RIA/Armscor M5 FTFeed

thetoecutter · March 28, 2014, 09:10 PM

Greetings all.

Been taking a break from shooting stuff, have gotten tired of scrounging ammo and components.

Had my LGD order me up a parkerized M5 last week. Came in Monday.

Had done some digging on the interwebz and had a good idea of what I was getting into, but there is still not a lot of detailed info out there.

Cleaned it up and looked it over. Had some serious burrs/sharp edges but overall was what I expected.

Tried to function fire today. RH cartridge stop wasn't retracting when the action was closed. Put a finger on the RH action slide bar and a little pressure outward and pop goes the stop.

Looks like a combination of too much inboard clearance on the fwd slide bar slot in the receiver and enuff slop in the action slide to allow the bar to push inward rather than retracting the RH stop (by shoving it outward).

Back to the LGD in the morning. Will report back on the results from the "lifetime guarantee"...

And yes, I am aware of what my other choices are at the sub $200 price point. Am not complaining, just trying to get some more information on these shotguns out there for people looking at them.

TTC

TB9 · March 29, 2014, 12:08 PM

O.K. let us know how you make out as your right there isn't a lot of info out there on these shotguns . be nice to find out some thing new.

thetoecutter · March 29, 2014, 01:20 PM

Dropped it off this morning, LGD says replacement should be here Wednesday.

Will share more info as I get it.

TTC

thetoecutter · April 3, 2014, 06:34 PM

Replacement showed up yesterday. Picked it up today. So far so good with regard to the lifetime warranty.

Will report how it looks/works after I clean it up.

TTC

thetoecutter · June 10, 2014, 02:25 PM

Just returned shotgun #2 to the LGD, told them I wasn't interested in trying to get another one to work.

Finally got around to cleaning it up and looking it over. This one puts the shells firmly into the bridge on the receiver between the mag tube and the barrel. If you are lucky enough to get the next round to "pop" all the way back and get snagged by the extractor, it will bring the nose of the cartridge up just barely enough that it will "jump" up into the barrel.

Dragged out an old JC Higgins (HR action) and compared the workings, the RIA is just so loose the shell lifter does not come up high enough to get the shell to start in the hole.

Also, the RH and LH shell stop (see original post) were intermittent in releasing the next shell out of the mag tube. The two slide bars are used to release the stops-via a notch that removes half of the height of the slide bar material, and the notches are ramped to move the stops.

The slide bars themselves are brazed onto the forearm tube, and are apparently a very mild steel without significant hardening. The ramped ends of the notches were beat up from jamming onto the stops, and the bars could be bent very easily.

Shotgun #1 pretty much did not have an edge that wasn't sharp. I think I could have stropped the bottom edges of the mag feed opening and shaved with them-seriously. The action release button was also very sharp. The composite forearm also had very sharp edges on it. The nose of the slide plate had beat itself into the receiver below the barrel, this clearance was needed for the action to latch "shut". The failure of the shell to release from the mag tube was the reason for returning it.

Shotgun #2 had apparently been finished by someone else. The only sharp edges/corners were again on the action release button. The slide plate did not contact the front of the receiver, but the extractor hit the notch in the receiver and shifted the bolt significantly. Returned this one when it became obvious that it would not feed the shell into the chamber consistently.

I guess I sort of knew what I was getting into, but decided to go for it. My experience wasn't good. Your mileage may vary.

TB9 · June 11, 2014, 11:38 AM

thanks for the report sorry to hear your disappointment . have you found a new shotgun yet ? I have Mossberg's and Remington's . all with smooth bore rifle sight and 28" field barrel's. so when I wanted a dedicated HD gun I got a H&R pardner protector pump gun from Dick's between the sale price and the points I had saved up it was cheaper than an 18" barrel for either of my other 12ga. gun's . ive had it now for a little over 5 yrs. and not a bobble yet. I highly recommend one if your still looking HTH .

BlueSmoke14 · June 11, 2014, 10:16 PM

I agree the Pardner Protector Pump is rock solid. It even can use the most popular light mounts with out needing a mag tube extension.

Don'tkillbill · June 16, 2014, 04:00 PM

That's too bad I liked the look of the shotguns. They are or seem to be a High Standard copy. My High Standard 18-7 Riot is my favourite pump gun. Too bad this doesn't live up to its legacy.

June 11, 2014, 11:38 AM	#6
TB9 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2013 Location: N.H Posts: 120	thanks for the report sorry to hear your disappointment . have you found a new shotgun yet ? I have Mossberg's and Remington's . all with smooth bore rifle sight and 28" field barrel's. so when I wanted a dedicated HD gun I got a H&R pardner protector pump gun from Dick's between the sale price and the points I had saved up it was cheaper than an 18" barrel for either of my other 12ga. gun's . ive had it now for a little over 5 yrs. and not a bobble yet. I highly recommend one if your still looking HTH . __________________ Why thats... Brilliant ! now go lay down by youre dish and shut up .

