Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Rock Island Arsenal 1911's.

If the RIA was made from materials that could be reasonably welded without risk of cracking or peening, any "out of spec" holes wouldn't be of much consequence.

RIA: the Hi Point of 1911s.

. . . Nowadays the only reason a manufacturer would spot treat is that it's cheaper or they don't know how.

While you may not find many RIA's in the hands of winners at the world class IPSC competitions, you will find oodles of them in the hands of your typical shooter, serving perfectly...and at the end of the day, that's what most need.

Just because the gun may not be the best choice for a top notch competition level build, doesn't mean it's not junk. There are a LOT of pistols that don't qualify for top level competition guns, yet no one's calling them junk.

Nope, BT - I never put my wife in a beater. Neither have I required her to work to pad my toy budget. I suspect that's more your style. If your reading comprehension was as good as your insult vocabulary, you might have caught on to that.

Hey Bricktop,

Also, could you comment on the metallurgical quality differences between a Taurus 1911 and a Springfield 1911?

I see Brick isn't willing to get into specifics.

While the cast frame 1911's are technically metallurgically inferior to forged frame 1911's, where the rubber meets the road, it really doesn't matter. The RIA is softer than some, and harder than others. Still, the hardness of the RIA frame is more than sufficient. The RIA slides are VERY good, being made from Extruded Powder Sintering, which is a process that produces steel hard enough to make ball bearings.

I personally know people who have done hardness testing on the RIA's and they typically fall in the RC 29-35 range, which is where you find most 1911 frames (some softer, some harder).

But understand, there is more to the story than just hardness, and hardness isn't the ONLY reason that top gunsmiths choose not to work on the RIA's.

The proof is in the puddin though. While you may not find many RIA's in the hands of winners at the world class IPSC competitions, you will find oodles of them in the hands of your typical shooter, serving perfectly...and at the end of the day, that's what most need.

Just becuase the gun may not be the best choice for a top notch competition level build, doesn't mean it's not junk. There are a LOT of pistols that don't qualify for top level competition guns, yet no one's calling them junk.

Bricktop may not care for them, and he's voiced his opinion. But don't let his coarse nature fool you, that's his OPINION; and his opinion isn't necessarily fact.

I'd be happy to have Bricktop answer my previous two questions to see if he can enlighten us all on what is sufficient hardness, what is optimal and what is too hard; and what happens when the hardening isn't right.

You're right, I was assuming far too much to draw a conclusion that you were in more than an hourly or otherwise contractual relationship with a real, live female. Dunce.

So the Southern Hemisphere produces better 1911's than the Northern Hemisphere?

Thread HIjack alert!! Bricktop AND Kevin, I am looking for a non brick-ass weight and keep coming back to a 36 oz STI Trojan. The Kimber Super Pro Custom may still be in the running too. I have smaller hands and the grips are thin and fits great on both. Was first (and still) thinking of another commander sized but all steel. Looking for something just a little beefier than my Pro Carry - but without the klunk of a 40oz 5".

Thread HIjack alert!! Bricktop AND Kevin, I am looking for a non brick-ass weight and keep coming back to a 36 oz STI Trojan. The Kimber Super Pro Custom may still be in the running too. I have smaller hands and the grips are thin and fits great on both. Was first (and still) thinking of another commander sized but all steel. Looking for something just a little beefier than my Pro Carry - but without the klunk of a 40oz 5".

Your feeble attempt at a petty insult aside, my statements are far from opinion. The Rock Island-branded 1911s aren't made from the same quality materials as Colt, Springfield INC., Taurus, etc. Yes, the truth is a sometimes painful animal and you'll someday learn to deal with it when you decide your agoraphobia no longer grips your psyche and you're able to venture outside of your little virtual world where dozens of like-minded socially inept internet geeks lap up your every word as posted on your little blog -- and trust me, it is little -- but the only thing that separates a Rock Island 1911 from a Hi Point is its design. Read it and WEEP.

might add another thing since i am on a roll. I think often people pay a lot more on a gun than they are actually capable of shooting to it's capability.