Rock Island 1911A1

Nope. All Springfield Armory M1911 pistol frames and slides are forged by IMBEL in Brazil. This isn't a bad thing as they are exceptionally well-made. I use these sets to have full house custom pistols built. My customs can run anywhere between $4-$6k in parts and labor and I have no fear to use IMBEL made parts as the base.

I had no idea. I know that all of my 1911s are AMERICAN made
 
Actually Springfield Armory M1911s are made in Brazil by IMBEL.

Piss, it's been one long day, I had a major brain shart. Philippines, Brazil, same geographic area :rolleyes:
 
I always found it ironic that RIA is a Philippine company producing 1911's when the Phiippines was a proving ground shooting Filipinos with 1911's during the Moro Insurrection.
 
Piss, it's been one long day, I had a major brain shart. Philippines, Brazil, same geographic area :rolleyes:

You're joking right, or did you just have another one? Brazil is in South America. The Philippines is in Southeast Asia. Pretty far apart from one another.
 
You're joking right, or did you just have another one? Brazil is in South America. The Philippines is in Southeast Asia. Pretty far apart from one another.

Yes, I'm joking.

That's why I used the roll eyes.
 
Got it.

Go Giants! Good luck even if you did beat my Niners in a great, heartbreaker of a game. Seriously though, I hope Eli outduels the superstar treatment pretty boy for his second ring.
 
Got it.

Go Giants! Good luck even if you did beat my Niners in a great, heartbreaker of a game. Seriously though, I hope Eli outduels the superstar treatment pretty boy for his second ring.

I'm from Indiana, born and raised. So, being a Colt's fan. I hate the Patriots, plus I have to root for little Manning. But yes, go Giants.

Sooo....where were we?

1911?

Not a huge fan of external extractors on 1911s, but some of the entry lever Paras seem nice (not all Paras have external extractors thought)
 
I always found it ironic that RIA is a Philippine company producing 1911's when the Phiippines was a proving ground shooting Filipinos with 1911's during the Moro Insurrection.

Yup, that is funny to me at times too, but during WWII, the Americans and Filipinos fought side by side against the Japanese. Funnily enough, the US military is still keeping the Moros under their thumb with the Philippines' govt's permission. There is a lot of religious tension in the Philippines between Christians and Muslims. Anything that worked on Moros (who are considered terrorists by many) is a good thing to the Catholic majority!

They still use recycled WWII jeeps for transport all over the Philippines. I rode around in one in Cebu that had been kept running and used hard, with the original body and engine, since McArthur's departure! That was a great experience for sure!

1911s are by far the most legendary semiautos in the Philippines: you see them everywhere. Armscor makes lots of different guns and they're considered user grade for the most part. In the Philippines, those who can afford better buy better! Their .38 revolvers go for under $200 brand new. You can buy pretty much anything available in the US (and some that you can't) in the Philippines. You don't even need permits for suppressors!

I've shot two models from Armscor (the Phils version of RIA). The first one was a tactical version with a double stack mag and it was a great gun. The second was a standard GI model range rental that had definitely seen better days. It shot high and to the left.
 
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I always found it ironic that RIA is a Philippine company producing 1911's when the Phiippines was a proving ground shooting Filipinos with 1911's during the Moro Insurrection.

People emulate what they see works. M1911s are very popular to this day in the Philippines due to their observed performance.

Plenty of other examples. Colonial Americans coveted the Brown Bess musket of the British during the Revolutionary War.

The common rifle in Afghanistan is the AK-47, introduced by invading Russians. Before that, the most popular rifle was the British Lee Enfield. Both guns brought in by invaders attempting to colonize their country.
 
I always found it ironic that RIA is a Philippine company producing 1911's when the Phiippines was a proving ground shooting Filipinos with 1911's during the Moro Insurrection.

Let me clarify..I'm of Filipino descent as well and even I own a few 1911's. It's my favorite pistol even though it may have caused the demise of some former family members. I do appreciate that years later, that same said pistol helped liberate the country from occupation.
 
Let me clarify..I'm of Filipino descent as well and even I own a few 1911's. It's my favorite pistol even though it may have caused the demise of some former family members. I do appreciate that years later, that same said pistol helped liberate the country from occupation.

And now Americans buy Filipino 1911s. :)
 
looked at a Remington 1911 in the shop last week, there was a Springfield, and a RIA in the case. the Remington was the smoothest of the 3. i got to shoot one this week, I'm not a 1911 fan but have shot and owned more than a few, the Remington was the best stock 1911 i have ever shot. YMMV.
 
I've handled a couple if RIA's and had fte problems with the G.I. model but not the officers. This seems to be very common. A lot of guys buy the RIA knowing that they will have to change the extractor.
Not a bad gun for the money but not without a few flaws.
 
I'm not a fan, out of the ones I see they are junk.

The son of a guy I work with picked up one, it was jammomatic and the trigger was horrible. He took it to a 1911 gunsmith both of us know, he gutted it, gave it a new trigger, hammer, sear, sear spring, etc. and it still was horrible. He had to send it back to RIA to get it to work.

Yes, they have great warrantys, but I beleive warranty should not be used when the pistol is brand new, but after 10,000 rounds and you shot the piss out of it.

