Revolvers from the Philippines

[Bill in Oregon]

I know the Armscor/Rock Island 1911s get pretty good marks for value and ruggedness, but I have always thought their revolvers were very homely. But maybe I need to give them a chance.
Anyone here mess with their .38 Specials?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QQAH4n0_5g

[Sarge]

I've handled a couple Bill, but haven't shot one. The two-inch 38 RIA's I've looked at appeared to be better finished than the 4"/rubber gripped one. There's enough Colt DNA in the design to make them likeable and they obviously shoot OK to 15 yards. If small pistol primers weren't scarce/insanely priced, I'd be tempted to wring out the 2" RIA just because.

if RIA would finish these a little better, they'd sell a lot better. I bet an alloy framed version in 22LR with an 8-9 shot cylinder would sell really well.

[Bill in Oregon]

Thanks Sarge. They do look pretty crude in the finish department.
That internet hot dog James Reeves likes them for the value.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWR43NARZY8

[6pt-sika]

If I ever buy a RIA while in the PI it'll be a plain old 1911 in 45 ACP .

They also have shotguns of sorts over there . I'm kinda a shotgun snob so I wasn't overly impressed .

I'll give RIA/Armsco one thing , they have several shooting ranges in the country and about half are indoor air conditioned . I like them just fine , but on the other hand a little difficult for shooting clay targets .

[marlinman93]

I'm a bit selective on my revolvers, and always prefer S&W and then just the 1980's or earlier versions. But I'd never want to leave one under the seat or in the glovebox if I couldn't take it with me. These are cheap enough and appear to be good enough to take along where I wouldn't take a nice S&W, or where I'd have to leave a S&W in the vehicle.

[AJMD429]

.
I bought a double-stack Rock Island Armory 1911 used at a pawn shop a ways back and it functioned flawlessly. Mostly I got it as a backup/spare for my Para Ordnance p14. It was steel framed versus the alloy of the Para, so of course was heavier, and I put it to use with a MechTech 'upper' that turns in a 1911 into a carbine, meeting all the legal requirements. Combined with the 20 round magazines, it was a nice way to have a 45 ACP carbine that was quite a bit lighter than the Thompson at about a fifth the cost.

Later on, I bought my son a single stack 1911 from Rock Island Armory, and unlike my Para Ordnance it reminded me of the AMT, and Colt 1911 that I had bought in the past in that feeding at first was not reliable. Wanting to hasten the process, I bubba-smithed a 'polishing' job, and made it even LESS reliable... since the local gunsmith who could work magic with a 1911 had passed away, I gave in and sent it back to the factory with a letter of apology, admitting that I really screwed it up by trying to fix it myself. Within 2 weeks they shipped out a repaired 1911 that fed Remington Golden Sabre hollow points perfectly; 500 consecutive shots without a failure, at which point we deemed it reliable for concealed carry.

So my impression of Rock Island Armory as a company is very good. The only products I have dealt with are their 1911s, but generally quality and integrity tend to cross product lines within the same company.

[Bill in Oregon]

Well, fellas, I should have a first-hand report before too long, as I went ahead on a Model 206.