RIA (Armscor brands) vs. Taurus PT 1911?

DavidB2 · January 17, 2013, 11:46 AM

I am researching both the RIA (armscor brands) stainless or nickel tactical 1911s and the Taurus PT 1911. Any feedback on which one offers greater reliability?

**Aguila Blanca** · January 17, 2013, 12:11 PM

Armscor.

Plus with Armscor/RIA, they answer the telephone when you call. You can call their importer/service department and discuss what needs to be done to your pistol directly with Arnel, their head gunsmith. (And Arnel will also customize your RIA if you wish.)

IMHO there is no comparison between Armscor and Taurus, either the pistol quality or the quality of customer service (Taurus service is legendarily horrible). A guy at my range has an extractor break on his Taurus. Piece of cake -- I had a Colt Series 80 extractor, so I fixed it. Next time at the range, the firing pin safety plunger fell out.

Yep -- Taurus did something so that ONLY their extractor will work in their pistol. So he ordered a Taurus extractor, firing pin safety plunger, and plunger spring. They sent him an extractor, and a spring for the plunger assembly on the side of the pistol.

Just before New Years, at least six months after he ordered the parts, he still had not gotten it all straightened out.

Sid · January 17, 2013, 04:22 PM

Ditto. I have had my own service problems with Taurus and will never purchase any of their guns again.

davidsoc · January 19, 2013, 08:04 PM

I have the gi ria 45 and it has been flawless right out of the box. The trigger is good, and its surprisingly accurate.

Whatever one you get check out some Mec Gar mags unless you already have 1911 mags, I got a couple of the 8 and 10 rounders and they have been great and are much cheaper than the wilson or cmc's.

bamaranger · January 19, 2013, 08:14 PM

I'd rather have a forged and milled 1911 than one that uses casting. Yeah, I know, Ruger led the way in all that, but the 1911 is a forged pistol, and that is how Taurus does theirs.

The only Taurus 1911 I've fooled with ran fine once I got a mag problem sorted out.

I like the price on the RIA's, but I dunno about long term.

That new 10mm RIA seems interesting. That combo should pretty much prove the durability or lack of pretty quick.

Niantician · January 19, 2013, 08:37 PM

I have never shot a RIA. But my $600 Pt1911 is the best $600 pistol Ive ever bought. And Ive bought a few. Best trigger Ive ever pulled and Ive shot a bunch of more expensive 1911s. My only complaint is the finish on my blued model could be a bit tougher. Ive heard good things about the RIA. But this is my 5th Taurus and Ive never had a single failure of any type with any of them. Why would I buy anything else?

Hawg · January 19, 2013, 09:35 PM

Rock Island is a great gun. Feeds anything right out of the box. Mine gets a steady diet of home cast SWC's now. I never needed it but their customer service is second to none plus they have a lifetime warranty. Lifetime of the gun that is, no matter who bought it originally. They are supposed to be tooling up to make forged frames but there's nothing wrong with their cast frames. I don't like the grips or the mag it comes with so I swapped those out.

Davidsoc, I use CMC 8 round Shooting Stars and they are great. I think I paid 14.00 apiece for them from Brownells. The power mags and match mags cost more tho.

Sarge · January 19, 2013, 09:48 PM

Rock Island. Mine had a short chamber but they corrected that super-quick and I only had to ship the barrel. The gun was flawless thereafter. I've tried to get Taurus to ship sights/slide parts for my boss's PT-100... of course they want the gun shipped, on his dime.

On customer service alone, I'd say go Rock Island. I've shot both 1911's and IMO the basic RIA is every bit as good as any 1911 Taurus makes.

Dabull · January 19, 2013, 10:39 PM

I have a Taurus PT-1911, an RIA Govt Model, and an RIA Compact Tactical. The PT and Govt work perfectly. The Compact Tactical occasionally fails to return to battery. I sent it in twice, but I won't be sending it in again. I'll just shoot it until it breaks itself in. Of the three, I prefer the PT-1911 for all its features over the plain jane Govt Model and finicky Compact Tactical.

