ramcharger
Dismember
Since I've been busting my butt I've had a few spare bucks to pick myself up a new CCW piece. I have been using a 2 1/2" barreled Taurus 650CIA 5 shot .357 magnum, but I've found that after 5 shots of BHA (Black Hills Ammunition) heavy loads that it heats up and becomes balky with the long double action trigger pull. It'll do the same with premium .38 special loads after two cylinder fulls (ten rounds). The other problem is that the cylinder gets tight and empty shells won't drop free after about ten shots and no speedloader is availible that fits right either.
On the other hand, the Tarus is far more accurate then I ever expected any snubbie to be for the first five shots but after that, the trigger pull is severely affected due to cylinder bind. The sights are really pretty good for what it is and it certainly goes "bang" every time you pull the trigger ALL THE WAY BACK. Good Lord that DA trigger pull is long. It's so long that only a "tea cup" grip with two hands will allow a full pull with my index finger.
So, after living with this sucker for a while (300 rounds) I now concede with my CCW trainer. I needed a bigger pistol, lol. .38 spl in the little Taurus is easy and I shot 100 rounds today, .357 magnums isn't horrible but I'd have to adjust my second hand (left) every time. BTW, I like recoil, it's fun. :-D If it didn't recoil I wouldn't want it, but .357 mags in that little sucker I can only grip with two fingers is....ahem....punishing. I used to hold firecrackers in my hand and let them go off when i was a stupid kid. Felt like a moderate two pound dead blow hammer hit. The taurus feels like that with the BHA 158 gr. .357 mag stuff! I can actually tolerate about 20 rounds of that but the damn thing siezes after about 15 rounds.
Now you know why I decided to go with another firearm to cover my one and only life. My first thought was the Glock model 23 in .40 SW. I had one years ago and I was always very accurate with that piece but concealabilty would be a major concern. I went to the local big gun show with a fellow enthusiast and CCW holder and I scoped out some 23's as well as some Springfield Armory's XDs. All great pistols but nothing really floated my boat until I saw the venerable M1911-A1 in a 4" barrel. Slim, easily concealable and all steel! Yes this was it! I tried a bunch of plastic compacts but the mag would never drop free of my meaty hand. I asked if their was a shorter barreled model and sure enough, they had an officers model. 3.5" barell. I grabbed it full on and the mag dropped clear. "Perfect!" I thought, but I was not quite ready to pull the trigger yet (pardon the pun). I never heard of RIA and it was made in the Phillipeines.
Time to do some research. I found that these pistols are made under the Armscor brand and support is right here in AZ. After more research I found that these things have had stellar reviews with the exception of the odd idiot who handloaded with taper crimp (the .45 ACP headspaces on the cartridge rim) or used sub-standard 2 dollar mags from a gun show. OK, cool. Let's give it a shot (pun intended). I found a local dealer who would order one for 445 plus tax and CBI check included. Perfect!
3 business days later the guy called me and I went to pick it up. The first thing he told me is that he now going to carry the complete line after checking mine out and that I was the "guinea pig", lol. He also said that his gunsmith (who builds his and his business partners race guns) that these were great "Builder" guns. Cool. I'm feeling good about this purchase now...
Well, I got it home and promptly disassembled it to find...... no issues! I never fire a new firearm without a cleaning and I always find crap where it shouldn't be, but other than the barrel needed a good cleaning and it was way over-oiled, it seemed good to go. The only suprise I had is that it was advertised and documented to have a 6 round magazine. I recieved mine with a 7 round "ACT-Mag". Rockin'!
Off to the range I went and promptly ripped through 100 rounds of Remington 230 gr. ball. Zero FTE (Failures To Eject) or FTF (Failures To Fire). The mag dropped free every time and the complaint I have is that the sights suck, lol. That tiny little black blade front sight has got to go. Wilson Combat Tritium 3 dots are on the grocery list.
While I was at the range I thought I would fire both the Taurus and the RIA. The Taurus is about right on point of aim but the RIA shot low and to the right. At first I thought the Taurus was more accurate, but after analysing the targets I brought home, the RIA really printed more one hole groups than the Taurus did, the Taurus was just more centered on the bull. The RIA trigger pull has some creep and feels a bit mushy but really doesn't need to be any lighter for a CCW weapon. I feel that I can crisp it up some with a WC hammer and sear.
In conclusion, thw RIA is a bit heavier but I have 3 more shots with a bulllet 1/3 larger and almost twice as heavy. The .45 ACP is a man stopper and every automatic cartrige developed since aspires to be what Mr. Browning designed so many years ago. I thought there would be a giant learning curve in regards to the operation and ergonomics of a 1911, but that turned out to be a falsism. John Browing was a genius and knew exactly what he was doing when he drew this pistol up so many years ago. Everything is exactly where it needs to be. It is a combat weapon extraordinaire :read2:
P.S. The Taurus is a great "nightstand" gun with much better accuracy than I expected, but the machine work sucks compared to the RIA although the surface finish and buleing is very well done. The sights are also better than the RIA out of box. JMHO.
