Rock island 10mm 1911

[VoodooMountain]

I have no real 1911 experience or knowledge and was wondering if Rock Island makes a decent 1911 in 10mm. I have a glock 20 and thought this would make more sense for me than a .45 which I don't shoot.
Even a 9mm variant would make more sense for me.

Being a 1911 I am guessing I would be able to tinker and replace parts to make it run correctly if needed?

Edit to add: I'm also wondering about the 9mm versions

 

[wally]

The 9mm versions are great, as are the .45 versions, I've no experience with their 10mm guns, but they do look good.

I've their 9mm and .45ACP pistols in both the single stack "Tactical" and double stack 1911-A2 models and all have over 15K rounds through them with the oldest, the single stack .45, at about 25K rounds.

I say that in my experience you couldn't really ask for more.

They fixed the .45 1911-A2 when the barrel lugs failed a few months ago, paying the shipping both ways. I posted a thread about my experience.

My oldest 9mm, the 1911-A2, was a shot show sample and the extractor(external) broke after a few thousand rounds, they would have simply sent me a replacement extractor but they made a design change to the extractor for the full production so I sent the gun back to them and they fitted a new upper, again they paid shipping both ways.

If I shot a lot of 10mm I'd have one, but since I have a Colt Delta Elite that I rarely shoot its never really made sense to me. RIA guns are made to be shot, if you plan to resell, I'd suggest looking elsewhere, but if you plan to shoot the snot out of it like I did, I don't see how you could go wrong with an RIA.

If you can convince them on the phone or in their on-line chat that you know what you are doing, they will generally send replacement parts in the mail to you when needed, but little in a 1911 is truly "drop-in", but most of it is not rocket science to fit.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I have no experience with 10mm, but I read an article that spoke about the quality steel of the components of RIA 10mm. I guess after a couple thousand rounds (not sure if full house 10mm or not) that there was no frame or slide issues like old Colts that would break. Again, I never owned a Colt either.

Having said that, there's always Ruger and I believe Iver Johnson may be made by Bul of Israel but don't quote me.

 

[bannockburn]

JeeperCreeper

Not sure but I thought Iver Johnson 1911s were made in the Philippines.

 

[FL-NC]

I shot a 10mm 1911, and I didn't like it. That's a whole lot of extra power (if your concern are 2 legged threats) to the point of being unpleasant IMO. If I were to get one, I would pick.. a Glock 20, just for critters that could do me some damage. Right now I carry a G 21 for that purpose.

 

[maxxhavoc]

I have no real 1911 experience or knowledge and was wondering if Rock Island makes a decent 1911 in 10mm. I have a glock 20 and thought this would make more sense for me than a .45 which I don't shoot.
Even a 9mm variant would make more sense for me.

Being a 1911 I am guessing I would be able to tinker and replace parts to make it run correctly if needed?

Edit to add: I'm also wondering about the 9mm versions

I have a RIA 9mm compact. It is nice, with no issues. Not as accurate as my RIA .45 compact, but better than my polymer guns.

I have no experience with their 10mm, but I will assure you that you will not have to replace parts to keep it running. My experience with their warranty repairs have been flawless. When I got my Compact 45 brand new, it had issues extracting. I sent it back. They found the frame out of spec so they replaced the gun. They also did the following:
-Polished the rails.
-Polished the feed ramp
-Did some trigger magic

When I got it back, it was the smoothest 1911 I owned. And they threw in an extra magazine.

 

[Bush Pilot]

I have a RIA 10mm (plus several others) and the gun is a great value for the money. Most people don't shoot the wheels off their 10s and it should last you a long time.

 

[jjones45]

I've heard on several occasions now that the Ruger sr1911's in 10mm have tons of malfunctions with full power 10mm ammo like buffalo bore, underwood, sig vcrown, but run great with the hot 40 like 10mm stuff. I haven't heard of any problems with the rock 10mm's, but they might not be as heavy in circulation as the rugers are either.

 

[Robert101]

I do have a 1911 10MM and it is a great gun and great platform. I reload so my loads vary but it is very manageable and fun to shoot. You are headed in the right direction. I hear the RIA is a good gun and would pick one up if legal in CA, not an option currently.

