Posted: 1/31/2008 9:30:32 PM EDT
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ok i will be picking up a RIA 1911 45acp here fairly soon as a car gun. what are some necessary mods that should/need to be done? some of the things i have heard are: sights trigger bull hammer bob beaver tail grip safety anything else? also how do i do the above? from what ive gathered these are accurate and reliable for the money. also what finish do these pistols have. i may duracoat mine i find the finish odd beautiful grips though! |
personally, i wouldnt waste my $$$s on overly costly upgrades on a RIA unless it were to keep it running reliably...i'd rather put the money and good parts upgrade towards a baseline 1911 that was actually worth upgrading all of the parts you listed are all subjective to what YOU prefer--some like stock GI style parts, others like the more custom features...YMMV the finish on my old RIA was a thin park IF i were to upgrade any parts, it would be the *springs and most of the essential fire control parts (FP, FP block, etc) just to ensure it keeps running; sights wouldnt be a bad upgrade also, but again, not worth it on a RIA unless its the only shooter you will have for a while |
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i was going to buy a kimber at the local shop for 750 but. im trying to save for a move and this is more in my available price range. this is the list of parts i was going to use Wilson Combat Adjustable Trigger...15.95 Titanium Strut...14.55 Wilson Value Hammer...23.95 Wilson Value Sear...14.95 Nowlin Recoil spring(16 or 18.5)..4.70 Nowlin HD firing pin spring...1.89 Nowlin Hammer Spring...1.87 Nowlin Match grade sear spring...4.59 Total for parts= 82.45 |
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Most of the parts you've listed are likely unnecessary and, unlike the parts already in the weapon, require fitting. Go shoot it and see what, if anything, it needs for your preferences - and be sure to watch for signs of bad fitting (I was into one last two weeks ago that had poor barrel fit and was peening the frame). The guns are parkerized. |
Cool deal. Like I said, don't bother with the parts you're looking at. Get some good magazines (I'd start with Checkmate 7 rounders) and shoot it, make sure it's up to par, and forget about it. If you just gotta do something to it, put a Wilson Combat "Bullet Proof" extractor in it. |
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If you are this concerned about reliability, don't buy a entry level 1911. Having said that, I've owned a couple of RIA 1911's and didn't have any problem at all with them. If you want to do the mods, cool. I did one completely with "drop in" spec parts. Including fire control, beavertail safety and all. But there's nothing wrong with them out of the box. |
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I have an RIA and I am totally happy with it. That said, $375 for a used one is a rip off. If you do go ahead and do it, I'd replace the recoil spring and sights if it is the GI model. Other than that, shoot it and see what else you might need. I, for one, don't get hammer bit by mine so I didn't need to do anything there. But everyones hands are different. Save that ~$80 and put it towards ammo, mags, and range time. |
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I keep mine stock because I wanted a basic 1911 when I bought it. If I were to change anything on it I would go with new sights and bob the hammer so it does not bite. On the other hand, I bought a Sistema a while back that I am in the middle of a total workover with lots of Ed Brown parts. Many of the Sistemas I have seen were cosmetically ugly but in good shape otherwise. The price when I bought mine was $249 and if you keep your eyes open you might be able to find a deal like that. |
| I picked up a RIA GI because I wanted one like the ones we used in the Navy, but didn't want to spend a lot of money. The only difference is the RIA doesn't rattle like the military ones I've used. I love mine the way it is. Well, the sights kind of suck (just like the military ones), but other than that, I couldn't be happier. |
The one you had in the NAVY was forged, The RIA is cast. I'd recommend the Springfield Armory for only a bit more $$ |
I'm aware that the RIA is not forged, but it shoots great, and it's going to stay stock. I'll get a SA later this year, probably summer. |
ITS NEW  i should be picking it up in a few days |
The one he had in the NAVY was forged. The Springfield Armory is made in Brazil. 
