Rock Island & Citadel

[stilllearning]

Talking about the 1911 clones, Ok they are both made be Armscor But what are the differences if any in the two brands? Is one made from rusted Chevy's and the other from recycled Army tanks? Are some features altered between the two? Just curious, I have been thinking about getting a compact and it seems the Rock Islands are "out of stock" while al least some of the Citadels are in inventory. Reason for this?

There's a reason for the name, Stilllearnig.

 

[wally]

I can't tell you about Citadel. But if you buy the RIA you get their great Customer Support. Use the search, my experience is here:
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...mscore-customer-support.819054/#post-10521646

If buying Citadel also gets you RIA support I'd say go for it, if not, I'd wait for an RIA to be available.

 

[12Bravo20]

I looked on the Citadel/Legacy Sports web site and they list the exact same address to send in 1911 pistols for repair as for Rock Island Armory pistols. Customer service is top notch. I can say that I personally have not had to use the warrenty on either of my Rocks.

 

[RPRNY]

Armscor makes surprisingly good value for money 1911s. I can't get over the black rattle can "parkerized" finish, but my FDE Cerakote finish RIA compact is fine. Accurate and reliable.

I think the guns in the Citadel line are the exact same as the RIA branded guns, albeit with some different finishes, and just branded Citadel for Legacy.

 

[LiveLife]

I can only speak for RIA Tactical and Citadel 1911 I compared with my Sig 1911.

I got to shoot several brand new out of the box RIA Tacticals and was so impressed that I suggested a friend, who was looking for a 1911, to buy one. I also had a chance to buy a Citadel so I was able to compare the two pistols in detail alongside my railed Sig 1911 XO.

RIA Tactical is the "Glock" of 1911s. With enlarged tapered chamber opening and longer leade/start of rifling, will feed and chamber even sloppy 200 gr LSWC reloads that won't pass the chambers of Citadel/Sig 1911. Friend's RIA Tactical reliably fed SWC reloads even after extended range session of several hundred rounds and dirty while my Sig and Citadel slowed down. Both Sig and Citadel reliably fed SWC reloads with factory, Chip McCormick Power Mag and Wilson Combat 47D magazines when clean and up to several hundred rounds of dirty reloads.

Citadel is more of a target pistol and fit/finish were better than RIA Tactical and internal parts showed less machining marks. With tighter chamber and shorter leade/start of rifling (Sig has virtually no leade), Citadel actually produced slightly smaller groups than my Sig 1911 (which produces sub 2" groups at 25 yards with me resting my hands on a small ice chest). In comparison, RIA Tactical will produce comparable groups at 15 yards as Sig 1911 but will produce slightly larger groups at 25 yards - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/rmrs-own-line-of-thick-plated-bullets.761471/

So if you reload and want a 1911 that will reliably chamber even slightly larger spec SWC reloads, I would suggest the RIA Tactical. If you want a tighter target pistol, I would suggest the Citadel.

 

[stilllearning]

Great feedback! Thanks everybody!

 

[Fiv3r]

I've had an RIA and it was a great gun.
I currently have a Citadel that may be the most accurate pistol in my collection.

Fit and finish are are top notch.

I wouldn't say the Citadel is a good 1911 for the money. I would just say that that Citadel is a good 1911. More accurate than my Springfield loaded model at twice the price.

 

[Everready73]

If your looking for a Rock Island check it Sarco. They have a good selection and done if the best prices I have seen. Especially on the tactical and 2011 models

 

[MAKster]

The Citadel branded 1911s have the same specs as the discontinued Charles Daly branded guns. Legacy Sports just contracted with Armscor to build these guns. If you agreed to buy 5,000 units from Armscor they will put any name on them you specify. Another example is Uberti. Their guns are sold under the Cimarron, Taylor's, EMF, and Uberti name.

 

[sarge83]

I have a couple of Rock Island 1911's, both have been accurate and reliable. I have changed the grips on one piece, only changes made.

 

[HankC]

RIA is Life Time warranty. I heard Citadel is limited.

 

[Ca survivor]

I would go RIA, but guns are usually surprises, I ended up with ATI 4.25" and to this day can't figure out why is so accurate and reliable, because most of the parts are soft steel and out of specs.

 

[BigBore44]

Ok guys, I just made the jump and bought a RIA 1911 Tac II 5" 10mm basically sight unseen. And I need a couple questions answered. Should I ask here, or start a new thread?

Edit: Never mind, I'll just start a new thread. Wont take long to get the answers I need.