Picked up a friend for my carbine

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03-20-2010, 09:14 AM
imarangemaster

Picked up a friend for my carbine

I was at my buddy's gun shop and he showed me a pakerized 1911 he had for $399. It was a Rock Island. (Before the REAL Colt snobs squawk, I handled and fired one several years ago and it shot as well out of the box as the Springfield Armory 1911 I had did.) They are made in the Philippines on CNC machines and are 100% interchangeable with GI 1911A1. It was slick and smooth, 3 lb trigger, and pakerizing was VERY nice and even,

After seeing it this time, I did some research and the reports are good. Some use them as basic platforms to build up their own whatever guns. Anyway, I did some horse trading and brought it home. After all, I have that original M1916, 1943 Boyt holster on my carbine belt. With the year I have had, I lucky to get any 1911!

It came with smooth wood grips, and a early 1911 style flat backstrap and narrow Hammer. I promptly replaced those with an arched 1911A1 backstrap with lanyard ring, wide GI 1911A1 hammer, and brown bakelite GI grips out of my junk left over from when I did gun shows. It looks just like the Ithaca 1911A1 I carried as an MP in the early 70s.

Pics to follow later today, paired up with the carbine wearing its Type V walnut stock and late bolt and slide. After all, I want to make sure I keep this "on topic" for the carbine forum!
03-20-2010, 12:33 PM
Curt

Sweet
03-20-2010, 03:25 PM
gunner

Rangemaster,

ich bin neugierig den Freund ihres Carbines kennen zu lernen.

Regards

Gunner
03-20-2010, 04:29 PM
phillydude

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunner

Rangemaster,

ich bin neugierig den Freund ihres Carbines kennen zu lernen.

Regards

Gunner

ROUGH TRANSLATION IS :
I is to be got to know curiously the friend of her Carbines
:thup:
03-20-2010, 04:52 PM
rlex

I have a Rock Island 45 ACP that I got 4 years ago for my birthday - I have put a thousand rounds through it and never had a problem with it. I replaced the wood grips with some black plastic grips that made it look more like what we used in the NAVY in the 80's.

I started reloading 45 ACP in December and have had good luck so far.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...MG_10952-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...MG_10942-1.jpg
03-20-2010, 05:55 PM
gunner

phillydude,

Good translation!:thup: It is very close to be perfect for our not so easy to learn language.

Regards

Gunner
03-20-2010, 06:49 PM
phillydude

Ich BETRÜGTE ich VERWENDE DIESE ÜBERSETZUNGS WEBSITE

Free Translation Online
03-20-2010, 07:17 PM
imarangemaster

Update: Photos

Here it is with the carbine and my web gear:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../03/1911-1.jpg

Here is a close up showing the arched A1 back strap, wide spur hammer, and GI bakelite grips: Looks like the Ithaca I carried as an MP in the early 1970s...

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...RI1911A1-1.jpg

I did about 50 rounds, and it easily held 2" off-hand at 10 yards. It also bounced pop cans with monotonous regularity, point shooting over the top of the slide. I forgot haw good a 1911A1 feels in the hand!

BTW, I use Google translations when I get stuck or can't remember a vocabulary word.

For Gunner: Dieses hier jetz ist meinen Karbiner und 1911A1 selbst-laden Pistole!
03-20-2010, 07:48 PM
BHP

Looks good to me, RM. I do have a couple questions. Internet rumors state that USGI parts will swap only with some hand fitting. True? And could this be because Rock Island tolerances are tighter?
03-20-2010, 08:10 PM
imarangemaster

I am guessing that is mostly mis-information being disseminated by those with interests in Auto Ord, Springfield, etc. or maybe even STI and Colt snobs. Gun Broker has these for $370 to $390 with free delivery (with the wood grips and flat back strap). If it was widely known how good they were, that would hurt the expensive guys over inflated prices. Remember when the Norinco 1911s came in, the same mis-information was spread. Later, when the truth was out (but they were no longer imported), they became highly sought after for platforms for match guns...

I just did an article for the SASS Cowboy Chronicle (I am a staff writer there) on this Rock Island 1911 for a Wild Bunch side match gun. It gets my all time "Best Buy for the Buck" award. This is one sweet son of a gun! I have replaced my Glock as my fanny pack road trip weapon with the 1911 Rock Island. Even seeing a 1911A1 in the hand is a great deterrent to two legged goblins and malefactors.

