My first 1911 (with pic, of course)

Bushmonkey85

Bushmonkey85

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My first 1911 (with pics, of course)

So my wife, sister-in-law, and her boyfriend came to town last weekend. And what does any good, red-blooded, American family from the backwoods do for quality time together??? GO TO A GUN SHOW!!!!:D

After drooling around the tables and creating a mess for a few hours, something just happened to jump inside my pack. I tried to coax him out from my bag, offering fresh rem-oil and some clean patches as a treat, but he insisted on coming home with me. Seeing the attachment this cute little guy had for me, the pet-store owner gave me a heck of deal if I promised to give him a good home and feed him every day. I promised on my bushcrafter's honor, and gave him $375 for him, a crate, and one feeding dish.

So here he is!

1911 - 1 by woodsmonkey85, on Flickr



1911 - 2 by woodsmonkey85, on Flickr

I'm his first owner and I haven't taken him out for his first run yet, so I don't know how much training he (and I) will need. And to be honest, this is my first time with this breed! I'm very familiar with pets in general, just not this breed.

So I'm looking for any suggestions you guys and gals might have for me. I'm kinda diggin' the original look, but I don't feel a burden to keep it that way. I'm open to any suggestions for accessories, or slight mods (has to be within a reasonable budget). He is a Rock Island full size 1911A1 9mm. I know that might be sacrilege for some of the breed purists out there. Sorry, but food for this guy is just so much cheaper.

What say you???
 
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nice man, let us know how it shoots. I wouldn't mess with it just yet. If you start messing with it you end up with a ton of money on a $300 gun, and you start to miss the GI look.

I'd get a WWII style pistol belt and holster, or an M7 shoulder holster.
 
buy good quality mags and maybe put some better sights on it and your good to go!
 
Wilson mags have all the "cool" factor, but standard 7 round Metalform mags are a lot cheaper and are very high quality. They are the OEM manufacturer for many brands.

I wouldn't mod it at all until you have learned the platform and have a bunch of range time with it. What's the point of changing parts until you know which ones you want?

Learn how to detail strip it. Clean out all the manufacturing remnants. Google "Tuner's slurry" or "1911Tuner" for instructions on how to clean up bearing surfaces other than the fire control parts.

I understand that RIA's customer service is good. Call them when you have questions.

Enjoy!

PS - Contact Rob Leahy at simplyrugged.com for a good holster :42:
 
Buy good quality ammunition; avoid 9mm Winchester "White Box". Clean it well, use some HT wheel bearing grease on the lube surfaces (a very little goes a LOOONG way), get a couple silhouette targets and shoot! This is not a bullseye gun as it is now; it's a combat weapon of the first order - that is why I recommend the sil targets (like IPSC targets). The recommendation of Wilson mags is a good one!
Have fun, shoot, clean, repeat!

Regards,

ezra
 
I say congrats! :)

you've got some great suggestions already.

shoot, smile, learn each other, adjust as necessary, clean, and repeat as often as you can! :D
 
Exactly the same as my first 1911, Woodsmonkey - except for the caliber.

You might like a longer trigger. I put a Greider long aluminum solid trigger with overtravel adjustment (a big help for accuracy) on mine. Cost, IIRC, was about $15, and it didn't effect the appearance.

On mine, the back edges of the grip safety were sharp enough to chew on my hand during long range-sessions. Easy cure is to lightly dull those edges with a small fine round file. If the hammer bites you, you can remove it and bevel&soften the bottom-rear portion of the hammer. Touch it up with a cold-blue pen when done.

If your barrel bushing is really loose, like mine was - you can get a custom bushing from Evolution Gun Works and have it fitted to your slide to improve accuracy. Instructions for measuring and ordering to get the best fit are found on their website.

Of course, there are countless options for nicer grips - many of which are classy enough to keep with the "simple" theme.

And the first thing you need to do is learn how to tune the extractor for feed reliability.

If your eyes are young, there is not need to replace the sights. I had great accuracy with the stock sights until my eyes started going into "old mode". Then I replaced them with some simple but larger fixed sights from King's Gun Works.

All of the above are cheap tricks that will make your RIA GI love-able.

