New Pistola and Short Review/Range Report

DanChamberlain

Purchased this gun last week and got a chance to shoot it on Saturday.



It's an early RIA Tactical Compact. I noted right away when I was looking at it in the gunshop, that the recoil spring was too light. So, I didn't shoot it a great deal. I didn't want to beat it up until I could address the recoil spring issue. In fact, only two magazines full just to see if it cycled and had any accuracy potential.

The first target (Upper Blue #4) is a full magazine (7 rounds in a Chip McCormic 7 round magazine) from 10 yards off hand just to see if it hits.



It's the upper target. You'll note it shot 7 rounds into about 2" off hand, a bit low of center.

The lower target (Red #1) ...unfortunately is what happens when you let your best friend Mark shoot your new gun. He beats you. That's 7 rounds off hand at 10 yards.

Just to add a little spice to the mix, I'll post another target that Mark shot from 25 yards. This was fired "OFF HAND" with a 6" Ruger GP100,
shot double action!!! There's a cluster of 5 shots with one outside the group to the right. The cluster of five is 1" at 25 yards. You'll see why I call him the human ransom rest!!!



Anyway, the little RIA seems like it will be a keeper. I'll get a little stiffer recoil spring for it and do a complete range report later.

sakodude

Very nice. You should leave that other guy home, bad for the ego:tooth:

Sako

Elk creek

Sweet shooting and gun!

Big Chief

You got yersef a good shooter there.

Diver43

Good find Dan. Congrats

NN

Seems you got a shooter.

tennmike

Nice pistol, Dan. And it looks like a good shooter, too! :up:
Leave that other guy at home next time, or at least don't let him shoot you new pistol acquisitions! :tooth:

coolgunguy

Nice!

horselips

Congratulations on your new 1911. The reliability and accuracy of very low priced RIA pistols is such that there is no longer any performance justification that I can think of for spending more for mainstream guns, and especially for spending a lot more for boutique guns, except prestige. Whatever that is.

LMLarsen

Very nice!

Farm Boy Deuce

Very nice Dan. I hate it when someone else out shoots me with my gun. I have been lucky enough to be that guy once or twice.

DanChamberlain

Hopefully everyone understood that the last photo of the target (blue #3) was the one fired at 25 yards, off hand, double action. One normally finds that kind of double action accuracy with a tuned target PPC style of revolver, but not a stock Ruger GP100. I wouldn't even attempt to try and compete against this guy with one of his guns, much less my own. Any time one can put 5 rounds of full house .357 magnum into a one inch cluster at 25 yards OFF HAND, double action, one can assume the mantle of a guy who can shoot! The flier an inch away doesn't really detract from the accomplishment in my view.

The 10 yards shooting was just a warm up and to get an idea where the little RIA was hitting. After that, almost all our shooting was done at 25 yards, either at targets or 6" steel plates. By the way, the RIA 3" compact fired 3" at 25 yards off hand - though the group was a mite to the left of center. With new springs, this gun will possibly become my new carry piece and take the place of my XDS.

bisley

I've been waiting for someone I trusted to buy a RIA, as I've balked on several deals for one. The one question that remains for me is will they accept all standard 1911 aftermarket parts?


:yousuck:

bobbyrlf3

Nice Grab! I sooooo want a compact 1911..........:yousuck:

DanChamberlain

Haven't tried after market parts, but they are supposed to be "copies" of the Colt, as opposed to "renditions" of them. Parts are supposed to interchange.

Lt 401

DanChamberlain wrote: »

Hopefully everyone understood that the last photo of the target (blue #3) was the one fired at 25 yards, off hand, double action. One normally finds that kind of double action accuracy with a tuned target PPC style of revolver, but not a stock Ruger GP100. I wouldn't even attempt to try and compete against this guy with one of his guns, much less my own. Any time one can put 5 rounds of full house .357 magnum into a one inch cluster at 25 yards OFF HAND, double action, one can assume the mantle of a guy who can shoot! The flier an inch away doesn't really detract from the accomplishment in my view.

The 10 yards shooting was just a warm up and to get an idea where the little RIA was hitting. After that, almost all our shooting was done at 25 yards, either at targets or 6" steel plates. By the way, the RIA 3" compact fired 3" at 25 yards off hand - though the group was a mite to the left of center. With new springs, this gun will possibly become my new carry piece and take the place of my XDS.

One comment needs to be added here. I am the Mark he referred to who shot the two nice groups shown above. While Dan was nice enough to show my two good targets of the day, when everything went just right for me, he forgot to show several others that he shot better than I did. Not only that, but Dan is the one who taught me the fine points of handgun shooting long ago when we were in the Service together. Sorry this is late, but though I've read this forum for years, I was not a member; it took awhile to get registered so that I could write a post giving Dan the respect he's due. After knowing him and shooting with and against him for 35+ years, I can testify that he knows his stuff.

CHIRO1989

Lt 401 wrote: »

One comment needs to be added here. I am the Mark he referred to who shot the two nice groups shown above. While Dan was nice enough to show my two good targets of the day, when everything went just right for me, he forgot to show several others that he shot better than I did. Not only that, but Dan is the one who taught me the fine points of handgun shooting long ago when we were in the Service together. Sorry this is late, but though I've read this forum for years, I was not a member; it took awhile to get registered so that I could write a post giving Dan the respect he's due. After knowing him and shooting with and against him for 35+ years, I can testify that he knows his stuff.

Welcome.

Diver43

Welcome Lt