What a RIA 1911 govt can become with a little work

[infntrysuicdekng]

hey I bought a RIA 1911 at the suggestion of my friend who is a gunsmith he said it was a great base gun,
before


after a new trigger, grips, hammer,extended magwell, sear, disconnect, safety, polishing the barrel, mainspring, recoil spring, sear spring, and extractor. all these parts you can add yourself just need a steady hand and maybe a file or two. the parts didnt cost very much all together, and this thing was shooting as reliably and accuratly as my freinds wilson... hmm altogether with parts it cost 550.

[Xader]

Just throw on a commander hammer, beavertail, ambi safety, and Novak sights and you'll have an RIA Tactical.

Although, the tac doesn't have a magwell

Love mine. Youll never hear me complain about it...

[infntrysuicdekng]

but the quality of the seer and disconnect and all general parts is higher than the standard RIA tactical. It all about internal quality, thats why i dont really like Kimbers, Because they look really pretty but the seer and disconnect and all the springs ect are not as well made as custom parts.

[Xader]

I meant externally. I'm also considering swapping out some internals...

[AZSATT]

Very cool. I'd recommend swapping out those sights too tho...

1/3rd the price of the "expensive" but not better guns... just think of all the ammo you can buy with that $$$!!!

[Xader]

Originally Posted by AZSATT

1/3rd the price of the "expensive" but not better guns... just think of all the ammo you can buy with that $$$!!!

Precisely....

[tattedupboy]

You wouldn't happen to have any before and after pictures, would you? Also, I'm curious about whether making these changes without being a licensed gunsmith would void any warranties the gun may have already had.

[Ryan H]

Originally Posted by infntrysuicdekng

but the quality of the seer and disconnect and all general parts is higher than the standard RIA tactical. It all about internal quality, thats why i dont really like Kimbers, Because they look really pretty but the seer and disconnect and all the springs ect are not as well made as custom parts.

Thats a bold claim from somebody who doesn't own a Kimber, nor has worked on any of them. :)

The Custom II I bought about 6 months back has a machined sear and disconnector. The only MIM stuff on it are parts that do not matter as far as functionality goes. You say you have $550 into yours, well thats great because that means for the extra 50 dollars I paid I also got a beavertail, common dovetail machining with great sights, a forged frame and slide, plus everything you've done to yours with the exception of the magwell you've added, which I don't desire.. oh and my warranty isn't void. ;)

Thanks for the peace of mind!

[Ropadope]

I own both the RIA M1911A1 and the RIA Tactical model chambered in .45 ACP.

I own one Kimber, the Tactical Custom II and it's been a POS since I purchased it. Surprisingly when attempted to take down the gun the mainspring housing is actually PLASTIC not bar stock. Add in the strongly critisiized Swartz safety system and an aluminum frame and all the failures to feed and extract and it quickly became a safe queen.

I use Wilson Combat 47D mags in both of my RIA's and I've yet to have a failure out of either, and I've put 500 rounds exactly through them of various ball and jacketed hollow point ammunition. For the money, they are the best kept secret in the 1911 genre. Sure, they are a cast frame, but at least it's steel not aluminum.

If I'm going to spend over $1,000 on any 1911 I then I don't want one piece of it to be MIM parts, not one.

Find me a piece of MIM parts in a Springfield TRP or Springfield Professional and I'll buy you a case of beer.

Just my experience with Kimber and RIA.

[Ryan H]

Originally Posted by Ropadope

I own both the RIA M1911A1 and the RIA Tactical model chambered in .45 ACP.

I own one Kimber, the Tactical Custom II and it's been a POS since I purchased it. Surprisingly when attempted to take down the gun the mainspring housing is actually PLASTIC not bar stock. Add in the strongly critisiized Swartz safety system and an aluminum frame and all the failures to feed and extract and it quickly became a safe queen.

I use Wilson Combat 47D mags in both of my RIA's and I've yet to have a failure out of either, and I've put 500 rounds exactly through them of various ball and jacketed hollow point ammunition. For the money, they are the best kept secret in the 1911 genre. Sure, they are a cast frame, but at least it's steel not aluminum.

If I'm going to spend over $1,000 on any 1911 I then I don't want one piece of it to be MIM parts, not one.

Find me a piece of MIM parts in a Springfield TRP or Springfield Professional and I'll buy you a case of beer.

Just my experience with Kimber and RIA.

I believe you are confusing "MIM" with "Investment Casting", which are two different things entirely. Investment casting is just fine. Also you must have opted for that aluminum frame because they are forged steel, unless otherwise specified. Yeah the mainspring housing is plastic. So what? Metal ones are cheap if you want otherwise, but they aren't a problem. Swartz safety system? That is "criticized" and thats as far as it goes, really. Find me enough "posts" out there to confirm its an issue and we can come to an agreement there... Why don't you send your Kimber in for warranty service, they're pretty good about fixing stuff, yanno? ;)

Anyway, don't get me wrong, I like the RIA series of 1911s. I just don't think they're worth buying to "modify" because of the cheaper parts in them.