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Thread: RIA or Tisas 1911 for building on?

  1. #1
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    RIA or Tisas 1911 for building on?

    Hello folks,

    First and foremost, thank you for the post.

    Being a long time collector of both US and foreign small arms, my admiration for John Brownings 1911 runs deep. Although I have many military 1911's,
    I'm looking to build upon a platform and cannot decide which would be the better for the money. RIA or the Tisas, both in the GI configuration.

    I look forward to your replies. If this thread has been posted prior, please remove.

    Thank you and stay safe

    Tommy1121

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    I've heard relatively little from fellow gunsmiths about the Tisas 1911s, which may be telling that despite their low price point they aren't popular as base guns. It's not popular to say anything negative about the RIAs because RIA owners are the Glock fanboys of the 1911 world and will profess all day long that RIA is the epitome of bang for the buck (wait for the "my RIA has fired _____ rounds trouble free"). My experience is they are long on features while short on quality.

    Depending on what you are talking about building, the only parts usually worth saving are the slide and frame. You aren't going to get quality internals on very many production 1911s, anyhow. But, you might want to start with good quality slides and frames. For $100 or so more than the two you're looking at, you can probably get a Springfield Mil-Spec to start on, which usually has a decent slide and frame, even with a couple things out of spec. They have some drawbacks, too, like the glued in ejector; it will work, but needs to be drilled to replace it with a pinned-in replacement. If you really want to build a quality 1911, watch for Caspian's or Foster's slide/frame sales. You'll have more up front cost than buying a junker 1911 and replacing everything, but in the end you'll probably come out about the same, and you have a better quality pistol.

    If you are talking about a "build" with putting a few personal touches on a stock gun, then the RIA or Tisas may be the way to go.

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    usmc51,

    Thank you for our very informative reply. You definitely clarify on many areas of concerns. It is with your suggestion I will look with better quality components to build upon.
    Perhaps a rock bottom Colt would be better than the "glued" ejector in the SA Mil-Spec.

    I know the die hard RIA 1911 owners will possibly chime in, but at this point quality is where I'm going....

    Do you feel Colt would be a good place to start? Thank you sir. Please stay safe.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tommy1121 View Post
    usmc51,

    Thank you for our very informative reply. You definitely clarify on many areas of concerns. It is with your suggestion I will look with better quality components to build upon.
    Perhaps a rock bottom Colt would be better than the "glued" ejector in the SA Mil-Spec.

    I know the die hard RIA 1911 owners will possibly chime in, but at this point quality is where I'm going....

    Do you feel Colt would be a good place to start? Thank you sir. Please stay safe.
    If you don't mind the Johnny Cash method of "one piece at a time," I'd start with calling Caspian and ordering a Caspian or Foster receiver. Pick a slide, and for a nominal fee, they will 80% fit them. You're still going to need a gunsmith to do the build, but some like to start with an 80% fit, others like to do the entire fit themselves. Again, I'm just guessing you want a good shooter, not that you have a specific use in mind like a bullseye gun or USPSA Limited, etc, in which case I would say don't do anything yourself, have the specialized gunsmith tell you what they want.

    The glued ejector isn't terrible; I don't know anyone that has had one fail, personally. I have read online about them coming loose and when sent back to Springfield for warranty service that they drill and pin them. If you're going to have a complete build done, your gunsmith can change this later. If you want something good to shoot until you do the build, I wouldn't worry about it.

    Colts were the standard for a long time, but Colt has had rough patches, quality control issues, and you're going to pay a premium for a prancing pony maker's mark. I have quite a few Colts, but the ones that didn't have sentimental value are no longer in my collection. It drives me crazy that Colt can't seem to get the lines above the trigger straight. All of my commercial Colts, no matter the vintage have a bump there. Sooner or later I will correct them, but I haven't developed the skill or confidence that I will get the angles right, yet. Photo below from Jason Burton of Heirloom Precision, who is a master of 1911 gunsmithing.


    I should warn you that even if the parts themselves aren't much doing a build on a Caspian slide/frame, there is a LOT of labor that goes into building a 1911 right, and that's where starting with something that is complete may save you if you aren't going for a full rebuild. Find the right price on a Colt or Springfield and then figure out what you need done. I can almost guarantee the barrel legs will not have contact on the slide stop, so a new barrel and its fitting are something to budget in.

    Something I recall reading, but may be wrong about, the Brownell's retro custom 1911s they did briefly, I think were built on Tisas 1911 slides and frames. Never having had one in my hand to take apart and inspect I just can't speak to their quality. I'm not sure whether they just didn't sell or there were problems, but they are no longer marketing them. I'm sure someone on a forum has the inside scoop. Let us know what you go with and how your progress is.
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    Last edited by usmc51; 04-13-20 at 10:32.

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    Been a long time since I looked into that having made the move from 1911 to 9mm polymer wonder pistols, but I'd say 8/9 out of 10 smiths seemed to prefer SA for base gun for build outs when I was following such things. Custom I had made was done on a Ti Caspian frame and various hand picked stuff and it was a solid shooter and CCW gun for me.
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    Thank you gentlemen for your replies. I know more now than previously, and will heed this advice.
    I will let y'all know what I do....

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    I talked with a buddy that was one of my gunsmithing instructors and is a full time gunsmith now about RIA and Tisas. He had some good insight. He wasn't real familiar with the Tisas, either, but thinks at least their Hi Powers are supposed to be made very well; we think those are what Nighthawk is using on their Hi Power builds.

    Most surprising, he had some good things to say about the RIA, at least the ones ten or so years ago. They actually tested the steel hardness at the school and found the slides and frames to be fine at the time; I have since heard of a number of issues with Philippine steel, but you never know what you'll get. After junking all the internals (not unique to RIAs, you pretty much need to with any) and rebuilding, he said his RIAs were VERY accurate.

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    About 8 years ago I bought a standard series 80 Colt with the idea of doing some slow over time modifications. I really didn't want much done to it as I like the stock look but it has some enhancements that I find necessary. My example of one has been awesome and I would do it again with a Colt. Personally I would want a Colt or Springfield gun as a base for a serious custom build. If I were going to do the work myself as fun project/learning experience then I would want a cheaper starting point in case I buggered it up.

    Best regards

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    Quote Originally Posted by usmc51 View Post
    I talked with a buddy that was one of my gunsmithing instructors and is a full time gunsmith now about RIA and Tisas. He had some good insight. He wasn't real familiar with the Tisas, either, but thinks at least their Hi Powers are supposed to be made very well; we think those are what Nighthawk is using on their Hi Power builds.

    Most surprising, he had some good things to say about the RIA, at least the ones ten or so years ago. They actually tested the steel hardness at the school and found the slides and frames to be fine at the time; I have since heard of a number of issues with Philippine steel, but you never know what you'll get. After junking all the internals (not unique to RIAs, you pretty much need to with any) and rebuilding, he said his RIAs were VERY accurate.
    Interesting regarding the Tisas HiPower. I have considered one of those for quite some time.

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    Excellent replies fellas!....thanks again.

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