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Forged, not cast. RIA = ARMSCOR = cast in the Philippines. |
Good idea.............any machinist can drill it out, heck, do it yourself! |
any harm in doing this? |
Why do you want to? That's a Brazos custom .40 cal slide. |
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Dropping the mass of the slide (read drill or milling it), and you will have to make it back up with a stronger recoil spring. In a 45 shooting ball ammo, you just wasting money by lighting the slide. As for the RIA's, if you plan on mod'g it in any way, your just wasting money as well. About the only market I can think of for them is someone that wants to buy a 45, but doesn't plan on shooting it much, or at all. The bottom of the line pistol to even consider mod'g is a S/A USGI. Here, both the slide and frame are forged and correctly milled, and will hold up a lot longer than the rattle can that you are looking at buying. Truthfully, I hold RIA's in the same crack whore class as A/O's, which made more noise than a baby rattler when shaken new from such a bad fit of parts, and even worse once they had been fired for 100 rounds. |
i have it in my hand with 500 rounds fed through her. and shes as silent as can be. |
Just my .02........... Your smith wants in your Wallet. Putting a lot of money into customizing a RIA is like trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear. It just isn't worth the result. The RIA guns are decent low cost 230gr FMJ pill poppers that will last the average (50-100 rds a year) shooter a lifetime. They are not however going to hold up that well to heavy use, and you'll never get any of the money you put into one back out of it. |
that is true. so far i have found the ria to me on par with (dare i say) my colt combat commander 70 series. i think all i will do on the ria is a very mild build sub 300 dollar build. (seeing that is just a home defense and car gun which i will open carry when i get to NC) |
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I was in the same boat a couple of years back. I wanted a simple 1911, no frills, etc. Entertained the RIA, but I bought a Springfield GI. I love it, but I wish I had bought the Loaded model, as I'm about to add the Beavertail. The Springer is a forged steel pistol. IMO, there is something to be said for forged being more beneficial than cast, in the lower tier product. |
www.sightm1911.com/lib/history/Commander_evolution.htm the link and a few collectors say different |
Umm, yeah. Never said the Springer wasn't forged or the Rock Island wasn't cast. |
I've done this dance over and over and over again. Your link and your collectors are wrong. Wanna prove to me that I don't know my ass from a hole in he ground? Then you SHOW me a Colt Commander or a Combat Commander marked Series 70. Show me just ONE Colt Commander or Combat Commander with the Series 70 modification. Do you even know what modification denotes a Series 70? Colt ONLY produced series 70 guns in the Government And Gold Cup models. Now don't take my word for it, you go research it and find me just ONE BONIFIED actual Mark IV Series 70 marked Commander or Combat Commander. |
so basically all the so-called 70series combat commanders are 70 series frame and a commander slide.? colt would of had to make them this way because my father bought his from colt and its a 70 series serial and says combat commander on the slide. i dont know the history of the 1911 all that well. and im not going to go back and forth on something i dont know the facts about. but i would love to learn the difference and why a 70 series commander doesnt exist 
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www.coolgunsite.com/comm_pistols/colt70_2.htm “From 1911 until 1970 there were virtually no significant changes to the basic design, but the year 1971 saw the first mechanical "improvement" to the 1911-type pistol. Colt redesigned the barrel bushing from a solid cylindrical type to a spring-steel, "finger collet" bushing that gripped the end of the barrel, which had also been slightly redesigned with a slight belled end to accommodate the collet bushing. The new "Accurizor" barrel and bushing was intended to improve the intrinsic accuracy of the new Colt Government Model pistols, which were then designated the MK IV/Series 70 to differentiate them from all prior variations of the Government Model. While not as capable of superb accuracy as a true hand-fit barrel and match bushing, the new setup nonetheless allowed the typical mass-produced Colt shoot better than the older military-spec pistols with their loosely fit solid bushings and straight barrels. The new setup was successful enough that the full-sized Gold Cup National Match pistols also incorporated the finger collet bushings, although the shorter Commander models retained the use of their shorter solid bushings.” And regarding the RIA, go have the slide to frame tightened and see how long it last. As for milling/working the slide/frame, will your smith replace the frame/slide for free if it cracks from finding a void in the casting. As stated, if you going to mod a pistol, start with a forged frame and slide. |
 -Jbot |
i've got over 3k rounds through my tactical ria and the only problem i've had is i had to replace the pin spring and the the slide spring...i have had 12 other makes of 1911...including sti,springer,colt,kimber,and lastly wilson...while i would not put the RIA guns in line with my wilson or my two kimbers....i have no problem putting it up in reliabilty to my springers or colt or sti...maybe i have had good luck with it but i would not think twice about going to a shoot with it...this gun is slightly more loose than when i bought it but still close to new tolerances...certainly as close in relativity to my others...all of which have less than 1k rounds... hardly a baby rattle...sorry but these guns are better than Dano gives them credit for and better than i ever expected...the tactical has some of upgrades the OP is looking for and is still a good 200-300 cheaper than the next closest starting point gun...i recently bought a RIA hi-cap and have to say aside from one finish issue under the grip...it is as well built as my springer hi-cap...just my experiences mixed with a little opinion...if you would like better insight on the RIA pistols go to the m1911.org sight and read the forums...after all when i wanted to learn the ins and outs of buying and upgrading my ar15's i didn't go to m1911.org i came here...much could be said about when needing info on buying and purchasing a pistol...go to the leading website and forum on that gun or guns and dive in head first...good luck...for the money it will be the best place to start...especially if you want to do the work yourself...you won't have to worry about ruining an expensive gun....chris ETA: the RIA/ARMSCOR family has the absolute best and most responsive customer service that you will find in the industry... |
| Actually, if it's just going to be a car gun all you need is reliability. Lots of people have put their lives on the line with bone-stock 1911's. That said, good sights and a good trigger are always a plus. You can grind the hammer spur to keep it from biting. Internet talk of "voids in the frame" aside, I wouldn't worry about the cast frame bit. Ruger and others do just fine with castings. I daresay some of the same guys who bash RIA guns will wax eloquent over an STI. I doubt STI would risk its reputation by using frames, slides and barrels (the Spartan) that were going to fall apart under use. Check over at the M1911.org site for more info on the RIA guns. They have a really good reputation there and factory reps post all the time. Oh yeah, it's your money, but I sure wouldn't spend $250 to have holes drilled in a slide for "reliability." I would be interested to hear from that 'smith how and why it will make your gun more reliable. |
wrong. Ria frame is cast, slide is extruded |