Rock Island 1911 - Can you make a silk.......
purse out of a sow's ear? I've been thinking about purchasing a Rock Island 1911 to customize. Do they truly share the same dimensions as all other 1911's? Has anyone already done this and if so, what were your results? I've owned my Colt Commander for many years and it's a great shooter. I would just like to have something else in .45 ACP that is equally, or more accurate. [;)]
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Git R Done is the man to ask about RI .45s 0 -
A RIA is a great platform for what you are wanting.
Since you allready own a Colt you must allready know that very few aftermarket parts will be a true drop-in, and a good portion will take some minor fitting. But I know sereral people who have done this fitting themselves without a gunsmiths help.
I currently have one of my GI 5" models out being plated and completly customized with sights, beavertail, hammer, trigger, and different springs. I would have done more of the work myself but I do not have any type of a work area to do it as I live in a mobile home and have not gotten a work shop building yet. Also the gunsmith I have doing this is doing a RIA build for himself at the same time he is doing mine and is basicly doing matching builds.
Look over on this forum:
http://forum.m1911.org/forumdisplay.php?f=17
This is a RIA forum and there are quite a few people there who have done builds on thier RIA's and can steer you better than myself as to which aftermarket parts take the least fitting and such.
There is also the President of Armscor, a couple of people who work at the plant building them, and Ivan who is the National Rep for Armscor who post there. They also have done customizing on some of their RIA guns.
And these guns are far from a sows ear even straight out of the box. I currently have 6 of them and the only problem I have had is with my midsized, and that was only a case of hammer bite! All have been darn accurate and no fireing problems at all.
I will say that my models with the full length guide rods seem to hold a little better grouping than the standard GI's. I am not sure if this is just me or if the FLGR really makes a difference, but it has been my observation.
If you need any more help feel free to contact me. If I don't have an answer I am sure I know someone who does when it comes to any RIA guns.0 -
Thanks a bunch Kevin! I really appreciate it! [^] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by HobbyGuy
Thanks a bunch Kevin! I really appreciate it! [^]
Any time!
I think you will really like the RIA platform once you give it a try. They are the best thing going for the money as far as I'm concerned.[:D]0 -
What do they typically sell for ??
Doug0 -
quote:Originally posted by Doug Wilson
What do they typically sell for ??
Doug
They are about 350.00 then another 400.00 to turn it into a silk purse.0 -
quote:Originally posted by MVP
quote:Originally posted by Doug Wilson
What do they typically sell for ??
Doug
They are about 350.00 then another 400.00 to turn it into a silk purse.
$425 for a tactical and most of the work is allready done, and that includes shipping.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=70599042
And I have bought 3 RIA's from Bellshire. They are very pleasent to deal with and I highly recomend buying from them.
Only upgrades you will probly want on that gun is maybe a different trigger and some different sights (comes with standard novak cut). It allready has the FLGR, beavertail and hammer and desent sights and trigger.0 -
put another grand in it, and you will still only have a ria 0 -
quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
put another grand in it, and you will still only have a ria
I'll take my RIA Tactical and shoot against one of your $1000+ Colt's, kimber's or springfield any time and keep right there with them![:D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by git_r_done
quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
put another grand in it, and you will still only have a ria
I'll take my RIA Tactical and shoot against one of your $1000+ Colt's, kimber's or springfield any time and keep right there with them![:D]
i will take that bet any day, winner keeps the loosers gun
but what i said is true, add a grand to it, will it change it from a ria?, will it increase the resale value?0 -
I have a RIA frame laying right here on my desk. I posted this earlier. I got out the mic, caliper and gage pins and my kuhnhausen manual supplied drawings and it is biult to print as far as the machining goes......
I did see where the frame was stamped the letters can be seen on the oposite of the stamping which may indicate the is somewhat soft I don't remember seeing on my other 1911's....0 -
quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
put another grand in it, and you will still only have a ria
I did just that found complete Remington Rand save for the frame slapped it on a RIA Frame and And even thou it is a fine little gun all everyone sees is that IRA frame. I have 500 bucks in a 300 dollar gun....Not worth the effort....0 -
It's funny, as I have owned several 1911's from various makers over the past thirty years. Other than a match grade Colt, they all shoot about the same. After putting a thousand rounds or so through any of them, they became sloppy and inaccurate. I've only put about 500-600 rounds through my eight year old Colt Commander and I can already tell the difference from when it was new. The reason I want to do the RI project is to keep costs in check. Buying a new Colt and tricking it out is like buying a new Harley and taking off all the factory parts to install "hop-ups". Stupidest thing I've ever seen a new Harley owner do (and most new Harley owners do exactly that). By the time I finish my RI project, I could guarantee that it will outshoot any standard production Colt or Kimber (for hundreds less and the way I want it vs. how it's offered). [;)] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by HobbyGuy
Can you make a silk purse out of a sow's ear?
