RIA Upgrades advise

[Donny1]

I got this RIA GI about 2 years ago with the intent to learn about 1911's and do some upgrades as I go.

I have cleaned, polished all internals and the trigger is excellent, it's accurate and flawless in operation after around 700 rounds.

I would now like to start upgrading the hammer, beaver tail safety, trigger, barrel bushing, guide rod parts, etc. I want to do things in stages so I know the effect of each but I don't want to end up with a bunch of miss matched parts. These upgrades are also cosmetic so I would like all the materiel to match and have some contrast to the finish of the gun. Also perfect drop in parts are not necessary as I can manage fitting them.

Suggestions for what brand parts to look at and which to avoid would be appreciated.

[ar15barrels]

Stick with the major makers like Wilson, Ed Brown and EGW and you will do fine.
Don't worry about finishes matching.
You will need to do a full refinish after all the metal work is done because nobody makes parts that are going to match your specific gun.
If you want to stay with a parkerized finish, avoid stainless parts as stainless parts will not accept parkerizing.
Some people will use a stainless hammer and aluminum trigger specifically so they stand out like accents.

[mtenenhaus]

Donny1,

If the trigger is awesome and it's already accurate it sounds like the changes you are after is optimizing aesthetics and fit or are you after longevity issues?

If accurizing the pistol were a goal then optimizing grip, trigger, barrel to slide and bushing fit would be the direction i'd head in

If it's a function of fit, the beavertail and perhaps length of trigger pull would be where i'd focus my energies and funds

give us some more information as to where you hope to go with the pistol and what you feel are it's current limitation and it would be easier to more effectively direct you.

In general i've had great luck with EGW parts, as well as Bar-Sto and Kart Barrels if that helps.

[Donny1]

Donny1,

If the trigger is awesome and it's already accurate it sounds like the changes you are after is optimizing aesthetics and fit or are you after longevity issues?

If accurizing the pistol were a goal then optimizing grip, trigger, barrel to slide and bushing fit would be the direction i'd head in

If it's a function of fit, the beavertail and perhaps length of trigger pull would be where i'd focus my energies and funds

give us some more information as to where you hope to go with the pistol and what you feel are it's current limitation and it would be easier to more effectively direct you.

In general i've had great luck with EGW parts, as well as Bar-Sto and Kart Barrels if that helps.

Some of both. I definitely want a beaver tail but he trigger and hammer would add to the aesthetics as well. As far a the barrel/bushing it is a surprisingly good fit and I'm ok leaving that as is for now. The gun is very snug all around. In the end it will be a carry gun for more out of the way places in the desert/mountains but looking good is always a bonus.

One area that is definitely lacking is the sights.

[ar15barrels]

One area that is definitely lacking is the sights.

That's the first thing I would do.
I would do Novak's carry sights.

[mtenenhaus]

i'm too am a big fan of Novak sights as well for carry or all around use. For range use i tend to gravitate to adjustable rear sights and a fiber optic front but i'm neither young nor likely to carry etc. The age of the shooter, visual acuity as well as individual preferences play a huge role in their selection.

If you're adding a nice beavertail, since that part directly interfaces with the trigger it might be a great time to do both.

....and you know how that goes, if you're doing a trigger then you might as well throw in the disconnector and sear at the same time.

Should you go down that road i'd strongly advocate employing the skills of the experienced gunsmiths that routinely and graciously contribute to this forum. They've earned their accolades.

It would be heart breaking to get stuck with a poorly done beavertail or an unsafe platform.

[Donny1]

I tend to only polish the sear and other parts until they need replacement and have improved a few triggers dramatically while staying on the "safe" side. I've discovered the 1911 trigger is such a great design that with what I have done so far and maybe adding a trigger with a take up screw will be good until things degrade, or not.

As is it's 3-4lb and crisp, don't think I want anything lighter.

I like the night sight that came on the front of my Shield, really pops in the dark so the RIA would really benefit from something similar. Going to have to put some thought in to what color combo for front and rear though, Novaks are not cheap.

[Sailormilan2]

I have a Springfield Mil Spec, which is essentially what you have with the RIA. Base model, though mine had hi viz sights.
I chose to rebuild it, so that is it very similar to my RIA Tactical. I replaced the barrel with an Ed Brown barrel, as the SAI barrel was horrible. I installed a Smith & Alexander beavertail grip safety with bump(SAI needs one with a .220" radius, which limits which ones can be used. I don't think RIA has that problem). Harrison True Radius ignition set(installed in both my RIA Tactical and the SAI). RIA Tactical ambidextrous safety(slightly reshaped), and simple grips off eVilBay.
Slide, frame, and parts were then reparked with grey park to match the original color.
Pics of both the RIA Tactical(which has aftermarket grips), and the rebuilt SAI Mil Spec. Both guns have extra slides, so that I can change calibers(9mm, 38Super, and 9x23).

[GunDog]

Here a couple pics of a RIA .38 Super I tricked out. Intalled the following Ed Brown products.....

--Flat mainspring housing.
--Beavertail Safety
--Extended Thumb Safety
--Commander style hammer
--Long Trigger

After all new parts were installed, I had the pistol refinished in a matte blue. Bead blasting prior to refinish got rid of the obnoxious billboard logo on the left side of frame.

Project turned out pretty nice and the pistol handles a whole lot better. Never did get around to redoing the sites.....had to draw the line somewhere with how much money I wanted to dump into the RIA.

RIA .38 Super II 029.jpg

RIA .38 Super II 030.jpg