New Rock Island 1911

[Gunslinger1911]

Picked up a new RI Pro Match ultra. 5" , 45 acp

Pretty much RI's answer to the Spfld Armory Range Officer Elite target.

Fit and finish right up there with the big boys.

Barrel lockup tight front and rear.

Cleaned of the shipping gunk, not fired yet, trigger a crisp 5# even.

I figure a few hundred rounds will smooth that up to 4-4.5 lbs ; not the 3.5# of my custom .38 super, but prob close enough.

I'm a happy camper !!

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I have read and heard nothing but good reports about these. Probably a "keeper".

[scattershot]

I have had two Tactical models, and I was impressed with both of them. In fact, when I got my first one, I sold my Kimber. Congrats.

[jdfoxinc]

The RI is made in the Philippines. Is yours?

[Bigslug]

Did they ever deal with the razor-sharp corners on their thumb safeties? I've done serviceability checks / test fires on several RI pistols, and that is really the only complaint I can generate against them. Truly a lot of gun for the price.

[Gunslinger1911]

I really think RI's are a great deal !
Customized a RI Officers acp for my son a few years ago, I've had a RI .22 TCM 1911 for a year or two - now that's a HOOT !

jdfoxinc - yup, Philippines.
Bigslug - Still overly big / sharp on the thumb safety. I'm not a fan of ambi anyway. I'll probably order and mod a Wilson (I have 4 other 1911's with the modded Wilson)

[tazman]

About 3 months ago I picked up a used RI from a gunsmith who had done some accurizing work on it. Slide, trigger, and a match barrel.
It shoots extremely well.
I needed to get the barrel throated through DOUGGUY to get semiwadcutters to work well but it is as good as anyone's gun now.

[CJR]

RIA 1911s are made by Armscor in the Philipines. Armscor is an ISO 9001 quality certified company, which means high quality inspection and manufacturing. Many gun manufacturers are not ISO 9001 certified because it means putting out $100,000-$200,000 to restructure and properly staff their quality program to meet the ISO international manufacturing standards. My Armscor 1911s are well made, reasonably priced, and run like 1911s are supposed to run. Also, RIA 1911s have lifetime warranties. So, what's not to like with RIA 1911s?

Best regards,

CJR

[rond]

I have several Armsco 1911s and am very happy with them.

[RobS]

Solid firearms. I have a RIA 10mm full size ultra and cannot complain one bit. I did replace a few things, changed mainspring and recoil springs early on, and fitted a flat bottom firing pin stop. I also have a dislike for the safety so replaced it with a single side safety.

[jdfoxinc]

These are sold under multiple brand names. Very good pistols for a very reasonable price.

[FergusonTO35]

I remember when the big full page ads for RIA 1911's in Shotgun News came out they were advertised as being made in the USA. Anybody remember that? I wonder if they had USA manufacture lined up and then it fell through for some reason?

[tranders]

I have been impressed with my RIA GI model so far. No complaints for a $400 1911.

[18Bravo]

I’m impressed with the overall quality of my RIA. I have a soft spot for 1911’s. When I found a “need” for one in 9mm the Rock Island caught my eye. For the price, given its many features, I was hard pressed to pass it up. As a bonus it is extremely accurate and eats whatever I feed it. Very good 1911 for what I paid for it.

215308

[DerekP Houston]

**** nice to hear, I've had a RI on my short list for awhile. Thanks for the review!

[missionary5155]

Good afternoon
Been working with 1911's ever since the green machine stuck one in a shoulder holster in 1971 and handed it to me.
Bought an RI Compact 3 years ago and never had one regret. That 1911 was near perfect right out of the box. Have carried 1911's in the woods and swamps and on the kayak for many years. A 1943 Remington Rand usually was 1st choice whenever I ruled out a revolver. But last time north from the first time we test fired that RI Compact whenever a slide feeder went along the RI was the choice.
Going to get a 10mm and the RI brand looks to be the way I will go.
Mike in Peru

[CJR]

Another comment about RIA 1911s. There has been a BS theory promoted over the years that you need to use only RN for reliability in a 1911. Now that may have been true in the year 1911, with the narrow barrel ramp that was cut-in. But today we now have the reasonably priced RIA 1911 which feeds just about anything it's fed out of the box. My Armscor 1911s eat every type of bullet you can reload for them. Feature that? Likewise, the RIAs are set up properly right out of the box. Rumor is a woman/women set them up at the factory. If so, God Bless them all for the lives they end up saving. Nothing is more disturbing than dropping $800-$1000+ for a 1911 that doesn't run right out of the box. Or a top brand 1911, that has a beautiful polished finish, that comes apart or is machined improperly. There are so many non-standard parts sold for the 1911 today that when they're installed actually degrade the 1911's reliability.

So it is very refreshing to me that RIA builds a 1911 that actually runs like a 1911 is supposed to run and is warrantied for life. Bottom-line, my Armscor 1911s go bang everytime they're supposed to and hit where I want them to hit. That's all that matters to me. I don't have any Safe Queen Works of Art to impress people with. Some may try to convince you that a 1911 is not as reliable as some other brand X auto or whatever. Just remember, years ago when the FBI's agent's new S&Ws autos failed miserably in the field , S&W had to refund all the FBI's contract money. Then the FBI immediately went to the 1911 until they could find some other brand to fit their needs. 1911s work very well and we have over a hundred years of history to prove it.

Best regards,

CJR