[Montkun]

So I went to another LGS today to take a look at 1911's again and I saw a couple RIA's & American Tactical's for sale, $429 - $469. In terms of looks, both are nearly identical 70 series pistols. I'm not looking to break the bank or get commemorative series guns, just want to know what you guys think is the more reliable weapon. I also saw a S&W revolver in .45 ACT used for $475 that's a possible buy. But for the sake of this discussion, i'm focusing on the 1911's.

 

[mike145]

I have a couple RIA GI's, they are the best bang for the buck IMHO.

 

[scrabtree6]

I've heard great things on both guns, the RIA is made by armscor and the ATI is made by Shooters Arms Manufacturing, both are philopino guns. Shooters arms also makes the American Classic 1911s sold by Bersa. IMO the RIA seems to usually be more of a basic 1911 and the shooters arms tend to be more loaded up. Really though the philopinos make great 1911s, ironic since it was made to kill them 100 years ago I'd look at the American Classics also they have bersas warrenty I believe and with them you just deal with a local shop that services bersa firearms. I kinda would like an american classic commander side 1911 cause they use this pretty high polish bluing on them instead of a military parkerizing. AMC ACC45B AMCLS CMMDR 45 1911 8R BL $497.00 SHIPS FREE I appreciate the hammer and grip safety on it, and the novak style sites so it should be easy to swap in nightsites if I'd ever want to.

 

[JerryMac]

I ended up with a RIA a few months back after doing some trading at a local gun show, and I am glad i did, it has turned into a really reliable and good shooter. I have 3 other 1911s and this one will shoo with any of them. at a fraction of the cost..... RIA gets my vote, am actually calling about an officers compact model tomorrow.....if it is priced right I will own another ..

 

[scrabtree6]

Yep it's all in what you want I think you'd do well with either one, RIA/Armscor is abit more well known though, me personally I like the ATI/Bersa guns but it all boils down to personal preference. You prolly see 2 or 3 RIA's for any 1 ATI or bersa 1911 out there though.

 

[Montkun]

I was leaning more towards the RIA as i've heard alot of good things about them, and a basic 1911 is more to my taste than anything else. I don't need rails since they're unimportant on handguns IMO. They had a few Taurus 1911's there also, but the price being nearly $200 higher is what scaled my decision back a bit. Though that duo-tone model looks pretty darn sweet. I'm sure it won't be my last 1911, but the two choices I put out seem to be a good start. I guess the real determination will come Thursday evening depending on what's left and how the grip safety feels in hand. Since I have large hands, depressing them shouldn't be much of a problem at all.

 

[MOONDAWG]

RIA's are fine guns, I've owned them in the past and recommend them all the time.

ATI, the new kid on the block comes from Turkish company that is ISO9001 rated, which is an engineering standard that isn't easy to get.

So much so that Beretta and CZ have some of their shotguns made there.

So anyone chosing an ATI gun should do well.

 

[scrabtree6]

Some ATI guns are Turkish made the 1911s are made by these guys though... Shooters Arms Manufacturing Incorporated

 

[wiredgeorge]

I carry an RIA 1911 in officers size. It is one of the finest handguns I have ever owned at ANY cost and I have had some expensive semi-autos. I also own a Charles Daly 1911 EFS Target in stainless (full size) that is one of the most accurate handguns and I would put it up against ANY custom shop 1911 for accuracy.

 

[olfarhors]

well kind of depends on which RIA that we are comparing!
I lean to the ATI as they are a better finished pistol, and have better sights, a biggy for me as GI sights are totally useless, well I guess not totally i could put a big gouge in someones head by hitting them with the gun, but with my withering eyesight i need something better than GI sights.
RIA's seem to have quite a following though.

 

[Laker]

American Handgunner magazine has an article on 1911's on a beer budget. Interesting read on this very subject.

 

[mike145]

American Handgunner magazine has an article on 1911's on a beer budget. Interesting read on this very subject.

I read that one too, here is a link to it.
Beer Budget 1911s | American Handgunner

 

[scrabtree6]

well kind of depends on which RIA that we are comparing!
I lean to the ATI as they are a better finished pistol, and have better sights, a biggy for me as GI sights are totally useless, well I guess not totally i could put a big gouge in someones head by hitting them with the gun, but with my withering eyesight i need something better than GI sights.
RIA's seem to have quite a following though.

