New toy

[CrimsonSoul]

So I had some extra money and ran to ach to look around and found something out I know the people that own the place their son and me are/were friends in highschool. Anyway looked around and picked up a RIA 1911, my first 1911 I haven't even read the book on it yet as I haven't been home wife is dragging me around shopping now lol. I'm not sure if it's the 4 or 3.5 barrel but it's not a full size and it's smaller than my Taurus 40. I'll post picks when I get home

[Pawpaw]

On the RIA 1911 model numbers:

FS = "full size" = government = 5"

MS = "mid size" = commander = 4.25"

CS = "compact size" = officer = 3.5"

[USA1]

I'll post picks when I get home

So why are you teasing us then?

[CrimsonSoul]

Ok question for you guys I got home and cleaned it (dirty dirty in the barrel, yuck). and loaded it with hollow points to see how it would load pulled the slide back and let go and click it got stuck on the bullet and didn't load it (Hornady hollow points 185gr). pulled back and released again about one or two more times (from where it was at "stuck" on the bullet) and it got and loaded the bullet into the chamber. I haven't shot it yet but was wondering if that was some kind of problem that the 1911's have from RIA, I'm guessing if I get a gunsmith to grind the loading ramp a little bit it will load with no problem, that's my only idea anyway. Any other suggestions from anyone?

here's a quick pic a took from my iphone before I have to leave house again

[Pawpaw]

If it's a brand new pistol, you're going to need to run some ball ammo through it to break it in first. 500 rounds is the generally accepted number.

A new RIA is fairly tight. Oil her up good as they like to be run "wet" during break-in. While you're shooting, if it ain't weeping oil from the slide rails, it needs more. Once it's broken in, you can use less.

I'm still breaking in my FS and CS. I've put their break-ins on hold until I finish breaking in my Kimber. I kinda went on a 1911 buying binge a month or so ago.

[CrimsonSoul]

Thanks for the info

[CrimsonSoul]

Hmm so I cycled some of the ammo through it (racking the slide to run the mag through, didn't shoot it) it seemed to hand up only on the first bullet in the mag (7 round) and the rest it would cycle fine, it I loaded 6 int he mag it would cycle them fine. I field stripped it and put one round int he mag and put it in it seemed like the round was too squared or that the feed ramp wasn't steep enough for the round. and the rounds that it didn't cycle (the ones it got stuck on) were pushed into the casing of the round and were noticeably shorter than the rounds that did not stick. Guess I really need to run some FMJ's through it my next days off unless anyone else has a different suggestion?

[Pawpaw]

Load that mag full up and leave it that way until you go to shoot it.

The spring is probably a bit too strong, since it's new. Loading it up an leaving it will allow the spring to "take a set". It won't hurt anything. After all, if you carry it, it will stay loaded.

BTW, there is a very active RIA forum over at http://forum.m1911.org/.

[CrimsonSoul]

Yeah I've found that forum and they basically gave me the same advice (as well as break it in) so next payday and my days off I'll hit up the range (read: my dad's house) to try and run some rounds through it

[Pawpaw]

I saw your thread over there after I posted above.

The (very) little I know about 1911's, I learned in that forum so it makes sense the answers would match.

Congratulations on the new pistol! You're gonna love the way it shoots.

[CrimsonSoul]

It was the Hornady rounds. I bought 150 Federal FMJ's 235 grain and I can hand cycle them just fine, going to my dad's on Saturday to pop some rounds off and break her in, I'm thinking of shooting 150 or so rounds :)

[The Annoyed Man]

First suggestion.... DON'T have anyone "grind the loading ramp a little bit." There is probably nothing wrong with your feed ramp. You don't really know if you have a problem until you actually shoot the gun. Whatever happens when you manually cycle the slide doesn't come close to replicating the energies involved when you actually fire a round through it. You may well find at the range that the hollowpoints that hung up when you manually cycled the slide work just fine when you actually shoot the gun.

Second suggestion... IF the fired weapon will still not cycle the slide reliably after a few rounds for break-in, look at the magazine first. When hollowpoints hangup on the ramp of a 1911 pistol, it is often because the magazine follower has allowed the round to "nosedive" when the slide goes forward into battery, picking that round up, and it usually has nothing to do with the feed ramp. I don't really know anything about the quality of RIA's included magazines, but the fix is relatively cheap and easy if it is a magazine problem — whereas, if grinding on the feed ramp turns out to be the wrong thing to do, it is very expensive to recover from that mistake.

Third suggestion... When you do figure out the problem, if there really is a problem, you'll find the 1911 design to be one of the most satisfying pistols to shoot ever made. They just feel right in the hand.

[CrimsonSoul]

Went to my dads today with 157 rounds to break her in a little bit while the kids were at school. At first I was pulling it to the left but after adjusting my finger on the trigger I brought it on target and was hitting cans 10+ yards away. After 100 fmj rounds I loaded up the 7 jhp rounds I had and it gobbled them up without a hitch. All in all 107 rounds 100 were fmj with one fte and 7 were jhp with no problems. I'm starting to likey the bang bang now. Also I spoiled myself today I ordered a Wilson mag and overnighted it to me so tomorrow should be fun