If you have any feeding reliability problems, you need to learn how to diagnose those problems before you make any changes. Do not apply any dremel tool to any part of your 1911 ever. Don't even give in to the temptation to simply polish the feed ramp. Leave it as it is. The feed ramp is either cut correctly or it is not. If it is not, that is a warranty issue - which RIA will be happy to fix. Polishing it will void your warranty, and could make feeding problems worse. A 1911 does not need a polished feed ramp to work reliably. Not adhering to this advice could turn out to be very expensive.
 
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Congrats!!! Get a good holster for it. Then go shoot the heck out of it! Oh and this sorta goes without saying, but have fun!!! Later on the easiest thing to change out is the grips. I used to go with the Hogues, but I went back to the old fashioned wood slabs on my Springer. Then you can change out triggers and such. It's really up to you!
 
Most people underestimate the importance of a quality magazine for a semi automatic firearm. In my opinion, the magazines below are the best ones available for your new gun. I would recommend Winchester Ranger 127 grain +P+ for self defense carry ammunition.

9mm Govt/Comm S/S 10 Rd. Flat Follower w/ Removable Base

Stock #:620-000-013Mfr:METALFORM
Mfr Part #:9743Retail Price:$46.88Status:In Stock 5.0(4 reviews)

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=...Comm-S-S-10-Rd-Flat-Follower-w-Removable-Base

Winchester 9mm 127gr +P+
http://www.sgammo.com/product/winchester/50rd-9mm-winchester-ranger-127gr-p-t-series-ra9ta
 
RIA is actually Armscor which are made in the Philippines. They make a decent inexpensive 1911 pistol. I have worked on a few for customers, most function well right out of the box but a few have had FTE issues. Most aftermarket parts will work in these guns with minimal fitting...
 
I love my .45 1911. Congrats my brother!

Edit: Caliber
 
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great choice for your 1st 1911. i have the same pistol in .45 of coarse. my daily carry is a .45 as well.

a 9mm 1911 is a no go for me, just the same i dont like rails on a 1911 but thats just me. :58:

mine has shot every thing i put in it, even crappy/dirty/weak reloads that were given to me in trade.

great score, have fun, and congrats!
 
I'll give just a quick update... I've had a chance now to take this to the range twice since I got it, and it shoots like a dream!! I have prolly 200 rounds through it now, and it has eaten up every kind of ammo I could throw at it! Blazer, PMC, Winch White box, and it loves Hornady FTX HP 124gr.

I'm getting a little bit of hammer bite, and don't really care for the spur hammer. So I'm thinking I'm gonna replace the grip safety with a beavertail, put on a combat hammer, and maybe eventually drop in a skeletonized trigger (but that's just for looks). I'll eventually see if I can get the sights replaced with a decent set too, as my eyes just don't track the GI front sight that well.
 
-Darkside- said:
a 9mm 1911 is a no go for me, just the same i dont like rails on a 1911 but thats just me. :58:
Click to expand...

I had to think long a hard about 45 vs 9mm. I would have loved a 45, I mean, come on, it's how God designed 'em!!!! (or John Browning rather). But it came down to what would I shoot more, and I just can't afford to shoot a few hundred rounds of 45 like I can 9mm each month. A 9mm that I'll practice with is better than a 45 in the drawer. So it was all about ammo cost. Otherwise, I woulda been all over a 45!
 
Nothing wrong with the shooter you have there IMHO. The changes you've mentioned are good ones. When the shooter notices things about their gun during range time that can be improved upon I'm all for it. Not so much when internet experts(on some gun forums) just type out a list of parts because they are in style right now. You will know what it needs by shooting it. Like the hammer bite you mentioned.

My advice is to make small changes and then shoot it a lot. The next change you are thinking of may take a back burner to something else or not need changing at all.

When I built 1911's for myself I liked Novak low profile 3 dot.
 
Full length guiderod and two shockbuffers...Keeps metal on metal contact and helps save your gun. Aside from that, I'd probably let it alone for right now. And welcome to the 1911 family! :D
 
JLRider said:
Full length guiderod and two shockbuffers...Keeps metal on metal contact and helps save your gun. Aside from that, I'd probably let it alone for right now. And welcome to the 1911 family! :D
Click to expand...

Can you explain what a FLGR will do in practical terms for me? I can see all over where people say they put one in, but no one seems to explain why??? Any help?
 
That was the first pistol I ever bought, only mine was .45. I meet a man at an outdoor range that kept all 8 rounds on the center of a paper plate at 50 yrds with my unmodified gun.

