I bin thinkin about gettin one a buddy of mine said that for the money there pretty good . Anybody own or shoot one. I can get one new for $399.00
Joe

Joe, I don't know much about the Rock Island but they seem to have an OK reputation. Two friends and I bought the Taurus 1911s and have been pleased so far. I gave $480 for mine.

Hey Mike that Taurus 1911 looks like a nice gun they had one for $589.00 they have a lot of factory upgrades. A buddy of mine is very good with the 1911 models so I figured if I got a base model like the Rock Island he can help me with the upgrades as I can afford to, and it will be nice to learn to do them
Joe

Improving or customizing the basic 1911 is a lot of fun and rewarding as well. Anyone who wants to do it right while understanding the reasoning and relationships of the various parts and measurements should own Jerry Kuhnhausen's excellent manuals...available at Brownell's.

I'll have to look for that manual. It should be a lot of fun learning to do it myself
Joe

Hey Joe, If it's a build your looking to do, ask and answer a few questions honestly to yourself.

1) What do you want to end up with ?
2) Are you just trying to save money ?
If yes, Do yourself a favor and spend the extra money and buy a STI Trojan. You cannot beat the price for what you get !!!! And in the long run you'll save money.
3)Is it the experiece and reward you want ?
If so take SSL's advise.
4)Are you able to do the work and do you have the equipment needed ?
This is the one most people have trouble answering honestly !!!

One last thing to think about: Just because it say's "drop-in"............ [ refer back to #1 ]
Drop ins have their place and they will make improvements but a proper fit stone/polish job is the way to go.

I want a basic 1911 to get started with and I want the sastisfaction of learning how to do the upgrades myself. My buddy has already said he would show how to do them and he said he has all the equipment we need. This way as I get the money I can do the upgrades .
Joe

shrpshtrjoe wrote:

I want a basic 1911 to get started with and I want the sastisfaction of learning how to do the upgrades myself.

Sounds like you got a plan !!! Good luck and let us know how it goes. Post some pics also.

I 've heard a lot of good about Rock Islands . They build a good gun .

I asked a friend who is more into 1911s than I am and he said the Rock Island are decent guns and he'd bought one. His preference though was a Rock River, around $1500!! Now tell me, will that $1500 pistol shoot 3 times better than my $500 one?

Pumpkinslinger brings up a good question that is often asked.

Most guys want to think if you spend more it should shoot better. Most of the time that is true.
But the answer is not always about how much better the higher priced gun shoots. It's what your getting for your money.
Guns built by STI, Wilson, Rock River, and Nowlin are made with higher standards and are hand fit. Alot of man hours goes into them. Thats what your paying for !!!!
Handle and shoot them and you'll have a better understanding of the whole thing.
Is the higher price worth it ? Thats for the guy buying to figure out. IMO Yes !!!

Spending the extra money for a semi-custom gun makes sense if you aren't willing (or able) to do some of the work yourself. Part of the fun is being able to say that you did it yourself. In the long run you won't really save all that much because you will probably opt for premium parts. I have built several 1911s from the ground up and have always ended with more invested in them than it would have cost to just buy the comparable pistol....but I did it myself and that was the goal.

Good luck with your project and enjoy the experience.

SingleShotLover wrote:

Part of the fun is being able to say that you did it yourself. In the long run you won't really save all that much because you will probably opt for premium parts. I have built several 1911s from the ground up and have always ended with more invested in them than it would have cost to just buy the comparable pistol....but I did it myself and that was the goal. Good luck with your project and enjoy the experience.

My thoughts exactly. I probably will end up with more in it than it than I should but I can do it as I have the money and I will learn to do the upgrades myself.
Joe

Good to see you have the 1911 bug! When you work with them and handle them, you are handling history, tradition and a firearm that is among the top choice of professionals.

Rock Island and Hi Standard (probably others) are manufactured in the Phillipines. Their quality can vary. I would ask your gunsmith friend what is his opinion before proceeding.

Often a good choice for a basic starter is the Springfield Armory. Many of these are made by Imbel forging in Brasil. Their forgings are superb. A good used one can be had in the $450 range, condition dependent. You are right when you observe that, in the long run, you will spend more than if you were to buy a loaded 1911 in the first place, but, if it is experience you want, it is a good way to go.

Another great option is to buy a high quality frame and slide from Brownells. They sell a range of new frames and slides, even from Les Baer. Acquired piece by piece, the ending result could exceed that of the Rock Island or the Springfield Armory. Check them out on the web and compare carefully the price with the end result in mind.

I've purchased the Les Baer frame/slide and built my own from there on up with a lot of help from some 'smithin' friends along the way. It took me about 18 months to finish the project, but, it is a special 1911 to me and gets a regular workout.

Handloader wrote:

Rock Island are manufactured in the Phillipines.

I thought Rock Island guns were old surplus (the majority dating back to WW2) made at the government arsenal in Il.

Or are we talking about Rock River Arms ??

Dimitri