New to Me RIA "Baby Rock" 380acp

[Tallball]

I had an inexpensive nearly-new handgun that I couldn't shoot worth beans, and my LGS had had this Baby Rock sitting in their case for months with no takers. We worked out a deal that was fair to both parties.

I like my Colt Government Model and welcomed something just a little bit smaller. I like that the Baby Rock is steel, but wish it fired from a locked breech instead of being blowback. The trigger is pretty good, but not great. I like the sights. I broke it down and cleaned it. It seems well-made, though my other three RIA pistols have had finishes that don't always last well.

It probably will end up just being a range toy rather than a carry piece, unless it turns out to be absurdly accurate for me. If one of my friends or relatives likes it better than I do, they'll be welcome to it for whatever I'm into it for.

Has anyone else owned one? Any holster recommendations? What about ammo yours liked or didn't like? Any suggestions on where to get another magazine? How accurate was it for you?

I went on a great range trip with my FiL on Wednesday. I shot my Ruger Standard, Taurus Old Model 66, and S&W 629 very well (for a middle-aged guy with sometimes wobbly hands). It will probably be another couple of weeks before I'm able to take the Baby Rock to the range. My friend at the LGS said that an older gentleman purchased it, shot a couple of boxes of ammo through it, and decided it wasn't for him. After examining the insides carefully, it seems to have been fired very little.

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[Fiv3r]

I've looked pretty hard at those. They seem pretty solid, but a more pocketable .380 won out. Still, I'm sure they are nice and easy to carry.

 

[NorthBorder]

I bought one this summer. I got it because it is a 1911 .380 and a few hundred less than the baby Browning. Not sure what I will be doing with other than occasional plinking. Ammo is a little pricey. The OWB holster I use for my Kimber Micro fits it nicely . Not really sure why, but I'm glad I bought it. Also just ordered 2 mags.

 

[Snowdog]

I was getting close to buying one before I found a Colt Gov't .380 for a good price. Being that it had been on my short list for a couple decades, it swiped the funds from the Baby Rock.
I still plan on purchasing one and look forward to your range report. I'm also eyeing the Browning 380 1911s as well.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

I hope you like your Baby Rock. I've had mine for a little while and I like it but it's not without its problems.

First, when I went to shoot it the first time the take down pin would back out slightly after firing and cause the pistol to lock up. Quick call to RIA and I had a new pin in my hands in about a week. Problem is fixed now. Cost was FREE.

Second, is the 2 aftermarket mags I got with the pistol will cause misfeeds and jams, not a gun problem but it is annoying. The factory mag works great though.

Third, the trigger is very heavy, it's probably the worst trigger in any pistol I own.


Your pistol may be different but mine will choke on Fiocchi ammo no matter what I try. Shoot any other brand and it's fine.

With less than 100 rounds through the pistol my judgement is still out I do like the pistol alot bit before I will EDC it it has some smoothing out to do.

 

[BC17A]

I've had two Baby Rocks. First one developed terrible slide peening from the stop after only a few hundred rounds, and was replaced by Armscor. The new one started doing the same thing right off, so instead of sending it back again I corrected the poor fitting stop myself before it got too bad. As far as reliability, both would cycle any ammo I used, including Perfecta, Fiocchi, Remington, Federal, round nose, flat point, JHP, didn't matter as they ate everything. The first one was super accurate, but the replacement not so much. Never measured the barrel on the first one but the replacement measures .358" which is pathetic. If I had to do it all over again, I think I'd have gone with Browning.

 

[littlelefty]

I've also had two of them. First one was 100% reliable with any ammo including powder puff cast boolit reloads. One day at the range the safety fell out of the frame. I looked closer and noticed that the plunger mechanism was also missing. Armscor replaced the gun with a new one and no explanation. I contacted them after receiving the new one and asked what the problem was with the first one. The answer seemed vague to me; something like "there was a frame problem".

I still like mine (the newer one), but haven't shot it much. I likely won't get rid of it, but need a little time to make reconciliation with it.

 

[Tallball]

I sure wish that extra mags weren't so expensive!

Any advice or less-expensive sources for them, or similar magazines which will function?