The only thing I did to it was add a beavertail safety and a combat hammer. At the time I was new to pistol shooting and the milspec hammer bit the web of my hand a few times. I've since upgraded to a Taurus 1911. I'd love to get another RIA to keep as a beater gun.

I tried using shock buffers in mine and had reliability issues. If you are planning on carrying it, I'd do as little to it as possible. They are a good idea if you shoot a lot of rounds at the range since they do reduce metal-metal contact.
 
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Welcome to the Brotherhood of the 1911. IMO the pinacle of semi-auto handguns. Sleek, elegant, functional and oh so sexy! There is a reason it has been around for 100 years.
 
Nice gun and that is a good deal. I love my 1911 and one of the cool things is you can get anything you want for them. Nice mags are a must, i like the wilson combat or kimpro. Other than that, its all preference. You can get the skeletonized trigger and hammer, the extended beaver tail, polish the feed ramp, change the sear spring and main spring to get the trigger weight just right, etc. etc. Nice buy man.
 
Bushmonkey85 said:
Can you explain what a FLGR will do in practical terms for me? I can see all over where people say they put one in, but no one seems to explain why??? Any help?
Click to expand...

What the 1911 FLGR does is consume money that would be better spent on ammo. There is nothing wrong with the standard guide rod. As has been alluded to in this thread already, the FLGR is one of those things that is popular for reasons unknown or untrue. And shock buffs are also unnecessary. The 1911 was designed to have "metal-to-metal contact" at the impact surface of the frame. And that was back when the steel wasn't as good as it is now. And besides, the 9mm round is even easier on the gun.
 
Bushmonkey85 said:
I'm getting a little bit of hammer bite, and don't really care for the spur hammer. So I'm thinking I'm gonna replace the grip safety with a beavertail, put on a combat hammer, and maybe eventually drop in a skeletonized trigger (but that's just for looks). I'll eventually see if I can get the sights replaced with a decent set too, as my eyes just don't track the GI front sight that well.
Click to expand...

Personally, I like the no-nonsense look of the basic "GI" 1911. If you think you might change out the hammer anyway, you might as well try a cheap experiment. Remove the hammer and use a file to bevel and round-off the lower-rear edge that is biting you. I bet you can de-fang it without removing much metal. Then if you like that, you can touch it up with a cold-blue pen and call it money saved.

Here is a photo of my mildly warmed-over RIA...

2010_0826guns20100017.jpg


That's a Grieder plain long aluminum trigger with adjustable overtravel stop, King's Gun works sights, and EGW fitted "carry-bevel" barrel bushing. The grip safety has been "de-horned", as has been the offending portion of the hammer. A titanium firing pin with extra-power firing pin spring provides extra safety against "drop-fire" with series 70 style guns such as these.

The other thing you can't see is the EGW oversize firing pin stop with small radius riding against the hammer. That - combined with 23lb mainspring and 14lb recoil spring makes a smooth-functioning pistol - which with the above little touches makes it very comfortable to shoot.

No need to spend a lot of money to make a sweet shooter out of that pistol!
 
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I almost bought an RIA 1911 a while back. Instead I waited a bit and got a Springfield Armory 1911 GI. As far as modifications go I installed a heavier recoil spring, I polished the feed ramps in my first attempt ever, and lightly filed the magazine well. As long as I use good magazines it feeds fine. Hollow points? No problem. Tula/Wolf steel cased ammo? Ate it like candy.

The only thing I really don't like on it are the low profile sights. I'm looking for something slightly bigger to swap them out with.
 
A couple of years ago one of my friends bought a RIA 1911 in .45. It was not heat treated properly and after about 200 rounds it was no longer safe to shoot.

It sounds like you're past that point but I'm a once bitten twice shy kinda guy. Make sure you inspect it regularly to look for any deformation or cracks. Of course, that goes for any firearm.

Gary
 
bleeding.patriot said:
A couple of years ago one of my friends bought a RIA 1911 in .45. It was not heat treated properly and after about 200 rounds it was no longer safe to shoot.

It sounds like you're past that point but I'm a once bitten twice shy kinda guy. Make sure you inspect it regularly to look for any deformation or cracks. Of course, that goes for any firearm.

Gary
Click to expand...

Here's a writeup by a friend who had a problem with his RIA, and how he was able to resolve via excellent customer service from Rock Island:

http://www.thesixgunjournal.net/rock-island-armorys-nickel-gi-m1911-a1fs/
 
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