Rock Island Armory's "Baby Rock" M 1911 380 review

[joepistol]

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When I went to pick up my Baby Rock.. aka "Rock Island Armory M1911A 380 " ( as is stamped on the frame)

I examined it closely for any manufacturing defects, before accepting its delivery . I found no visible flaws, it has a even, black parkerized (?) finish,

it has a plain but business-like appearance.

Has Vertical serrations at front & rear of the slide, I noticed the edges are sharp. (more on this later)

I was curious, so actually removed the slide to check out the frame, slide, barrel, & disassembly procedure.

Breaks down just like full sized 1911's, it has a short "G.I." style guide rod for the recoil spring, a short/small dia. recoil spring (surprisingly strong)

and the familiar spring plug, that is held in place with a typical 1911 barrel bushing. Bushing fits easily in slide & around barrel ( not tightly fitted)

Internal parts seem tiny, comparing them to a normal 1911.

I noticed several differences:

1 ) slide uses an external extractor.. as does some other brands of 1911's (like my Sig Sauer).

2) No barrel link / swivel beneath the barrel, just a metal protrusion on the bottom of the barrel that passes snugly thu a channel in the frame.

3) No locking lugs on top of the barrel, this 1911 is a blowback design.

Those are the only visibly noted differences.

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Controls are std.1911 / familiar : slide lock,safety lever, grip safety,mag release button.

Hammer is lightened / hollow, is bobbed, had serrations for cocking. Grip safety has duckbill, keeping web of hand away from slide.

Black blade front sight, rear sight is also black, has a distinct square frame notch. Front sight held in place by tiny screw..using magnifying glass,

appears to be an allenhead. Rear sight is in a machined channel on the slide, looks drift adjustable.

Front sight needs a touch of white or red paint to increase visibility. Back strap has a slight arch (not flat) with vertical lines machined in the surface.

Front strap is smooth. Trigger has 2 holes ( style ? lightness, ?) and more vertical serrations on the front surface..also sorta sharp.

Your finger won't slip off this trigger. Pistol comes with 1 -7rnd ss magazine, it has a Metalform logo stamp on the bottom.

Went to the Metalform website to see if I could order another mag or 2, no mags listed there for this pistol ???

( Wonder if the Colt Mustang or Sig 238 mag will work ? ) Must research this..

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My Observations: this feels small in hand, but has some heft..it has a "real steel" feel that I prefer to plastic.

I'm able to get my 3rd,4th, & 5th fingers all on the grip frame. A tight fit, but better than having my pinky fall off / hang underneath the frame.

Index finger rests comfortably on side of slide,until ready to slip into trigger housing. Finger on trigger & dry firing, pull is heavier than I'd like

( aren't they all ?) but in repeated dry firing , I notice the sharp edges of the trigger face. Hum..might need to do something about that.

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Rack the slide, note..strong spring for its small size. This is not an EZ pistol to rack. Have to have a good grip on the slide & frame to rack the slide.

Now, the sharp edges of the slide serrations are much more noticeable. Frame fit feels a bit rough, when racking the slide..definitely not a smooth action.

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I disassembled the pistol, then sprayed all parts with WD-40 to wash off the heavy coat of rust preventive that RIA uses to cover all their guns.

Wiped it dry, ran a brush with Hoppes thru the bore a few times, then coated all sliding / moving parts with FP-10..my favorite gun oil.

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Started working the slide, repeatedly , to see if it smoothed out a bit. After several hundred racks, it did started feeling a bit smoother.

Same with the trigger. Multiple dry-fires, to see if it improves. Holding the pistol with the grip safety depressed, at times the trigger when pulled,

wouldn't drop the hammer, unless I re positioned my hand. Happened enough times that I noticed it. Humm..

Also notice fingers are getting sore, from slide serrations & serrations on trigger face.

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Reading owners manual, it states that slide is supposed to lock back after last shot fired.

My other 1911's lock the slide back, when an empty mag is installed in the frame & the slide is retracted.

Slide doesn't lock back on an empty magazine on this Baby Rock...it does have the notch in the slide to lock the slide back in that manner.

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Finally, headed to my club's indoor range with about 125 rds of 380, 50 rds w/ TC shaped bullets, 50rds w/ RN bullets.+ an asst of a few FMJ &JHP's I found in my 380 ammo stash. The 2 boxes of 50 rds were polymer coated bullets , Bayou I think, maybe Falcon. Had a few failure to feed rds the 1st 10-15 shots, mag didn't want to hold 7 rds, initially either, so just loaded 5 @ a time. After firing some rds, the mag spring relaxed, now holds all 7 rds, & feeding issues have mostly vanished.

