Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical (2nd

Rock Island Armory (Armscor)
1911
FS
Tactical
(2nd
Generation) – Owner’s Review
RIA 1911 FS Tactical
I have owned the Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical
for quite some time now and I had never carried it as my EDC
until recently. The pistol had a few minor issues that I had
to straighten out before I considered it as a viable firearm
to carry. Until now, I had no reason to write a review on it,
but now I do, and here it is.
You may notice in the title that I referred to this pistol as
a “2nd Generation” RIA product. This reference is somewhat of
a misnomer. The 1st Generation of 1911-based pistols had a
roll-mark on the left side of the frame that contained the
Rock Island logo and ROCK ISLAND ARMORY. It was a simple
affair and roll-marking is not an uncommon practice. Perhaps,
someone ask someone what pistol they were shooting (or
carrying) and they did not know unless they looked at the
pistol’s slide. What I call the 2nd Generation of Rock Island
Armory pistols is because Rock Island Armory not only decided
to leave the roll-marking as large as it was but also added a
silver color to it. In short, the pistol became a billboard
and “ROCK ISLAND ARMORY” was readily identifiable. The newer
pistols do not include the large roll-marking and color fill
on the slide. Rock Island Armory now has placed their logo on
the rear of the slide just above the thumb safety lever. I
find it very unpretentious and somewhat pleasing to the eye.
Perhaps, somebody complained about the billboard and Rock
Island Armory listened. I consider the newer pistols with the
RIA logo on the rear of the slide just above the thumb safety
lever as 3rd Generation.
The Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical pistol that
I own is a 2nd Generation pistol, which means that if I tend
to forget what I am carrying I can simply look at the slide.
Essentially; however, there is little no other differences
between generations of each category of 1911-based pistols; FS
(Full Size or “Government” model), MS (Medium Size) or
“Commander” model, and CS (Compact Size or “Officer” model).
Those familiar with 1911 history will be familiar with these
terms – all others need to do some homework.
The Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical is a full
size, full weight, piece of hand-held fighting pistol and is
chambered in.45ACP as John Moses Browning intended a 1911 to
be. However, the Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical
does have a few features that makes it “Tactical” that seems
to be the order of the day these days.
So, let’s get to the review.
Here are the specifications for the Rock Island Armory
(Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical:
RIA 1911 FS Tactical Specifications
Note that with the exception of the grip type, the
specifications are essentially the same as my pistol (the
specs are for the 3rd Generation)
So, let me present the Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS
Tactical to you.
First of all, the pistol is chambered for the .45ACP
cartridge. This is readily apparent looking into the very
large hole at the end of the muzzle. While you are doing that,
you just might take notice that there is a barrel bushing. The
Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical also has a onepiece guide rod, which has its proponents and opponents of
this feature. Personally, I can live with it and I can live
without it.
“Plain Jane” Front
Post (Dovetailed)
Sight
The front sight is the usual blade type that is dovetailed
into the slide and blends in well with the pistol while
providing a no-snag surface to holsters and clothing. While
the front sight contains no dot, it is more than adequate for
defensive use and that is what this pistol is intended for.
The frame and slide is Parkerized, which is no different from
many carbon-steeled pistols on the market today. The pistol’s
slide, although the same as on previous models, does have the
“Rock Island Armory” billboard on the left side of the slide.
The slide incorporates a relieved and lowered ejection port,
which aids in ridding the pistol of expended shell casings.
Early in the history of the 1911-based pistol this was a
“custom” feature; today, it is commonplace as a “standard”
feature.
NOVAK-style Rear Sight is
Drift-Adjustable for Windage
The rear sight is a “Novak-Style” unit, is dovetailed into the
frame, secured by a “hex” head screw (loosen the screw and
drift the sight for windage), and is not adorned with two dots
or other type of sighting indicator. The width of the notch is
enough to provide spacing to adequately view the front sight
blade with just a hair of space on each side of the front
sight. From what I understand, there are now sights available
that will fit the Rock Island Armory 1911-based pistols, which
was not true in the early times of these pistols. However, I
have no problems with the sights and, if need be, I can paint
the front sight to make it more visible.
The left side of the pistol sports the usual 1911 fare; takedown/slide lock lever, magazine release button (not extended),
and an extended thumb safety lever. The take-down/slide lock
lever, magazine release button, and an extended thumb safety
lever all have been Parkerized and blend well with the rest of
the pistol.
