View Full Version : Rock Island Firearms
Anyone have their 1911? Im thinking of picking up one for my first handgun.
I've seen two on the line that I know of.
One wouldn't run through a magazine without suffering a stoppage. The other ran great for about a box and a half of ammo before the hammer sheared in half.
However, a few people here at M4C have relayed much better experiences with their RIAs.
So i guess its like everything else ... If you want to go cheap your risking the waste of your money? Right? Like if i were to get a crappy quadrail instead of a Troy or a crapy flashlight instead of surefire.. Samething goes?
It all depends on what you want to do with it and what you expect it to do for you.
There might, by random chance, be a RIA 1911 that comes off the production floor shooting better and lasting longer than your average Wilson Combat or Les Baer. The problem is figuring out how to get that particular RIA 1911 instead of one of the "average" ones. Because I think most would agree that the average Wilson/Baer is going to be many orders of magnitude superior. They'll also be four times as expensive.
There are a whole lot of in-the-trenches people who've found that a $500 Glock works better for them than a $2,000 custom 1911.
dwhitehorne
08-04-08, 14:12
I had a RIA I sold earlier this spring. I got it in a trade because of all the rave reviews on the M1911 forum. It is what it is, a low cost 1911 copy. Mine shot great and worked for the few rounds I put through it. I'm not a high speed operator so the RIA worked for me. I had 2 Kimbers and a Charles Daly EMS at the time so I sold off the RIA. The milspec version I had came with small hard to see sights and the grip safety chewed up the web of my hand after about a 200 round range session. I would recommend the RIA tactical version if you go with the RIA. If you are looking for a low cost 1911 to try go for it. RIA is suppose to have great customer service so I've been told. My two cents, I would not get a budget 45 as my first pistol, but that's just me. David
i've owned two, at std GI model and the Tactical. both ran fine for me. the only areas i ran into any problems with was parts replacement; while all pin holes, etc seemed straight, more fitting was involved than usual with things light sights, triggers, MSH's, and guide rods. YMMV
I buddy of mine got one willed to him by his dad. The trigger pull was different every single time. Nothing that can't be fixed but I wasn't impressed with my first exposure.
This is a cheap ($399) range blaster that I just picked up. Made by High Standard, which (as I understand it) comes off the same production line as the Rock Islands. I've been told that the first order of business is to toss the supplied mag into the trash. These have cast frames, barstock slides and supposedly hammer-forged barrels:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/pb57/HPIM0782.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/pb57/HPIM0781.jpg
When i get one ill probably get all black or nickle.
I saw two at my local gun shop .. one was nickle and was $480 the other was black and $395 or something like that. THen i looked at the GSR's awwww they are awesome .. id get the full size Rock Island but id get the Compact GSR. Ill Probably just buy the RI because if i dont like it i can sell it and get what i want,
it is Filipino made if memory serves...not sure of the quality of the forgings/assembly - be ware, may need to be smithed to get reliable. You'd end up spending well over $500 more to get it carry reliable if it is not so out of the box.
My $.02:
For about the same money I might stick to a larger name with Lifetime warranty/US based support and a solid track record:ie. a Spingfield GI, or used COLT or Kimber.
I had one I recieved in trade at a small pawn shop I used to deal with about 3-4 years ago...sold it within 4 months to a boss i had at the time:D. It really was not a bad pistol for the money....put about 1200 rounds of BALL through it. The slide to frame fit was VERY loose...had some FTF problems so I cleaned up the ramp and it pretty much solved that issue. I would also suggest a springfield (better built pistol imo).
citizensoldier16
08-06-08, 23:03
mpardun is right, they're made in the Phillipines...but to my understanding, COLT sold the tooling and machining rights to RIA, so they're basically a 1940's Colt made by a different factory.
I have one, and love it. It eats everything I put in it, including HP's. I've never had a jam or a misfire. I've replaced a few parts on it, but shot it in it's original configuration for about a year. I love mine.
