# RIA compact 1911



## devildog83 (Feb 17, 2009)

What is the best parts to change out on the RIA's to get a little more accurate/better shooting weapon?


----------



## Lake Oconee Flash (Feb 18, 2009)

order your parts from RIA.


----------



## Outsydlooknin75 (Feb 18, 2009)

Switch the recoil spring out to a 18 pound spring and put a full length guide rod in it and then go shoot it.

And then shoot it some more.


----------



## redneckcamo (Feb 18, 2009)

a quality barrel ,link an bushing job or drop in kit !!  plus what he said too !!!


----------



## cmshoot (Feb 18, 2009)

I've built several RIA's for folks.  The slides, frames, and barrels are good quality, but all the small parts are junk.  

The ignition parts definitely need replaced if you want a nice, crisp trigger job:  trigger, sear, disconnect, hammer and sear spring, along with the pins.  

The ones I have played with had shoddy fitting MSH's as well.  Replace it along with the innerds, if you want a nice, consistent trigger pull.


----------



## Outsydlooknin75 (Feb 18, 2009)

cmshoot said:


> I've built several RIA's for folks.  The slides, frames, and barrels are good quality, but all the small parts are junk.
> 
> The ignition parts definitely need replaced if you want a nice, crisp trigger job:  trigger, sear, disconnect, hammer and sear spring, along with the pins.
> 
> The ones I have played with had shoddy fitting MSH's as well.  Replace it along with the innerds, if you want a nice, consistent trigger pull.




If you are going to spend that much money to "fix" a RIA then dont buy a bargain 1911.  Save the money and step up to atleast a Loaded Springfield.  If you want to go over that step up to a Kimber, if you want to go over that go to an Ed Brown, or go over that to a Nighthawk.   But for a buget 1911 the RIA's are the best on the market.


----------



## Wiskey_33 (Feb 18, 2009)

Outsydlooknin75 said:


> If you are going to spend that much money to "fix" a RIA then dont buy a bargain 1911.  Save the money and step up to atleast a Loaded Springfield.  If you want to go over that step up to a Kimber, if you want to go over that go to an Ed Brown, or go over that to a Nighthawk.   But for a buget 1911 the RIA's are the best on the market.



I certainly wouldn't put a MIMber ahead of a Springfield Loaded.


----------



## Outsydlooknin75 (Feb 18, 2009)

Wiskey_33 said:


> I certainly wouldn't put a MIMber ahead of a Springfield Loaded.



I never said a new MIMber.  The older Kimbers, YES most deffinately.  I wish I had bought all the Kimbers i could have when they first came out ... they were some quality guns for a steal of a price.


----------



## Wiskey_33 (Feb 18, 2009)

Outsydlooknin75 said:


> I never said a new MIMber.  The older Kimbers, YES most deffinately.  I wish I had bought all the Kimbers i could have when they first came out ... they were some quality guns for a steal of a price.



Ok, now I agree with you. The older ones are nice, produced in Clackamas.


----------



## jglenn (Feb 18, 2009)

CMshoot has the deal for you.. A good trigger will go a long way to help with your practical accuracy. After that think about a barrel/bushing  upgrade to hjelp with the physical accracy of the weapon.

for internal parts I like the Cylinder / Slide stuff along with Nighthawk internals


----------



## cmshoot (Feb 19, 2009)

jglenn, I like the C&S internals myself.  That's what I have in my IPSC Single Stack (started as an SAI TRP), and it's what I use in most of the 1911's that I build or tune for folks.

I've used a few of Nighthawk's small parts here recently and was favorably impressed.  Excellent quality, but I haven't tried their hammer, sear or disconnects.

If you do the work yourself, you can get an RIA and "upgrade" it for less than what you would pay for a new Loaded SAI.  I still prefer the SAI over the RIA, but just throwing it out there.

A good friend of mine was given a full-size RIA as a gift.  I in turn tuned it up for him, also as a gift.  Replaced everything but the slide, frame and barrel,  hand-cut the checkering on the frame, cut up under the trigger guard to allow for a higher grip (in conjunction with the Ed Brown grip safety), knocked off the edges and corners, recessed the pin of the slide catch, and had is refinished in a custom KG Gun Kote color.

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w147/cmshoot/vern1911c.jpg

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w147/cmshoot/vern1911d.jpg


----------



## devildog83 (Feb 19, 2009)

What about Wilson Combat parts?


----------



## jglenn (Feb 19, 2009)

cmshoot

nighthawk stuff is like C&S all bar stock  not lower line MIM stuff.

Wilson makes two lines of parts.  A "value" (read that MIM) and a tool steel line so you just have to know what your getting..I think their value line is actually made by BUL


----------



## devildog83 (Feb 19, 2009)

That is the whole reason for this post to find the best parts for the money. I've never owned a 1911 and this is my first so I don't know the whole scoop on the parts yet.


----------



## NGIB (Feb 19, 2009)

I tend to post this same viewpoint a lot but it's worth repeating.  If you throw $300 worth of parts in a $400 gun - you don't have a $700 gun.  

If you're sure you will keep it and never sell or trade it OK, make it what you want but be aware that "upgrades" are sunk money for the most part.  As the RIA Tactical is less than $100 more than the base gun, they kind of limit their own market for the base guns.

And Brownell's is every 1911 owner's friend...


----------

