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Posted: 1/22/2017 9:08:29 PM EDT
[#1]
I've got a citadel 3.5" version, runs like a raped ape.
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Posted: 1/22/2017 9:17:09 PM EDT
[#2]
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Posted: 1/23/2017 2:56:06 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Boy, you got that right. I've read a ton of reviews on the various Philiippy-made 1911s, and they run the gamut from "better than a high-end custom Colt" to "low-budget, unreliable MIM-junk - majorly avoid." It would be nice if there was a consistent consensus. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Opinions are like assholes.  Boy, you got that right. I've read a ton of reviews on the various Philiippy-made 1911s, and they run the gamut from "better than a high-end custom Colt" to "low-budget, unreliable MIM-junk - majorly avoid." It would be nice if there was a consistent consensus. You need to compare the opinions of those who actually own them with the opinions of the "regurgatees". You'll find the consensus falls on the side of their being solid, well made and reliable pistols that are well worth what they cost. |
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Posted: 1/23/2017 9:26:28 PM EDT
[#4]
I've read that Armscor also makes Cimarron, High Standard, & Some STI models.
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Posted: 1/24/2017 12:26:20 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I've read that Armscor also makes Cimarron, High Standard, & Some STI models. Yes they do. |
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Posted: 1/24/2017 1:02:29 AM EDT
[#6]
I have a RIA Tactical. Very happy with it. Fit and finish on mine I never gave it a thought looks 100% to me. Buddy of mine saw it and hes a Sig 45 guy. He bought one after seeing mine for a beater.
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Posted: 1/24/2017 3:48:31 PM EDT
[#7]
I've been shooting my RIA GI for seven years. I use good magazines and good ammo and never have any worries. It's been tolerant of some minor parts-swapping. It runs on a 14 lb recoil spring, 23 lb main spring and feeds holllowpoints all day long. I've heard good things about customer service, but haven't needed it myself.
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Posted: 1/24/2017 8:31:30 PM EDT
[#8]
I have a Cimarron 1911, a RIA tactical, and two Metro Arms commanders, one in .45 hard chrome, and one 9mm blued. The .45 commander is my favorite, but I also have a soft spot for the 1911 Cimarron, simply because James Tarr says stock G.I. guns are worse than useless as a carry gun (I went to high school with Jim. He's a good guy.). A gun doesn't have to be customized to the nth degree to be an effective carry gun. Someone read too many Jerry AHern books as a teenager (myself included).
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Posted: 1/25/2017 4:21:39 PM EDT
[#9]
All in .45acp, All Armscor. I have had the 5" Match, 3 parkerized 5" G.I. models, 1 matte nickel 5" G.I., 1 parkerized 3.5", and a polished blue Cimmaron 5". Only the matte nickel was disappointing due to its very easy to wear finish. I find them to be an excellent value and have yet to find anyone to voluntarily take a round from one. I still have 1 or 2 of my basic ones and my compact (3.5"). The lifetime warranty is assigned to the gun therefore number of owners is moot. Good customer service center in Pahrump, Nevada. As an alternative, my Tisas is every bit the Rocks are.