My $0.02: get rid of the smooth factory grips and install checkered wood or Hogue grips.
exitinyourhead
08-06-08, 23:41
on the springfield gi note, I have one. Would feed nothing consistently out of the box... tuned the extractor and it worked a LITTLE better. replaced it with a wilson combat bullet proof and it improved SOME. Replaced the mags with Wilson Elite tacticals and now the gun has improved to unreliable.
I'm going to do a complete custom job with this pistol as a base. If you are looking for a very reliable gun out of the box. I would recommend you keep shopping. I was shocked at how unreliable this pistol was when test firing out of the box. These were failures to eject and failures to feed and failures to lock back the slide on last round.
Charles Daly
08-07-08, 07:58
mpardun is right, they're made in the Phillipines...but to my understanding, COLT sold the tooling and machining rights to RIA, so they're basically a 1940's Colt made by a different factory....
There is no truth to this story, at all. Colt sold nothing to the factory in the Philippines that makes the RIA pistol. Where this rumor got started, one can only guess, but I can tell you with 100% certainty, it is false. the only truth in the above statement is that they are Made in the Philippines.
I beleve the same people that own Springfield Armory used to own Rock Island Armory
citizensoldier16
08-07-08, 18:29
Thanks Charles Daly for setting the record straight. I have heard that rumor from multiple websites, but not with any official statements. I must say I have to take your word over that of the Misinformation Super Highway.
Still, mine shoots great. It's no defense gun, but its great fun at the range and it's accurate as heck. A good starter .45 nonetheless IMO.
I hate that my first post here is in the midst of controversy, but I want to clarify a few things about the Rock Island Armory 1911's. This is not the same company that was started by D. Reese who's family operates Springfield Inc.
Also, Colt has no ties to RIA and has never sold them any tooling or parts.
And finally, regardless of what has been published about Rock Island Armory 1911's and the Phillipine factory, the parts are made in China and only assembled in the Phillipines to get around current import restrictions placed on Chinese firearms.
I'm thinking hard about getting one of their Tanfoglio clones:
http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/07e165397e791ca34f57395922bfd3519e89a93a.pjpg
Charles Daly
08-07-08, 22:13
I hate that my first post here is in the midst of controversy, but I want to clarify a few things about the Rock Island Armory 1911's. This is not the same company that was started by D. Reese who's family operates Springfield Inc.
Also, Colt has no ties to RIA and has never sold them any tooling or parts.
And finally, regardless of what has been published about Rock Island Armory 1911's and the Phillipine factory, the parts are made in China and only assembled in the Phillipines to get around current import restrictions placed on Chinese firearms.
Mule,
What makes you think the Philippine made RIA has Chinese parts in it?
Sincerely,
I have one of the GI models and I love it. Accurate reliable with a pretty good trigger. My only gripe is the GI sights. I plan to have them replaced ASAP.
Mule,
What makes you think the Philippine made RIA has Chinese parts in it? And something more than "I heard it from my cousin who's uncle once worked on a bus that passed the Philippine factory once a day". :rolleyes:
While the first half of your post might seem to indicate you know what you're talking about, the last paragraph reveals you really don't have a clue.
Sincerely,
+1
Very interesting first post for Mule.....
Lagadelphia
08-07-08, 22:23
I've had one for several years now and after about ~125 or so rounds, it has been flawless ever since. During that break in time I would occasionally have the slide lock back with one still left in the mag or some times the last round in the mag would eject along with the last fired empty. Like I said, after about 125 rounds, that went away. I only have tried ball ammo as it is just a range toy. I don't care if it can or cannot feed HP's.
I bought it to see what all the fuss was about with the 1911 model pistol. I'm a Glock guy so it was never going to be my goto pistol so I wasn't going to spend a whole lot for just a range toy. If I didn't like it, I wouldn't be out much as I am loath to sell guns. I've sold two and have regretted it ever since. I did a lot of reading about it and about how great the CS was should you ever need it so I took the plunge.
I've been happy with mine for what it is. Looking at the internals and the machining marks on the inside of the slide, etc... you can tell that it isn't a painstakingly made firearm. It's crude but it works.
