RIA 1911 problems

[jawn]

Get Chip McCormick Power Mags or Wilson Combat 47Ds.

The factory supplied ACT mags are iffy at best.

 

[Mooseman]

I want to thank Indiana Jones and Clandestine for their answers and opinions.

 

[CWood]

Tune It!

 

[w2kbr]

FWIW..I've had my RIA 1911 for 4 years. It very, very seldom, skiped a beat. It has close to 3000 rounds thru it. and I've most always used the mag that came with the piece.

I recently had the piece changed back to Mil Serv standard..(that's outside cosmetic work), and while that was being done, had the insides reworked, like new barrel, trigger work, new springs etc etc........

It was a fine piece when I got it, served me well, and now it's upgraded and I use it in Service Pistol matches. Works great.

R

 

[Biggfoot44]

The very first step is to try a quality mag. Wilson, McCormic , or Virgil Tripp. And I have long enough memory , that I don't trust any 8rd mag.

If that doesn't do the trick , then you need a skilled 'smith.

You can continually resend under Warrenty and maybe get fixed , or use your own dime and know that it's done right. Your choice , your priorities.

 

[DarthZed]

The spring chad mentioned fixed mine as soon as he put it in. I was having problems with feeding after a refinishing job with it. A tiny little ramp polish/clean up of excess park, and new spring and it has worked like a charm ever since.

If this is a known issue, why in God's name don't they simply use a stiffer spring? That just seems silly. I mean if Clandestine can name a major design problem like this, right off the top of his head; you can't tell me that RIA is unaware of it. Seems like an easy fix for them that would account for a many warranty returns and much customer dissatsifaction.

 

[Deep Creek Rock]

If its an 8 round mag - cock the pistol with an empty mag, or pull the slide,and lock it back with the slide stop - in other words, start with the pistol in the hold open postion. Load the mag fully (8 rounds). Lock the mag in place, and shut the slide. See if it feeds the top round any better. Also let it slam shut, by either slingshoting the slide, or use the slide stop/release, and let it fall on its own. Dont ride the slide, and see if thats an issue too. If its not picking up the first round on top - look at the angle of round in the magazine- it should be tilted up slightly, and not nose dived, or parrelel.

From my understanding, and personal experience - the 8 rounders do seem to give a little more issues then standard 7 rounders. When I bought my 8 round mag (another make not RIA) the spring was very tight, and needed a little loosening up. I kept the mag fully loaded when not in use for a good while, and it loosened, and works like a champ.

Not saying these are the fix to your problem, but something to try, or look for.

 

[Leeann]

fwiw, the Act-Mag that came with my RIA (not group buy) is problematic. I have at least one failure to feed every time I use it. The Act-Mag I bought separately has zero issues, so I just purchased another.

I've only used Federal boxed and Georgia Arms reloads.

 

[Dino]

I see very few Taurus 1911's for issues and for $300 cheaper than a Comparable Springer, they are better finished to many Springers with the same features. The fitting and finish work on Taurus 1911's are very good to the price.

I believe both are made in Brazil unless its a Springer Custom Shop/TRP gun.

Both guns ahve a lifetime warranty but my experience with both guns tells me youll likely use the Springer Warranty before the Taurus.

Before anyone has a cow, Im NOT saying ALL Taurus guns are great. Im saying the do a good job with 1911's. They also do a good job with Beretta Clones as well. Im not much of a fan of any other Taurus Products though from my experiences with them.

I owned a PT-92 and it was a great gun.
Of course, this was MANY years ago.

I REALLY wanted to like the Taurus PT-1911 because, at the time, it was in my price range ... but I'm glad I waited.
I've read (and continue to read) of problem after problem and poor customer service and it has really had an ill effect on consumer confidence, thus re-sale value.
Not that I buy guns to sell them, but it's nice to know that the gun you buy has a high rating with consumers and will hold at least some value.
As for "fit and finish", the Taurus "blueing" is extremely thin and wears fast. As for their "stainless" finish ... I recently read on another forum that it's merely some sort of plating. I know ... I don't always believe what I read on these forums but with all the other quality issues, it would not surprise me.

Could it be that you see very few issues because fewer people are buying them?

