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Springfield 1911 vs RIA
Spc Ferguson
Member Posts: 2,383 ✭✭✭✭✭
Ok i just recently bought a glock 22 and a ruger blackhawk .357 mag. So i wont be buying any guns for a few weeks, or until i see good deal. Ive decided next one will be a 1911. Its came down to either springfield or RIA. This will be my first 1911. So im asking your guys opinions and pro's and con's of these pistols. On RIA, the only thing i know about them is if i dont buy one my Platoon Sergeant (Just like * R Done.) swears up and down on them said id either buy RIA or id be needing atleast two iv's by time he is done with me. Lord i hope he is joking. Im thinking for springfield their mil-spec 1911 heard alot about it and nothing ever bad. So just give me what you guys think on both. Thank you and have good rest of your day.
Comments
Same quality
zulu:
would you by any chance be interested in a bridge spanning the east river in new york? its a doosey. i'll let it go cheap...
quote:Originally posted by Zulu7
Same quality
zulu:
would you by any chance be interested in a bridge spanning the east river in new york? its a doosey. i'll let it go cheap...
I own a Springfield GI .45 1911A1. My brother owns a similar model RIA 1911. They both feel the same as far as fit and finish, and they are both as equally reliable. I'd say that very well makes them the same quality. They're both very good manufacturers. GRD will attest to that when he gets online.
I own 7 RIA's (2 GI's, 2 Midsized, 2 Compacts, 1 Tactical), my brother has a Springfield Champion (the equivelent of my midsized) and both makes are fine shooters that function flawlessly.
One thing that does put RIA over the top of Springfield is they have a lifetime warrentee on them that Armscor does handle in a very timely matter (if something ever does need to be done) but I know of very few that ever needed to have this warentee put to the test.
3 of my RIA's are right at the 10000 round mark and have never had a single missfire or missfeed in all that time where I see many of the other top manufacturers haveing problems and at a minimum need to get some springs replaced somewhere around the 5000 to 7000 round marks.
Many people will bring up the topic of resale value when you talk about this subject. Thier replies to this are also wrong! First of all I do not buy a gun to think about resale value. I buy a gun to shoot it and to keep. But if I did want to sell any of my RIA's right now I could easily sell them for more than I paid for them because thier popularity is skyrocketing as people learn how dependable of a gun they truely are.
Bottom line is I do not think you can go wrong with either of the 2 manufacturers you are looking at, but you will save money by going with the RIA.
This doesn't only happen with guns. Anything. Cars, TV's tractors. Perception is reality. There's a place in the market for high quality goods, mid range goods and lower quality goods without a doubt. But they aren't equivalent to each other no matter how much mike wants them to be. I have no personal grievance with RIA. They make a decent gun at a fair price. But they aren't a high end manufacturer, they never tried to be. It's their constituents that try to elevate them above their place. I've shot a few of their guns, decent but nothing exceptional. I've also shot the rest of pack. Since I'm not the biggest 1911 fan (read I don't worship at the temple of jmb), I can look at the whole field objectively. They make a decent product but saying that they are the same or better than any other gun on the market is asinine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and that's mine.
N.B. "mike" is a completely fictional character that in no way was meant to resemble any actual person; their ideals, or financial situation.
GRD, do you use any different type of magazine with your RIA, or just the RIA factory mags? Thank you for all your insight on these guns. I am thinking about buying one.
The novac mags that come with them are very good mags but they do not sit flush in the grip although they do give you one extra round in the mag over standard 1911 mags.
I mostly use authentic Colt mags in mine that have been rebuilt with McCormick Shooting Star followers. This gives me the flush fit in the mag well and still gives me that one extra round that the Novac mags get.
So, from my very limited sample size, Novak or McCormicks.
However, in your scenario, you don't mention "Mike" returning to the RIA marque. "Mike" buys several. He has paid-out much more money over time than what a high-end gun would cost. Unless "Mike" is stoopid, I'd have to go with the [complete-as amended] scenario, and be forced to give the RIA marque very careful consideration. Joe
quote:"Mike" decides he wants to buy a 1911. He researches the purchase and decides he can't afford to buy a high end gun (let's say a gold cup). But mike can afford a ria
However, in your scenario, you don't mention "Mike" returning to the RIA marque. "Mike" buys several. He has paid-out much more money over time than what a high-end gun would cost. Unless "Mike" is stoopid, I'd have to go with the [complete-as amended] scenario, and be forced to give the RIA marque very careful consideration. Joe
You just made this Mike guy into me!
I bought my first one and liked it so well that I just continued to keep buying my RIA's.
All of my RIA's are far more accurate than I am (I am by no means a championship shooter but I am definatly not a bad shooter either) and I have far less problems with them than I have seen from these so called top end 1911's. I am the type that I notice what types of guns others at the range are shooting while I am there and I see many missfeeds and missfires from Colts, Kimbers, and even Wilsons while I have never had such a problem with any of my RIA's!
Just because something costs more does not make it better!
I'm still waiting for a professional shooter to win a competition with a ria, anything even bowling pins, doesn't have to be bullseye or steel, uspsa, i.d.p.a, camp perry, they must all just be idiots
Look here:
http://www.advancedtactical.com/shooters.htm
All these shooters are compeating and winning with RIA/Armscor products!
