RIA Tactical 1911 .45 ACP

Gus90 · June 28, 2014, 04:57 PM

I recently acquired a RIA Tactical 1911 in .45 ACP. Before this I had never even handled a RIA (due to prejudice against the the price) but after handling it and putting +100 rnds through it I am pleasantly surprised by its performance. Only one malfunction, a FTE because I limp-wristed it on the last rnd. There are a few things i'd like to change about it, mainly a match grade barrel, and modifying the ambidextrous safety. Does anyone have any experience with this model and modifying it? Any other recommended mods?

JERRYS. · June 28, 2014, 05:29 PM

I have the 9mm version. are you sure you just have to modify it? I find mine great just the way it is. maybe different sights and grips and breaking some sharp edges... but basically its fine right out of the box.

I ask that you shoot more than a paltry 100 rounds through it before you start changing things.... just to give it a chance.

**Aguila Blanca** · June 28, 2014, 06:26 PM

The term "match grade" is meaningless. Virtually every 1911 being sold today has or claims to have a "match grade" barrel. If you really want to uprade to a national match barrel, expect to pay twice what the gun cost you to buy the barrel and have it fitted. 1911 barrels are NOT "drop-ins."

RIA pistols are plenty accurate out of the box unless you are a national-level bullseye shooter.

tekarra · June 29, 2014, 07:42 PM

I have the same pistol and the only thing I changed were the grips.

Venom1956 · June 29, 2014, 08:07 PM

Ill agree with Aguila,

replacing a barrel with a 'match grade' one is nothing but marketing, I'd doubt you'd see any changes in groups.

When you start changing tolerances in a 1911 that is when you start having problems.

cdbeagle · June 30, 2014, 10:49 PM

I bought two a couple of months ago and they are my first 1911's. The only thing I changed was adding slim grips. I'm very happy with my RIA's

Gus90 · July 20, 2014, 12:47 AM

So, to return to this topic, i have now put almost 1000 rounds through this RIA without any issues, performance is well above expectations. my accuracy with it has improved but still not to the standard of my other 1911's. What i'm finding is that what i originally thought was just copper fouling in the barrel at the time of purchase has turned out to be slight pitting in the grooves of the rifling. It appears that the previous owner never cleaned it. Has anyone else had an experience where slight pitting effected accuracy? Or has anyone had to replace a barrel because of corrosion/pitting in a 1911?

boondocker385 · July 20, 2014, 10:53 AM

Where is the pitting? I bought a Springfield from a guy who complained about the pitting near the chamber screwing up accuracy.. it wasn't an issue in terms of accuracy and only required an extra minute to clean.

**Aguila Blanca** · July 20, 2014, 01:41 PM

Lewis Lead-Out, followed by J-B bore cleaner, followed by J-B Bore Shine.

Gus90 · July 20, 2014, 10:08 PM

The pitting is nearer to the muzzle, seems to be about 1" long right up against the lands of the rifling. I'll see if i can get a pic to show what it looks like.

guncheese · July 22, 2014, 12:25 PM

the best thing to do with that gun is to have EGW bore you a bushing for it
http://egwguns.com
measure the ID of your slide
and the OD of the barrel
and they will custom angle bore a bushing just for you
and its the single most effective, cheap and easy way to make that gun sing your tune

gyvel · July 23, 2014, 03:29 AM

Quote:

I have the same pistol and the only thing I changed were the grips.

Yes, I never understood why Armscor put those cheesy looking uncheckered grips on them.

gyvel · July 23, 2014, 03:31 AM

Quote:

The pitting is nearer to the muzzle, seems to be about 1" long right up against the lands of the rifling. I'll see if i can get a pic to show what it looks like.

Are you absolutely sure it isn't compressed lead stuck in the corners? Lead can sometimes be very stubborn to remove and, at times, can take on the appearance of light pitting. I have had leading at times that was so stubborn, I eventually had to resort to a dental pick to remove it from the corners.

45Gunner · July 23, 2014, 11:04 PM

Only thing I changed on mine were the grips. Grips that came with the gun were extremely ugly. I asked my gunsmith to modify the gun, virtually take out all the innards and replace them with quality stuff. He told me for what the gun was, it was OK the way it is. If I wanted to build a gun, buy a higher quality frame. I use my RIA for a range gun in rotation with others and it is an adequate gun for that. Have had mine for several years now and not a single problem...not even a recoil spring change. How can ya complain about that for a $400 gun?

jasmith85 · July 24, 2014, 08:09 AM

I found the RIA that I previously owned to be a nice gun. Since they finally removed the giant billboard on the side of the slide I have been thinking about buying another one. The tacticals are a great value because you can sometimes find them within a few dollars of the price of a base model.

Spooler41 · July 26, 2014, 08:58 PM

I purchased my RIA 1911 commander(4.5" barrel) last January. The only
mods I've done are the grips. I replaced the smooth grips with Parchmeyer
wrap around rubber/Walnut grips . These grips made a world of difference,
a much more secure feeling in my hand. I've fired about 700 rnds. without
any failures . It just seems to get better every time I take it out to shoot.

..........................Jack

June 28, 2014, 04:57 PM	#1
Gus90 Member Join Date: June 14, 2014 Posts: 37	RIA Tactical 1911 .45 ACP I recently acquired a RIA Tactical 1911 in .45 ACP. Before this I had never even handled a RIA (due to prejudice against the the price) but after handling it and putting +100 rnds through it I am pleasantly surprised by its performance. Only one malfunction, a FTE because I limp-wristed it on the last rnd. There are a few things i'd like to change about it, mainly a match grade barrel, and modifying the ambidextrous safety. Does anyone have any experience with this model and modifying it? Any other recommended mods?