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Posted: 1/29/2017 9:59:39 AM EDT
[#10]
I know Im going to catch alot of sh*t but,if its not made by Colt,Remington,Inland,Singer etc its not a "real"1911 its just a "knock off"
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Posted: 1/29/2017 10:42:40 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I know Im going to catch alot of sh*t but,if its not made by Colt,Remington,Inland,Singer etc its not a "real"1911 its just a "knock off" Actually all those would be "knock offs" except the Colt, because they were made using JMB's design, like all these other companies do today. Just like FN M16/M4s would be "knock offs" because they're not Colt rollmarked. Your definition seems to only extend to guns made for the U.S. Govt for WW2. Does that mean modern Colt's are not "real" 1911s as well? So far I've had around 20 1911s of various grade and manufacture. A handful of Colts (New Agent, Gold Cup, Defender, WWI repro), 2 STIs (Steelmaster in .38 Super, Trojan in 9mm), a Wilson KZ45, a Bul M5, and all the rest were either Metro Arms American Classic, RIA, or Citadel. So far in, 9 years of ownership experience with different 1911s, they've all been good guns for me. I had no discernibly different experience with any of them as far as reliability. Sure, the STIs were race guns and were treated as such (bought used at that), and the Colt's were my first purchases when I was managing a gun store and nothing but the finest was worth my time and money. The Wilson and Bul were essentially the same gun (doublestack 45) with different levels of fit and finish and were purchases of opportunity. I bought my first RIA (an officers model with no frills) to see how they ran and was pleasantly surprised. It was intended to be a "truck gun" and a tool. That gun was my guinea pig to learn how to fit parts on and taught me a lot about how a 1911 functions. A used RIA purchased for $275 seemed like an acceptable candidate for surgery. When I was done, the only RIA parts in that gun were the frame, slide, and barrel. Every other part was either Wilson or Ed Brown, and it ran perfectly when I was finished with it. That was the first of my Phillipine pistol purchases and not the last. I have enjoyed them all. Brand snobbery is just keeping a lot of folks from enjoying nice guns in a plain wrapper. YMMV. |
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Posted: 1/29/2017 11:08:02 AM EDT
[#12]
I have a citadel 9mm compact 1911 and the gun is pretty cool, I like the rough parkerized finish, it looks right on the gun. But the gun isn't very reliable unless it's righteously cleaned and oiled before use before every range session. I haven't shot it in a few years now, I just slathered it in frog lube to keep it from rusting and stuffed it in the back of my safe, it looks like it's covered in cosmoline now lol.
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Posted: 1/29/2017 12:46:09 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I just slathered it in frog lube to keep it from rusting and stuffed it in the back of my safe, it looks like it's covered in cosmoline now lol. Frog Lube sucks and is a terrible long term storage solution. As you have discovered. It is also a bitch to remove from every nook and cranny after it has sat for a while. |
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Posted: 1/29/2017 6:26:55 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
. Just like FN M16/M4s would be "knock offs" because they're not Colt rollmarked. Aren't colt m16s just knock offs of Armalites? I could be wrong, I'm far from a historian, but: didn't Eugene Stoner worked at armalite when they designed the original Armalite Rifle 15 (ar15) that the US military adopted. Colt just got the lion's share of contracts. |
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Posted: 1/30/2017 12:22:46 PM EDT
[#15]
I managed to pick up one of the ATI "American Tactical Titan" made by S.A.M. Inc. for less than $400.
Out of the box it ran ball ammo like a top but would jam on wad cutters, TCs and HPs. Realized the weakness was the factory magazine feed angles were all wrong. Replaced the factory mag with a Wilson Combat and now it runs 100% with all ammo. Did a basic feed ramp polish and now it feeds empties as well. Very good shooting 45 out to 25yd (say 4" groups at 25yd with me shooting it from a rest). Externally fit/finish, The thing is built solid but some of the internals seem a little under engineered. Especially the guide rod. Overall for the price, I have been impressed with it and it has become one of my primary CCL carry pistols. MLG |
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Posted: 1/31/2017 9:32:30 AM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Not about to bother. They look like any other well cared for pistol. Most have been through a hot blue tank more than once. The rules bullseye rules have wandered over the years. Sometimes tighter (no exterior changes allowed) sometime looser ((sight rails, etc). It depends on what 'class' you shot in. One handed no optics for many years. No exterior changes from a straight 'military' pistol. I shot about 500 rounds a week for over 20 years. Every Saturday and Sunday. Over and over. It racks up. 185 wad-cutters used to be a lot cheaper. Loaded every one myself. Bullseye in 8 pound cans. Primer 10,000 in a case. Bulk mil once fired brass has always been floating around. You just had to know where to look. After FOPA '86 you could easily order reloading components. Keep in mind !986 was 30 years ago now. Before that you had to at least show up at a store. As a PE in Elect4rical Engineering I was very well paid.Large amounts of very black electronic warfare (EW) work. Want a radio link that cannot be detected when operating (let alone intercepted)? Change frequency a couple thousand times a second in a band no one even looks in or uses. It was the cutting edge of the digital control of 'frequency agile' communications. I used to collect papers written by other government contractors saying that put 'latest proposal' could NOT be done. Never tell an engineer on a cost plus fixed fee contract that 'cannot be done.' None of it was 'commercially viable' at the time. It was in support of the 'Intelligence Community.' Many of the things done did not appear possible. Money and time. Remember "The bomb will never go off. I speak as an expert in explosives." --Admiral William Leahy, U.S. Atomic Bomb Project It took almost all the silver in Fort Knox to make the magnet windings for the Calutrons (gaint mass spectrometers) to separate Uranium 235 and 238. we need a way to dispose of chem rounds (48 at a time) that will take 5 minutes and leave no toxic products. Go. |
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Posted: 1/31/2017 10:05:06 AM EDT
[#17]
The only Philippine 1911 I've had experience with is a Charles Daly..total garbage.
