where do u guys buy your 1911 grip. locally or online. can you please direct me to what website  you guys bought it from. Thanks in Advance

Man the options are endless...  Are you looking for G10 grips or more classic Wood grips.

I love Ahrends Grips, Wood for the win.

http://www.topgunsupply.com/gun-parts/grips/1911-grips.html

Oh yeah, order the right grips for your safety, or have a dremel ready to cut it yourself if its an ambi.

got pics of your 1911 with those awesome grip?

I was watching some video on YouTube on how to fieldstip and now I realized and wonder if that RIA 1911 have a bushing wrench included. I didn't look

another weird question. does all 1911 variants fit same single stack mag?  or Rock Island mag is diff from colt and etc?. thanks

I was watching some video on YouTube on how to fieldstip and now I realized and wonder if that RIA 1911 have a bushing wrench included. I didn't look

You may not NEED it, I didn't for my Springfield.  I could do it with my thumbs but it's easier with the wrench.

got pics of your 1911 with those awesome grip?

Pretty sure I posted them here but have no idea how to find them:-)

I FOUND IT!!!



Ed Masaki has changed the sights since this pic.

nice.. that's the grip I like too.

thank you

I was watching some video on YouTube on how to fieldstip and now I realized and wonder if that RIA 1911 have a bushing wrench included. I didn't look

I've never used a bushing wrench in my life.  I own three 1911s.  Two with "real" guide rods, and one with a full-length.  The two are so easy do disassemble, I think a bushing wrench would actually slow me down.  The one with the full-length guide rod changes things... that one is a little bit painful, but still can be done with just my thumb.

another weird question. does all 1911 variants fit same single stack mag?  or Rock Island mag is diff from colt and etc?. thanks

A 1911 mag is a 1911 mag.  That's the joy of a milspec design!

thanks Tom_G. I will try that when I get it in 2 weeks.

Re. Bushing wrench...need it if the bushing is a tight fit, as in a match bbl.
Re. Magazines...you got a 9mm. They are different from 45 cal 1911 mags. Aftermarket 9mm mags may or may not function as the 1911 action is slightly big for 9mm. The feed lips gotta be right on unless you only shootin ball ammo.

thanks OF and good morning all

Whoops, my bad!  I didn't catch that it was a 9mm.  Yeah, when you deviate from the milspec design, then all bets are off.  It wouldn't surprise me at all if only RIA mags work.

Whoops, my bad!  I didn't catch that it was a 9mm.  Yeah, when you deviate from the milspec design, then all bets are off.  It wouldn't surprise me at all if only RIA mags work.

I did some looking around the interwebbythingy, and you're right about the 9MM aspect changing the game. 

I bought some Wilson Combat ETM mags because they were highly recommended by reviewers.  A little expensive, but I received a nice discount and low shipping cost from Midway USA for my birthday.  Those are at least as good, if not better than, the Sig mags the 1911 45ACP came with.  I went for  the ETM base mags because those are almost identical to the Sig base.

I was checking out the same mags in 9MM because of this thread.  Reviewer said the follower has a notch that can cause the round to not level out when feeding and jam.  Not a problem with the 45 round, but  the smaller 9MM sits lower in the notch.  That only causes problems with the last round (next to the follower).

Anyway, I thought I'd share that.  Moral of the story is:  not all 1911 45 mag designs will be equally good in a 1911 9MM.

For a RIA 1911 9MM, the most positive comments are for MEC-GAR brand.  Second place looks like Metalform, which they say many Colt 1911 have.

One thing I'd recommend is compare the base on the new mag to  the original.  It may or may not sit flush with the magwell, or it might extend below the grip more than you want..

Second tip:  if you might buy another 1911 9MM, you will want interchangeable mags that work in both.  So, if that's a potential future buy, don't load up on mags right away.

Go to the gun store websites, read the customer reviews, and don't trust that the most expensive mag is the one that will be the most reliable in your gun. 

thanks mauidog. I also checked out advance tactical website and they carry specific mag for RIA.

My RI is a pretty early model A1. There are a few things to check for, though I'm sure their QC has improved over the years.

1. With the gun unloaded, just grip it normally and shake it side to side. If you hear excessive rattling you'll want to get the slide "vised" { tighten up the rails }

2. Consider a trigger job. Mine had 7.5 lb trigger, kind of heavy IMO. Had EM tweak to 4, what he calls a "combat trigger".

3. If it doesn't have it, get a guide rod conversion. They're cheap and it improves accuracy. After you've put some rounds through it you can decide whether you want a heavier spring or not, since you chose "gasp!" 9 "choke!" mm. { 115+115=230 } 

Other than that, Welcome to the club!
 My RI has been a solid performer for many years, they're a great gun for the price. Also, I put many many rounds through mine before I did any mods, they're good to go right out of the box as a rule.

thanks edster48. and Thank you everyone for all the info. really appreciated.