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

I don't remember where I got them from but there are aftermarket mags available, I bought 2 of them for less than the price of 1 factory mag. Neither of the mags are 100% reliable but the factory mag has been as long as I'm not shooting Fiocchi ammo.

 

[Deus Machina]

Going to have to look at the one at the LGS again.
It was small but felt built solid as a rock, and felt great in my hand. More so than the .45s they had.
Just wish for a different caliber. I'd buy one in .22 in a second if I came across it, and would save a little for a 9mm.

 

[12Bravo20]

Does anyone have the Baby Rock and a Llama IIIA? I’m curious on how the Rock compares to the Llama

I have a Llama IIIA, it is a neat little pistol and accurate.

 

[jstert]

interesting, mixed, reports on the reliability of the ria 380acp, thanks all, i will pass on it. i enjoy 380acp in a makarov ij70 and sig 238, and even a bond arms derringer. if i ever get another, and final, 380acp pistol it would be a s&w shield e-z.

 

[Tallball]

As far as magazines go...

The factory magazine that came with the pistol was a MecGar. If you buy one through RIA they are about $40. Grab-a-Gun has what appear to be the exact same magazines for about $30. I'll know for sure in a few days.

It may be awhile before I can post a range report. It depends on "weather" or not it rains on Sunday morning.

jstert - those Russian "commercial" Makarovs in 380acp are awesome. I bought one brand-new in 1988 or so. I don't believe it has ever malfunctioned, and it's easily more accuare than I am.

Makarov Target

• Tallball
• Aug 11, 2018

The only 380acp that I own that I shoot more accurately than the Makarov is my Browning/FN Model 1971. The reasons are fairly obvious (yeah, that's a 6" barrel).

Browning FN 1971

• Tallball
• Aug 25, 2018

 

[Snowdog]

those Russian "commercial" Makarovs in 380acp are awesome

I no longer have my Russian IJ-70 (mine was in 9x18) and I really miss it. It too was extremely accurate and with a Hogue Handall Jr. sleeve installed (a slip on rubber sleeve with finger groove and slight palm swell), the ergonomics were certainly there. I owned it back in the days when 120gr Silverbear JHPs were plentiful and cheap. That IJ-70 loved the stuff.

 

[doubleh]

I bought one last year. I've shot very little factory ammo in and have shot mostly lead bullet reloads and have had no hiccups with any of it. I'm old and shaky even with taking primidone but I can usually do 4" groups at 7 yards. My wife has a Walther PPQ/s and the rock is a much more user friendly gun in my opinion although I can shoot the Walther a little bit better than the Rock. I just don't enjoy doing so. Reloading 380 is fiddly when you have shaky hands.

I made a set of grips for the Rock from spalted sycamore. I think they really improve it's looks over the factory grips.

 

[Tallball]

I would love to see a picture of those grips!

Sorry about the shaky hands. Me too.

 

[doubleh]

I would love to see a picture of those grips!

Sorry about the shaky hands. Me too.

Well, I would gladly post one---if I were computer savvy enough. I used to rebuild Harley engines in my spare time. I can make stocks and grips. I can sorta run a mill and lathe and even mow my own grass but I'm blowed up when it comes to computers. My eleven year old great grand daughter will be here Tuesday. Maybe I can get her to do it.

 

[Tallball]

It took forever for me to get the chance, but I finally took my Baby Rock to the range this morning and shot 50 rounds through it. I was disappointed.

It didn't malfunction, at least. Both magazines worked just fine.

Since I don't like to dry fire my pistols, I didn't realize how terrible the trigger is until this morning.

I own quite a few single-action semiautomatic pistols. My Baby Rock has by far the stiffest trigger of the bunch. As a result, I didn't shoot it very accurately. I took six handguns to the range this morning, and the Baby Rock was the only one I couldn't shoot worth a darn.

Hopefully some, most, or all of them have nicer triggers than my example. It's obvious to me now why someone shot just a couple of boxes of ammo through it and then traded it towards something else. I'll probably end up doing the same thing.

 

[larryh1108]

If it has the standard M1911 trigger set up, then it may be a simple fix. If it has a hinged trigger (not M1911 like) then it could be many things. I thought the Baby Rocks were built like the M1911s but I never looked inside one. I do know the Llamas have the same trigger setup as the M1911s.