The magazine well is slightly beveled, which aids in locating
the well and inserting a magazine. The Rock Island Armory
(Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical comes with an 8-round flush fit
magazine of unknown origin. The pistol; however, runs well
with virtually any 1911 single-stack magazine. The Wilson
Combat magazines work well as do those from Meg-Gar.
The front strap of the pistol has vertical serrations to aid
in gripping the pistol (some higher-priced 1911-based pistol
do not even have this). The trigger guard is nicely rounded
and large enough to accommodate a gloved finger. The
mainspring housing is a checkered polymer affair that now
seems standard on even the most expensive COTS (CommercialOff-The- Shelf) 1911-based pistols.
Adding to the features of the pistol is the nicely up-swept
beaver-tail grip safety with memory bump, which helps to keep
the shooting hand as high as possible without experiencing
slide or hammer tattoos to be imprinted into your hand. The
“combat” skeletonized and roiled hammer provides for easy
cocking and de-cocking when necessary (or desired). The hammer
also received the Parkerizing treatment and blends nicely with
the rest of the pistol.
The hammer has a “half-cock notch” that operates virtually the
same as every 1911-based pistol that I know of. When decocking the hammer, the thumb and forefinger of one hand holds
the hammer and controls the hammer fall while the trigger is
pulled. If the trigger is pulled and then released, the hammer
can be lowered to the “half-cock notch” that keeps the hammer
from contacting the firing pin. This is, and is not,
considered a safety. If the trigger is pulled and held back
while the hammer is being lowered, the hammer will come to
rest against the firing pin. The half-cock notch is closer to
the hammer’s full decocked (at rest) position. This way, even
if you pulled the trigger while the hammer was half-cocked,
the hammer’s fall couldn’t impact the firing pin with enough
force to set off the primer in the chambered shell (it
couldn’t “go off half-cocked”). In order to place the hammer
in the full rest position if the hammer is resting in the
“half-cock notch”, the hammer must be first moved rearward
before the “half-cock notch” is engaged and supported while
the trigger is pulled and held fully to the rear. If the
hammer should slip while pulling the trigger fully rearward,
the hammer would strike the firing pin and, if a round is
chambered, it would be fired. One should always exercise care
when decocking the pistol with a live round chambered
(Condition 2).
Grip panels are smooth wood of some origin unknown to me. They
actually feel good in the hand (at least they do in my hand).
However, they were later swapped out with a grip panel that
provides more of a hold on the handle, which is something that
you need when the hands are sweaty and/or cold. Stainless
steel, Hex-head grip panel screws (an upgrade on my part) hold
the grip panels securely in place.
Skeletonized
Trigger
with
Over-Travel Adjustment
The trigger is a long, skeletonized type and incorporates an
over-travel adjustment screw. The trigger face is serrated and
flat that, I understand, is an excellent design. Since I use
the first joint when shooting, the squared edge of the trigger
tells me when the trigger is in the “sweet spot” on my finger.
The trigger has also received Parkerizing. In fact, the only
thing shiny on this pistol is the chamber of the barrel when
the pistol is in battery. Trigger pull weight on this
particular pistol is four and three-quarter pounds out of the
box. It exhibits very little take-up before you hit the
familiar “wall”, after which a crisp release of the sear is
felt as the trigger is pulled rearward. Over-travel is
virtually non-existent and trigger rest is very short.
Ambidextrous,
Extended
Safety – Now a Much Desired
Feature For Me
The right side of the frame incorporates the feature that has
my interest – a thumb safety lever. Ayup! The Rock Island
Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical comes equipped with an
extended ambidextrous safety. I used to scoff at ambidextrous
thumb safeties on a 1911-based pistol, but that has changed,
and of course, I am going to tell you why.
After I had participated in the Bare Bones Gunfighting course,
which was taught by the more-than-capable CR Williams, I began
to develop some of my own drills. One, in particular, involves
transitioning the pistol from the right hand (my strong side)
to my weak hand (and vice-versa). The drill also includes a
reload (weak and strong hand). Now, releasing the magazine
release is not a problem when using the trigger finger of the
left (weak side) hand nor is releasing the slide lock with the
same finger. Operating the safety lever; however, requires a
different (and alien) set of pistol-handling skills.
RIA 1911 FS Tactical (Right
Side)
I talked to one of the folks at the LGS, who is left-handed,
and he told me that he shoots his 1911 left-handed with his
left thumb on top of the thumb safety – on the left side.
