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Old January 16, 2013, 11:42 AM   #8
velillen
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Join Date: October 20, 2012
Posts: 93
I bought one of these when they first came out. Here is a review I wrote up for another website....


I got mine from my FFL on Saturday night (the 23rd) and have now gotten to shoot it two times, putting ~225 rounds through it. First thing i noticed was man they absolutely drenched this in oil. It cam with just the gun and the silly warning "stop" tag in a plastic bag. The gun had so much oil on it the stop tag was drenched in oil and there was a small pool at the bottom of the plastic bag. Obviously this meant you couldnt really handle it without creating a big mess. But i got it home and cleaned it all up and finally got to look at it closely. Not a big deal on the oil just a heads up for anyone who thinks they would buy it and shoot it right away or something like that.

This is my first 1911 and i do prefer slimmer guns so keep that in mind! Also im not the best with technical terms so yup

Ammo shot was 200 rounds of BVAC JHP 180gr and 25 Cor Bon 150gr self defense ammo.

Let me start with the Positives
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-It shoots great. Fits my hand great and its groupings are much better than my glock 20. I was getting good groups (2-3") at ~15 feet. And at the ranges max of ~40 feet i was getting all shots in the 8" circle of my targets. Mind you that was the first time really shooting out that far (not that it is that far) and that was without any rests. Also only the second time ive gotten to take it out.

-The trigger is nice in my mind. There is maybe 1/4" of travel on the trigger before it engages. Once its "engaged" its maybe 1/8th of an inch till it fires. My rcbs trigger pull gauge puts it right around 5lbs (it would go from 4.5-5 with most being closer to 5) This is vs the glock 20 gen 3 which has probably 1/2" of travel before engaging and then a good 1/4" before actually firing. The trigger pull is crisp and smooth on the RIA and its become one of my favorite triggers!

-The weight is just right in my mind. Fully loaded it doesnt feel super heavy or awkward. Sort of a sweet spot. It is heavier (unloaded) than a glock 20 but it metal vs polymer so not a fair comparison either. I find it to be well weighted.

-Overall performance. I only had two minor issues and both were 100% my fault. Had the magazines fallout twice because i didnt push them in all the way. Other than that in 225 rounds i didnt have a single FTE, FTF, or any other issue that kept the gun from firing. Simply put it just worked and was accurate too!

And now for the Cons-

-I will say the RIA has a weak spring in it. I was shooting lower powered 10mm factory ammo and could tell. The slide would come back faster and harder than the glock (stock spring). But that is an easy fix and definitely one i will be doing in the near future. The brass from the RIA was flying everywhere....not the the glock doesnt but the RIA was a bit worse (which i attest to the spring). Other posts online have determined these ship with a 16# main spring which is low for a 10mm, but standard for a 45acp? (either way underpowered for a 10mm)

-Copper fouling. Mine isnt as bad as some pictures ive seen on the 1911forum. But here is mine after 200 rounds. Mine isnt bad and the picture isnt the best but you can see it a bit. Really the picture doesnt show it hardly at all but it is there. That is after a "normal" cleaning so ill have to get copper solvent remover. Still none of my other guns which have shot way more rounds between cleanings have had anything close to that. Not the end of the world and it still shots fine but Ill be watching some threads over at 1911forum and seeing what results those guys get with Armcor/other options


-The finish on the gun is also another disappointment to me. I treat it no different than any of my other guns (sig p226, FNP-45 tactical, glock 20) and it has gotten scratched up. Not super bad but enough that upon close inspection you can see scratches all over. Doesnt bother me but still a bit annoying on how poor the finish is at protecting the gun. Also noticed this odd marking on the slide and not sure when it showed up haha. (weird squiggly thing behind the barrel). Also looking in general at the RIA 1911's (in all offerings not just 10mm) the finish does seem to wear a bit quick.
. As for the scratches I know its from the type of finish used just bummed at how crappy it is at protecting the gun.

-The last thing is with Armscor/RIA itself. Their paperwork that comes with the gun just makes it seem like they werent prepared to release this and rushed it a bit. The fired cases they provide on the caliber markings they just lined out 9mm and wrote 10mm. not a big deal using up that stock before getting new ones. The biggest issue is the owners manual. It doesnt even mention a 10mm! It mentions they offer 9mm, 40SW, 45acp, and 38spl. But not 10mm. Also for disassemble the instructions are for the wrong gun. It talks about a front bushing and that method for dissembling the 1911. However this has the one piece guide rod (like STI 1911's from what i can tell). So the directions were wrong and there also was no tool for putting in the guide rod hole. Thankfully the internet exists and i was able to figure it out. But still disappointing to include paperwork when it doesnt even apply to your gun nor mention it.



*I dont consider this a pro/con as its such personal preference but I dont care for the grips. I find them to aggressive and rough. I prefer smoother grips like that found on the Sig P226 or my SW 629 44mag. Again that is just a personal preference.



So overall am i glad i got this? Yes. It is much more enjoyable to shoot over my glock 20, and it is already one of my favorite guns even with the minor problems ive encountered. The copper fouling is something i will have to follow and see what Armscor/RIA does about it.

Would i recommend it? Based solely on my experiences yes i would. Based on other reports you can find on 1911forum, i would say wait. It will be a great gun once they hammer out the problems. The first run of guns seems to be the ones having the most problems so I feel like they were just rushed to get them out in time, probably under contract, for cheaperthandirt.

Now to go find new grips and a heavier weight spring!





Bit old now and I still javent called armscor (doing that tonight) but based on mine and others on 1911forum I'd wait a little bit before buying one.

The marks on slide are most likely from a extractor. Simple fix I'm told but shouldn't have to fix a brand new gun either.
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