On the other hand, the Tarus is far more accurate then I ever expected any snubbie to be for the first five shots but after that, the trigger pull is severely affected due to cylinder bind. The sights are really pretty good for what it is and it certainly goes "bang" every time you pull the trigger ALL THE WAY BACK. Good Lord that DA trigger pull is long. It's so long that only a "tea cup" grip with two hands will allow a full pull with my index finger.
So, after living with this sucker for a while (300 rounds) I now concede with my CCW trainer. I needed a bigger pistol, lol. .38 spl in the little Taurus is easy and I shot 100 rounds today, .357 magnums isn't horrible but I'd have to adjust my second hand (left) every time. BTW, I like recoil, it's fun. :-D If it didn't recoil I wouldn't want it, but .357 mags in that little sucker I can only grip with two fingers is....ahem....punishing. I used to hold firecrackers in my hand and let them go off when i was a stupid kid. Felt like a moderate two pound dead blow hammer hit. The taurus feels like that with the BHA 158 gr. .357 mag stuff! I can actually tolerate about 20 rounds of that but the damn thing siezes after about 15 rounds.
Now you know why I decided to go with another firearm to cover my one and only life. My first thought was the Glock model 23 in .40 SW. I had one years ago and I was always very accurate with that piece but concealabilty would be a major concern. I went to the local big gun show with a fellow enthusiast and CCW holder and I scoped out some 23's as well as some Springfield Armory's XDs. All great pistols but nothing really floated my boat until I saw the venerable M1911-A1 in a 4" barrel. Slim, easily concealable and all steel! Yes this was it! I tried a bunch of plastic compacts but the mag would never drop free of my meaty hand. I asked if their was a shorter barreled model and sure enough, they had an officers model. 3.5" barell. I grabbed it full on and the mag dropped clear. "Perfect!" I thought, but I was not quite ready to pull the trigger yet (pardon the pun). I never heard of RIA and it was made in the Phillipeines.
Time to do some research. I found that these pistols are made under the Armscor brand and support is right here in AZ. After more research I found that these things have had stellar reviews with the exception of the odd idiot who handloaded with taper crimp (the .45 ACP headspaces on the cartridge rim) or used sub-standard 2 dollar mags from a gun show. OK, cool. Let's give it a shot (pun intended). I found a local dealer who would order one for 445 plus tax and CBI check included. Perfect!
3 business days later the guy called me and I went to pick it up. The first thing he told me is that he now going to carry the complete line after checking mine out and that I was the "guinea pig", lol. He also said that his gunsmith (who builds his and his business partners race guns) that these were great "Builder" guns. Cool. I'm feeling good about this purchase now...
Well, I got it home and promptly disassembled it to find...... no issues! I never fire a new firearm without a cleaning and I always find crap where it shouldn't be, but other than the barrel needed a good cleaning and it was way over-oiled, it seemed good to go. The only suprise I had is that it was advertised and documented to have a 6 round magazine. I recieved mine with a 7 round "ACT-Mag". Rockin'!
Off to the range I went and promptly ripped through 100 rounds of Remington 230 gr. ball. Zero FTE (Failures To Eject) or FTF (Failures To Fire). The mag dropped free every time and the complaint I have is that the sights suck, lol. That tiny little black blade front sight has got to go. Wilson Combat Tritium 3 dots are on the grocery list.
While I was at the range I thought I would fire both the Taurus and the RIA. The Taurus is about right on point of aim but the RIA shot low and to the right. At first I thought the Taurus was more accurate, but after analysing the targets I brought home, the RIA really printed more one hole groups than the Taurus did, the Taurus was just more centered on the bull. The RIA trigger pull has some creep and feels a bit mushy but really doesn't need to be any lighter for a CCW weapon. I feel that I can crisp it up some with a WC hammer and sear.
In conclusion, thw RIA is a bit heavier but I have 3 more shots with a bulllet 1/3 larger and almost twice as heavy. The .45 ACP is a man stopper and every automatic cartrige developed since aspires to be what Mr. Browning designed so many years ago. I thought there would be a giant learning curve in regards to the operation and ergonomics of a 1911, but that turned out to be a falsism. John Browing was a genius and knew exactly what he was doing when he drew this pistol up so many years ago. Everything is exactly where it needs to be. It is a combat weapon extraordinaire :read2:
P.S. The Taurus is a great "nightstand" gun with much better accuracy than I expected, but the machine work sucks compared to the RIA although the surface finish and buleing is very well done. The sights are also better than the RIA out of box. JMHO.
it was nice, very nice i think i might have to go get one soon. it had a recoil spring mod..he called it something else but i might try to do that with my taurus...
