If you have read my earlier reviews of the Rock Island Armory XT 22LR (Rock Island Armory XT 22, Model 51930 .22LR 1911-Based Pistol Part 1 of 3: https://guntoters.com/blog/2017/02/05/rock-island-armory-xt-22-model-51930-22lr-1911-based-pistol-review/ and Rock Island Armory XT 22, Model 51930 .22LR 1911-Based Pistol Part 2 of 3 – The Issues: https://guntoters.com/blog/2017/02/08/rock-island-armory-xt-22-model-51930-22lr-1911-based-pistol-part-ii/), there were some issues mentioned in the articles; two of which I managed to work around.
I had conversed with Armscor about the issues via e-mail and Armscor finally sent me an e-mail, with RMA form and shipping label. Armscor wanted the pistol back for “warranty work!”
So, two weeks almost to the day of purchase, the RIA XT 22LR is on its way back to Armscor. Armscor claims a 4-6 week turnaround once the firearm is received.
In over forty-four years of working with firearms this is a first for me – sending a firearm back to a manufacturer for “warranty work.”
THE ISSUES:
Essentially, there were three issues that I had with the pistol:
- The Recoil Spring plug could not be removed (without possible damage to the plug).
- The Barrel Lug Adjustment Screw could not be moved (without possible damage to the screw or firearm).
- The grip safety would, at times, catch against the Sear Spring (possibly due to play in the grip safety or inside dimensions of the grip safety). This malady would cause the trigger not to be pulled until the grip safety was properly aligned with the Sear Spring, by realigning the grip on the pistol, which could cause the pistol to fire when I did not want it to.
Of the three issues, the latter was a safety issue.
The RIA XT 22LR was received by Armscor on Monday, 2/13/2017 at 1200 hours. On Wednesday, 02/15/2017 I received a call from Armscor that my pistol had been repaired and a number was available for me to call back if desired, which I did.
ISSUE #1:
Apparently, Issue #1 (The Recoil Spring plug could not be removed (without possible damage to the plug)) is no longer an issue. Because of users not installing the Recoil Spring Plug correctly, or stripping the threads when installing the plug, Armscor opted to lock the Recoil Spring Plug into the slide on later models by chemical means (Lok-Tite). What this meant was that my workaround for not being able to remove the Recoil Spring Plug was actually SOP and no longer a workaround.
Armscor also rounded off and polished the tip of the guide rod so that it would be easier to insert it into the guide rod opening in the plug; something that I did not find hard to do, but it was good of them to better accommodate inserting the guide rod when assembling the slide.
ISSUE #2:
Issue #2 (The Barrel Lug Adjustment Screw could not be moved (without possible damage to the screw or firearm)) was taken care of. The Barrel Lug Adjustment Screw can now be adjusted, although it was explained to me that some looseness is to be expected, which I suspected to be true in the first place. Now, let’s move on to item #3 (The grip safety would, at times, catch against the Sear Spring (possibly due to play in the grip safety or inside dimensions of the grip safety)).
ISSUE #3:
Armscor did find that the grip safety was indeed contacting the Sear Spring. The channel inside of the grip safety was relieved and polished so that it no longer contacts the sear spring, and that is a good thing. This was a safety issue with me. I could have done the work myself, but this is what warranty is all about – making things right by the manufacturer.
I continued to talk with Shawn at Armscor and mentioned how well I liked the pistol and how well I liked how they did what they did so that not only was the XT22LR a .22 caliber pistol, but that that I could also run a .45ACP upper on the pistol, which I have – the upper from the RIA 1911 FS Standard and it cycles perfectly.
My last comment was that I would like to order a spare Recoil Spring just to have on hand, as Wolff Springs does not carry a recoil spring for that model. I was told that they would simply throw one in the box for me.
They were shipping it out, after test firing. It was tendered to FedEx the same day and I could expect it to arrive on Friday, 02/17/2017. Now that’s service!!
THE COW COMES HOME:
The RIA XT22LR arrived at the homestead on schedule and was quickly signed for. The first order was to disassemble the firearm, check the work that was done, and then feel good (or not) about sending the RIA XT22LR off for warranty work.
Sure enough, a spare Recoil Spring was in the box.
The work was inspected and passed muster by a long margin. While there is still slight play in the front of the barrel, it is an acceptable amount of play. The grip safety held no surprises at it functioned perfectly.
The pistol was cleaned up and lubed to my standard. The Hogue Rubber Wraparound Grips with Finger Grooves were re-installed.
The next step was to return to the range to check functioning and accuracy, as I was told that the accuracy should have improved due to the work that was done. That proved to be a correct statement; accuracy had improved.
THE HONORABLE MENTION:
I am going to give Armscor a 5 out of 5 rating for Customer Service. Not only was the work done quickly, but it was done flawlessly. The turnaround time was outstanding by any standard. Armscor stands by their product, they are great people to talk with, and they take their product and customers seriously. This is one of the reasons why I still carry a dependable and reliable RIA 1911 FS Tactical every day. I have more expensive 1911 pistols, but this one seems to always find its way into my IWB holster.
If you are considering a move to the 1911 platform, you don’t want to spend a bundle of money, but you want a quality firearm, take a serious look at any of the Armscor (Rock Island Armory) line-up of 1911-based pistols. They may not be as pretty as those “other” 1911s, and the sights may not be that great, but the pistol has features found on more expensive 1911-based pistols, the sights are combat worthy, and the pistol is more than adequate for saving your bacon when you need it to. Can you really for ask more than that?
