Hi John,Welcome aboard.......and I hate to start a fight right off the bat but......
I have also been an aggressive collector since 1970 and in that time I have bought many HUNDREDS OF GUNS and still have most of them.
In the early 2000's I started shooting everybodies 1911's to see who built guns that were reliable enough to carry. I shot about 35 manufacturerers and models to come to what I really liked, what really worked and what was ABSOLUTELY RELIABLE.
Through all that no model of RIA every came up to the minimal qualification so I end up asking how after 46 years of buying "lots of different guns" how do you end up at this stage of your life with an RIA?
I like Glocks too but they aren't CZ's. And I like Colts but they aren't Wilsons.....and I really like Wilson and Baer but they are not Lauck or Chambers pistols. 46 years of collecting to get to an RIA......I just don't get it.
Again, respectfully, it sounds like a car collector saying after years of driving Farraris, Lanborginis, GTO's and Chevelles you finally settled on a Pinto.
What's the deal??????
Hi John,
The up grades I did on My Ria are the same I would have done on a more expensive 1911, I felt no need to spend $8 or $900.00 on the basic gun when I can get the same results with a $385.00 gun all the moving parts are the best, and that is what makes the gun.
Al
Well this went downhill fast. He was just saying hello to the forum.Welcome aboard.......and I hate to start a fight right off the bat but......
I have also been an aggressive collector since 1970 and in that time I have bought many HUNDREDS OF GUNS and still have most of them.
In the early 2000's I started shooting everybodies 1911's to see who built guns that were reliable enough to carry. I shot about 35 manufacturerers and models to come to what I really liked, what really worked and what was ABSOLUTELY RELIABLE.
Through all that no model of RIA every came up to the minimal qualification so I end up asking how after 46 years of buying "lots of different guns" how do you end up at this stage of your life with an RIA?
I like Glocks too but they aren't CZ's. And I like Colts but they aren't Wilsons.....and I really like Wilson and Baer but they are not Lauck or Chambers pistols. 46 years of collecting to get to an RIA......I just don't get it.
Again, respectfully, it sounds like a car collector saying after years of driving Farraris, Lanborginis, GTO's and Chevelles you finally settled on a Pinto.
What's the deal??????
Well this went downhill fast. He was just saying hello to the forum.
Nice welcomeI think absolute reliability is the most important thing in a carry gun. It has to be absolutely reliable to get to the threshold of being able to please me. If it is absolutely reliable it is on the road to pleasing me.
I could make a Pinto absolutely reliable but driving it, being seen in it would not please me.
I could certainly make an argument for it.......reliablility, rarity, uniqueness, cost but it wouldn't please me like driving a GTO or an Aston Martin
[For many of us, possibly losing a $3000 - $4000 Wilson Combat or Nighthawk to the evidence locker after a shooting is not a good thing./QUOTE]
VERY true.
My "California " gun is a $200 otd Taurus g2c
She works every time and I practice with it often.
Snowman I have to agree.Ive always been told if you can get a relatively budget priced carry gun that is reliable then carry it.Cause if you have to deploy it.It will be taken by Police and placed without loving care into the evidence locker.I know Ive seen it done as I am a retired LEO.Welcome to the forum, aig1014. I have been shooting and carrying 1911 format pistols for 45 years. In that time, I have had the opportunity to shoot and own a large number and different variety of 1911 pistols. I have seen some of most highly regarded manufacturers produce guns that brought them shame and disrepute. I have also seen others with lesser reputations, build real winners. I have built my own 1911s using Caspian, Colt, and Springfield receivers.
The point in this little diatribe is that, given good quality components and properly forged or cast receivers, slides and other milled or fitted components, most anything can be made to be reliable and accurate with the proper parts and fitment thereof. In this age of CNC machining, MIM parts and little hand-fitting, most guns from reputable makers come ready to shoot. The question is how much time, money and effort are you willing to expend to reach the best balance between accuracy and reliability? I have to say, i know a number of law enforcement officers who have taken basic RIA guns and performed the modifications that made them confident in the pistol. For many of us, possibly losing a $3000 - $4000 Wilson Combat or Nighthawk to the evidence locker after a shooting is not a good thing.
Snowman I have to agree.Ive always been told if you can get a relatively budget priced carry gun that is reliable then carry it.Cause if you have to deploy it.It will be taken by Police and placed without loving care into the evidence locker.I know Ive seen it done as I am a retired LEO.