Obviously, this impacts the grip on the pistol. His right hand
(weak side support) provides most of the support. I tried this
and I cannot do it. Now, I have two methods that I use to run
the safety and slide lock lever on the 1911 using the right
hand when shooting the pistol left-handed. As the left trigger
finger presses the magazine release button, the right hand
loads the fresh magazine. Once the magazine is shoved into
place, the right hand is used to release the slide in a
“slingshot” method. Since the right hand is already in
position at the rear of the slide, the right hand either comes
over the rear of the pistol, or beneath the left (shooting)
hand, to operate the thumb safety (if the safety is off). In
most cases, I can push the safety lever on with the trigger
finger of the shooting (left) hand. It is pushing the safety
off safe that is the challenge. Having an ambidextrous thumb
safety lever eliminates the need for right hand (weak hand)
intervention when operating the 1911 left-handed. A simple
press of the lever with the left thumb on the right side of
the frame does the dirty deed of making the pistol “ready to
rock.” The safety can also be placed in the safe position by a
simple upward motion of the shooting hand thumb, while
maintaining a good grip on the pistol when the fight is over,
but yet remain ready to “flick the switch” if the fight is to
continue.
The thumb safety has a good feel when moving from safe to fire
positions with enough of a detent to makes it secure in either
position. The plunger spring housing, like most 1911-based
pistols, is staked to the frame and the internal spring is
healthy enough to hold the slide lock and thumb safety lever
but not stiff enough or interfere with proper operation. (With
my Springfield 1911 Loaded, for example, a small screwdriver
is necessary to press the slide lock plunger inward to install
the slide lock/take-down pin assembly.)
All external controls also receive the Parkerizing treatment
and they blend well with the slide and frame Parkerized
finish.
As a final note, I could not find any trace of tool marks on
the external surfaces of the slide or frame.
That takes care of the “pretty” stuff.
Disassembly:
While some complain about one-piece guide rods, disassembling
the Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical can be done
without tools (unless you really want to use a bushing wrench,
but that is up to you).
Caution! The guide rod bushing is under extreme spring
pressure and is a potentially dangerous amount of energy
stored in the compressed guide rod spring. Always wear safety
glasses and keep the guide rod pointed away from you, any
bystanders, and especially curious cats and dogs. I normally
do this operation by feel and with a shop rag covering the
entire muzzle of the pistol.
After the pistol is made safe, cock the hammer and push the
thumb safety up to the safe position. This prevents the slide
from moving rearward as you apply pressure to the guide rod
bushing.
1. While holding the pistol vertical, press downward on the
guide rod bushing just enough to clear the barrel
bushing. Maintain pressure on the guide rod bushing
while twisting the barrel bushing clockwise.
2. Once the barrel bushing clears the guide rod bushing,
slowly release the guide rod bushing from the slide (the
left hand can help prevent the guide rod bushing from
flying skyward by holding the guide rod spring as the
guide rod bushing is removed.
3. When all spring tension is removed, remove the guide rod
bushing from the spring and set it aside.
4. Move the slide rearward until the take-down notch aligns
with the take-down pin/slide-lock lever.
5. Push the take-down pin/slide-lock lever assembly out of
the pistol and set it aside.
6. Remove the slide from the frame.
7. Remove the recoil spring from the recoil guide rod.
8. Remove the recoil guide rod from the rear of the slide.
9. From the front of the slide, twist the barrel bushing
counter-clockwise and remove the barrel bushing from the
slide.
10. Remove the barrel from the slide through the front
opening.
Disassembly is now complete.
I have talked about the pretty exterior stuff so let’s move to
the interior stuff that, while not pretty, is essential to the
pistol’s operation.
CLEANING, INSPECTION, AND LUBRICATING:
I normally clean parts like the barrel, guide rod, and guide
rod spring with Brake-Kleen to start, which removes all
lubricants from these assemblies. The barrel is further
cleaned with Hoppes, nylon bore brush, and bore jags with
appropriately-sized patches. Everything else (except the grip
panels) gets a wipe-down with appropriate cleaning chemicals,
soft brushes, and then wiped down with a light coat of
Ballistol.
The slide incorporates an internal extractor and the frame-
mounted ejector is substantial. The breech face showed signs
of firing (a test round) and that was cleaned with an
appropriate brush to remove any leftover debris from the test
firing. Everything looked great!
The Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical pistol is
built in traditional classic 70 series design and is delivered
with Rock Island’s top quality production and engineering
standards. This pistol has a 5.0” button rifled barrel
supported by a full length guide rod. The barrel, as was
mentioned earlier, is a standard barrel and incorporates the
John Moses Browning designed swinging link.
