the market for a pistol and just wanted to ask what everyones opinion was about RIA. I have researched them and they seem like a good pistol for the money. Also I was wondering if $445 was a good price for one NIB. I want to carry it some day so reliability is also important but I heard that once they are broken in they are just as reliable as any other pistol.


Thanks in advance!
 
they are inexpensive but they are awesome pistols, yeah they are alot less than kimbers and sa 1911's but they are accurate and they are reliable, if i found one at a good price i would take it home. i have shot one and it was awesome with 230gr fmj. accurate and 100% reliable.

there are many members of the 1911 forums that have and love the ria. many have multiple, one momeber has 8 iirc.
 
I am new to handguns so I am not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to handguns so please bare with me. The ones on centerfire look like they have smooth grips and the one I saw at the gun shop had checkered grips. Also if I got one online I would most likely have to pay shipping plus a transfer fee so I am looking at $35-$45 extra and it would be the same price. There is also the convenience of it being right in front of me with the one at the gun shop. If I do decide to buy one I will probably buy it from the shop where I first saw it even if it is a little more because I like to keep local shops in business so I have more options.
Thanks for the info and keep it coming.
 
Savage:

Being able to handle the gun you're going to buy is no small cookies. And you're right - by the time you add shipping and FFL transfer, you'll be close to sticker, but don't forget sales tax on the sticker at the dealer.

All in all, you're probably looking at $50 difference. But, youre supporting the LGS and might get all sorts of helpful advice there should you later want to modify it, start reloading, etc.

I would go LGS if it were me...

Q
 
If by handle the gun you mean recoil I am not worried. I have shot a 45 and I have the fun of shooting a 500S&W anytime I want.
 
If you want to get into the 45ACP platform the RIA 5" tactical is the way to go (@ CenterFire Systems). You can always replace the grips but the overall value of this specific model has to be one of the best deals available.

And a great beginning point as you can customize it (internally) with whatever aftermarket upgrades you want - even though it really doesn't need any, other than the grips.
 
Also I was wondering if $445 was a good price for one NIB
Click to expand...

Heck, one of the most enjoyable times I have is bartering with my local shops. I have found their "sweet spot" seems to be about 5%, but sometimes even more. In other words, if they have something tagged at $450 I know I can get it for $425, but always offer less and play back and forth. Some folks seem uncomfortable doing this but it is pretty much standard policy. It can't hurt to offer $400. Yeah, they'll hem and haw about this and that but will usually counter with something half-way. WTH, it's worth a try.
 
I am new to handguns so I am not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to handguns so please bare with me. The ones on centerfire look like they have smooth grips and the one I saw at the gun shop had checkered grips.
Click to expand...

It isn't the grips you should be paying attention to as you can swap those out with hundreds of options that can cost from $12 to exotic wood running over $100 at your desire at any time .

Open that link then click on 1911 on the left side of page then find the tactical vs plain version pictures .

If your local gun is a tactical you're getting a good deal if it is a basic GI it is overpriced .

The Tactical has important upgrades already included , better sights and the beavertail that will make shooting the gun more pleasurable .
 
Well I was in the shop that has the RIA buying ammo well my dad was also buying ammo for his nagant and it was like $36 and my dad gave him $40 and said keep the change and the guy was very nice. My dad figures that being really nice to the guy now may pay off in the future. If I buy the pistol and since my dad gave him the few extra bucks he thinks when he goes to buy his AR-15 and have it transfered the guy might give us a better deal. Well one can only hope for a better deal.
 
Does the tactical have checkered grips? I thought smooth wood like the mil spec.

There are rumors of some new models out...satin nickel with black checkered RIA grips. Did this version have black plastic checkered grips?

If not, did you ask if the gun was new? Maybe its somebody's used mil spec upgraded with a beavertail and checkered grips.
 
I am going to find out everything for sure tomorrow but I just wanted to know if RIA's were good guns and they obviously are. I didn't pay really close attention to it but next time I look I will.
 
Savage, as many have said, they're great guns for the $. I've got the 5" GI model, and have added Novak sights and I love mine! If the Tactical model was available when I got mine, that's the one I'd have gone with. You won't be sorry, 'cause there's nothing bad about spending your money wisely and the money you save can be used for more ammo, reloading, etc. Good luck with your decision. Buckshot Bill ;)
 
Ok I interpreted what you said wrong and I like to see a gun before I buy it. When I bought my hunting rifle I went to gander mtn. to look at it and then went to another guy at a small shop and he ordered it for me. Thanks to all for the info/feedback, it is highly appreciated. I will probably go down and look at it again tomorrow.
 
I would suggest if you buy it you do one thing , change the recoil spring by putting in a new Wolf 16# spring .

The Armscor springs are a tad light and 16 is the standard 1911 spring .

I did this in my full size Armscor made Charles Daly and functioning with factory rounds became 100% .
 
Today I went back to the gun shop to take another look at the gun. The man told me the gun was brand new and that they put the checkered grips on themselves. So I decided to buy it. The final out the door price was $510 and that was with 100 rounds of ammo. So then I asked my neighbor if he would like to come shooting with me and he did. Between us we put 100 rounds through the gun with only 3 failures to feed. Which I didn't think was bad for just the break in period with some of the cheapest and junkiest ammo I had ever seen. So I was very impressed with the gun because when I was on the last 3 rounds of my second mag all 3 round went into the head of a silhouette.
I have one question.I noticed that there were some nicks around the ejection port after about the first 40 rounds but then after that the number of nicks seemed to stay the same. Do you think that may have just been in the beginning and that it may have corrected itself or that if I notice more nicks that I may have a problem.
 
I also would like to know if the trijicon tritium sights are interchangeable between all 1911's or if there is a specific model I need to get. I saw ones that said they were for colt and kimber 1911's but didn't mention RIA.
 
Sounds like a good purchase! I'd second what BigO01 said about the heavier recoil spring; my new RIA's spring felt noticeably light to me on the range.

With the Trijicons, does your RIA have military style sights, or are they dovetailed? (not so familiar with this tactical RIA model) They're not really a plug and play, no gunsmithing option if you have a military style slide. If your slide already has dovetails cut, it's a different issue than if it doesn't.
 
For your sights the difference is in the cuts they have in the slide and which ones the sights are designed to fit .

You're always better off finding a good smith and asking to see as many examples of his work on 1911's as he can show you before turning your gun over to him to start filing on your slide if it is needed .

There are standard Colt cuts for the rear sight , Novak , Bomar , Kimber and then there is the front sight . A good smith can make any slight alterations needed to get a sight to fit by carefully filing the cut and not damaging the guns finish to the point it needs to be refinished .

Buy either sights designed for Colt 1911 and their clones or Novak's to require the least amount of fitting .

As far as dings around the ejection port you perhaps have a slight problem or it may have worked itself out .

At worst it is extractor and ejector that needs a slight amount of tuning to control the ejected cases , no big deal many semiautos have this slight "Problem" if it continues Call up Armscor and see if they will issue you a call tag and pick up shipping both ways for it to be fixed . If they wont pay for the shipping I would just take it to a good smith to have it fixed , fixing it will be less than the shipping if they want you to pay for it even if only one way as it is a Very very minor job for anyone who knows what they're doing .
 
Ok
I still am clueless about sights but thanks for telling me about the ejection problem. The only thing that ticks me off is that it left nicks on my new gun and that some of the brass is hitting me in the head.
 
RIA

I have three and have sold four and have never had any problems with them except for the recoil spring. As mentioned by some of the the other posters...replace the spring. As for the price, well, I've seen cheaper and I've seen a tad higher.
 
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