# ria 1911



## ridgerunner (Jul 17, 2008)

does anybody have a rock island armory 1911 tricked out with pics. so i could get an idea of what i want to do.
thanks


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Hmmmm. Do you want the gun to be flashy or functional?

A functional 1911 only needs sights you can see, a trigger you can use, and sometimes reliability work. A dehorning job is nice if you carry the gun or shoot extensively in classes or competition. I do confess to a preference for beavertail grip safeties, but it's something of an affectation.

Start with functional modifications. Worry about flash later, if at all. Shoot the gun enough to see what modifications you _need_, if any, rather than those that just look cool or high-speed or whatever.


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## ridgerunner (Jul 17, 2008)

Mike Barham said:


> Hmmmm. Do you want the gun to be flashy or functional?
> 
> A functional 1911 only needs sights you can see, a trigger you can use, and sometimes reliability work. A dehorning job is nice if you carry the gun or shoot extensively in classes or competition. I do confess to a preference for beavertail grip safeties, but it's something of an affectation.
> 
> Start with functional modifications. Worry about flash later, if at all. Shoot the gun enough to see what modifications you _need_, if any, rather than those that just look cool or high-speed or whatever.


functional and carry everyday. yes i love the looks of a beavertail grip safety and it's purpose.i'm just wanting to see some modifications and build a carry every day work horse with reliability. now i have a 92fs and the 1911 with gi sights and i can shoot alot better with the gi sites than the 92fs 3 dots. what should i do with out spending a lot on sites.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Back when I was "into" 1911s, I always liked the plain-and-simple black King's Hardball sights for inexpensive sights that are easy to see. I had plain black MMCs on a Commander for many years, and liked those also. I prefer fixed sights on most defense guns. http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/catsearch.aspx?k=fixed sights 1911&ps=10&si=True

Once you have good sights, have a gunsmith clean up the trigger to a crisp 4-5 pound break, if the trigger is currently the usual creepy/heavy 1911 pull.

If the gun works reliably, you might be done. If it chokes on modern ammo (or, perish the thought, hardball), consider reliability work. GI type guns often need work on the feed ramp, barrel throat, breechface, extractor, and better magazines.

A dehorning job is very nice. It saves your hands, and sometimes your holster and side, from wounds during lots of hard and fast gunhandling. But dehorning does require the gun to be refinished.

As I mentioned, I like beavertail grip safeties, but they are hardly necessary.


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## forestranger (Jan 20, 2008)

Recommend you compare the GI with the Tactical version before you buy & see which one you like better. Only $50-60 difference and the Tactical has most of the "extras" most folks end up wanting.


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

This is an older pic of mine. I don't have that comp. bushing on it anymore. 








You can get a "loaded" one for about 50 bucks more than the G.I model. It'll have the same grips but has the ambi safety, beaver tail grip safety, and a better trigger. The thumb safety they use requires a little fitting for new grips. Not the normal fitting on the back but a little shaping on top. Mine has a Bocote Burl grip and I polished the feed ramp and trigger parts to make it a little more smooth. Really good shooter:smt033


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## Teuthis (Apr 9, 2008)

Just put some fancy grips on it. I like what Mike said about it. I say keep it simple and dress it up with loud, garish grips if you want it to shine.


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

true about the tactical/loaded RIA..I didn't do much to mine simply because it was an inexpensive pistol and to drop a bunch of money in it kind of defeats the propose of getting one in that price range. They do really well considering the money spent. If I didn't have a bazillion sets of 1911 grips here I'd of probably left the wood that was on it..heh


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