 

[bikerdoc]

You cant go wrong with any Rock Island. I have 2 45's and a nine.

All were flawless flawless out the box and only got better.

 

[BigBore44]

I have a RIA TACT II in 10mm and I love it. Well built. Good trigger with a solid backwall. Heavy springs. Fiberoptic front sight. Smooth slide. And it's a heavy barrel. But my factory grips were ROUGH. Like chewed my hands up. And I twist wrenches. After the first range trip I ordered new grips and an extra mag. I have nothing but praise for the actual gun. I would own another in a heartbeat. Here's some very armature photos of it.

 

[BigBore44]

I really tried to get the camera to focus on the barrel in the first pic. Sorry I couldn't get it. One thing I failed to mention is the accuracy. I'm not really that great with a pistol. About 50 yards is all I'm good for with irons (or fiberoptic). But I can make about 3-4" groups at 50 with it, standing, without a rest or sticks. I think that's decent. It will certainly work for what I bought it for. Killing pigs. Here is its first time eating. Took this one at a laser ranged 217 yards. Well, maybe it was 7 yards. But this is the internet. It can be 217 if I want it to.

 

[SHOOT1SAM]

Noted gunsmith/manufacturer Gary Reeder speaks very highly of the RIA line.

Sam

 

[maxxhavoc]

But my factory grips were ROUGH. Like chewed my hands up. And I twist wrenches. After the first range trip I ordered new grips and an extra mag.

That's funny. RIA used to get picked on for having perfectly smooth wood grips. Now they went the other way. Somebody should just send them some Colt grips to copy some day.

 

[JTQ]

RIA has a good reputation in the budget 1911 market. If you get a lemon, they also have a good customer service reputation.

I have no real 1911 experience or knowledge ... I have a glock 20 ...

Being a 1911 I am guessing I would be able to tinker and replace parts to make it run correctly if needed?

The entering argument with 1911's is there are no drop in parts. The 1911 is not like a Glock where all the parts snap in. The 1911 is not like that.

 

[harrygunner]

Bought a RIA 10mm 1911 to replace my Glock 29 as my woods/forest gun. The only mod I was required to make was to replace the firing pin spring to eliminate light strikes.

After that, it's been totally reliable. I like how it feeds 220gr hard cast well. The grips are rough, but I like that for a woods gun, less slip if I have to defend myself.

 

[chaim]

I will soon have my first RIA in my possession (bought a .45 1911 Rock CS on layaway from Buds, it just got to my dealer, so when I get there on Mon to do the paperwork, the 7 day MD waiting period can begin). So, I only know them by reputation. Still, I am also thinking that it may soon be time to get a 10mm, and RIA is my most likely choice (though Ruger is on the list as well). I'm not sure if I'll go with a full size or a Commander size though (it will be for occasional carry).

 

[Riomouse911]

According to occasionally-reliable Wiki:

"Armscor manufactures its own line of firearms and holds manufacturing contracts for other companies' firearm lines, such as Twin Pines' Rock Island Armory (RIA) pistols. In addition to the Rock Island Armory 1911 series pistols, Armscor is the source of pistols for STI's Spartan, Cimarron Firearms pre-1923 Model 1911,Charles Daly and Auto Ordnance 1911 style pistols."

I had a Charles Daly .45 5" a while back. It was a reliable pistol when shot, with the only breakage or failure being the ambi safety lever breaking off on the right side. (I bought an aftermarket Mc Cormick extended single one and replaced it) The polishing and internals were a bit rough back then compared to the higher-end 1911's as well.

I think the ownership has stepped up their game a lot since the Charles Daly days. The reviews from mags and from shooters in forums seem very favorable for the RIA line.

Remember it's not a $1,800.00 Dan Wesson or other high-end gun so it may have some cosmetic flaws when compared side by side, but reliability-wise if the reviews are legit an RIA 10mm should be well worth the price.

 

[Panzerschwein]

ROCK makes one of the most reliable, best basic 1911s in the world at an unbelievable price.

Buy with confidence.