3 1/2" Rock Island Arms 1911 9mm

[waco]

For around $450 sounds like a fun little gun.
Anyone have any first hand experience with one?
Do they shoot cast well?
Looks like a good little carry piece.
Walter

[downwind]

Don't have the 9, but I do have the 45.

Had to replace the recoil spring right away(stock one was junk! wouldn't return it to battery and is very common on this model)
Replaced it with a Wolff 24 pound spring, then it worked great.

Extractor required a full tuning (part very rough and tension way too tight)

Barrel had to be ramped in order to feed cast semi wad cutter Lyman 452460

Barrel comes with a very minimal ramp for ball ammo only (as stated in manual)

After this TLC it has become my favorite 45 for range and carry!

The gun is on the heavy side, but it helps in the recoil department.

From what I have read on several 1911 forums Armscor would have replaced springs and given the gun a tuning as well as paid for shipping both ways without a blink of an eye, but the tinkerer in me and the wait just wouldn't allow that!

Buy the way it is quite accurate, and most people I have let shoot it really like it.

I forgot to mention I have the tactical model.

Hope this helps
THANKS
DOWNWIND


For around $450 sounds like a fun little gun.
Anyone have any first hand experience with one?
Do they shoot cast well?
Looks like a good little carry piece.
Walter

[waco]

Thanks for the input.

[Mk42gunner]

Get a holster and use it religiously. The short (~Officer's ACP length) 1911's are just so handy you want to stick it in the back pocket of your jeans. This does not strike me as a smart thing to do with a cocked and locked 1911.

I don't have one of the Rock Island ones, but I did have Para Ordnance LDA 745 about ten years ago. It was a very handy little gem, the only two things I didn't like was the round topped rear sight, and I could not get used to a pivoting double action trigger on what was basically a tiny 1911.

For $450 I may have to take a look at one, I still have a few full size 9mm magazines somewhere.

Robert

[Bored1]

Don't have the 9, but I do have the 45.

Had to replace the recoil spring right away(stock one was junk! wouldn't return it to battery and is very common on this model)
Replaced it with a Wolff 24 pound spring, then it worked great.

Extractor required a full tuning (part very rough and tension way too tight)

Barrel had to be ramped in order to feed cast semi wad cutter Lyman 452460

Barrel comes with a very minimal ramp for ball ammo only (as stated in manual)

After this TLC it has become my favorite 45 for range and carry!

The gun is on the heavy side, but it helps in the recoil department.

From what I have read on several 1911 forums Armscor would have replaced springs and given the gun a tuning as well as paid for shipping both ways without a blink of an eye, but the tinkerer in me and the wait just wouldn't allow that!

Buy the way it is quite accurate, and most people I have let shoot it really like it.

I forgot to mention I have the tactical model.

Hope this helps
THANKS
DOWNWIND

That's completely true!!! I had the same problems with my gun. Called and got a shipping label for free in about 2 days. Had my 45 compact back in my hands less than 3 weeks after I shipped it off, not a problem since. It has quickly become my favorite gun. First 1911 I've shot or owned, however everyone who has more experience with them than I do that has shot it has been very impressed by it after the tuning by the factory!!!

Would buy one again in a heartbeat!!!!

[rondog]

I also have the .45 Compact, love it a lot. Pretty much stopped wearing it though because the weight on my hip can aggravate my lower back problems. I moved toward lighter pocket pistols. But I never had a problem with my RIA Compact .45 1911.

[historicfirearms]

Don't trust your life on a $450 Philippine special. I've had a officers RIA in 45. It is made out of soft metal and will not hold up for very long. It also wasn't reliable enough to use for self defense.

Lots of people on the Internet have high praise for Rock Islands. I've never been one to just give unearned praise, just giving actual experience here.

[Bubba w/a 45/70]

Don't have the 9, but I do have the 45.

Had to replace the recoil spring right away(stock one was junk! wouldn't return it to battery and is very common on this model)
Replaced it with a Wolff 24 pound spring, then it worked great.

Extractor required a full tuning (part very rough and tension way too tight)

Barrel had to be ramped in order to feed cast semi wad cutter Lyman 452460

Barrel comes with a very minimal ramp for ball ammo only (as stated in manual)

After this TLC it has become my favorite 45 for range and carry!

The gun is on the heavy side, but it helps in the recoil department.

From what I have read on several 1911 forums Armscor would have replaced springs and given the gun a tuning as well as paid for shipping both ways without a blink of an eye, but the tinkerer in me and the wait just wouldn't allow that!