As for Springfield ... I bought my GI for around $550 new.
I understand the GI is now discontinued but the Milspec isn't all that much more. It doesn't come with all the bells and whistles that the Taurus does, but it's a solid gun with a lifetime warranty and more importantly, a company that stands behind it.

JMO

 

[Mr H]

Get Chip McCormick Power Mags or Wilson Combat 47Ds.

The factory supplied ACT mags are iffy at best.

I have McCormicks as well, but neither they nor the factory mag have been an issue.

I've had other issues, but most were resolved after my son took it down for me and found some fit-and-finish issues with it. He did all I was comfortable with (he was a very competent armorer in the Navy), and while it serviceable, it's still not perfect.

That said... I don't think any of us bought this particular item as a save-my-life-forsaking-all-other-guns pistol... But getting them working well seems to have been interesting, at best.

 

[ma_deuce]

As for Springfield ... I bought my GI for around $550 new. I understand the GI is now discontinued but the Milspec isn't all that much more. It doesn't come with all the bells and whistles that the Taurus does, but it's a solid gun with a lifetime warranty and more importantly, a company that stands behind it.

Looks like you're right about the GI - it's not on the Springfield site any more. I've got one of the earlier ones, and it's been rock-solid, trouble free. Seems like any kind of Springfield 1911 is hard to get these days. I've had dealers say it's because all of their capacity is going into the plastic guns, but I thought those were made in Croatia.

 

[Dino]

Looks like you're right about the GI - it's not on the Springfield site any more. I've got one of the earlier ones, and it's been rock-solid, trouble free. Seems like any kind of Springfield 1911 is hard to get these days. I've had dealers say it's because all of their capacity is going into the plastic guns, but I thought those were made in Croatia.

I first read that Springfield stopped production of the GI, supposedly to help "catch up with back-orders". I had my doubts at the time because almost everybody always recommends the Milspec over the GI for their better sights, lowered ejection port, etc... So that explanation, in my mind, didn't make much sense. Then I just read yesterday that Springfield discontinued production all together as of the first of the year. I have no way of confirming this, but I find this scenario more likely.

I definitely agree ... Springfield's are getting more difficult to get these days.
I called several LGS's looking for my Springfield Loaded a few weeks ago.
Some said it would be a 6+ month wait while others said they couldn't even order it.

Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone know what's going on with Springfield?

 

[Lou45]

I first read that Springfield stopped production of the GI, supposedly to help "catch up with back-orders". I had my doubts at the time because almost everybody always recommends the Milspec over the GI for their better sights, lowered ejection port, etc... So that explanation, in my mind, didn't make much sense. Then I just read yesterday that Springfield discontinued production all together as of the first of the year. I have no way of confirming this, but I find this scenario more likely.

I definitely agree ... Springfield's are getting more difficult to get these days.
I called several LGS's looking for my Springfield Loaded a few weeks ago.
Some said it would be a 6+ month wait while others said they couldn't even order it.

Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone know what's going on with Springfield?

They're working to get caught up on previously placed orders, like shipping alot of 1911 RO's to me this coming Thursday.

 

[phil]

Back again and thanks again for the feedback.
Magnumite,
This seems to be exactly what's happening - stalling at the bottom of the ramp.
I've done the inspection several times. With the mag installed, slide locked back, the bottom of the top round is right at the top of the ramp in line with the barrel. As the slide moves forward and picks up the top round it noses down to where it is several mm below the top of the ramp - just about perpendicular to the ramp face. I can produce the same effect with the mag in hand and pushing the round forward with my thumb.

Deep Creek,
I too thought i was at least contributing to the problem by riding the slide so I focus on not doing that. problem persists. Curious thing is that slingshoting the slide is when i see the most problems.
Slide forward, hammer cocked, full mag inserted, rack the slide and it chambers most of the time. Slide locked back, (hammer cocked of course), insert full mag, sling shot the slide and it jams (fail to feed) most of the time. HOWEVER, if I release the slide with the slide lock it feeds most of the time.
Don't understand why the slingshot fails and the slide release works.

Big Foot nailed the warranty issue exactly. I shouldn't need to spend my own money to fix a warranty problem but I shouldn't need to send it back more than once to get it right either. In truth I do prefer getting work done ( and buying) locally where I can talk to the man performing the service.

A fellow Firearms Enthusiast at work likewise agrees with what seems to be the consensus here, that it's a mag problem, so he's going to loan me a couple to try. Hopefully I just need to buy some better mags to solve the problem. I'll keep you all posted as soon as I get a chance to experimant.