Noticed all 50 of the rn bullets fed w/o issue. The cone shaped bullets had a few feed issues, but did fire all 50 rds. when reloaded in the magazine.

I fired the cone shaped bullets first, so whether it was the bullet shape, or just a need to break in a bit, is debatable.

I have 3 other 380's, all my loads, regardless of bullet shape have had no feeding issues. May be a "past problem" with the Baby Rock now as well.

.

Accuracy is difficult for me accurately assess. I shot @ 7 yds ( so I can see where bullets hit the target) but despite a combination of it's heavier trigger pull,

my sore trigger finger, and my general inability to shoot 380's all that accurately, I will say it's at least satisfactory.

All my shots stayed on my small sized targets ( measuring 7.5" X 8.5")

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Recognizing this is not a Bullseye pistol or even Target pistol, I consider the accuracy acceptable.

A healed ( or at least less sore) trigger finger, some white paint on the front sight, and maybe a little practice ,

I'm sure it's accuracy will improve from what was shown on it's first outing.

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I did notice after shooting the 100+ rds., both the slide and trigger felt much smoother.

Cleaned it after the range trip, used FP-10 & added a little Superlube (grease) to the slide, & it's greatly improved over when it 1st came out of the box.

The manual states the pistol needs 500 rds to "break in".. something that may be true, but shouldn't be, IMO.

I'm pretty satisfied with the Baby Rock. I will ad a drop of white paint to the front sight, maybe use my dremel to knock down some of the sharp edges on the trigger face,
& shoot it some more I will attach a few pics of it broken bown, I used a 308 & 223 case for size comparison

 

[joepistol]

 

[joepistol]

one more with slide disassembled:

 

[joepistol]

UPDATE : Took it to the range again Wed., ran another 100 rds...no failure to feeds, mag worked well. I put a streak of white paint on the front sight & it was a big improvement for the sight picture. I believe the sharp edges on the slide serrations are so you can grip the slide easier, as I stated earlier, it has a strong slide spring, despite its small size. Small pistol +, strong spring = takes some effort to rack the slide. Didn't mention in the above post, but when firing the pistol, the slide DID lock back after the last shot in the mag was fired, ,just as expected to work..don't understand why racking the slide on a empty mag doesn't lock the slide back. ?

I did notice, after shooting the 100rds., my trigger finger was sore..too heavy trigger pull ? or having vertical serrations on the trigger face that are too sharp ?
A combination of both ? I use the 1st pad of my index finger for contact with the trigger, it felt raw after shooting..something needs to change!
Decided to go visit my gun guru / gunsmith, Doug and use his trigger pull gauge to see just how heavy the trigger pull tests.
Discovered the pull was > 6 #., . as that's as high as his mechanical gauge goes..tried several times, exceeded the limit every time, before the trigger broke.

Doug quickly removed the safety, and mainspring housing, to get to the flat leaf spring beneath. Did some tweaking on the spring, reinstalled it, tested trigger pull. Removed spring again, more tweaking, etc.. until it felt right. Reassembled parts & now the trigger feels much better. The pull now measures 5 # on his pull gauge. It feels lighter, more like 3.5#..
That's what Doug guessed after putting it back together & dry firing it a few times. I agree & now wondering about the accuracy of that gauge.

Need another range trip to see if I can shoot it more accurately. I did order 3 more magazines, they're RIA mags. Only found 1 place that had them in stock..they're on the way. Also noticed that the pistol is OOS now, at the site where mine was purchased.

 

[joepistol]

a later update..
I've taken the Baby Rock to the range another 3-4 X since my last post. I must admit, I'm a bit disappointed in it's performance.
I always take another of my 380's to the range when I take the Baby Rock, to compare accuracy, and "shooting comfort", maybe better described as "shooting enjoyment". Not to disparage the Baby Rock, but after putting 500+ rds thru it, I will say I'm a bit disappointed.

First, in it's accuracy. Maybe more accurate would be to say my ability to shoot it accurately.
I can shoot any of my other (3) .380's more accurately, & in all honesty, enjoy shooting them more.
Hard for me to admit, as I wanted it to be my go-to .380.. as it's styled like, and feels like a 1911.
Took my Sig 232 along with my BR a few days ago. I'd loaded some 380's with a starting load, so they'd be soft shooting.
Shot the best groups, & accuracy EVER with this load in my Sig... in the BR, it was more comfortable to shoot, but not anywhere close to the Sig's accuracy.
The BR chambered, fired, & ejected every round just fine. Whether it's me, or the pistol, it just doesn't "satisfy" in shooting comfort or accuracy.