People tend to love their RIA's though |
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Posted: 1/31/2017 11:11:39 AM EDT
[#18]
I studied a .45 in stainless at a gunshop recently. I know it was from the PI, but don't think it was RIA. It seemed to be fitted very well and I wouldn't have hesitated to buy it, other than I was looking for a 9mm at the time.
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Posted: 1/31/2017 11:57:42 AM EDT
[#19]
Love my Metro Arms Commander, have thought about getting it refinished. Mostly due to holster and finish wear from use.
Eats pretty much everything I have thrown into it, not the tightest 1911 I own or have shot. It feels good, shoots perfectly fine for it's use. I do have to keep watch on some areas for slight frame rust, but that is only where it is worn and I sweat on it during carry. |
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Posted: 1/31/2017 1:41:35 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Uhhh...ok. ...backs out slowly...  They look like any other well cared for 1911. Some have been through the bluing tank. Barrels have been replaced. More than a few hammers. Long ago when parts could not be easily obtained we welded things back up. The metal was often of less then adequate hardness and wore badly. |
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Posted: 1/31/2017 11:05:22 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I studied a .45 in stainless at a gunshop recently. I know it was from the PI, but don't think it was RIA. It seemed to be fitted very well and I wouldn't have hesitated to buy it, other than I was looking for a 9mm at the time. It would have been one of the names under S.A.M. Armscor (RIA/others) doesn't produce a stainless 1911. |
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Posted: 2/5/2017 5:19:24 PM EDT
[#22]
Essex, Federal Ordinance and Auto Ordnance are budget 1911's that I avoid.
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Posted: 2/5/2017 8:52:47 PM EDT
[#23]
The only issue I have had with one was my staked on front site fell off on an officer model. I want to say that happened after 3-5k rounds. Otherwise my other full size Rock Islands (9mm, 45, and 10mm) have worked great.
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Posted: 2/5/2017 10:05:46 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
It would have been one of the names under S.A.M. Armscor (RIA/others) doesn't produce a stainless 1911. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I studied a .45 in stainless at a gunshop recently. I know it was from the PI, but don't think it was RIA. It seemed to be fitted very well and I wouldn't have hesitated to buy it, other than I was looking for a 9mm at the time. It would have been one of the names under S.A.M. Armscor (RIA/others) doesn't produce a stainless 1911. According to their web site, http://shootersarms.com.ph/firearms-new.php?cat=1 They are all chrome also. I just assumed wildearp saw a chrome or nickel gun and at a glance assumed SS. For some reason they don't like SS over there. |
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Posted: 2/5/2017 10:35:12 PM EDT
[#25]
I have a SAM 1911 that has about 1500 rounds through it. Good pistol over all. Only issue I had was the front sight came loose and i had to peen the slide and sight to make it stay again.
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Posted: 2/6/2017 9:37:48 AM EDT
[#26]
I love my RIA Tactical. Super accurate, very reliable, fun as heck, and only cost me $350
Crummy pic from the range yesterday:  Attached File |
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Posted: 2/7/2017 12:16:11 AM EDT
[#27]
Replace Armscor with Springfield and theses conversations become replays of the conversations we had back when Springer was making a name for themselves.
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Posted: 2/7/2017 8:33:04 AM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Replace Armscor with Springfield and theses conversations become replays of the conversations we had back when Springer was making a name for themselves. That's probably true. |
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Posted: 2/12/2017 2:52:43 AM EDT
[#29]
I picked up a Thompson Center Auto Ordnance 1911 in a pawn shop for $175 a few years ago. Smooth trigger, shoots great. Who ever had it before me also upgraded it to combat sites.