For a budget 1911, Springfield GIs are better (once again, my opinion), yes they are both made in the Philippines but the quality is better. I'm not a huge fan of Taurus, but I've yet to see a problem out of their 1911. Ruger (IF you can find one are nice), and the Remingons aren't bad either (triggers suck on the GI model though).

I've heard some people say that their RIA will outshoot a Kimber or a TRP Springfield, but I've also heard people say that their High Points are great and malfunction free.

I agree a warranty shouldn't be needed out of the box, but it happens with anything. Most people won't even put 1,000 rounds through a pistol, let alone 10,000, unless they shoot competetively. When I was, I would shot 5-6 times a week, and put 500+ rounds down range a day.
My guess on the people that say the RIA shoots better than a Kimber or Springer TRP, aren't very good shots.

They have gone up in price, but the Norincos are a good solid pistol if you can find one. Very good slides and frames. Good enough that Wilson would customize them, if a customer wanted to use one.

1911's are a very simple design. If there are no dimensional flaws, it doesn't take a lot of time or money to make one function reliably, and be a decent shooter. It helps if you can do your own work, plus its a lot of fun.
 
1911's are a very simple design. If there are no dimensional flaws, it doesn't take a lot of time or money to make one function reliably, and be a decent shooter. It helps if you can do your own work, plus its a lot of fun.

What kind of tools are necessary to take down a 1911 and change out parts? A punch set and basic small tools?
 
What kind of tools are necessary to take down a 1911 and change out parts? A punch set and basic small tools?

A small punch for removing the pin on the bottom of the mainspring housing, and whatever tool is needed to remove the grip panels. Some use standard screws, some use torx or hex head screws. If you get a 1911 that has a full length guide rod, it is easier if you have a barrel bushing tool, to remove the bushing. If it doesn't have a full length rod, you won't need one. That's basically it.

I don't think I forgot anything, but I'm starting to get a little rummy. I took my sleepin pill a little while ago.
Bill Wilson ( Wilson Combat ) use to put out a good, simple booklet for disassembly and tuning of 1911's.
I would recommend that or a similar book, to have on hand the first time you completely disassemble one. They really are simple, and disassembly is very easy, but there are a couple things that are very critical for reassembly.
 
Just spend the money on a good one and you won't be taking it apart except to clean it and maybe change the grips. spend the money upfront and get what you really want .
 
I agree a warranty shouldn't be needed out of the box, but it happens with anything. Most people won't even put 1,000 rounds through a pistol, let alone 10,000, unless they shoot competetively. When I was, I would shot 5-6 times a week, and put 500+ rounds down range a day.
My guess on the people that say the RIA shoots better than a Kimber or Springer TRP, aren't very good shots.

They have gone up in price, but the Norincos are a good solid pistol if you can find one. Very good slides and frames. Good enough that Wilson would customize them, if a customer wanted to use one.

I know it happens with every brand. Saw a brand new Colt (yes, Colt) that had to go back to the factory because the magazine could only be taken out if you pounded on it with a screwdriver and a hammer. Seen a Kimber Aegis that just refused to work. And I've seen a Remington 1911 that had NO sights, the blueing on the dovetail hadn't even beem mared; it just skipped the whole step completely. RIAs just seem to have more problems when new than any other brand.

That 1,000 figure seemed a little off, but I know it does seem true. I don't shoot competitively, I just mess around in my back yard and I've put over 1,000 rounds in most of my handguns easily.

And +1 to Norinco, they're not bad.

A small punch for removing the pin on the bottom of the mainspring housing, and whatever tool is needed to remove the grip panels. Some use standard screws, some use torx or hex head screws. If you get a 1911 that has a full length guide rod, it is easier if you have a barrel bushing tool, to remove the bushing. If it doesn't have a full length rod, you won't need one. That's basically it.

Pretty much. Small punch for the mainspring housing pin, a brass hammer, a punch block always helps. The sear pin should fall out pretty easy, same way with the hammer pin. Torx or flathead for the grips, and a torx or a flathead for the magazine ejector. Maybe a special tool if you have a 2 piece guide rod.

1911s are pretty easy to tear apart.
 
I would look at a Les Baer Premier II .It is there flag ship model that all the rest are based from.I also have one so I am talking about what I do know about.
The price might seem a little high but actually you are getting the best bang for you buck .You will find it a bargain for all you get a hand fitted pistol and out of the box accuracy. You won't need to do anything to make it run.Just shoot the crap out of it and enjoy it.
 
It was my first 1911. The 1911A1FS, I think...They call it the Tactical model or something. It's pretty good for the price. You always get what you pay for when it comes to guns. I bought it because I played with a Springfield and a Kimber, and just didn't like how they felt.Don't get me wrong. I am a true Springfield fanboy. I know Kimber makes amazing guns aswell. One was doublestack, that was definately a no. The other just didn't feel right. I think Citadel, RIA, and Armscor are pretty much the same company. Mine runs good, but it has trouble with certain mags. The two new ones I bought won't let you load the mags to 8 only 7, or else the round jams up. Kind of sucks about the mags, but it's pretty smooth shooting. Very low recoil for a .45 caliber. Trigger isn't that bad either. For a starter 1911 that can always be modified to be better, they are worth the money.
 
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