Niantician · January 20, 2013, 12:04 AM

The stock Taurus mags aren't that great either. They function fine, but feel gritty when loading

sgn100391 · January 20, 2013, 01:47 AM

The service between RIA and Taurus is night and day. If you want problems and bad service, then Taurus is the way to go.

davidsoc · January 20, 2013, 02:00 AM

Hawg Haggen thats a great price, i think i got the mec gars for around $12 for the 8 and $15 for the 10 rounders a few years ago. I just looked up the prices on the mec gars and it looks like they have gone up since i bought them so i might try those shooting stars out if i ever need more mags

bigghoss · January 20, 2013, 03:48 AM

If forced to choose between those two I'd get the RIA. However for an entry-level 1911 the Springfield Mil-Spec is your best bet. I strongly recommend it over the others.

h2otoo · January 20, 2013, 11:20 AM

Love my RIA, (in 9mm, fwiw). Have not shot the Taurus, but am very happy with what I got.

Bob

DocHopper · January 20, 2013, 02:49 PM

Really want RIA compact.

Microgunner · January 20, 2013, 02:59 PM

I own the RIA 22TCM/9mm combo and it has been flawless in function so far.
I also own a RIA XT22 that is fast becoming one of my favorite 22lr pistols.
The 22TCM is crazy accurate BTW.

jasmith85 · January 20, 2013, 07:02 PM

I would go Rock Island all the way. I didn't have a single problem out of mine.

January 17, 2013, 11:46 AM	#1
DavidB2 Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2008 Posts: 129	RIA (Armscor brands) vs. Taurus PT 1911? I am researching both the RIA (armscor brands) stainless or nickel tactical 1911s and the Taurus PT 1911. Any feedback on which one offers greater reliability?

January 19, 2013, 08:14 PM	#5
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,312	cast v. forged I'd rather have a forged and milled 1911 than one that uses casting. Yeah, I know, Ruger led the way in all that, but the 1911 is a forged pistol, and that is how Taurus does theirs. The only Taurus 1911 I've fooled with ran fine once I got a mag problem sorted out. I like the price on the RIA's, but I dunno about long term. That new 10mm RIA seems interesting. That combo should pretty much prove the durability or lack of pretty quick.

January 19, 2013, 08:37 PM	#6
Niantician Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2005 Location: Ct. Posts: 546	I have never shot a RIA. But my $600 Pt1911 is the best $600 pistol Ive ever bought. And Ive bought a few. Best trigger Ive ever pulled and Ive shot a bunch of more expensive 1911s. My only complaint is the finish on my blued model could be a bit tougher. Ive heard good things about the RIA. But this is my 5th Taurus and Ive never had a single failure of any type with any of them. Why would I buy anything else? __________________ There are many things in life that are out of my control. Recoil isn't one of them.

January 19, 2013, 09:48 PM	#8
Sarge Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2002 Location: MO Posts: 5,457	Rock Island. Mine had a short chamber but they corrected that super-quick and I only had to ship the barrel. The gun was flawless thereafter. I've tried to get Taurus to ship sights/slide parts for my boss's PT-100... of course they want the gun shipped, on his dime. On customer service alone, I'd say go Rock Island. I've shot both 1911's and IMO the basic RIA is every bit as good as any 1911 Taurus makes. __________________ People were smarter before the Internet, or imbeciles were harder to notice.

January 19, 2013, 10:39 PM	#9
Dabull Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 380	I have a Taurus PT-1911, an RIA Govt Model, and an RIA Compact Tactical. The PT and Govt work perfectly. The Compact Tactical occasionally fails to return to battery. I sent it in twice, but I won't be sending it in again. I'll just shoot it until it breaks itself in. Of the three, I prefer the PT-1911 for all its features over the plain jane Govt Model and finicky Compact Tactical. __________________ "Its better to have a gun and not need it, than to need a gun and not have it." -- Clarence Worley in True Romance

