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Match Grade Barrel

fully_armed_biker

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
463
Location
Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
imported post

I bought an RIA 1911 at a gun show this past weekend. It has been well used and was in need of a little TLC. I took it home, took it apart, spent about3 hours (that time also includes installing and zeroing the Crimson Trace grips on my wife'sK frame S&W Ladysmith .357 we bought at the gun show)cleaning itand fixing about a half dozen little things I noticed during the takedown, including the checkered rosewood grip, on the safety/slide lock side of the frame, was caught up on the plunger tube, leaving a gap you could slide a dime in between the top of the grip at the plunger tube, and the frame. I took the grip out to my woodshop and spent about 15 minutes setting up and about 30 seconds removing just enough wood under the lip for it to fit like a glove. The interesting part didn't even occur to me until last night. I was doing some looking around on the internet at RIA 1911's and found a lot of pics...but, each and every factory RIA 1911 I saw that had a blue slide and frame, had a blue barrel. Mine has a stainless barrel. I took my Colt Combat Commander apart and compared the barrels. The one I took out of my RIA had tighter spirallingand more grooves than my CCC. The only marking on the barrel is the ".45 ACP" stamp that shows through the ejection port. I'm just wondering if it is a standard practice to mark the barrels somehow, especially if it's a match grade barrel, or if it varries from mfg to mfg. I'm going to the range tonight to shoot it...can't wait to see how she shoots.
 

Dreamer

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
5,360
Location
Grennsboro NC
imported post

Probably not a match grade barrel--most companies mark them as such. But it most likely is an "after market" barrel, not a stock unit.

Again, most of the big companies (BarSto, Nowlin, Briley, etc) mark their barrels with their brand, so without a marking, it's going to be tough to tell who made it...
 

sevenplusone

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2009
Messages
397
Location
Kent Co, Michigan, USA
imported post

Somebody can stamp whatever they want on the side of a barrel. Match grade used to mean oversized and then fit to the bushing etc. Now it doesn't mean much. Most modern barrels are made to a very high level.
 

fully_armed_biker

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
463
Location
Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
imported post

Well, I took it to the range the other night and my RIA 1911 is accurate as hell, match grade barrel or not...I've decided not to worry about whether it is or not...the rounds go where I want them to, that's all I really need to know. I did have FTF problemswith it that I finally figured out last night...thepart of the slide stop that catches the mag follower is catching the nose of the top round in the mag...basically taking the round from a "nose up" position, to parallel with the barrel. When the slide tries to strip the round off the magazine, it just drives it straight forward into the bottom of the feed ramp. I'm going to have to see if I can grind the tab on the slide stop down just a little bit so it won't interfere; yet, still catch the mag follower...worst case scenario...I buy a new slide stop for $30 and start over. I may try switching the slide stop from my Colt Combat Commander onto the RIA and see how that works...I've never had a feed problem, thatwasn't clearly magazine related, with my CCC. I do plan on making the RIA a project gun, eventually...installing an extended ambi safety, beaver tail, extended slide stop, etc...maybe I'll just start sooner.
 
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