[RONSERESURPLUS]

Hello all


Ron L here = SeRESURPLUS


With Pics of my Rock Island 1911A1 45ACP handgun:

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg102/RONCELL/SUNP0008.jpg

 

[hillbilly68]

Can't gp wrong with a RIA for the price. I have one that my dear wife got for me, I love it. A "slightly" improved version of a 1911A1, put a set of bakelite antique grips on her, almost like having a piece of history. Good shooter too (with 1911A1 limitations of course).

 

[shoez]

I also have a Rock Island, and I paid alot less for it than I did for a Colt 1991A1 a few years back, and the Rock Island will outshoot it all day long.

 

[Defender]

Rock's are decent. Made in the Philippines. Not quite up there with the big boys like Kimber though.

 

[RONSERESURPLUS]

Pics of Rock Island 1911A1 45 ACP

Hello all Ron L here/Responce to Defender!


Ron L = SERESURPLUS



When I bought my Rock Island 1911, I was mainly concerned about function, Interchangeability of GI parts, what I could work on and cost! Kimber, while a really nice pistol has undergone a lot of ups and downs and many do not take GI parts as a change out issue! I love what they have done with sites, larger ejection port and trigger options, they do have some nice radical beavertail grip safetys, but if I can't fix it myself with off the shelf parts, I'm not gonna buy or use it! No offence, just what I had in mind?

 

[Defender]

When I bought my Rock Island 1911, I was mainly concerned about function, Interchangeability of GI parts, what I could work on and cost! Kimber, while a really nice pistol has undergone a lot of ups and downs and many do not take GI parts as a change out issue! I love what they have done with sites, larger ejection port and trigger options, they do have some nice radical beavertail grip safetys, but if I can't fix it myself with off the shelf parts, I'm not gonna buy or use it! No offence, just what I had in mind?

I've owned several Kimbers, and fired several Rocks.

Kimber has had a LOT more ups than downs. Not to mention they've had a lot more ups than Rock ever has.

If you like something you can put GI parts in, fine. But that doesn't make Rock superior or even equal to Kimber in overall quality.

 

[BBet]

Brand loyalty is fine, but so too is an open mind. The 1911 platform (thank The Lord) is capable of satisfying just about every inclination unlike most other platforms. Heck, that's why we've got them. I've owned an RIA or two - one a 1911 CS (compact) and both performed extremely well both OTB and for as long as I kept them - something like 3K plus rounds without incident. Inexpensive guns describes them much better than cheap guns. If RIA are so good why did I sell them - well - I just don't have the money to keep what I've got and go out and buy another 1911, and as we all know the 1911 bug once contracted cannot be eradicated. I've owned Kimbers too and would say they are well priced guns and I'd never knock them, but the most reliable inexpensive / mid range / expensive (for me) 1911's I've owned have been from Springfield. But then again you can buy a Rock and ammo, take trip to the movies and still pay less than the cheapest Springer.

 

[Defender]

I owned Colts and Springfields long before I ever owned a Kimber. Neither brand is as good as the Kimbers I've owned.

All three brands beat a Rock though.

 

[cjsolar]

Pics of 1911A1 Rock Island 45

I will admit to owning quite a few 1911A1s. I will also agree,for the money invested, the Rock Island Armory is a very good buy. The prices that I've paid are at half of what I paid for my Colts, Paras, Kimbers and Springfields.
The ones I have 38 Super, Tactical Model and Nickel Plated all seem look very well made. When the weather breaks, I plan on taking them out for a well deserved work-out.

 

[dragunovsks]

Sweet .45 man, I have the exact same pistol. Great shootin guns.

 

[h&k bigdaddydieseldan]

I owned Colts and Springfields long before I ever owned a Kimber. Neither brand is as good as the Kimbers I've owned.

All three brands beat a Rock though.

colt is a pos springfields are pretty good and so are kimbers but you are comparing apples to oranges the kimbers and springers are way more expensive then a rock river for the money you can't go wrong with a rock river...............

 

[janikphoto]

...for the money you can't go wrong with a rock river...............

I LOVE my RIA 1911. It is amazing for the price. Sure, it's not fancy kimber, but I could buy a pair of RIA 1911's, a new york reload holster to carry them both in, and a boatload of bullets and nice mags to keep them fed for the price of one kimber.

 

[kansas45]

I'm a RIA/Armscore fan. Good, solid pstols & the price is right.
L-R RIA 38 Super, High Standard GI, RIA GI that I made "Tactical" & RIA Tactical.