On the other one I handled 4 or 5 years ago, we tried a Colt WW2 slide on it, and an unknown GI barrel. It worked great. We also tried a GI trigger and it worked, too. On this one, the hammer, back strap and grips fit perfect too. Out of the box, the trigger pull is about 3 lbs with no creep. When I put the 1911A1 GI hammer and strut in, it got heavier...maybe 4.5 to 5 lbs, but that is OK for a cocked and locked carry weapon. It doesn't rattle, though, like my GI Ithaca did, so maybe the tolerances are tighter. For a carry gun, the wood grips are actually very dense and very pretty.
03-20-2010, 08:42 PM
BHP

Thanks, RM. I've been kinda drooling for one now for a couple months. Years back I had to give up my MKIV Series 70 to pay bills :( Now, with my stimulus engorged refund in hand, this looks like the ticket to replace my long lost slab side:thup:
03-20-2010, 08:47 PM
Wulf

Check out Sarco. They have a great price on them.
03-20-2010, 08:55 PM
imarangemaster

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunner

phillydude,

Good translation!:thup: It is very close to be perfect for our not so easy to learn language.

Regards

Gunner

I understood it as meaning that you couldn't wait to meet or get to know the friend...
03-20-2010, 08:58 PM
imarangemaster

1 Attachment(s)

Several places on Gunbroker have them $390 including next day Fed ex to your dealer. DO IT! I think GI grips were $10 a pair, but I don't know how much the hammer and back strap were. Cheap I know. As is, it is sweet and has an awesome trigger pull. Here's a picture of it stock, out of the box.
03-20-2010, 09:54 PM
cmr314

I've had a few of these RIA's in the past few years, and they are very good quality 1911's. Wish I still had all of them, but had to keep selling them off when I needed to pay bills.

These work well for SASS Wild Bunch matches, never had a problem shooting a match with any of mine. Of course now I'm using a SA GI 1911A-1, but do miss my RIA's from time to time.
03-20-2010, 10:22 PM
imarangemaster

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmr314

I've had a few of these RIA's in the past few years, and they are very good quality 1911's. Wish I still had all of them, but had to keep selling them off when I needed to pay bills.

These work well for SASS Wild Bunch matches, never had a problem shooting a match with any of mine. Of course now I'm using a SA GI 1911A-1, but do miss my RIA's from time to time.

What is your SASS alias? I shoot and write under the alias "Tuolumne Lawman," #6127 Life. Been in SASS since 1994. I haven't done a Wild Bunch match myself, but certainly think this would be ideal and affordable. SASS shooters are now paying more for just a replica Italian Winchester than a good, clean original Winchester M1 Garand!
03-20-2010, 10:53 PM
cmr314

Quote:

Originally Posted by imarangemaster

What is your SASS alias? I shoot and write under the alias "Tuolumne Lawman," #6127 Life. Been in SASS since 1994. I haven't done a Wild Bunch match myself, but certainly think this would be ideal and affordable. SASS shooters are now paying more for just a replica Italian Winchester than a good, clean original Winchester M1 Garand!

My SASS alias is "Sgt. John Campbell", #58165. I've only been with SASS since 2004, but used do do old west re-enacting when I lived in Colorado in the 90's. I do seem to recall reading a few of your articles in the Cowboy Chronicle from time to time. Definitely check out a Wild Bunch match when you get the chance, they are a lot of fun to shoot...and it's really fun to blast away with a fully stoked '97 in a match. Too bad we can't get away with an Audie Murphy Match, then we could use our 1911's, our M1 Carbines, and our '97s in a match.
03-20-2010, 11:06 PM
imarangemaster

I am a staff writer and generally have had one a month for the last since about '96. I had a few breaks of a few months each over the years. I have had several series articles just finished and ongoing. My picture at the beginning of the article was me posing in front of the haunted guest house I stayed at in Tombstone, AZ next to the court house in 1999. I wrote a historical/travel log article about Tombstone.

Now there's a thought: An Audie Murphy match: 1911s, M-1 Carbines, Auto Ordnance Tommy guns, and trench brooms. I think you have hit on something!
03-21-2010, 03:58 AM
gunner

Quote:

Originally Posted by imarangemaster

Here it is with the carbine and my web gear:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../03/1911-1.jpg

Here is a close up showing the arched A1 back strap, wide spur hammer, and GI bakelite grips: Looks like the Ithaca I carried as an MP in the early 1970s...

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...RI1911A1-1.jpg

I did about 50 rounds, and it easily held 2" off-hand at 10 yards. It also bounced pop cans with monotonous regularity, point shooting over the top of the slide. I forgot haw good a 1911A1 feels in the hand!

BTW, I use Google translations when I get stuck or can't remember a vocabulary word.

For Gunner: Dieses hier jetz ist meinen Karbiner und 1911A1 selbst-laden Pistole!

Hi Rangemaster,

now i`ve seen the Friend of your Carbine and think that it could be also a good friend of mine. Pretty 1911A1 and the Carbine is good looking too!:thup:

You understood my writing correct. The Translator engine made one little error and the sense of the sentence was different. But it was nice that phillydude made the work to understand it.

Regards

Gunner