Rock Island 1911

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dnewton3

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Looking for some direct, first-hand info regarding the Rock Island brand of 1911s. (actaully own and/or handled)

My local Rural King has them on sale right now for $349, including two 8-round mags. REALLY hard to walk away from that price yesterday. It is the basic Gov type model; basic sixed sights, blued, wood grip, etc. Nothing fancy. But WOW what a price for a new 1911.

No - they are not a Kimber. No - I don't need it to be a Kimber. No - I don't need it at all; it's a want. I have a Glk 21. I want another, different platform. The 1911 is, as we know, an icon.

Just want to know if they are reasonably well made and hold up well. Do they have any idiosyncrasies that I should look for? Etc ...
 
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dnewton3 : The 1911 threads have overall great things to say about the RIA 1911's ...That is a great deal !! I will also add that owners rave about the factory service of RIA in Nevada - you can't go wrong plus a ton of aftermarket grips , beaver tails , sights , etc. available to consider playing with .
 
They are made by a good company. STI uses them to contract the frames and the slides(I think) for the Spartan line.

They have come a long way in the past 8 years. Some people say they need a bit of break in, but that is really it. I have been looking at getting one in 9mm myself for a while.
 
I've handled a few, and shot one or two at the public range.

I'm sure you are probably aware, these are Philippine made.

That is a good price.

It is probably parkerized vs blued, you may find the finish on the slide and frame don't match in color.

Unless things have changed, the frame is cast and the slide has been described as "machined" or "extruded"...

Again, unless things have changed the grip profile is slightly fatter than standard, which makes the margins a bit wide if you put standard stocks on one, it is an appearance issue only.

I find the finish and machine work rough, it is pretty obvious if you put it up against a 1911 from someone like Colt or Springfield. But it is also half (or less) the money.

My advice would be to inspect the one you get closely and do all the function test on it prior to transfer.

You may cruise m1911.org or 1911forum.com for any current issues with them, but generally they get high marks for customer service and response to any issues.
 
Yep the frames are cast....which is not a biggie. I mean Rugers are cast and work well. Last I saw Armscor guns(maker of the Rock Islands) use a machined bar stock slide.

Cheapest alternative that is GI styled and made in the USA would be Auto Ordnance, and they have a much less stellar record across the board.
 
A friend of mine has Officer size 1911 from RIA. It's really a sweet shooter. My dad has a few 1911 style pistols (a S&W Pro Series Government model size in 9mm and an STI Edge 2011 9mm), and I expected a compact .45 to be a lot more to handle, but it was really quite soft to shoot.

Man...for 350 bucks, it'd be hard to pass that deal up.
 
I have been kicking around buying an RIA for years. One of these days I will pick one up. I look at it as a gun I will probably tweak a little anyway, but I can get one with Novaks, good grip safety, thumb safety, hammer, trigger, etc for WAY cheaper than a Springfield, etc. If I have to drop a little money on some nice magazines (that will work in my Ruger anyway), and maybe some springs or something, big deal.
 
Originally Posted By: Robenstein
Yep the frames are cast....which is not a biggie. I mean Rugers are cast and work well. Last I saw Armscor guns(maker of the Rock Islands) use a machined bar stock slide. ...



I'm not looking to start a cast vs forged argument. I was simply stating it for a product education point of view.

At least a few years back, they were sort of circumspect about the slides, they were described as machined from bar stock or machined from extruded, much argument ensued...
 
I own 2 Rock Island 1911s and the for the price they cannot be beat. If u are looking for a high end, pretty, perfectly made, finished and fitted 1911, look elsewhere and be prepared to spend thousands. If u are looking for a work horse that shoots accurately, shoots all types of ammo, and u can beat on without worrying about marks,scratches, holster wear, this is the 1911 u want.
 
Well shoot, I came here thinking this was a railfan thread:
Rock_Island_Rocket.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
For the price it would be a good toy at least!
Coul't edit. Makes you wonder why we buy Glocks for $550 / $600. When the 1911 has more parts even if they are cast low end quality parts.
 
I have two, a tactical and a compact.

They're fine guns, excellent value for the money. I don't care for the stock grips, and changed them out on both of mine.
 
Its a decent enough plinker if you want to get into that platform. I'd spend my money elsewhere if it was me though as I despise the 1911.
 
From my research, there are plenty of online reviews and it seems to be a decent gun. I have not read anything recent that would indicate it's unworthy. Most praise the vaule of it and it's ability to function well. And that's all I'm after. It does not pretend to be a Kimber or such ilk; that's fine by me.

For the record, per the RIA site the frame is cast steel but the slide is forged. Parkerized, too; reports of the finish wearing and such - I don't really care.

I want a solid, reliable 1911, and all the online research I've seen shows this to be what I seek. From those who have made personal observations of ownership and use, I appreciate the feedback. I am a Glock man through-and-through, but I like the 1911 and recognize an icon when I see it. It's to be a plinker and not something I'm going to carry. So I see no sense in spending a lot more money for anything but the backyard gun it's to be.

As I said, for $349 with two mags it's to hard to pass up. I am going to get one tonight after work. The hardest part will be to walk away before I decide to buy two at that price.
 
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Originally Posted By: CT8
Kimbers are very impressive. They have name recognition.



And the price to go along with it. Kimbers of the past are superior to what they turn out now IMHO. For anyone interested...buds gun shop had Armscor made 1911 tactical 9mm models for about 330 bucks. Same company makes them, just branded different on the slide.
 
Originally Posted By: Robenstein
Originally Posted By: CT8
Kimbers are very impressive. They have name recognition.



And the price to go along with it. Kimbers of the past are superior to what they turn out now IMHO. For anyone interested...buds gun shop had Armscor made 1911 tactical 9mm models for about 330 bucks. Same company makes them, just branded different on the slide.


There are several in the price bracket that turn out a better pistol than Kimber for the money, Dan Wesson for one...

I neglected to mention earlier that the RIAs Ive shot at the public range shot and functioned fine. For the stated purpose an RIA will do fine.

I'm going to have to look into the forged slide...
 
Bought it last night. Was the last one they had in stock.
Excellent example of a decent build with no frills but good appearance and quality.

RE the slide: from their FAQ -
https://us.armscor.com/support-center/faq-center
"What are your frames and slides made out of?
Our 1911 Frames are Cast 4140 Carbon Steel and our Slides are Forged 4140 Steel."
 
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Originally Posted By: dnewton3
Looking for some direct, first-hand info regarding the Rock Island brand of 1911s. (actaully own and/or handled)

My local Rural King has them on sale right now for $349, including two 8-round mags. REALLY hard to walk away from that price yesterday. It is the basic Gov type model; basic sixed sights, blued, wood grip, etc. Nothing fancy. But WOW what a price for a new 1911.

No - they are not a Kimber. No - I don't need it to be a Kimber. No - I don't need it at all; it's a want. I have a Glk 21. I want another, different platform. The 1911 is, as we know, an icon.

Just want to know if they are reasonably well made and hold up well. Do they have any idiosyncrasies that I should look for? Etc ...


dnewton3,

I have one in basic form (GI only) and found it to be a fantastic pistol!!! For the price of $349 I'd go for it in a heart beat. My barrel can be a little better made but it shoots easily in a 5" pie plate at 25 yards so I just leave it alone.

Durango
 
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