 

[ebar5]

I have owned 4 Rock Island pistols and approx 10 different Kimbers. Ive also owned too many Springfields to count. To start, Springfield's are in my opinion and experience more reliable out of the box than Kimbers. Out of the Springfeild's, none of them ever had a problem that I couldn't narrow down to a magazine problem or ammo problem. of the 10 or so Kimbers (2 custom II's, 2 Warriors, 1 Ten II, 1 TLE/RL II pro carry external extractor, 1 TLE II pro carry internal extractor, 1 full size CDP, 1 Tactical II ultra carry, thats all I can recall by model at this time) at least half of them had major problems out of the box. I know, Your going to say something like "the book says to shoot 500rnds to break it in!!!" Well, a well made firearm doesn't need to be broken in. If a gun needs 500rnds to be broken in, you just added $200.00 to the cost of the pistol which already is $1300.00 to $1400.00 dollars making it nearly a $1600.00 pistol. Not to mention, when do you know for sure when the gun is finished being fully broken in and you can safely deside to carry it? Most profesionals standards are at least 500 rnds without a failure before useing it for duty/defence. Now youve got an $1800.00 to $1900.00 Kimber. For a few bucks more you could have a Wilson, Nighthawk or a number of other high end custom 1911's that dont need to be broken in. The two Kimbers I really liked were the Warriors. 100% reliable and accurate out of the box. By the way, the Rocks were 2 full size field grades and two compact field grades. All FOUR WERE FLAWLESS IN FUNCTION EVEN WITH HOLLOW POINTS AND MORE THAN ACCEPTIBLE ACCURACY! And no break in period. If I had to go into a gunfight with a choice of a Kimber or a RIA neither of which I had shot before, with the exception of possibly the Warrior, with my personal experience with both,I would grab the Rock.

 

[matt g]

I have owned 4 Rock Island pistols and approx 10 different Kimbers. Ive also owned too many Springfields to count. To start, Springfield's are in my opinion and experience more reliable out of the box than Kimbers. Out of the Springfeild's, none of them ever had a problem that I couldn't narrow down to a magazine problem or ammo problem. of the 10 or so Kimbers (2 custom II's, 2 Warriors, 1 Ten II, 1 TLE/RL II pro carry external extractor, 1 TLE II pro carry internal extractor, 1 full size CDP, 1 Tactical II ultra carry, thats all I can recall by model at this time) at least half of them had major problems out of the box. I know, Your going to say something like "the book says to shoot 500rnds to break it in!!!" Well, a well made firearm doesn't need to be broken in. If a gun needs 500rnds to be broken in, you just added $200.00 to the cost of the pistol which already is $1300.00 to $1400.00 dollars making it nearly a $1600.00 pistol. Not to mention, when do you know for sure when the gun is finished being fully broken in and you can safely deside to carry it? Most profesionals standards are at least 500 rnds without a failure before useing it for duty/defence. Now youve got an $1800.00 to $1900.00 Kimber. For a few bucks more you could have a Wilson, Nighthawk or a number of other high end custom 1911's that dont need to be broken in. The two Kimbers I really liked were the Warriors. 100% reliable and accurate out of the box. By the way, the Rocks were 2 full size field grades and two compact field grades. All FOUR WERE FLAWLESS IN FUNCTION EVEN WITH HOLLOW POINTS AND MORE THAN ACCEPTIBLE ACCURACY! And no break in period. If I had to go into a gunfight with a choice of a Kimber or a RIA neither of which I had shot before, with the exception of possibly the Warrior, with my personal experience with both,I would grab the Rock.

Strange, my $700 Kimber ran flawlessly out of the box. I've never had it fail to do anything. Never a fail to feed or a stove pipe.

 

[Dillinger]

^ +1

I have had three Kimbers and never had any problems. I still own two of them and they have all performed quite well. Maybe dude had some older models, or maybe he works for RIA.

JD

 

[matt g]

^ +1

I have had three Kimbers and never had any problems. I still own two of them and they have all performed quite well. Maybe dude had some older models, or maybe he works for RIA.

JD

I got mine in 2000. It was one of the first 'II' models. The S/N is 168**, and oddly enough, it's an even quarter.

Here is an interesting article from American Handgunner that reflects my experience, and the experience of many that I've talked to, with Kimber's pistols. I just have a hard time believing people that say otherwise.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_173_29/ai_n7578407

 

[Dillinger]

^ Yeah, I don't know bro.

I haven't bought a new one in a couple of years - I had to get all fancy and get the 'Hawks, but my Kimbers always ran like a champ.

I bought a Raptor II right after they came out, carried it for like 2 years, and sold it for about $100 less than I paid for the thing with only a belt holster that I bought for it. It ran everytime - range ammo, store ammo, limited reloads that I put through it. I never had one issue with that weapon, which was why it was my go to carry piece.

I could probably count on one hand the number of times I had a FTF with either of my .45's from Kimber. That would encompass just about every known magazine type out there, and all sorts of ammo.

I still consider them a great gun, for the price. Taurus is a little more bang for the buck right now, but for the best package deal on a production 1911 - I would have to go with Kimber.

JD