Another observation worth mentioning is : cleaning this pistol.
I've mentioned the barrel has a lug beneath it, that fits into a slot in the frame.
The barrel fit so snugly it was almost impossible to reinstall the barrel with the slide into the slot in the frame.
Just fitting the barrel (w/o slide) was difficult, the lug fit so snugly into the frame slot.
Fitting the barrel w/o the slide was possible as the barrel could be raised or lowered a bit , to enable it to engage the slot in the frame.
Couldn't do this with the slide attached. I eventually used a very fine jeweler's file to remove the sharp edge of the barrel lug..just enough that the barrel fit the frame groove a bit easier. This enabled the slide &barrel to be assembled together, with much patience. Still not an easy fit.
I thought this snug fit would equate to better accuracy, barrel being locked into the frame so snugly.
My slight alteration doesn't seem to affect accuracy @ all.
Recognizing this is NOT a target /Bullseye pistol, I suspect some would say it is acceptably accurate, you can easily keep rds on
a 8.5 "X 11" piece of paper @ 7 yds. (what I print my targets on) and it will put rds close to , around, & even sometimes inside the bullseye..
it just doesn't meet my accuracy needs. It'll become a safe queen or maybe I'll put it up for sale.

(I strive to be honest & accurate in my reviews, when I take the time to write one)

 

[joepistol]

with recent experimentation using "lighter than usual" weight projectiles, I'm looking forward to giving my Baby Rock another try. Raven is selling Inceptor ARX composite bullets , a .355" dia bullet for .380's weighs only 56gr.. almost 50% lighter than the usual projectile weight. What I've learned from experimenting with the ARX 65 gr. 9mm (.355") is thought my loads provided exceptional velocity, loads also had much less felt recoil,
allowing me to shoot the best groups I've ever shot from my Walther PPS M2 ..another pistol I'd mostly retired, due to my inability to shoot it as accurately as other 9mm pistols I've owned. I've ordered some of the 56 gr. ARX bullets to load in 380's.. waiting for them to arrive, so I can load some. I'm excited to see how they work in the Baby Rock, as well as my other 380's.

 

[Mike D]

I'll pass on this one. This little pistol seems like an answer to a question no one asked. IMHO

 

[rmc51]

JP:
Did you see:

ProMag Rock Island Baby Rock .380 ACP 12-Round Magazine

Featuring durable and strong blued steel construction, the ProMag® Rock Island Baby Rock .380ACP 12-Round Magazine is the ideal choice for any range day target session or everyday concealed-carry. The injection-molded polymer follower and heat-trea

gunmagwarehouse.com

ProMag Rock Island Baby Rock .380 ACP 7-Round Magazine

Featuring a flush-fit design for smooth handling and a snag-free draw, the ProMag® Rock Island Baby Rock .380 ACP 7-Round Magazine is an aftermarket handgun magazine engineered to deliver factory-like performance at an affordable price. The heat-tr

gunmagwarehouse.com

 

[joepistol]

Thanks for the links, rmc51. Appreciate thinking of me & taking the time to post them.
I ordered several oem spare mags for my Baby Rock, haven't even opened a few of them. I don't shoot the pistol ( or haven't lately) as I was / have been disappointed in my ability to shoot it accurately. That will change soon., as I've ordered some of those very light ARX bullets, they're 56 gr. for .380's.
Should be here in a few days, got the "shipped" notice yesterday. It's my hope that those pills will allow me to shoot the Baby Rock more accurately.

I say this as the 65 GR ARX bullets I loaded in 9mm cases allowed me to shoot my Walther PPS M2 better than any load I'd tried in it. These lighter weight bullets have less felt recoil, which I believe allows me to keep that short barrel pointed where I want the bullet to strike. As always, I have a lot of fun experimenting with my loads.

As far as ProMag, I believe that I purchased a Promag magazine for one of my firearms, & it didn't work well. Don't recall which weapon, rifle or pistol, but was pissed that I'd wasted my money. Because of this, I decided not to buy any more of their mags. The mags may wok fine, but though it's been many years, I've never bought or tried any more ProMag magazines.