How someone can determine my experience and first hand knowledge from a brief internet statement really shows who has a clue or not:rolleyes:
Being an engineer in the small arms industry with a focus on military small arms procurement, I know a little about metallurgical compositions and machine tooling.
Metallurgical properties are like DNA, very easy to establish the origin. And with numerous reference samples of Chinese military firearms, including Norinco 1911's, and Rock Island Armory .45's for comparison, it's not hard to come to the conclusion that only enough work is done in the Philippines to get around the import restrictions. Anyone here care to compare tool marks on a previously imported Norinco 1911 to a Rock Island Armory 1911? Want to guess where the Philippine operation got the tooling that they do use? But, this is nothing new, lots of US firearms companies do similar sourcing of their parts and try to hide the fact. It's my job to make sure no substandard parts make it into the military supply chain. This kind of sub-sourcing can get one in a jam depending on the end use of the component. Lots of examples of fraud related to military contracting and violating Country of Origin restrictions is referenced via the FOIA on the DoD IG website. There was also a ATF investigation a few years ago related to an importation operation that referenced the Philippine facility. Supporting documentation revealed the gun manufacturing facility in the Philippines did not house adequate equipment to support full production of firearms. I'm not implying illegal activity is taking place, but only pointing out the structured manufacturing process to comply with US State Dept restrictions on the importation of Chinese military firearms/weapons placed upon the US commercial market. Of course I could be wrong, maybe they are doing everything in-house at that Philippine factory as of recently. I don't really see any of this as being a big deal, our tax dollars just bought 10's of thousands of Chinese AK's via Jordan for the Iraqi Army, now that's a reason to call out if someone needs one.
Everyone please stick to facts and leave the name-calling and personal challenges to more appropriate forums (like showyourass.com).
Mule, pm inbound.
PM replied with requested information
Ok. For an opinion on the Rock I offer you this:
Purchased in March o7, my RIA 1911 .45ACP has had no failures. I've fired over 1300 standard hardball and Federal Hydrashoks with very nice results. Like a few have stated, the old GI style sights suck. No ding to RIA, but an acknowledgement that times change and so does technology. Better sights are available and worth the extra dough. As a low end firearm for learning basic smithing, it's a good one. Ray and Ivan, two of their more familiar representatives on the 'net are on a few different sites and correspond with ease to all who ask for assistance with customer service. They (RIA) have been know to replace entire pistols due to problems that arose from the factory. I don't carry mine as a duty or CCW, but I enjoy the fact that mine functions properly when used. It's my .45 fun gun, nothing more, nothing less. For $350, I added a .38 Super to my fold. Low price but again a functioning tool that just works. What the original poster thinks, I hope he fires a few different models before settling down for just anything. That's just a smart way to select what you're going to be happy with.
Sorry for the book, just my two cents.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2042/2223115391_ace65884fa_b.jpg
hi mule, can you provide documentation and sources for your information? thanks.
Charles Daly
08-08-08, 14:53
PM replied with requested information
I would also like a PM (or public posting if Mule is willing) any documentation he might have on the Phillipine factory that makes RIA (Armscor) that shows Chinese components are used in the production of RIA guns. Since Charles Daly, Hi-Standard and STI are also made in that facility, it is of great interest to several of us if Mule's statement is correct.
Photographs comparing tool marks of the Chinese and Philippine component would be interesting, but not definitive, unless they were taken by an independant party. However, it would bolster Mule's position just to see them.
State Department has always taken the position that if only 1 part from a proscribed country is used in the production of a firearm, then that firearm would not be able to be imported into the US.
If Armscor is breaking the ITAR regs, then State Department (PM-DTC) needs to know about it.
ETA: My apologies for the earlier name calling.
Geez, does that mean that my High Standard M1911 is loaded with illegal parts? :D
exitinyourhead
08-08-08, 18:34
Geez, does that mean that my High Standard M1911 is loaded with illegal parts? :D
don't know... what brand ammo are you using?
*rim shot*
well, I only have three, so this isn't a definitive tested result.......all three function flawlessly, are very accurate, and covered by no-questions-asked complete warrantee......nuff said
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