Yosemite Sam
Hunter
I mentioned picking this up a couple of weeks ago, and figured I should post some pictures. It's the RIA/Armscor "M1911-A2", which is a high capacity (14 round) 1911.
Given the simple, functional nature of this gun I didn't try for glamour shots. Wrong time of the year for that, anyway. No sun.
Nope, this is a no-frills, "GI" type gun that just happens to hold 14 rounds.
As you can see, the finish is nothing to write home about. Thin Parkerization, but enough to keep it from rusting.
The back view shows everything is nice and aligned, tight fit, nice feel:
Bushing is similar: Amazingly tight, no barrel play at all. Just look at that muzzle crown!:
And the crisp machining on the lugs and recesses in the frame!
The gun feels amazingly good in my hand. I have long fingers (I like Bisleys on my revolvers) and a regular single-stack 1911 seems too skinny to me. I wanted a hi-cap .45 for my nightstand gun, and was completely non-plussed by the current crop of poly guns out there. This double stack 1911 may be the grip size I've been looking for. OTOH, my shooting buddy handled it the other day and was very surprised it was a double stack. He said it felt a little different, but not as thick as he was thinking it would be.
I have not shot it yet, so can't comment on accuracy or reliability.
Other contenders were Springfield and Para Ordnance, but given the price/benefit differences, as well as availability, the RIA won that race.
Retail price on the RIA was $465, NIB with one mag. That's about $100 less than the Springfield (if you could find one), and $400 less than a Para I was looking at, which felt cheaper than the Rock. The worst was a decked-out $1100 Para that just felt like crap, right down to the crummy plastic trigger shoe.
I realize the RIA has a bunch of MIM in it, but then, so does every other commercial grade 1911 these days, some more than others. What I really like about this gun is that it didn't cost an arm and a leg. As long as it proves itself a reliable weapon I'll be happy.
BTW, I already found aftermarket mags for it, made by the same company that makes the OEM one, for $23/ea plus reasonable shipping. Considering some of the guns I've run into recently have mags that cost $40 or $50 each, this was nice.
-- Sam
Given the simple, functional nature of this gun I didn't try for glamour shots. Wrong time of the year for that, anyway. No sun.
Nope, this is a no-frills, "GI" type gun that just happens to hold 14 rounds.
As you can see, the finish is nothing to write home about. Thin Parkerization, but enough to keep it from rusting.
The back view shows everything is nice and aligned, tight fit, nice feel:
Bushing is similar: Amazingly tight, no barrel play at all. Just look at that muzzle crown!:
And the crisp machining on the lugs and recesses in the frame!
The gun feels amazingly good in my hand. I have long fingers (I like Bisleys on my revolvers) and a regular single-stack 1911 seems too skinny to me. I wanted a hi-cap .45 for my nightstand gun, and was completely non-plussed by the current crop of poly guns out there. This double stack 1911 may be the grip size I've been looking for. OTOH, my shooting buddy handled it the other day and was very surprised it was a double stack. He said it felt a little different, but not as thick as he was thinking it would be.
I have not shot it yet, so can't comment on accuracy or reliability.
Other contenders were Springfield and Para Ordnance, but given the price/benefit differences, as well as availability, the RIA won that race.
Retail price on the RIA was $465, NIB with one mag. That's about $100 less than the Springfield (if you could find one), and $400 less than a Para I was looking at, which felt cheaper than the Rock. The worst was a decked-out $1100 Para that just felt like crap, right down to the crummy plastic trigger shoe.
I realize the RIA has a bunch of MIM in it, but then, so does every other commercial grade 1911 these days, some more than others. What I really like about this gun is that it didn't cost an arm and a leg. As long as it proves itself a reliable weapon I'll be happy.
BTW, I already found aftermarket mags for it, made by the same company that makes the OEM one, for $23/ea plus reasonable shipping. Considering some of the guns I've run into recently have mags that cost $40 or $50 each, this was nice.
-- Sam