 

[dennishoddy]

Thanks for the links, rmc51. Appreciate thinking of me & taking the time to post them.
I ordered several oem spare mags for my Baby Rock, haven't even opened a few of them. I don't shoot the pistol ( or haven't lately) as I was / have been disappointed in my ability to shoot it accurately. That will change soon., as I've ordered some of those very light ARX bullets, they're 56 gr. for .380's.
Should be here in a few days, got the "shipped" notice yesterday. It's my hope that those pills will allow me to shoot the Baby Rock more accurately.

I say this as the 65 GR ARX bullets I loaded in 9mm cases allowed me to shoot my Walther PPS M2 better than any load I'd tried in it. These lighter weight bullets have less felt recoil, which I believe allows me to keep that short barrel pointed where I want the bullet to strike. As always, I have a lot of fun experimenting with my loads.

As far as ProMag, I believe that I purchased a Promag magazine for one of my firearms, & it didn't work well. Don't recall which weapon, rifle or pistol, but was pissed that I'd wasted my money. Because of this, I decided not to buy any more of their mags. The mags may wok fine, but though it's been many years, I've never bought or tried any more ProMag magazines.

Pro mag magazines suck. Always have, always will.
I just stumbled on this thread tonight. I've had a Kel-Tec P3AT in my front pocket since the series one came out in .380.
The trigger is horrendous but at gunfight ranges of 3-7 yards, it's not bad. 6 rounds total. IMHO designed to be a belly gun when bubba is all over you and it's the last chance to defend yourself. I do keep respectable firearms nearby at all times though, but there are those situations when you can't be near them.
I'm becoming intrigued with the new S&W Bodyguard series II. 10 rounds with a 12 round option mag.
The trigger is very good for a factory model with the option of a thumb safety or not. I choose not.
Been watching a ton of video's. They appear with the right grip to have minimal muzzle rise and stay on target.
My concern is that it's going to be bigger than the mouse gun in my pocket and maybe uncomfortable to carry in the pocket.
My life is basically shorts and T-shirts, so some big bulky pistol is out of the question.
Haven't found one in my local gun shops yet, but I'm looking.
Anybody have one?

 

[Ceapea]

I have one Promag mag that actually works! Well, two actually. I bought one for an Sig P6, when the original cost over $100. Decided to try the Promag (after having terrible experiences with some others) and was very pleasantly surprised that it actually worked…perfectly! So I bought another. It too is great. But that's it, I'm not buying any more. Don't want to press my luck.

 

[joepistol]

One might think that Promag must make some mags that work, otherwise they would not have stayed in the mag business..
Happy to hear that Ceapea bought a mag that worked well that was made by them. If an oem mag cost $100.00, I'd be looking for alternatives as well.
I'm in some ways, I'mstubborn.. i.e. I'm still not spending any more of my $ on a Promag product.

 

[dennishoddy]

I found only one Pro-mag that actually worked. Went into a gun shop in Colorado looking for a 5-7 round AR mag to use at the range since they have a 30 round mag ban. (Which I quickly found to be a law on the books, but not enforced.) I don't like using long mags at the range. They have their place, but it's so much easier to use a shorter mag.
Pro-mag had a 5 round roller mag. The follower has a roller on it. It did work perfectly and is my range mag currently.
I think Pro-Mag stays in business from first time buyers that pick up a couple, learn how bad they are and toss them into the bin of parts to never be used again.

 

[joepistol]

^^^ probably right about that ^^^
I buy mostly 5 & 10 rnd mags for my Ar's ( & Mini 14 & 30 ) too, as shooting from a bench larger mags require pulling the rifle toward me, so the mag is not touching or resting against the bench, altering my line of sight to my target. I use P mags, ASC, & Dura Mag brands with great results, .& found GunMagwarehouse to be a good source of magazines, for any rifle or pistol. Tried their "hybrid" Lancer mags for my AR's & really like them. Wish Mac-Gar would make a mag for the Baby Rock, but I actually already have enough mags for it anyway, as it isn't in my "frequently used pistols " rotation.

 

[Ceapea]

I haven't tried the Baby Rock, but I've heard good things about them. I only have experience with the Browning 1911-380. I bought the 4 1/4" model several years ago and absolutely love it. Mine is rather plain, basic black with black/white G10 grips. Shoots lights out!
And, I've always wanted one of their other, "better looking" models. Recently, CDNN had some in stock. I bought the blackened slide with high polish accents and rosewood grips. This newer pistol also has night sights…tritium sights. My original has three white dot sights, which have been very good (easy to be accurate with) for basic sights.