+1
I don't have an RIA(yet), but I do have 4 Llamas: .32, 9mm, two .45s. I get the turned up nose and nasty comments all the time, but the guns shoot well, are dependable, and I like the way they feel. Have way less in all four guns than say a Kimber, or Wilson.
edited for puncutation and spellling.
quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
I'm still waiting for a professional shooter to win a competition with a ria, anything even bowling pins, doesn't have to be bullseye or steel, uspsa, i.d.p.a, camp perry, they must all just be idiots
Look here:
http://www.advancedtactical.com/shooters.htm
All these shooters are compeating and winning with RIA/Armscor products!
oh! please, eric gets free cases and projectiles
from armscor
http://www.ericgrauffel.com/
taran uses an svi or a glock
http://www.taranbutler.net/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
kathy littman has never won crap
have no ideal who the others are, if they ever won anything i would know them, the fact that web site implies the other three do cast shadows on the rest
i,m going to contact taran and ask why his on the site, it sure the heck isn't because he uses a ria 1911
I would also point out that Taurus also makes a very fine 1911. I have the first type with the pak finish. It has never failed me in any way. I know most people seem to have a love it / hate it relationship with Taurus, but they have yet to do me wrong.
I never considered a 1911 before last year, mostly because I read articles in gun mags that went like
"Ordered and recieved new Colt 1911, had the usual issues as new. Sent off to this smith for new barrel, feed ramp, etc. Sent off to some other smith for something else. 8 months and $1500-2000 later, I have a pistol that functions as it was designed to"
Then, after reading about GRD and the Rocks, I see that you *can* get a 1911 that works out of the box, feeds all sorts of ammo besides just hardball, etc. And you don't have to spend $1000 to even get in the game (how many probs have Kimbers had?) much less another $1000 to have the "fixing" done - polish feed ramp, etc.
Even at the full $450 retail, the Rock is a deal. Great design, reliable, and works just fine out of the box, even if it doesn't have a pony on the handle.
I would agree with the RIA being a good choice. It will probably be my next pistol purchase.
I would also point out that Taurus also makes a very fine 1911. I have the first type with the pak finish. It has never failed me in any way. I know most people seem to have a love it / hate it relationship with Taurus, but they have yet to do me wrong.
ya ive thought about them. But my father has had all good luck and me all bad luck with them so if i get one it would just like buying one for him so im going to stay away from them.
1911a1fan -
I never considered a 1911 before last year, mostly because I read articles in gun mags that went like
"Ordered and recieved new Colt 1911, had the usual issues as new. Sent off to this smith for new barrel, feed ramp, etc. Sent off to some other smith for something else. 8 months and $1500-2000 later, I have a pistol that functions as it was designed to"
Then, after reading about GRD and the Rocks, I see that you *can* get a 1911 that works out of the box, feeds all sorts of ammo besides just hardball, etc. And you don't have to spend $1000 to even get in the game (how many probs have Kimbers had?) much less another $1000 to have the "fixing" done - polish feed ramp, etc.
Even at the full $450 retail, the Rock is a deal. Great design, reliable, and works just fine out of the box, even if it doesn't have a pony on the handle.
agreed it is a good deal, but it is not the end all 1911, and resale value is very poor, you couldn't give me a colt, but it has a very strong following, and maintains close to it's original value
you can't mention any other 1911 ever made without the ria being brought up as if no other manufacturer can hold a candle to it, and most of those that argue it has never even held a higher end 1911
I think that the RIA is an ugly gun compared to others out there, but I also thought at first the Ford truck model that is out now was ugly, and I also thought that the Glock was a joke when it first came out, "plastic gun?" I'm sure when Kimber first came out all the old coffee drinkers with Colts said, "what a piece of junk." I find that folks only respond like that because they are embarrassed that they paid much more, for the same thing. I think I might have to find me an RIA. Thanks GRD!
I recently shot my xse one day and then one of my 70 series colts that has had extensive work done the next day, (at a two day pistol class)
hands down I'd take the xse, which has had zero work done, it is out of the box.
when it came time to shoot for our scores the last day I put the highly reworked 70 series away and shot with the xse.
to me that is hard to beat, a colt gun, with the ejection port, ambi safety's, good sights, for 800 bucks?
why buy any other brand to save a hundred?
Do you not think that shooters use the guns they use because they get paid by that company or get some stuff for free? They all do it?!? I don't care what any competition shooter shoots, I want to know what fat, bald, poor schumcks like myself have and buy because its a good deal and it goes bang every time! I ain't never been attacked by a bowling pin or a B-27 target, while they are good and fast, good and fast and expensive don't matter when it comes to keeping me alive.
I think that the RIA is an ugly gun compared to others out there, but I also thought at first the Ford truck model that is out now was ugly, and I also thought that the Glock was a joke when it first came out, "plastic gun?" I'm sure when Kimber first came out all the old coffee drinkers with Colts said, "what a piece of junk." I find that folks only respond like that because they are embarrassed that they paid much more, for the same thing. I think I might have to find me an RIA. Thanks GRD!
not everyone is sponsored, good luck
After all, even if RIA shoots like crap at least I'd get one reliable gun out of the deal. [;)]
We all have favorite brands based on our experience or the experience of close friends.
I've never been a big fan of pistols period, but I like this one pretty well. It and my berreta 92 make a nice pair.
You were the one talking about people getting something for free from a certain company and then shooting for them. I know not everyone is sponsored, I was just pointing out that a lot of folks are, or a lot of folks push the things they like and they get stuff free from those particular companies.
I look at what regular folks are shooting, so many times endorsed competition shooters change guns based on their endorsements. Of course, sometimes they don't care and shoot what they want. I know there are both of them.
I don't know for sure, but I would think that there are lots of folks that shoot that RIA or some form for competition, just like every other brand. Different strokes, different folks.
Saying they're fine manufacturers is far from saying they're top of the line. I know that my RIA is bottom of the barrel as far as 1911s go and I'm not trying to make them out to be more than they are. For just a plinker they can't be beat.
now there is an honest man