Yep I agree, I mean it all is in what your looking for. I like the *look* of a basic 1911 but for shooting give me all the goodies I say. Any ATI 1911 I've seen I've been very impressed by and I think one day I'll either get one of those or one of the American Classic ones.

 

[Montkun]

Yeah, the sights will definitely play a major role in my choice. The store was so packed I could barely get to the case, and this is on a Sunday. I don't like to rush into a firearm decision, but when there's too many people to take care of, sometimes the clerk can get a bit antsy about decisions. If I remember right, there was a Taylor & Sons in the case also, but I haven't heard many good things about them so I excluded it from my decision. When there's 4 RIA's and 2 ATI's to choose from, the Taylor is merely an afterthought.

 

[scrabtree6]

Yeah most RIA's have GI style sites, now they have a tactical model that has novak style sites but every ATI i've seen has been pretty loaded up with the memory pad safetys and novak sites and seemed to have better finish on them, but you pay for that to they can be closer to the price of a PT1911 and at least by me a blue Taurus can run abit over 500, in the 550 or so range.

 

[JimSheldon]

I carry an RIA 1911 in officers size. It is one of the finest handguns I have ever owned at ANY cost and I have had some expensive semi-autos. I also own a Charles Daly 1911 EFS Target in stainless (full size) that is one of the most accurate handguns and I would put it up against ANY custom shop 1911 for accuracy.

View attachment 20546

I picked up a Citadel 1911A1CS yesterday. It's also made by Armscor (Rock Island Armory) in the Philippines. They have come a long-long way since they first started. It looks almost like the officer's model you picture but it's matte black Parkerized and has Novak style sights. Internally it looks and feels like it was run through a custom shop. Size wise, it's the same as the Colt "Officer's" model and from what I can tell, all the standard Officer's size frame parts should interchange if necessary. I've ordered an ambi safety for mine from Brownells and we'll find out in a couple of days if they're the same.

EDIT UPDATE (for anyone who cares and reads all the posts to a thread) I called ARMSCOR's Pahrump, NV offices yesterday and spoke with one of their gunsmiths. Colt parts for the Officer's Model WILL fit the A! CS. They would have sold me the ambi-safety a couple bucks cheaper than Brownell's but it would have taken me a couple weeks to get and Brownell's is only 2 days away by USPS.

 

[Montkun]

Very nice, the officer size 1911's are about the size of my 945. So i imagine carrying one of those would feel almost natural by now, especially if it has ambidextrous safeties. Carrying cocked and locked is definitely natural these days.

What's really weird is the last night at work i kept thinking about the deal they had on a used S&W 625 revolver chambered for .45 ACP. $475 is a great price on a gun that normally retails at $900+, so that's still kind of in the mix since it's not too hard to find a 1911 anywhere in general.

Well, two more days and i'll make my decision. But i really appreciate all the info anyone has given or has yet to give on the subject. This is why i love TA, i can always find good info and pretty unbiased opinions (even if we do all love our Tauri).

 

[jonrjen]

I would go for the S&W 625 revolver. These are getting more difficult to come across everyday. You will never have a problem finding a 1911 out there in your price range. If anything as the competion increases and manufactures go for market share, models tend to be improved or priced downward many times. Plus this way you can take your time to hold, feel and compare one manufactures 1911 to the others.
Not to mention you have that great PT945 that feels the need for protection and reliability 100%.

Later when you get the time to look at 1911 pistols, don't overlook taking a gander at the Para GI Expert, the more I look at the one I just picked up and read reviews the more I am becoming a fan. Another great value for a well built 1911 if you like going basics would be to take a look and do some research on the STI Spartan. It is manufactured by an employee owned Texas gun company who stands behind their product in a big way. If you shop the internet you could get into the Spartan for around $550.

 

[CharlieW]

Just a clarification -- I think that the "American Classic" and "Firestorm" - branded 45's are actually made by MetroArms which I believe is a third Phillipine manufacturer.

I have three Philippine 1911's [LOL - it makes me laugh to see it in print]; a Citadel 45 compact, a Firestorm tactical 45, and a Rock Island 9mm. For me, they have all been very good values -- solid and reliable, good shooters with acceptable finishes. The RIA is surprisingly accurate, on a par with pistols costing twice as much or more.

 

[scrabtree6]

Wow THREE makers of 1911s in the Phillipines??? Hello John Browning, meet Irony. It's funny but they sure love their 1911s there. On youtube theres a video of a guy in the phillipines shooting 1k though a PT1911. Ironic since the whole reason the gun is around was to kill phillopinos =P