Buy the way it is quite accurate, and most people I have let shoot it really like it.

I forgot to mention I have the tactical model.

Hope this helps
THANKS
DOWNWIND
I have 2 of the RIA compact "tactical" models, and have no "read: zero" issues with either one. They will both feed and function with any and all ammunition that comes from my stash. FMJ, HP's from various makers, or any and all lead boolits that I have: 230 gr RN or 185gr SWC, or some 215 or 220 gr RNFP that I was given and "rescued" into 45ACP loads. And as far as soft steel...I notice nothing wrong with wear, cracking, or anything out of the ordinary with either also, and a couple of my handloads aren't on the light side either.

From my perspective, they are a "GO TO" item without worry.

[eveready]

historic firearms, I am interested in a compact 1911 and was looking at a Rock Island. You said they are made of soft metal, did you have one checked for hardness? I would be interested to know just how hard or soft the metal is.

[CJR]

Some info on Armscor made 1911s; i.e. RIA, Charles Daly, etc. Armscor is a ISO9001 certified manufacturer. That means their quality manufacturing processes meet stringent international standards. It typically costs a company about $100,000 to $250,000 to become qualified to ISO9001. As a result, many gun manufacturers are not ISO9001 certified. I typically strip 1911s down and do a visual inspection. Many times, on Armscor 1911s, I find many small indentation marks on slides, etc. indicating the parts were Rockwell hardness tested to insure quality standards. Likewise, if you suspect hardness issues on a RIA 1911, send it back to the US RIA facility for repair/replacement as they have lifetime warranties. Also, in my experience with RIAs, whomever set them up knew very well what he or she was doing. Bottom line for me- they go bang every time, are accurate, and that's all I care about.


Best regards,

CJR

[bruce drake]

I own two RIA Govt. Models. One in 45ACP and the other started as 9mm Luger but now is a switchbarrel with a 38 Super barrel and slide as well. I will tell you that their quality control is a lot better than the Colt 1991 model 45ACP I had once. I do agree that if you are going to be running hot loads to go with a stronger spring. I shoot Bullseye matches with both of mine so my loads are standard velocity match loads with 200gr/45ACP and 124gr/9mm loads so I still have about another 500 shots before I have to consider a replacement of the springs.

Bruce

[historicfirearms]

I took my RIA officers model to a NRA summer gun smithing course, put on by Brownells instructors. I also brought my Colt along to do some work on it. I lapped the frame/slides on both and the RIA took about ten strokes with lapping compound to wear in, the Colt took the better part of an hour. I asked the instructors what they thought about the Rock Islands and they said they wouldn't bother working on it because the guns wouldn't hold tolerances.

[CJR]

Like Einstein stated, "Everything is relative". I started working on 1911s in the '60s. When I look back on all the brands I've worked on, the Colts gave me the most grief. Particularly, when Colt was on the verge of bankruptcy, had poor metallurgy, poor machining, poor quality control, poor inspection, etc. For that matter I also remembered the S&W (then owned by British Bangor Punta), a "new design a week" company, where their new super-duper auto-loading models failed to work in the hands of FBI agents when they needed them most. FBI sent them all back and demanded a full refund. But back to the Colts. I had a brand new Colt 1911 let go on the first mag; i.e. barrel ruptured, slide ruptured, front of frame bent down, and other parts missing. Contacted Colt about a warranty replacement and got a lot of BS. Since I'm a retired Mechanical Engineer, I wrote an engineering failure analysis report backed up with photos and independent lab tests performed on the failed parts. I sent the report to Colt with a suggestion that if they decided not to replace the 1911, I would see them in Court. I received a wonderful letter back from Colt Engineering, fully agreeing with my engineering analysis, along with a brand new 1911. I still have that letter. Then on another Colt, the slide let go. On another Colt,a customer hardy used, the soft Series 80 extractor and firing pin wore excessively so that the Series 80 button dropped out of the slide. More ruptured barrels etc. But Colt worked through those tough times and is getting much better. I'm happy to see that because I like all guns. But that's been my experience. Finally, harder is NOT always better for metals. A couple of years ago, I helped a well known 1911 parts manufacturer with sears breaking in 1911s; some in competition. These sears were super hard and brittle with no toughness. These sears didn't wear a bit but consistently broke when you needed them most. We changed the material to a tougher material and all has been well since.

Best regards,

CJR