 

[joepistol]

I looked @ the Browning .380 when it 1st came out..was curious to see one. Got to handle one @ a local Bass Pro & was impressed with it, until I saw the price tag. $600.00+ for a .380 ? I almost dropped it. I know I'm an original C.O.B., but no way I'd spend that on one. That's what I paid for my almost new Gold Cup ( more than a few yrs ago..lol) I thought, maybe after they're out for awhile, the price would drop..last time I checked, it hasn't, actually had gone up !

They are nice looking pistols, I'll admit, esp. that model w/ polished slide. I was hoping my Baby Rock would be fun to shoot, it does feel good in my hand, I like the heft of the all steel pistol. Hopefully with some experimenting, I'll find a load that's accurate enough to make it more fun to shoot.
My ARX 56 gr. 380 pills arrived tonight.., will probably load some this weekend.

 

[Ceapea]

I just reread the entire thread. I don't mean to beat a dead horse but, regarding the price of the Browning, all I can say is you get what you pay for. The trigger pull on my first one is just under 4lbs, and it is extremely accurate! That one factor, accuracy, is a common denominator with all 6 that I am familiar with. Mine (the first one) will consistently group under 4" at 70'…almost 25 yd! That, with my aging eyes. Even the guys that don't own one, only shoot the guns owned by other club members, shoot them well. They all want one, but shy away from the price. Again, you get what you pay for.
My newest one had a 6lb trigger. After dozens of dry firing and 125 rd of ammo, it is now down to 4.5 lbs. No trigger finger fatigue of discomfort no matter how many rounds fired. Again, for anyone that has shot it. No feed issues for either one. I load RN, RNFP LSWC (100 GR) And really anything else that I've tried just works. I think that you need to shoot one of the browning to find out just what you are getting. I'd be willing to meet you at a range to let you try mine. I'm in your area…Clinton twp. I know that you belong to a different club than me, but guests at DSC shoot (all you want, no time limit) for $14, I believe.
As far as your smith goes, Jones, Doug Jones? I've used him. He is the best!

 

[joepistol]

I've been a Doug Jones fan since I first visited him., to repair a Bomar rear sight on one of my 1911's. I didn't realize Bomar went out of business about 20 yrs. before my sight broke. Doug had a box full of old sight parts, he found the piece that had broken on my sight, replaced it while I watched him work. Give me a bargain price for the repair, IMO. I learned that he's an old dirt bike rider, ( as am I ). In fact, when you enter his shop and see the bikes there, I've owned a few of the same bikes..(years ago) . Doug's fixed / worked on / and given me advice of many pistols, a few rifles, and even a shotgun or 2. I consider him my "gun Guru", my go-to guy for anything firearm related. I've observed him working on many custom 1911's , he does some great work. I sometimes stop by just to see what he's working on., as I live very close to his shop. He hasn't thrown me out yet, or even asked me to leave.

Tonight I looked at the Browning 380 again, saw the MSRP price has increased, greatly IMO.. Also read it has a composite frame. I believe you when you say it's a nice pistol to shoot & accurate, but I have a strong dislike for polymer / composite framed pistols. They must work well, for them to sell at the price they command. Worth it to some, just not me. I prefer the feel & weight of steel, preferably ss. I have a few aluminum framed pistols ( Sigs ) that I like ok, but wonder if I'd like them even better if they had steel frames. I belong to Oakland Co. Sportsman's Club, have been a member since the late 80's.. Club has an indoor range, open 24 hrs ! and guest fee is $10.00 /day, Guests can use indoor and outdoor ranges for the same fee.

 

[Ceapea]

Sig does, or did, make available several different models in steel frames. I just shot a stainless P229 in 357 sig the other day. It was a prototype/early production model that a local gun writer bought. But they ended up putting to market a limited number of them some time ago.

 

[joepistol]

In all honesty, I've come to the realization that..I shouldn't buy any more firearms . Hard to admit that I don't shoot the ones I already own nearly enough. Have my bucket list of guns, & realize I should be thinning my collection of those that get little use. I know I havr a hard time of letting go of things I've bought.. how I ended up with a dozen m/c's scattered around. I'm the same, if not worse with firearms.
Currently none on my need or even want list...Trying to use those I already have..already have examples of evey cal. i'm interested in, several examples of each. I'll say I'm currently satisfied.