January 17, 2013, 12:11 PM	#2
Aguila Blanca Staff Join Date: September 25, 2008 Location: CONUS Posts: 18,472	Armscor. Plus with Armscor/RIA, they answer the telephone when you call. You can call their importer/service department and discuss what needs to be done to your pistol directly with Arnel, their head gunsmith. (And Arnel will also customize your RIA if you wish.) IMHO there is no comparison between Armscor and Taurus, either the pistol quality or the quality of customer service (Taurus service is legendarily horrible). A guy at my range has an extractor break on his Taurus. Piece of cake -- I had a Colt Series 80 extractor, so I fixed it. Next time at the range, the firing pin safety plunger fell out. Yep -- Taurus did something so that ONLY their extractor will work in their pistol. So he ordered a Taurus extractor, firing pin safety plunger, and plunger spring. They sent him an extractor, and a spring for the plunger assembly on the side of the pistol. Just before New Years, at least six months after he ordered the parts, he still had not gotten it all straightened out.

January 17, 2013, 04:22 PM	#3
Sid Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2009 Posts: 362	Ditto. I have had my own service problems with Taurus and will never purchase any of their guns again.

January 19, 2013, 08:04 PM	#4
davidsoc Member Join Date: January 18, 2013 Location: Orange County Posts: 71	I have the gi ria 45 and it has been flawless right out of the box. The trigger is good, and its surprisingly accurate. Whatever one you get check out some Mec Gar mags unless you already have 1911 mags, I got a couple of the 8 and 10 rounders and they have been great and are much cheaper than the wilson or cmc's.

January 19, 2013, 09:35 PM	#7
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,190	Rock Island is a great gun. Feeds anything right out of the box. Mine gets a steady diet of home cast SWC's now. I never needed it but their customer service is second to none plus they have a lifetime warranty. Lifetime of the gun that is, no matter who bought it originally. They are supposed to be tooling up to make forged frames but there's nothing wrong with their cast frames. I don't like the grips or the mag it comes with so I swapped those out. Davidsoc, I use CMC 8 round Shooting Stars and they are great. I think I paid 14.00 apiece for them from Brownells. The power mags and match mags cost more tho.

January 20, 2013, 12:04 AM	#10
Niantician Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2005 Location: Ct. Posts: 546	The stock Taurus mags aren't that great either. They function fine, but feel gritty when loading __________________ There are many things in life that are out of my control. Recoil isn't one of them.

January 20, 2013, 01:47 AM	#11
sgn100391 Member Join Date: April 7, 2012 Posts: 32	The service between RIA and Taurus is night and day. If you want problems and bad service, then Taurus is the way to go.

January 20, 2013, 02:00 AM	#12
davidsoc Member Join Date: January 18, 2013 Location: Orange County Posts: 71	Hawg Haggen thats a great price, i think i got the mec gars for around $12 for the 8 and $15 for the 10 rounders a few years ago. I just looked up the prices on the mec gars and it looks like they have gone up since i bought them so i might try those shooting stars out if i ever need more mags

January 20, 2013, 03:48 AM	#13
bigghoss Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2006 Location: Pueblo, Colorado Posts: 2,664	If forced to choose between those two I'd get the RIA. However for an entry-level 1911 the Springfield Mil-Spec is your best bet. I strongly recommend it over the others. __________________ I don't collect guns, I accumulate them.

January 20, 2013, 11:20 AM	#14
h2otoo Member Join Date: October 29, 2012 Posts: 89	Love my RIA, (in 9mm, fwiw). Have not shot the Taurus, but am very happy with what I got. Bob

January 20, 2013, 02:49 PM	#15
DocHopper Member Join Date: April 15, 2012 Location: South West Missouri Posts: 27	Really want RIA compact.

January 20, 2013, 02:59 PM	#16
Microgunner Senior Member Join Date: March 6, 2006 Location: Central Florida Posts: 3,324	I own the RIA 22TCM/9mm combo and it has been flawless in function so far. I also own a RIA XT22 that is fast becoming one of my favorite 22lr pistols. The 22TCM is crazy accurate BTW. __________________ *Proud NRA Benefactor Member*

January 20, 2013, 07:02 PM	#17
jasmith85 Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2012 Location: Tennessee Posts: 631	I would go Rock Island all the way. I didn't have a single problem out of mine.