This or That
I got bit by the 1911 bug recently when I found out I'm a better shot with my RIA 1911A1 CS than I am with my H&K VP9SK. Nothing against striker 9s, but for whatever reason .45 just clicks! I'm currently carrying my RIA (I know, I know) and whoever owned it before me took good care of it. It's very clean, nothing besides some wear on the outside of the slide, and it has some very nice grips that I think are Altamont rosewood. I have zero idea if the springs have been upgraded, but it did come with a single Wilson Combat mag. I'm thinking that's more of a lipstick on a pig situation, unfortunately, because it does have an occasional failure to kick out an empty shell, occasional failure to feed, and a VERY rare failure to lock open on empty. Those always happen on a last round feed. It's worth noting all of those failures happened with my range ammo and not any of my carry ammo, of which I shot quite a bit of.
I'm not a big fan of the 3.5 barrel though. It's got some snap and I know a longer barrel is going to be smoother and gentler. I mistakenly bought a 4.25 kydex holster and while my current 1911 fits securely inside, I realized I'd have no issue with an extra three quarters of an inch of barrel length. I'm on the broader, beefier side and even in my summer clothes, I don't have issues carrying a heavier firearm day to day.
My question at this point is, do I trade in the Rock for a Springfield Garrison (or a similar, more GI patterned 4.25) or do I just do some upgrades (springs, better sight, etc.) on the Rock and live with the 3.5 barrel for a while? If it's any help, the Rock is absolutely solid, pun intended, besides those last round issues. It has zero play in the slide and racks extremely smoothly.