June 11, 2014, 10:16 PM	#7
BlueSmoke14 Member Join Date: February 13, 2014 Location: Minneapolis Area Posts: 30	I agree the Pardner Protector Pump is rock solid. It even can use the most popular light mounts with out needing a mag tube extension. __________________ Regards, BlueSmoke www.sjhardware.us www.pardnerpump.com www.facebook.com/PardnerProtector

March 28, 2014, 09:10 PM	#1
thetoecutter Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: east of the mississippi Posts: 83	RIA/Armscor M5 FTFeed Greetings all. Been taking a break from shooting stuff, have gotten tired of scrounging ammo and components. Had my LGD order me up a parkerized M5 last week. Came in Monday. Had done some digging on the interwebz and had a good idea of what I was getting into, but there is still not a lot of detailed info out there. Cleaned it up and looked it over. Had some serious burrs/sharp edges but overall was what I expected. Tried to function fire today. RH cartridge stop wasn't retracting when the action was closed. Put a finger on the RH action slide bar and a little pressure outward and pop goes the stop. Looks like a combination of too much inboard clearance on the fwd slide bar slot in the receiver and enuff slop in the action slide to allow the bar to push inward rather than retracting the RH stop (by shoving it outward). Back to the LGD in the morning. Will report back on the results from the "lifetime guarantee"... And yes, I am aware of what my other choices are at the sub $200 price point. Am not complaining, just trying to get some more information on these shotguns out there for people looking at them. TTC

March 29, 2014, 12:08 PM	#2
TB9 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2013 Location: N.H Posts: 120	O.K. let us know how you make out as your right there isn't a lot of info out there on these shotguns . be nice to find out some thing new. __________________ Why thats... Brilliant ! now go lay down by youre dish and shut up .

March 29, 2014, 01:20 PM	#3
thetoecutter Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: east of the mississippi Posts: 83	Dropped it off this morning, LGD says replacement should be here Wednesday. Will share more info as I get it. TTC

April 3, 2014, 06:34 PM	#4
thetoecutter Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: east of the mississippi Posts: 83	Replacement showed up yesterday. Picked it up today. So far so good with regard to the lifetime warranty. Will report how it looks/works after I clean it up. TTC

June 10, 2014, 02:25 PM	#5
thetoecutter Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: east of the mississippi Posts: 83	Just returned shotgun #2 to the LGD, told them I wasn't interested in trying to get another one to work. Finally got around to cleaning it up and looking it over. This one puts the shells firmly into the bridge on the receiver between the mag tube and the barrel. If you are lucky enough to get the next round to "pop" all the way back and get snagged by the extractor, it will bring the nose of the cartridge up just barely enough that it will "jump" up into the barrel. Dragged out an old JC Higgins (HR action) and compared the workings, the RIA is just so loose the shell lifter does not come up high enough to get the shell to start in the hole. Also, the RH and LH shell stop (see original post) were intermittent in releasing the next shell out of the mag tube. The two slide bars are used to release the stops-via a notch that removes half of the height of the slide bar material, and the notches are ramped to move the stops. The slide bars themselves are brazed onto the forearm tube, and are apparently a very mild steel without significant hardening. The ramped ends of the notches were beat up from jamming onto the stops, and the bars could be bent very easily. Shotgun #1 pretty much did not have an edge that wasn't sharp. I think I could have stropped the bottom edges of the mag feed opening and shaved with them-seriously. The action release button was also very sharp. The composite forearm also had very sharp edges on it. The nose of the slide plate had beat itself into the receiver below the barrel, this clearance was needed for the action to latch "shut". The failure of the shell to release from the mag tube was the reason for returning it. Shotgun #2 had apparently been finished by someone else. The only sharp edges/corners were again on the action release button. The slide plate did not contact the front of the receiver, but the extractor hit the notch in the receiver and shifted the bolt significantly. Returned this one when it became obvious that it would not feed the shell into the chamber consistently. I guess I sort of knew what I was getting into, but decided to go for it. My experience wasn't good. Your mileage may vary.

June 16, 2014, 04:00 PM	#8
Don'tkillbill Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2013 Location: East Coast of Canada Posts: 121	That's too bad I liked the look of the shotguns. They are or seem to be a High Standard copy. My High Standard 18-7 Riot is my favourite pump gun. Too bad this doesn't live up to its legacy.