The slide rails are inspected to detect possible wear points.
The slide contact points are coated with a light coating of
Lubriplate NO. 130-A. The barrel locking lugs, internal to the
slide and external to the barrel are also Lubriplate NO. 130-A
treated. Lubriplate NO. 130-A is also used on the guide rod
and the outside of the barrel itself.
While the above seems like overkill, I know people that run a
new 1911-based pistol dry. When I asked why, the response that
I received is that running a slide dry will allow to metal-tometal contact to “bed” them in – whatever that means. To me
that philosophy is akin to buying a car and then running the
engine without oil so that the rings will “bed” with the
cylinders.
The inside of the slide is well machined and finished, which
is surprising as one would expect an inexpensive pistol to be
roughly machined and finished. The internal extractor blends
perfectly with the rear of the slide and there are no “look
see” or other indicators that the chamber is loaded. The frame
is as well machined and finished internally and I could not
find any machining marks. The manufacturer states; “All Rock
Island 1911’s, each is built using 4140 ordinance steel on the
industries best CNC machines while being hand fitted and
tested to strict tolerance guidelines for unmatched quality
and value.” From what I see, I believe it.
Everything checked out. Now comes the fun of assembling the
Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 Standard MS. This is one
time that I do use a barrel bushing wrench.
ASSEMBLY:
Assembling the pistol is pretty straightforward and I am not
going to go into detail here. Although the Rock Island Armory
(Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical pistol incorporates a full length
guide rod, the installation of the recoil spring bushing is
the same as with a standard 1911.
I lock the slide into place with the thumb safety to prevent
it from sliding rearward. While my left hand is supporting the
front of the pistol and also provided some support for the
recoil spring, I simply press the recoil spring inward toward
the pistol with my thumb while keeping the stuff that could
fly up and out away from the face. Once the recoil spring
bushing just clears the barrel bushing, I use my left hand to
move the barrel bushing over just enough to catch the edge of
the guide rod bushing. Once I am assured that nothing is going
to fly upward and take out the ceiling and the hardwood floor
above my office, I grab my trusty bushing wrench and finish
installing the guide rod bushing.
Now that assembly is over, I place the safety in the “run”
position and perform a function check.
The fit of the slide-to-frame is tight. This is not your Grand
Daddy’s 1911. While the Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS
Tactical pistol may resemble an updated old warhorse, it is a
far superior firearm to those of yore and can provide “warm
fuzzies” as only a good 1911-based pistol can.
With all that out of the way, one obvious question should come
to mind; “How does it shoot?”
RANGE TIME:
When I first took the Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS
Tactical pistol to the range, several issues arose. First, the
recoil spring was too weak; the pistol would not chamber a
round fully regardless of the method used. Fortunately, I keep
several recoil springs for various lengths of 1911s in the
“.45 Possible Bag.” I installed a #18 Wilson Combat recoil
spring for a full-size 1911. (Note that I have not had an
issue like this with any other RIA product. The originallyinstalled spring was just too light.) After installing the new
recoil spring that, incidentally, took a lot more exertions to
install than did the recoil spring that came with the pistol,
the Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical pistol would
chamber a doorknob if it was sized to the chamber.
With the chambering issue fixed, the next step was to check
accuracy. Unfortunately, the POI was well lower than POA with
230-grain FMJ. The front sight has a front slope to it and I
calculated, by using the most advanced calculations known to
man, how much I needed to take off the top of the front sight
in order to bring the POI up. The range day pretty much ended
after this.
A week passed and I was able to file the front sight down to
the exact dimension that I needed according to the most
advanced calculations known to man, which means that I eyeballed it. Essentially, the front rearward slope of the front
sight was removed so that the top of the front sight was
parallel with the slide. After that was done, the face of the
front sight was painted with a white base-coat and then
fluorescent red to make the front side stand out a little
better than stock. Additionally, the top of the front sight,
which had to be filed down, had to be painted and a coat of
flat black took care of that. The next trip to the range told
the tale. Aiming just a “shy high” of the bull was resulting
in a series of holes appearing within the bulls-eye. In other
words, cover what you want to hit with the barrel, pull the
trigger, the skies part, thunder rolls, and .45 caliber holes
appear pretty near where you want them to – if I did my part.
At that point, the Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS
Tactical pistol was deemed glorious and relegated to the safe,
as I was carrying another pistol at the time. Since the Rock
Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical pistol is now my EDC,
until the next pistol comes along, a few changes had to be
made to the pistol, but not really that many.