By the way, what's the thinking on using the slide catch to release the slide? I've heard here and read that it's a bad idea. Then I've heard it's the recommended release method by some manufacturer's. Could it be a gun specific issue / question?

 

[ma_deuce]

They're working to get caught up on previously placed orders, like shipping alot of 1911 RO's to me this coming Thursday.

Lovely, that makes TWO more 1911s I've got to get sometime in the next coupla months.

 

[ar15dave]

This is the A1 Tactical model from the big group buy last year.
Is anyone else having problems with their gun or am i only lemon in the bunch? The problem is failure to feed.

Right from day one it would FTF the top round in a full mag. Then starting failing up to 50% of the time; first round, anywhere in the middle, last round, didn't matter.
I'm using Winchester and Federal 230gr, ball ammo.
Tried a mag from a friends 1911 with the same results.

The Mag would not latch up tight against the bottom of the well. Very noticeable looseness especially compared to other guns.

The round is nosing down in the feeding process so it's perpendicular to the feed ramp when it makes contact. Sometimes after the first FTF I can smack the bottom of the mag and it will chamber the round. but not always. Slingshoting the slide hammers the bullet into the shell.

After 300 - 400 rounds without improvement I sent it back to Amscor with a detailed report on the problem.

Per the report returned with the gun, they:
cleaned it,
replaced the recoil spring - it is a much stronger spring
replaced the mag latch - the very noticeable looseness is much reduced
tuned it - no detail on what that is
and finally lubed it - it was dripping oil all over inside.

It is functioning better but still not really right. Still having a problem feeding the first round but it will cycle the balance of the mag without a problem.
My son-in-law today polished the feed ramp to a mirror finish. After 3-4 mags it started acting up again.

On the one hand I don't want to send it back to Armscor again since they didn't fix it the first time, but it is under warranty so I don't want to spend my own money taking it to a local gunsmith. I'm not totally opposed to the having it worked on locally if any of you can recommend someone who really knows 1911's.

Looking for possible solutions / options/ suggestions on where to go from here.
Thanks

It is most likely not a magazine problem. I had the same issue with my RIA two-tone tactical. It was not the magazine. Look at the end of your slide stop lever where it meets the pin (towards the back). In my case the slit that is suppose to be in the slide stop's back edge at the end was not deep enough and it was binding on that pin casuing all kinds of FTF issues. Took it to a local gun smith and 30 seconds with a dremel and it was as good as new.

Dave

 

[jimbobborg]

By the way, what's the thinking on using the slide catch to release the slide? I've heard here and read that it's a bad idea. Then I've heard it's the recommended release method by some manufacturer's. Could it be a gun specific issue / question?

It depends. I sling shot mine as it's a gross motor skill, so I'm used to it if/when I have to fire under stress. I don't even think about it anymore. The slide release method requires that I adjust by grip to reach it, since I have big palms and stubby fingers and thumbs.

 

[jaredm1]

It depends. I sling shot mine as it's a gross motor skill, so I'm used to it if/when I have to fire under stress. I don't even think about it anymore. The slide release method requires that I adjust by grip to reach it, since I have big palms and stubby fingers and thumbs.

Try releasing it with the thumb of your support hand...no need to adjust your grip. And it is faster this way.

I don't get the whole "gross vs fine motor skills" argument as I consider aiming and pulling the trigger to be fine motor skills anyway.


On the original topic, I've barely begun to break mine in (probably 150 rounds through it), but the magazine that came with it was crap. I bought two Wilson Combat service mags and they work much better.

 

[Lou45]

I have fired mine ~100 rounds of Federal 230 ball American Eagle all original factory lock, stock, barrel, and mag with no issues.

 

[phil]

Don't know about the slide catch causing the feeding problem. The catch works fine as far as I can tell. At least it catches the slide like it should. I did get a Wilson Combat mag from my buddy at work so I'll try that approach as soon as I can - sometime this week for sure. If that doesn't solve the problem then I guess its a trip to a smith.
I'll post the results when I have some - this week I hope.

My question about releasing the slide with the slide catch has nothing to do with motor skills or even speed. I was asking if using the catch as a release causes any undue wear that will eventually cause the lock open feature to fail.