CJB
06-19-2016, 09:17 PM
Finally got down to the local (indoor) range, and put the RIA Compact GI 45 though its paces.
Put 200 rounds of WWB through it, with exactly one failure, on round #4 - failure to fully close, and I smacked the slide in the ass for a quick resolution.
Previously, when fixing up the nasty ding in the top fo the rear sight, I made the notch a little wider, and a little deeper, with a nice Grobet riffler. That was a good move, as the sights were really good to pick up, even in so-so indoor light.
At about 12 yards, groups were about 3-4 inches at the extreme, but the inner cluser of 10 shots was more like 2 inches. Rolled out to 20 yards, things opened up, but not much. I was shooting the foo-foo pink 3/4 size silhouette. Elevation was just a bit high, maybe two inches at 20 yards, and an inch right. I don't see adjustment being a necessary thing for self defense. The move to center would only be something like .007-.008 inches of drift. Personally, not worth doing.
So, all in all... I'm really pleased with the little RIA. Take down showed everything in order. Nothing worn, nothing being rammed or peened over. Cleaned up real nice. Takedown is different, but easy once you learn the trick of grabbing the recoil spring plug and pulling it backward (with the slide off).
On another note - the little Charter .45 Pitbull continues to make a good show of itself. For some reason I was shooting it very high, and to the right today, but previously it was almost perfectly centered, and only slightly high. I'm wondering if on both guns, the poor lighting in the booth cast strange lighting on the front sight, or... in the dim light, my eyes are just not picking things up like they did in the days of my youth (probably).
And on another issue. Holy jumpin' jack muzzleflash, out of about 20 folks shooting, 18 of 'em couldn't hit a bull in the ass with a two by four. A guy two lanes over was a decent shot. He was shooting a Buckmark with one hand, and at 15 yards he was getting everything into the black. Everyone else was shooting the same target at 5-7 yards, or zombies at the same distance, and having trouble hitting paper. I had a few .22 and 9mm holes in my own targets from folks on other lanes. Sad. Scary too.
Put 200 rounds of WWB through it, with exactly one failure, on round #4 - failure to fully close, and I smacked the slide in the ass for a quick resolution.
Previously, when fixing up the nasty ding in the top fo the rear sight, I made the notch a little wider, and a little deeper, with a nice Grobet riffler. That was a good move, as the sights were really good to pick up, even in so-so indoor light.
At about 12 yards, groups were about 3-4 inches at the extreme, but the inner cluser of 10 shots was more like 2 inches. Rolled out to 20 yards, things opened up, but not much. I was shooting the foo-foo pink 3/4 size silhouette. Elevation was just a bit high, maybe two inches at 20 yards, and an inch right. I don't see adjustment being a necessary thing for self defense. The move to center would only be something like .007-.008 inches of drift. Personally, not worth doing.
So, all in all... I'm really pleased with the little RIA. Take down showed everything in order. Nothing worn, nothing being rammed or peened over. Cleaned up real nice. Takedown is different, but easy once you learn the trick of grabbing the recoil spring plug and pulling it backward (with the slide off).
On another note - the little Charter .45 Pitbull continues to make a good show of itself. For some reason I was shooting it very high, and to the right today, but previously it was almost perfectly centered, and only slightly high. I'm wondering if on both guns, the poor lighting in the booth cast strange lighting on the front sight, or... in the dim light, my eyes are just not picking things up like they did in the days of my youth (probably).
And on another issue. Holy jumpin' jack muzzleflash, out of about 20 folks shooting, 18 of 'em couldn't hit a bull in the ass with a two by four. A guy two lanes over was a decent shot. He was shooting a Buckmark with one hand, and at 15 yards he was getting everything into the black. Everyone else was shooting the same target at 5-7 yards, or zombies at the same distance, and having trouble hitting paper. I had a few .22 and 9mm holes in my own targets from folks on other lanes. Sad. Scary too.