I've thought about buying one for recreational shooting and tinkering and am motivated by their good reputation. Finding a used one cheap will help soften the blow when the buyer decides to sell or trade it.
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I've thought about buying one for recreational shooting and tinkering and am motivated by their good reputation. Finding a used one cheap will help soften the blow when the buyer decides to sell or trade it.
Thanks this is helpful. While I don't see it being a everyday range gun, I am concerned about potential issues at higher round counts. I've done a lot of looking and I think your 1500 rounds might be the highest I've seen. I imagine a lot of people buy these to have a handgun but aren't interested in shooting that much so it just sits around.
Thanks for the input everyone, I think I am gonna pull the trigger on this one. I'll see if I can order one tomorrow and go from there.
Update: I looked around and couldn't find a decent price on the RIA, local shops were asking between $525-575 for it. I found it on buds for $460 + free shipping and since I have my FFL I won't have to pay a transfer, I just don't like using my FFL for private purchases when it can be avoided. I was a little hesitant purchasing an unseen firearm but the few RIAs I saw in person seemed pretty consistent in terms of barrel fit, slide to frame fit, and trigger so I imagine it will work out.
I have a few upgrades planned, almost all are spare parts I took off from other pistols, and my intention is not to spend any extra money on it seeing as how it's a range gun only. That being said, the only upgrade I think necessary based on the guns I handled is the grips. The stock RIA grips are terrible. Other than that I think re-profiling the ambi safety, installing a longer trigger, and replacing the polymer mainspring housing with spare one I have around are the only upgrades I'll do after I do some shooting with it. I will try to post a detailed range review when I get it.
Would a RIA make a good gunsmith starter pistol?
I just wanted to add my 1 cent in. I've put probably 800 round through mine.
I had a lot of malfunctions in the first couple hundred rounds. I bought a Trypp magazine and those problms went away. Now even the original magazine seems to work fine. The gun is rough, but pretty darn accurate of a pistol. The grips that come with it are pretty big, and if it stays I'll need to replace the safety, its just too rough.
I feel like its an inexpensive in to 1911 market. Frankly, I'm not sure I won't sell this one buts it won't be because it preforms well. Heck, I can shoot it better than my Glock 19. I'm just not sure I'll stay with the 1911 platform. My wife doesn't like it, and I'm not in love with it.
It depends on what you are looking for. If you want to purchase a gun to work on yourself and create a pistol that suits you without investing a lot of money, it seems, from what I've heard, that RIA might be a good place to start. I originally started working on 1911s using Springfield GI or Mil-Spec models as base guns.
However if you want to buy a pistol for a true gunsmith to work on and create something from, I think investing in something a little more high-end might be a better option. Like I said in a previous post, I haven't heard of too many people with high round counts through their RIA whereas I've heard a lot more good info about high round count Springfields or Kimbers.
It's like cars: you can tune a Honda Civic, but it is still a Honda Civic.
Good value for the money and good customer service.
I've have a little over 500 rounds through my RIA 9mm, and there is no noticeable wear on it. It has been 100% reliable since from its first round. I see no reason whatsoever that this cannot be an "everyday range gun". It will certainly be capable of digesting 1000's of rounds. There is no reason why it would not. Plus, it has a lifetime warranty. I paid $450.00 for mine about 2 years ago and think very highly of it. It is extremely accurate, with minimal recoil. Let us know how you like yours after you receive it. Enjoy.