June 29, 2014, 08:07 PM	#5
Venom1956 Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2008 Location: WI Posts: 3,656	Ill agree with Aguila, replacing a barrel with a 'match grade' one is nothing but marketing, I'd doubt you'd see any changes in groups. When you start changing tolerances in a 1911 that is when you start having problems. __________________ E-Shock rounds are engineered to expend maximum energy into soft targets, turning the density mass into an expanding rotational cone of NyTrilium matrix particles, causing neurological collapse to the central nervous system.- Yeah I can do that. I guarantee you will know it if a bicyclist hits your house going 1000 mph. -Smaug

June 30, 2014, 10:49 PM	#6
cdbeagle Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2012 Location: Justin Texas Posts: 313	I bought two a couple of months ago and they are my first 1911's. The only thing I changed was adding slim grips. I'm very happy with my RIA's __________________ Assistant Secretary - U.S. Dry Bean Council

July 20, 2014, 10:53 AM	#8
boondocker385 Senior Member Join Date: March 6, 2013 Posts: 640	Where is the pitting? I bought a Springfield from a guy who complained about the pitting near the chamber screwing up accuracy.. it wasn't an issue in terms of accuracy and only required an extra minute to clean. __________________ No second place finishes in a gun fight.

July 23, 2014, 11:04 PM	#14
45Gunner Senior Member Join Date: August 8, 2009 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 1,902	Only thing I changed on mine were the grips. Grips that came with the gun were extremely ugly. I asked my gunsmith to modify the gun, virtually take out all the innards and replace them with quality stuff. He told me for what the gun was, it was OK the way it is. If I wanted to build a gun, buy a higher quality frame. I use my RIA for a range gun in rotation with others and it is an adequate gun for that. Have had mine for several years now and not a single problem...not even a recoil spring change. How can ya complain about that for a $400 gun? __________________ 45Gunner May the Schwartz Be With You. NRA Instructor NRA Life Member

June 28, 2014, 05:29 PM	#2
JERRYS. Senior Member Join Date: September 23, 2013 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,969	I have the 9mm version. are you sure you just have to modify it? I find mine great just the way it is. maybe different sights and grips and breaking some sharp edges... but basically its fine right out of the box. I ask that you shoot more than a paltry 100 rounds through it before you start changing things.... just to give it a chance.

June 28, 2014, 06:26 PM	#3
Aguila Blanca Staff Join Date: September 25, 2008 Location: CONUS Posts: 18,468	The term "match grade" is meaningless. Virtually every 1911 being sold today has or claims to have a "match grade" barrel. If you really want to uprade to a national match barrel, expect to pay twice what the gun cost you to buy the barrel and have it fitted. 1911 barrels are NOT "drop-ins." RIA pistols are plenty accurate out of the box unless you are a national-level bullseye shooter.

June 29, 2014, 07:42 PM	#4
tekarra Senior Member Join Date: May 26, 2007 Posts: 1,164	I have the same pistol and the only thing I changed were the grips.

July 20, 2014, 12:47 AM	#7
Gus90 Member Join Date: June 14, 2014 Posts: 37	So, to return to this topic, i have now put almost 1000 rounds through this RIA without any issues, performance is well above expectations. my accuracy with it has improved but still not to the standard of my other 1911's. What i'm finding is that what i originally thought was just copper fouling in the barrel at the time of purchase has turned out to be slight pitting in the grooves of the rifling. It appears that the previous owner never cleaned it. Has anyone else had an experience where slight pitting effected accuracy? Or has anyone had to replace a barrel because of corrosion/pitting in a 1911?

July 20, 2014, 01:41 PM	#9
Aguila Blanca Staff Join Date: September 25, 2008 Location: CONUS Posts: 18,468	Lewis Lead-Out, followed by J-B bore cleaner, followed by J-B Bore Shine.

July 20, 2014, 10:08 PM	#10
Gus90 Member Join Date: June 14, 2014 Posts: 37	The pitting is nearer to the muzzle, seems to be about 1" long right up against the lands of the rifling. I'll see if i can get a pic to show what it looks like.

July 22, 2014, 12:25 PM	#11
guncheese Senior Member Join Date: January 13, 2013 Posts: 128	the best thing to do with that gun is to have EGW bore you a bushing for it http://egwguns.com measure the ID of your slide and the OD of the barrel and they will custom angle bore a bushing just for you and its the single most effective, cheap and easy way to make that gun sing your tune

July 24, 2014, 08:09 AM	#15
jasmith85 Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2012 Location: Tennessee Posts: 631	I found the RIA that I previously owned to be a nice gun. Since they finally removed the giant billboard on the side of the slide I have been thinking about buying another one. The tacticals are a great value because you can sometimes find them within a few dollars of the price of a base model.

July 26, 2014, 08:58 PM	#16
Spooler41 Member Join Date: June 12, 2014 Location: Port Angeles ,Washington Posts: 34	I purchased my RIA 1911 commander(4.5" barrel) last January. The only mods I've done are the grips. I replaced the smooth grips with Parchmeyer wrap around rubber/Walnut grips . These grips made a world of difference, a much more secure feeling in my hand. I've fired about 700 rnds. without any failures . It just seems to get better every time I take it out to shoot. ..........................Jack