No, but I can make my bath water bubble...0 -
quote:Other than a match grade Colt, they all shoot about the same. After putting a thousand rounds or so through any of them, they became sloppy and inaccurate
Yup!...Some day I'll give the RIA's a try...just for the 'sperience...0 -
quote:No, but I can make my bath water bubble...
...but,...can ya catch 'em...0 -
quote:Originally posted by Mo Grits
quote:No, but I can make my bath water bubble...
...but,...can ya catch 'em...
You might as well believe one could catch the wind...0 -
let me make this clear, when i stated put another grand in it, and you will still only have a ria, it was a logical observation, no need for everyone to get their underwear in a bunch, i have said the same thing several times on this board about essex, and springfield
btw, not a colt fan at all, and kimber is way over rated, i have 28,000 rounds through my Wilson, and it is as tight, and accurate as the day i bought, they do not show wear for 500,000 rounds, so dollar for dollar it is a better deal, you will go through a minimum of 5 guns to match it
i got another 15,000 rounds to put through it by the end of summer0 -
Here's another way to drop a pile of money (which is exactly what I don't want to do) for a hybrid 1911. [;)]
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=699153380 -
it is still only a colt 0 -
quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
quote:Originally posted by git_r_done
quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
put another grand in it, and you will still only have a ria
I'll take my RIA Tactical and shoot against one of your $1000+ Colt's, kimber's or springfield any time and keep right there with them![:D]
i will take that bet any day, winner keeps the loosers gun
but what i said is true, add a grand to it, will it change it from a ria?, will it increase the resale value?
I'd pitch in $10 to the travel costs of one or the other of these two. I wanna see that contest!0 -
quote:SERIES 70 Colt Competition GOLD CUP
Had one...thought it was a POS...won't have a'nuther...0 -
quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
quote:Originally posted by git_r_done
quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
put another grand in it, and you will still only have a ria
I'll take my RIA Tactical and shoot against one of your $1000+ Colt's, kimber's or springfield any time and keep right there with them![:D]
i will take that bet any day, winner keeps the loosers gun
but what i said is true, add a grand to it, will it change it from a ria?, will it increase the resale value?
I guess if you worry about resale value you would be right. But I have never bought a gun for resale value! I buy my guns to shoot and keep!
I have only sold 2 guns that I ever bought. 1 I never shot anymore ( Jennigs .380) The other I bought for my dad and it did not fit his hands so I gave him a different gun instead and sold the one I originally bought him (Hi-point .45).
I doubt I will ever sell many if any of my guns. So therefore RIA will suit me just fine.
And I also got over 3000 rounds through my RIA tactical and it shows no wear at all and shoots as good as the day I got it!0 -
quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
quote:Originally posted by git_r_done
quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
put another grand in it, and you will still only have a ria
I'll take my RIA Tactical and shoot against one of your $1000+ Colt's, kimber's or springfield any time and keep right there with them![:D]
i will take that bet any day, winner keeps the loosers gun
but what i said is true, add a grand to it, will it change it from a ria?, will it increase the resale value?
And by the way, When I said I would shoot right with it I ment as far as reliability.
I am first to admit I am not the best pistol shot in the world.[:(]
But I know my RIA's will go bang with no problems when the trigger is pulled.[:D]0 -
I have been looking at the RIA for sometime now....But I just bought another old Colt instead. Nothing against the RIA, but 10 years from the now the Colt will be worth more than I paid for it and the RIA, well only time will tell.... 0 -
quote:Originally posted by William81
I have been looking at the RIA for sometime now....But I just bought another old Colt instead. Nothing against the RIA, but 10 years from the now the Colt will be worth more than I paid for it and the RIA, well only time will tell....
Everyone says that.
I do know that I was offered $600 for my midsized 4" RIA that I paid $400 for last December. They are no longer makeing the 4" and a person who wanted one made the offer.
Also if you look at the RIA prices now verses what they were even just 6 month ago they are going up.
The word is getting out quick on the reliability of them and has caused a buying spree and the factory is currently expanding production. Very soon they will be meeting production rates to the demand, but right now they are a bit off the pace.
But they are not trying to rush anything and cause a problem in reliability.0 -
I hope you are right...Kimber really started out with a bang and were really reasonable when they first came out. Now they seem to have more QC problems. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by William81
I hope you are right...Kimber really started out with a bang and were really reasonalbe when they fisrt came out. Now they seem to have more QC problems.
I talk to Ivan (the national rep) quite a bit. He has assured me that they will not let the quality of there product go down. If anything it will go up.
Myself (I own 6 of them) and many other RIA owners from the forum I posted earlier all agree that they allready have as good if not better quality than those other much more expensive guys.
And not once have I said that those other guys make a bad gun. All I have said is I get just as good if not a little better quality for alot less money.0
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