entry level 1911

[BaronW]

I just ordered an RIA GI.

[rp55]

I just picked up a RIA yesterday. My goal was somewhat different than what you often see discussed here. Accuracy and reliability were of no consequence. I used 1911s on active duty as a Naval Officer and I owned a personal Remington Rand M1911-A1 made in 1944 for many years. I wanted a pistol that duplicated as close as possible the experience of the original without spending $2500. I wound up looking at the SA GI and the RIA and went so far as to strip them down in shops. For my criteria the RIA was the winner by a mile.

I brought it home last night and opened up the bag still sealed from the factory. It was literally dripping machine oil. The first thing I noticed was how much more resistance there was to racking the slide. Even though I have handled dozens 1911s I had never seen one that was less than 30-40 years old and well used.

I thought to myself "This is what they must have been like when they were brand new. I cleaned it up and reassembled it and just sat there holding it and let my mind wander. This is the iconic American handgun. My grandfather carried one on active duty, my father carried one on active duty and I carried one on active duty.

Then, just like Proust described, I felt as if "An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory - this new sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me it was me. I had ceased now to feel mediocre, contingent, mortal. Whence could it have come to me, this all-powerful joy?"

If I throw that gun in the safe and never touch it again it was worth every penny.

[Can'thavenuthingood]

I thought to myself "This is what they must have been like when they were brand new. I cleaned it up and reassembled it and just sat there holding it and let my mind wander. This is the iconic American handgun. My grandfather carried one on active duty, my father carried one on active duty and I carried one on active duty.

Then, just like Proust described, I felt as if "An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory - this new sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me it was me. I had ceased now to feel mediocre, contingent, mortal. Whence could it have come to me, this all-powerful joy?"

If I throw that gun in the safe and never touch it again it was worth every penny.

Hot dam, I gotta get one of those.
I need a cigarette.

Vick

[Mr. Magoo]

I pick up my RIA on friday. It really is a solid pistol and a great value.

With a little smithing you can do them up real nice too.

[tonelar]

Get the RIA Tactical- odds are it'll serve you well even after your skills catch up to it.

[quickcf]

Go with a Springfield GI.

[ltdanicecream]

I love my RIA 1911, almost more than my S&W 1911!

[dgey]

I have Kimbers, SA's and Colts. Love the kimber the best... also shoot it better than the others... It's the CDP II Pro... my go to gun...

[rtlltj]

Any gun shops in the san jose area sell RIA?

[HDRDR]

I pick up my RIA on friday. It really is a solid pistol and a great value.

With a little smithing you can do them up real nice too.

Nice looking guns you have there!

[PutTogether]

I am going to make two suggestions.


1) IF you have the available cash, and don't mind parking it in a gun for a while, i would say get a used Kimber Custom. It should cost somewhere from 750-900, but the chances are near 100% that you get every dime of that back if and when you decide to sell. It would give a great intro into the 1911 world and ultimately have a net cost of near zero.

2) If you DONT have the cash for plan 1, get a Rock Island. I've heard nothing but good things about them, and starting with a base gun will allow you to experiment and buy parts and switch things around to see what features you really like and appreciate. They are inexpensive, and when you decide to move on, you can probably STILL get most of your money back out of it, or call it cheap enough to keep and just get another gun too.

[rp55]

Got mine at Reed's. They had quite a few of them.

Any gun shops in the san jose area sell RIA?

[Ishoot]

I am going to make two suggestions.


1) IF you have the available cash, and don't mind parking it in a gun for a while, i would say get a used Kimber Custom. It should cost somewhere from 750-900, but the chances are near 100% that you get every dime of that back if and when you decide to sell. It would give a great intro into the 1911 world and ultimately have a net cost of near zero.

2) If you DONT have the cash for plan 1, get a Rock Island. I've heard nothing but good things about them, and starting with a base gun will allow you to experiment and buy parts and switch things around to see what features you really like and appreciate. They are inexpensive, and when you decide to move on, you can probably STILL get most of your money back out of it, or call it cheap enough to keep and just get another gun too.

+1 on that...Kimbers keep their value well and RRA are affordable enough that you'd eventually buy two..

[kenjimatic]

I'm also shopping for another pistol and have a 1911 on my mind too. It's going to be my first 45acp/1911 and after doing some reading on this thread, I checked out the CA DOJ approve list and didn't see Rock Island Armory, did I look it up as a wrong manufature?

Sorry if I thread jacked, didn't think I should start a new thread..

[Fantasma]

I'm also shopping for another pistol and have a 1911 on my mind too. It's going to be my first 45acp/1911 and after doing some reading on this thread, I checked out the CA DOJ approve list and didn't see Rock Island Armory, did I look it up as a wrong manufature?

Sorry if I thread jacked, didn't think I should start a new thread..

They are under armscor precision.