Cons are it's finicky with ammo, sometimes likes the same thing for a few hundred rounds, then is a jam machine. Will run fine on something it previously jammed like crazy on. Biggest con, the slide release. All I have to do to release the slide from slide stop is rack a mag in hard, hell, sometimes setting it down empty on the bench is enough force to let it loose. For a range gun, at the price I paid, it's fine. Never hurts to practice stoppages, and clearing them. That said, I would never carry it unless I took it to a gunsmith to fix it up to a trustworthy state. I plan on just buying a quality 1911 instead if I ever think I might want to carry a 1911. |
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Posted: 2/12/2017 8:24:41 PM EDT
[#30]
My RIA 1911A1FS has run virtually perfectly for around six or seven hundred rounds (not a lot, but I'm running on a college student's budget here). Many of those are crummy cast-lead reloads that still shoot fairly accurately. Reliability is excellent; accuracy is quite good. I managed to score the duracoated model for $425 at a gun show; I don't know how many rounds the previous owner put through it. As a southpaw, the ambi safety has been a big help. I carry it whenever legal, including while prospecting and exploring old mines- wear marks are a given!
My fiancé has a Commander-length RIA that came ceracoated sand/FDE from the factory. It still seems to be inside its break-in period, and doesn't like dirty or gritty magazines but otherwise shoots very nicely. It has excellent fit and finish, certainly far better than the polymer pistols. Our primary shooting spot is an old mine pit, so grit is common. |
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Posted: 2/15/2017 8:55:30 PM EDT
[#31]
I bought a Citadel for $329 several years back at the local hardware store. I'm really pleased with it other than the finish. The finish seemed to come off on anything it touched. I'm not sure what the finish is.
I finally got sick of it and scuffed the whole thing with a fine Scotch Brite pad. I kind of like the worn look, but I guess maybe I should have it Cerakoted. Other than that totally happy. It's a bargain for what you get. Oh and at first I found it didn't like cheap 115gr ammo. It had a few hiccups but with a better load it's very reliable. 
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Posted: 2/18/2017 3:29:44 PM EDT
[#32]
>>Metro Arms commander<<
I hefted one of these the other day in stainless and was quite impressed. A lot of features for not a lot of money. Were I a bigger 1911 fan I'd snap one up in a minute. |
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Posted: 2/20/2017 12:49:44 AM EDT
[#33]
I had the compact officer sized model RIA. With the stock magazine it would not lock open on the last round, but when using the 7 rd Springfield mags I had it would lock open fine. I could only get these 2 type magazines to feed rounds, both hollow point and ball, which it did quite well. CMC Powermag+ would not work at all nor would the GI type 7 rd mags.
Frames are cast and mainspring housing is plastic. I removed it once and didn't think I could get it back together again as the hole would not line up for the pin without extreme pressure. However, the pistol was fit very well otherwise and was very accurate for such a short barrel. I ended up trading it for a Glock 26, a far better pistol although the 9mm round is barely sufficient in my opinion. Would rather have .45 but the G30 is a bit too big for what I wanted. Will not get a RIA again but maybe the full sized models work better. |
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Posted: 2/20/2017 7:03:02 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I had the compact officer sized model RIA. With the stock magazine it would not lock open on the last round, but when using the 7 rd Springfield mags I had it would lock open fine. I could only get these 2 type magazines to feed rounds, both hollow point and ball, which it did quite well. CMC Powermag+ would not work at all nor would the GI type 7 rd mags. Frames are cast and mainspring housing is plastic. I removed it once and didn't think I could get it back together again as the hole would not line up for the pin without extreme pressure. However, the pistol was fit very well otherwise and was very accurate for such a short barrel. I ended up trading it for a Glock 26, a far better pistol although the 9mm round is barely sufficient in my opinion. Would rather have .45 but the G30 is a bit too big for what I wanted. Will not get a RIA again but maybe the full sized models work better. Colt used plastic mainspring housings. 'Officer Model' slide velocity is high, making many of them finicky when it comes to magazine's. Shorter housing and spring doing the same work means a stout mainspring. That is what the edge of your bench is for. 
