Author Topic: RIA 1911 for $300. Good deal? (Read 9700 times)

cpaspr · « **on:** December 22, 2014, 12:54:39 am »

The store owner says it appears to have been shot little. Was traded in for some Christmas cash. Won't be available till Friday.

I am not a 1911 guy. Don't think I've ever even shot one. None of my carry guns have safeties. That will not change (well, the one that does have a safety will not have it activated, once it achieves "trusted for rotation" status).

That said, I think I want it. My dad had a WWII era one. My brother has one. That should be enough, right?

Opinions?

WeTheArmed.com

HiVelSword · « **Reply #1 on:** December 22, 2014, 01:18:55 am »

Manufacturer and model?

freeman1685 · « **Reply #2 on:** December 22, 2014, 01:45:08 am »

Quote from: HiVelSword on December 22, 2014, 01:18:55 am

Manufacturer and model?

Um, RIA (Rock Island Armory) 1911.

Quote from: cpaspr on December 22, 2014, 12:54:39 am

The store owner says it appears to have been shot little. Was traded in for some Christmas cash. Won't be available till Friday.

I am not a 1911 guy. Don't think I've ever even shot one. None of my carry guns have safeties. That will not change (well, the one that does have a safety will not have it activated, once it achieves "trusted for rotation" status).

That said, I think I want it. My dad had a WWII era one. My brother has one. That should be enough, right?

Opinions?

I got mine used, unfired, for $450, back in '05. $300 is a pretty good deal, and they're a decent gun.

Mikee5star · « **Reply #3 on:** December 22, 2014, 01:50:16 am »

Freeman you beat me to it.

I have heard good things about RIA, but have not had one in my hands.

Grant · « **Reply #4 on:** December 22, 2014, 08:24:47 am »

Good guns, I have a High-Standard, same gun, different name.

For $300 you can't go wrong.

luke213(adamsholsters) · « **Reply #5 on:** December 22, 2014, 02:37:45 pm »

Yep have at it for the price can't be beat for a cheap 1911 that generally will give you very good service. I've shot quite a few RIA 1911's I've got a neighbor who's an FFL and likes a good deal. He's got probably 10 of them, various configs and calibers that are his own collection that I've gone and shot steel over at his place. Never had a problem with any of them, I've got a high standard officers 1911 that has been great as well. I'd say go right ahead nothing wrong with a Rock.

Luke

HiVelSword · « **Reply #6 on:** December 22, 2014, 06:46:24 pm »

Quote from: freeman1685 on December 22, 2014, 01:45:08 am

Um, RIA (Rock Island Armory) 1911.

I'm fairly certain the "RIA" in the subject line wasn't there when this was first posted or I wouldn't have asked. That or it was there and I was struggling to remain conscious at the time and managed to miss it. I've been known to be pretty useless minutes away from falling asleep. lol

freeman1685 · « **Reply #7 on:** December 22, 2014, 07:14:51 pm »

cpaspr · « **Reply #8 on:** December 22, 2014, 07:55:02 pm »

Quote from: HiVelSword on December 22, 2014, 06:46:24 pm

I'm fairly certain the "RIA" in the subject line wasn't there when this was first posted or I wouldn't have asked. That or it was there and I was struggling to remain conscious at the time and managed to miss it. I've been known to be pretty useless minutes away from falling asleep. lol

Umm. It was there.

booksmart · « **Reply #9 on:** December 22, 2014, 08:31:55 pm »

Quote from: HiVelSword on December 22, 2014, 06:46:24 pm

I've been known to be pretty useless minutes away from falling asleep. lol

Not touchin' that one...

HiVelSword · « **Reply #10 on:** December 22, 2014, 11:11:02 pm »

Quote from: cpaspr on December 22, 2014, 07:55:02 pm

Umm. It was there.

"Fairly certain" isn't "I'm certain". So Umm. Sorry.

HiVelSword · « **Reply #11 on:** December 22, 2014, 11:11:33 pm »

Quote from: booksmart on December 22, 2014, 08:31:55 pm

Not touchin' that one...

LOL, walked into that one!

strangelittleman · « **Reply #12 on:** December 23, 2014, 09:32:34 am »

Quote from: HiVelSword on December 22, 2014, 06:46:24 pm

I was struggling to remain conscious at the time and managed to miss it. I've been known to be pretty useless minutes away from falling asleep. lol

Good thing Bill Cosby wasn't breathing down your neck at the time..........What, too soon?

hacksaw · « **Reply #13 on:** December 23, 2014, 09:40:51 am »

And back to the subject matter at hand..my ccw has been, and still is an RIA full size .45. This weapon has a bit over 2000 rounds of mixed ball and HP ammo down the pipe. I have not had a single ftf or failur to return to battery. YMMV, but that is my experience with the brand. Just bought my second RIA 2 weeks ago..

