ATI and Rock Island 1911 questions

[gonzo0419]

My son is wanting a 1911 but not wishing to spend the $$$$ on say a Colt for his first handgun purchase. He has been repeatedly asking shop owners and virtually anyone who would know about the ATI's and the Rock Island's. He keeps getting answers from never buy one to they are as good or better than anything else out there. I myself do not know enough about them to steer him toward or away from any of these, this is why I'm posting. All replies and help are appreciated, so thank you in advance.

 

[wizardfitz]

i have a rock island and haven't had any issues. their cost service is great, we had to use it on a 38 revolver

 

[bjenkins]

I would recommend RIA nice 1911 for the money. Might also look at Ruger or a Springfield Range Officer.

 

[churchmouse]

Depends on who you are asking.
If LGS is pushing for a sale then yeah, best gun ever made.

In a 1911 you get exactly what you pay for. Metallurgy, Fit, finish, accuracy etc so on and so forth.

I am not a fan of the island guns but I will say I have seen RIA step up their game of late.

Save some money and get into a Ruger or an SA.
If just wanting a range toy then yeah, roll the dice.
If wanting something to up-grade along the way get a better platform to start with.

JMHO of course and not knocking those who have and enjoy a RIA 1911.

 

[Woobie]

Depends on who you are asking.
If LGS is pushing for a sale then yeah, best gun ever made.

In a 1911 you get exactly what you pay for. Metallurgy, Fit, finish, accuracy etc so on and so forth.

I am not a fan of the island guns but I will say I have seen RIA step up their game of late.

Save some money and get into a Ruger or an SA.
If just wanting a range toy then yeah, roll the dice.
If wanting something to up-grade along the way get a better platform to start with.

JMHO of course and not knocking those who have and enjoy a RIA 1911.

The Mouse knows, listen to him.

I will say the last Ruger I had my hands on was quite poorly fitted, especially as compared to the SA next to it in the case.

 

[churchmouse]

The Mouse knows, listen to him.

I will say the last Ruger I had my hands on was quite poorly fitted, especially as compared to the SA next to it in the case.

As with anything you will find a turd now and again.
My Ruger is fit up nicely from the factory but the last one I had was not.
I have seen some discrepancies in a few SA's as well.
Pick up several and feel them out.

 

[sgreen3]

Believe me when I say there is a difference between the Springfield I had Vs the RIA. With that being said the Tactical RIA I had shot just fine and was pretty darn accurate as well, so I wouldn't be afraid to have another one but there is just something about the higher end ones. Could be said for most firearm platforms as well.....

 

[red_zr24x4]

I've got 2 RIA's, both tactical models, one in 9mm and one in .45. Both have been great

 

[88E30M50]

I recently sold an RIA Compact that served me well for several years. It was a good little gun and the only time it failed to run properly is when I ran past the spring change interval. I've gone on at length in other threads about RIA, but in a nutshell, I think they hold to looser tolerances than the more expensive manufacturers. Tight tolerances are expensive to maintain but if a mfg can open the tolerances up a bit, they can put more guns out for less money. Most will work fine and if one doesn't, they cover it with a good warranty. It's one way to keep the costs low and it generally makes everyone happy. The 1911s are sold at a lower price than would otherwise be possible and the few that do get through with an unfortunate tolerance stack get taken care of under warranty.

Most will work though and some even run when pushed hard. I never did push my RIA hard and it maybe had 1200 rounds through it when sold. It never had an issue blowing through a box of 50 rounds when I asked it to though, as long as I kept up with the short spring life they compacts can have.

 

[zoglog]

I have Colts, Springfield and RIA. Love them all. Never had any issues with my RIA.

Haven't shot my one Colt, just got it this week, but I am a bit hesitant to play with it. I field stripped it and all looks well but here is the story with it....

The one Colt was a commemorative 1911 from my most recent deployment. It was delivered 3 months late, all due to problems from Colt. We got an email saying they screwed up over 100 barrels. Constant mess ups from the engravers. There were other issues as well.

But she turned out awesome, nice and tight perfect finish too.

I have a second commemorative Colt coming too, so we will see how they did on that one...But I received the same uh oh emails in regard to it.

So I think what I am saying, is that even the big boys make mistakes. The RIA will serve him well.

 

[gonzo0419]

I will pass this along for him to read through, thanks for the feedback.

 

[osbornk]

I only have 600-700 rounds through my RIA Tactical 9mm. It is the most accurate of my 13 firearms and it has not malfunctioned at all. It looks good to me and was well worth the just under $500 out the door I paid for it. I would not hesitate to buy it again.

 

[ag563]

I've got 2 RIA's, both tactical models, one in 9mm and one in .45. Both have been great

I have both also, great guns, no problems with them. Mine are both .45 acp.

 

[OVERTHEHILLGUY]

I have read many good reports.

 

[Nam1911]

I have an ATI Commmander 1911. It feeds anything. It is a little picky on drop free mags. It likes CMC and Mec Gar mags. I had to do some filing to some hard edges to make it EDC friendly but for 330 OTD I have no complaints. I have carried it everyday for over two years

 

[wildcatfan.62]

I had a Rock Island tactical 9mm that I sold to another INGO member. It ran great, the fit and finish weren't top drawer (but not bad) and the gun went bang every time you pulled the trigger. It handled reloads, factory FMJ and most hollow-points. I only sold it to finance another project. It was a little heavy, but I was comparing it to a Springfield EMP (oranges and tangerines -kinda the same but not quite). It's a good starter 1911 to see if you like the platform.
Good luck with the choice,
wildcatfan.62

 

[osbornk]

I had a Rock Island tactical 9mm that I sold to another INGO member. It ran great, the fit and finish weren't top drawer (but not bad) and the gun went bang every time you pulled the trigger. It handled reloads, factory FMJ and most hollow-points. I only sold it to finance another project. It was a little heavy, but I was comparing it to a Springfield EMP (oranges and tangerines -kinda the same but not quite). It's a good starter 1911 to see if you like the platform.
Good luck with the choice,
wildcatfan.62

I have the gun you had and it is accurate and reliable.