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Posted: 2/21/2017 9:41:32 PM EDT
[#35]
Had some work done by a gunsmith in Asheboro, NC a while back. Good guy who has a lot of 1911s come through for work. He had a higher end Rock Island 1911 come through for the first time and had a chance to examine it first hand. He said he couldn't believe the fit and finish were that good on it. It's built and fit as good as any Colt he's delt with. He said Rock Island makes a hell of a gun for the money.
Just one gunsmith's opinion. He works out of his home and has no bias toward any brand. |
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Posted: 2/21/2017 9:51:25 PM EDT
[#36]
I have a Rock Island GI 1911. Nothing bad to say about it whatsoever.
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Posted: 2/23/2017 3:42:58 PM EDT
[#37]
Quoted:
These are sold here in the US under various brands - Rock Island, Cimarron, Citadel, Iver Johnson, etc. Many are in the $400-ish range. Any positive/negative experiences with this particular 1911? I took a chance on a used Charles Daly for about $275, IIRC. Has a nice beaver tail and hammer, extended safety and slide release and larger fixed sights. It has run flawlessly for me, though I haven't run it through a training course or anything. It isn't my EDC, but I wouldn't sweat much if I needed to EDC with it. |
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Posted: 2/23/2017 6:13:27 PM EDT
[#38]
So, do I get the .45 or the TCM/9mm?
I know, I know, get both. 
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Posted: 2/26/2017 10:15:58 PM EDT
[#39]
Get a 40!
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Posted: 3/26/2017 4:57:08 AM EDT
[#40]
I just received my Iver Johnson 6" 1911 . I'm favorably impressed , fit is tight and finish is nice . I put 100 rounds downrange and I must say that it was very accurate . I shot a 4" group from 50 ft. and that was without my prescription glasses . ACT magazine that came with it functioned well . The Millet adjustable rear sight is a nice feature . Overall it is a very nice gun . It may not be a Dan Wesson or a Les Baer but if it works it works . Maxx
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Posted: 3/26/2017 8:33:19 AM EDT
[#41]
My brother has a RIA Officer's model that we cannot get to choke on anything. It can't be limp wristed and its more accurate than an exact pair of Springfield Loaded models (one his, one mine), that costed (3) times more than the RIA. It kinda pisses me off to be honest, the accuracy of the RIA over the Springers that is... It's in his carry rotation. However, the catch is he did have to break out the files, order a couple Wilson parts; (namely a Wilson slide lock/release) to get the pistol to lock the slide back on every round and to eliminate the occasional failure to battery. So, in my experience and his... you get what you pay for. Yes the RIA Officer model he has is bomb proof "now"... But it wasn't that way out of the box. So if you are prepared to do a little bit of fine tuning then they are fantastic. You pay that aforementioned (3) times more for the QA/QC, fit, and finish right out of the box and have to do no fine tuning; namely the pair of Springers we bought together. YMMV...
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Posted: 3/26/2017 9:59:34 AM EDT
[#42]
My experience was very positive. I have owned two of them over the years. This one pictured was a basic model. I learned a lot and enjoyed working on the gun. It's long gone...wish I had kept it.
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Posted: 3/26/2017 9:52:49 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Aren't colt m16s just knock offs of Armalites? I could be wrong, I'm far from a historian, but: didn't Eugene Stoner worked at armalite when they designed the original Armalite Rifle 15 (ar15) that the US military adopted. Colt just got the lion's share of contracts. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
. Just like FN M16/M4s would be "knock offs" because they're not Colt rollmarked. Aren't colt m16s just knock offs of Armalites? I could be wrong, I'm far from a historian, but: didn't Eugene Stoner worked at armalite when they designed the original Armalite Rifle 15 (ar15) that the US military adopted. Colt just got the lion's share of contracts. |
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Posted: 3/27/2017 8:38:35 AM EDT
[#44]
 Attached FileMetro Arms Commander. Hard Chrome finish has held up well to everyday carry. I rotate about a half dozen power mags through the gun and mag carrier, to be honest I don't think I've ever used the factor (ACT) mag, it went in a box with the mag from my Cimarron. |
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