RIA race gun?

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  • 88E30M50

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    12   0   0
    Dec 29, 2008
    22,748
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    Greenwood, IN
    I'm guessing the gun will do fine, but if pushed hard, you'll start to see the parts that are the weak points of the gun. Once those are sorted and replaced, it will probably run fine. Like the others said, it would be interesting to see what happens. I tend to root for the underdog and hope it surprises everyone.
     

    chipsher

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Nov 5, 2013
    65
    6
    Logansport
    Has anyone slicked up their RIA double stack and used it in competition ? Seems like it could be a decent start to a race gun.

    I just bought a RIA Target double stack, it runs fine and mags are cheap. I'll compete with it if I like it better than my Tanfoglio or use it as a back-up. I'd replace the extractor, ejector and firing pin with top quality for piece of mind. I've also got a single stack RIA 9mm with 3-5 thousands rounds through it. It broke an ejector. I also put a good recoil spring in it and tuned the extractor. Accuracy has been very good and the trigger and slide fit is better than my Springfield.
     

    churchmouse

    I still care....Really
    Emeritus
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    187   0   0
    Dec 7, 2011
    191,809
    152
    Speedway area
    I just bought a RIA Target double stack, it runs fine and mags are cheap. I'll compete with it if I like it better than my Tanfoglio or use it as a back-up. I'd replace the extractor, ejector and firing pin with top quality for piece of mind. I've also got a single stack RIA 9mm with 3-5 thousands rounds through it. It broke an ejector. I also put a good recoil spring in it and tuned the extractor. Accuracy has been very good and the trigger and slide fit is better than my Springfield.

    Which Springfield do you have...???
     

    rhino

    Grandmaster
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    24   0   0
    Mar 18, 2008
    30,906
    113
    Indiana
    The RIA wide body guns are Para-Ordnance clones. If they're built to the same specs, they should be fine for 9mm or .45ACP. A constant diet of major power factor .40 tends to be a little much for Paras, at least compared to the durability of the higher-end wide body 1911-based guns.

    It's entirely possible that the RIA version is actually stronger than the Para that inspired it. Only one way to find out! Shoot it until it breaks, then replace the guts with known good quality parts and repeat.
     

    rhino

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    Mar 18, 2008
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    midget

    Master
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    6   0   0
    Apr 2, 2010
    1,619
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    Leo
    I'm thinking of getting one of those. There are magazines on the market that will work with it, but not the Para-Ordnance P18.

    I'm thinking about getting one too. For as little as I shoot anymore, it might be worth it.
     

    Leo

    Grandmaster
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    30   0   0
    Mar 3, 2011
    9,733
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    Lafayette, IN
    One of the downsides is that no matter what is done to it, it is still an RIA. Please don't think I am belittling you in any way. That is far from my intent.

    Before I ever heard of RIA, a lot of guys were savng a few bucks with a brand called NORINCO. I knew a some guys that were using them as basis for some really good custom gunsmithing. The work looked really good, but when they tired of them, they could not give them away. Places that would take a plain jane Norinco in trade were not willing to fool with a customized one. I really don't know how the Norico based guns held up.
     

    halfmileharry

    Grandmaster
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    65   0   0
    Dec 2, 2010
    11,450
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    South of Indy
    I doubt ANY of the newer"budget" guns will give a long service life without a major rebuild eventually
    If you are going to really put a lot of rounds through any gun I would buy a quality gun to start with.
    You will probably have equal money in them but with a better gun you will have something that retains value.
     

    midget

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    6   0   0
    Apr 2, 2010
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    Leo
    I doubt ANY of the newer"budget" guns will give a long service life without a major rebuild eventually
    If you are going to really put a lot of rounds through any gun I would buy a quality gun to start with.
    You will probably have equal money in them but with a better gun you will have something that retains value.

    according to the testing by the links I posted above, the RIA out performed the "nicer" guns. I'm not at all claiming RIA is the end all, but it is an attractive budget level pistol. It is nonsensical to compare it to an SV or STI (not Spartan line).
     

    halfmileharry

    Grandmaster
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    65   0   0
    Dec 2, 2010
    11,450
    99
    South of Indy
    according to the testing by the links I posted above, the RIA out performed the "nicer" guns. I'm not at all claiming RIA is the end all, but it is an attractive budget level pistol. It is nonsensical to compare it to an SV or STI (not Spartan line).

    I went through 3 of them in the space of a year. Broken, worn out. Just my real world experience with them. The first one I had I loved until it hit 2,300 rds and it was worn out. Firing pin broke and when I took it down it was well worn.
    Second one I bought before the first one broke. I had to send it back to get it to feed reliably. The 3rd never did work right. Warrantied out.
    YMMV but I already spent all the money I'm going to on them.
     
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