Kaso · « **Reply #14 on:** December 23, 2014, 11:15:16 am »

Yes, that is absolutely a good price. Even if it turns out to be a lemon, you could strip it down to parts and get your money back with ease.

Kaso

cpaspr · « **Reply #15 on:** December 23, 2014, 02:20:32 pm »

Well, it's up to my wife.

I mentioned that it was a pretty good price, and I wouldn't mind having it. Of course, I admitted that I like most guns.

I won't say anything further about it to her. She's already bought me three guns this year, so I've already been triply blessed, gun-wise.

Outbreak · « **Reply #16 on:** December 24, 2014, 12:19:40 am »

I have shot a few RIA's. Good bang for the buck. I have one of their double-stacks (rebadged Para P18) that runs ok. I've monkeyed with it a bit, and it's a 9mm, using mags meant for .38 Super, so reliability is only about 90%. It's a competition gun only, and way cheaper than the alternative (STI 2011, or equivalent custom), so I'll tolerate the failures.

GeorgeHill · « **Reply #17 on:** December 24, 2014, 11:02:35 pm »

Get it. Two Reasons. First, Every American should have a 1911. Second, it's a Solid 1911 for a dang good price.

First Shirt · « **Reply #18 on:** December 26, 2014, 10:48:38 pm »

Quote from: GeorgeHill on December 24, 2014, 11:02:35 pm

Get it. Two Reasons. First, Every American should have a 1911. Second, it's a Solid 1911 for a dang good price.

Yeah, what HE said!!!! Most 1911s, if all the parts are in the same zip code, will run pretty well, although they might be finicky about ammo. That said, you can either find out what it likes, or modify it to run what YOU like. Not that hard, either way.

cpaspr · « **Reply #19 on:** December 26, 2014, 10:55:04 pm »

I have to wait till tomorrow morning. There was someone who has first right of refusal. If he chooses to not get it, I have three little-used guns I'll offer up in trade/partial trade.

cpaspr · « **Reply #20 on:** December 28, 2014, 02:00:26 pm »

Got it. It's a 2011 model, near as I can tell.

I traded in a couple of used guns that I've probably only put a hundred or so rounds through in the last five years, plus some cash.

Disassembled it, very little wear. The barrel lugs still show some bluing. Most of the bluing on the slide where it contacts the frame is gone. That's to be expected, as it has been shot some, but not a lot. Some light holster wear at the end of the slide. Both mags are immaculate. No scratches or wear marks from multiple trips through the gun. The original grips have been replaced with a Hogue finger groove grip, but I actually like those. Would be nice to have the originals, but replacements are fairly cheap, or I could try to make my own for the cost of some bushings and screws.

Edited to add:

The trigger pull averaged 5# 9oz. That seems a bit heavy. Is it?

freeman1685 · « **Reply #21 on:** December 28, 2014, 02:21:40 pm »

Congrats!

cpaspr · « **Reply #22 on:** January 01, 2015, 11:16:41 pm »

Here it is. If you look close, you can see how shiny the spare mag is. That's the front of my forehead reflected off the blued surface.

Desert Rat · « **Reply #23 on:** January 02, 2015, 02:08:24 pm »

Looks good to me. Nice find. $300 is what I paid for mine ten years ago. That's a deal.

You might find that you need to dehorn the grip safety area and hammer a bit. My RIA actually drew blood the first time I shot it. I mean there was actually blood flying from the web of my hand with each shot. I learned to only shoot three or four mags through it at a time if I wanted my hand to stay intact, or wear a glove. Eventually I had Eric Zinn install a new Wilson hammer and drop-in beavertail to eliminate the hammer bite. It improved things immensely. I'm much better at modding things these days, and if I could do it over I might have just bobbed the hammer a bit and smoothed everything out to keep the classic GI lines intact. It's an RIA--it doesn't need to be pretty, just functional.

I still need to replace the bump-and-a-hump sights on mine, but they're good enough for what I use the gun for, and mine will still hit an 8" plate at fifty yards six out of eight times, at least in my hands. A good shooter would do even better. These RIA guns are really great for the money.

freeman1685 · « **Reply #24 on:** January 02, 2015, 02:16:36 pm »

I have the same problem with hammer bite. I'd like to do the beaver tail thing too. How much did that run you, to have it done?