RIA 1911 FS Tactical (2nd
Generation) with Updated
Grip Panels and COntrasting
Stainless Steel Grip Screws
The front sight had already been painted, but the stock grip
panels of smooth wood had to go. A set of Uncle Mike’s rubber
checkered grip panels were installed after some minor
“fitting” to clear the safety levers on both sides. These grip
panels, coupled with the serrated front strap and nicely
checkered main spring housing, really made a difference in
gripping the pistol. To add somewhat of an accent to the
pistol, I opted for a set of stainless steel, short, hex-head
grip screws. While not enhancing the accuracy of the pistol,
they do accent the silver, roll-marked billboard on the slide.
Armscor
Rock
Island
1911
Sight Specifications
I may add better sights to the pistol and Armscor publishes
much needed sight dimensions on their website. If nothing
else, I would like to add a fiber-optic front sight, as is
included with many fine pistols of the day. However, I have no
problem with the existing sights and find them useful enough
for defensive use.
The Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical pistol has
performed as well as any 1911-based pistol that I own, have
owned, or have shot in the past.
SUMMARY:
RIA 1911 FS Tactical In a SHTF Gear (Modified) IWB
Holster
RIA 1911 FS Tactical In a Leather Creek OWB
Holster
RIA 1911 FS Tactical In a “Cumberland” IWB Holster by
Simply Rugged Holsters
I initially chose the Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS
Tactical pistol because of my experience with the RIA 1911 FS
“Government” model and wanted another 1911-based pistol with a
few more bells and whistles without breaking the bank. I
welcome the beaver-tail grip safety, the NOVAK style sights,
and especially now, the ambidextrous thumb safety. The
extremely nice skeletonized trigger with over-travel
adjustment is a nice touch after using the short trigger of
the standard “Government” model that, by the way, has an
excellent trigger. The one-piece, full-length guide rod
garners much discussion, but the way I feel about it, if it
works – let it be. If nothing else, it add about one-ounce of
weight at the barrel end anything that can help with recoil
management I am all for.
In comparing the performance of the Rock Island Armory
(Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical with other 1911-based pistols, I
have found no flaws. Accuracy, operability, and reliability is
on par with any COTS 1911-based pistol in its class. The RIA
shoots as well as the Springfield Loaded, the Ruger SR1911,
and the Para Ordinance Expert – all at a less cost than the
others. While the lack of 3-dot sights may be an issue to
some, the sights can be changed later on to something better
if you so desire.
The Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 FS Tactical is not your
Grand Daddy’s 1911. While the overall heftiness belies its
origin as an all-steel fighting pistol that developed ion 1909
and was in use from 1911 until 1986 by the U.S. military (and
other organizations such as the Mafia and FBI, to name a
couple), modern materials and manufacturing processes are
churning out 1911-based pistols with a degree of quality and
features unheard of in reasonably-priced pistols.
While I will grant you that the Rock Island Armory (Armscor)
1911 FS Tactical is no lightweight at 2.87 pounds loaded, and
just that may turn some away from even considering it,
remember that the forerunner of this pistol had seen the halls
of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli and everything in
between. Many men, like my Father, brought the 1911 back home
with them after the wars were over. Really, how can you expect
more from a fighting pistol than being able to go home after
the battle? Stick an 8-round magazine in this thing and you
have a truly, lean, mean, fighting machine to work with. With
that said, I have to admit that carrying the Ruger SR1911CMD-A
is pleasant carry, but I don’t feel that I have as much
continuity with my “inner warrior” when carrying it. Sorry, I
was waxing philosophical.
I will also grant you that it takes a bit to conceal this bad
boy, being a full size fighting pistol and all. With proper
attire, a good gun belt, and a good IWB or OWB holster, I can
conceal this pistol as well as I can a Springfield XDs.
The bottom line is that if you are looking for a quality 1911,
in one or all of the three different flavors (small, medium,
and family-economy size), I have no qualms in steering you to
what is perhaps one of the most under-rated brand of 1911s
available, the Rock Island Armory (Armscor) pistols. In fact,
I have a new Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911 Standard MS
pistol in .45 ACP (51443) on order, as I really like the
“Commander” length barrel for concealed EDC. I’ll be writing a
review on this one in the near future.
RESOURCES:
Armscor/Rock Island Armory: http://armscor.com/
Armscor/Rock Island Armory 1911 Product recoil Spring guide: