Why not put work into my RIA tactical 9mm

[Cypriss32]

I have noticed that 1911 9mm fetch a SUPER premium. Guns with 879.99 MSRP are going for 1100-1500 new and used. Plus they are hard as HELL to find. I allready have a brand new RIA 1911 9mm tactical and am thinking about putting some work into it instead of spending all that cash on something else.

Why shouldnt I customizes my RIA 9mm. Install some nice sights, mainspring housing and trigger? I installed some new Springfield grips i put on today.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/382006/cylinder-and-slide-tactical-2-match-trigger-pull-5-piece-set-1911-government-commander-4-lb-stainless-steel

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/146802/wilson-combat-speed-chute-mainspring-housing-flat-with-oversized-magazine-well-1911-government-commander-checkered-20-lpi-stainless-steel

[Lead Waster]

No reason, do whatever you want. It's your gun, make it what you want.

[09rubicon]

RIA makes some good guns. I have a 1911 A1 FS and love it. No reason not to customize it.


Sent from my chocolate starfish at the speed of smell

[OCD41911]

RIA 1911's are IMO the best build up gun for the $$. I'm on my 4th Tac 5" and love them + Armscor has great CS. Good combo. Can't go wrong.

[redcliff]

It's your money and your pistol so you can certainly do what you like...if you don't care about resale value.

As for why not, it's usually hard to recover the cost of additions/modifications you've done to your pistol yourself. If you take a $500 base pistol, and add $400 in improvements to it you end up with a used pistol worth maybe $600 to the right buyer at best if you should resell it, taking a $300 loss. The RIA having a cast frame is a turn-off to some potential buyers although they have been used successfully for a number of years by other manufacturers.

If you take that same $900 investment and buy a $900 pistol that already has those custom features from the factory and go to sell it later you might take a $100 loss just from it being used. You also tend to get better factory finishes on the higher priced 1911's.

It's generally a good idea to start with a highly desirable model before spending a lot of money on them, and if you do having a reputable gunsmith perform the work is important for future value. This is true for cars like it is for guns. A modified 69 Camaro will get some buyers. A modified 76 Dodge Dart probably not so much. My custom 1911's are built from pre 80 Series Colts for this reason, with work performed by a reputable gunsmith who marked his work. Plus I like the prancing pony on the slide

Others certainly have their own opinions which I'm not trying to argue with, just giving my thoughts after being around firearm collecting and custom 1911's for close to 40 years now.

Edit: please don't read this as saying I'm against common sense improvements such as $75 trigger jobs or a high visibility front sight swap. In fact I'm not opposed to whatever you want to do, just saying there may be better candidates for extensive modifications from an investment standpoint.

[Gutz]

Do it!!!

[Cypriss32]

No reason, do whatever you want. It's your gun, make it what you want.

I read gunsmiths dont like working on them (according to calguns members who knows if this is true or not).

[Hank15]

Rock Island Armory is a solid platform for a custom build. It's the bare minimum I personally consider for a full house custom.

Send it to a good gunsmith and enjoy!

However! Like redcliff said, you might want to reconsider it if you plan to sell it in the future.

[Cypriss32]

I dont plan to sell it. Ive allways a 1911 9mm. I will just buy the springer loaded in a little while.

[railroader]

If you want to do an inexpensive upgrade that does a lot install a dawson fiber optic front sight. With a fiber optic sight it will make your gun much more shootable. Just be aware some parts aren't exact fit. I tried a S&A magwell on a tactical I had and there was a pretty good gap. I also tried a chip mccormick grip safety and it didn't fit quite right. I went with a kimber grip safety and it fit better.

[CrippledPidgeon]

I read gunsmiths dont like working on them (according to calguns members who knows if this is true or not).

There's a certain stigma to having "Philippines" stamped on the side. Many of the good gunsmiths tend to trust the build quality of M1911s that at least had final fitting done in the United States. For instance, if you take Jim Garthwaite's 1911 gunsmithing class, he uses Springfield frames and slides because (I remember reading somewhere that he said) he feels there's less he needs to fix before letting students start working on them.

[myk]

That's true, you have to be sure the gunsmith you select will actually work on RIA's; I've heard that some won't, maybe it's because of the cast-frame or something...

[Press Check]

I read gunsmiths dont like working on them (according to calguns members who knows if this is true or not).

Definitely not true. My brother commisioned the services of the infamous Jim Hoag to complete a Reliability Package and Trigger job on his Tac Model.

Most Pistolsmith's will work on any quality 1911, and RIA has proven to be an entry level contender.

[Capt Jack]

My buddy sent his 9mm Tac to a smith at Impact guns and had trigger work, a hammer and a dawson fiber optic front sight put on.

Needless to say, I ask him how much he wants for the gun after every range session where i get to shoot it. I don't think you will regret putting a few bucks into the RIA.

Also, for what its worth, my buddy got a Springer Loaded 9mm in Stainless just a few months back and loves both guns equally...

[Lead Waster]

I read gunsmiths dont like working on them (according to calguns members who knows if this is true or not).

You can find someone who will work on it. I believe the fear was always that since it's a cast frame, if they cut into it and find a void, they'll get the blame.

If you aren't doing metal work on it, then what's the big deal?

I dunno, if I were a gunsmith I'd just disclose any issues I might have with working on it and then take the job. Who turns down work nowadays?

Also as for "resale value" Who cares? If you are customizing a gun, then you must like it and want the end product, why would you sell it?

A matter of perspective is needed here to. Anyone who bought a house or car will take a far greater loss in resale value than any gun resale.

PERSONALLY, I wouldn't let anything like "less resale value" affect my choice of what work I'd do on a gun.