A Tricked Out Custom Carry Rock Island Armory 1911? Why Not?

By Matt Berger

Last summer, I got the itch to get one of Rock Island Armory’s 1911 variants to see what all the fuss was about. But while I’m a fan of 1911 pattern pistols, I can never leave anything stock. This pistol was to be for defensive carry, and I wanted it tailored to my needs and desires.

I’m a fan of large capacity. I’m not against full-sized handguns or weight, but reducing the footprint would better facilitate concealment. RIA’s BBR had perfect length, and I liked the length of the TAC ULTRA CS, but I didn’t want to give up the large capacity if I didn’t have to. I began to ponder a high-cap frame and how it would be perfect with the CS length. Then, it hit me: why not propose a one-off custom?

Rock Island Armory’s TAC ULTRA CS was fitted with their CS slide/barrel for a handier, more easily carried pistol, then received a Smith and Alexander mainspring housing, night sights, and then went to Accurate Plating and Weaponry for stippling of the front strap and, MSH, a trigger job, and hard chrome.

The Bones of the Project

I got a Tac Ultra MS HC Combo 9mm. Getting in touch with the right people in marketing got a CS length slide and barrel assembly sent my way. RIA assured me the slide parts and frame could be mated. Sure enough, it all worked out and I had the basis of a custom pistol to meet my needs: A hi-cap, wide body frame with a compact slide/barrel that would give the best balance of firepower and tote-ability.

A range test revealed the new extractor (I had received the slide/barrel in parts and had to assemble it) needed tuning. After adjusting it for a bit more tension, the failures to extract disappeared.

*The Picatinny rail remains under the CS barrel/slide.*

Custom Work

Having worked with Robert Cogan of Accurate Plating and Weaponry in the past with excellent results, I gave Robert a call and discussed the project. I’ve always favored hard chrome as a finish, both for its corrosion resistance and self-lubricating properties, and I wanted APW to apply their signature Jaguar cuts to the front strap and mainspring housing, though Robert expressed concern that the frame might be too thin at the shoulders for their Jaguar cuts.

Smith and Alexander provided a smooth arched mainspring housing, as I prefer them to flat units. I acquired Trijicon HD Night Sights. These are quick sights with photoluminescent paint outlining the front dot.

*The mainspring housing from Smith & Alexander received a stippling treatment from Accurate Plating and Weaponry.*

If you haven’t sampled them, RIA’s G10 grips are hard to beat; there was no reason to replace them. The Tac Ultra MS HC comes with extended ambidextrous thumb safeties, a slotted, Commander-style hammer, and extended mag release, full length guide rod, and a three-slotted light serrated weight trigger. The ejection port is lowered and flared.

*The sights were upgraded to Trijicon HD night sights.*

*The Rock Island pistol comes with a lowered and flared ejection port.*

After receiving the RIA, Bob called me and confirmed that the thickness of the grip frame at the shoulders was too thin to apply their Jaguar cuts; hence, the only viable alternative would be to stipple the grip frame and mainspring housing. APW did a trigger job which resulted in a very crisp break at 3 pounds which felt lighter. The plunger and mag release springs were replaced with extra power units.

The finished product was a very aesthetically pleasing pistol finished in hard chrome with brushed flats and matte rounds, and a stippled grip frame and matching mainspring housing. The factory grips provided a nice contrast to the hard chrome, and the custom fitting of the CS slide and barrel components to the full-capacity Tac Ultra MS HC frame provided a handier profile for a carry pistol.

Holsters

Holstering duties were handled by Ronin Leather Holsters LLC and Craft Holsters.

A conversation with Dave Galloway about producing his Orvar belt slide for the RIA custom led to a 20-degree cant, closed muzzle rig with a full shirt guard and 1.5” belt slots in a dark brown. Building it to suit my hybrid CS upper on the full sized wide body frame was no problem for Dave, and the finished product was a great concealment holster with a quick draw and firm retention, due to the perfect fit and molding of the holster.

A call to Craft with an explanation of my pistol led to the construction of a shoulder holster with a steel thumb break, basically configured for the RIA CS 1911 with the mag pouches for the double stack magazines of the Tac Ultra MS HC.

Shooting Test

*The customized RIA pistol was easily handled in rapid fire.*

Accuracy from a benched 25-yard position averaged 2.51” with all ammo, and a best of 2.0” from Remington’s Golden Saber 124” JHP.

A range session revealed the metal work to have improved the tactile experience with the grip profile, and the Trijicon sights maintained the quick sight picture of a large rear notch and squared front blade. The photoluminescent outline of the front dot creates a bright effect similar to fiber optics.

Custom compact slide/barrel make the pistol quick out of the holster and quick on target. The all-steel weight made the pistol very soft-shooting. All in all the pistol handles well and performs very well. The only thing that could have made it better would be forward slide serrations.

Specifications:

Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 17
Barrel: 3.60 inches
Overall Length: 5 inches
Overall Width: 1.44 inches
Overall Height: 5.5 inches
Weight: 25.6 ounces
Sights: Trijicon HD Night Sights; drift adjustable
Grips: G10
Finish: Hard Chrome

Chris T in KY

July 23, 2025 at 1:32 pm

$2000?
$4000?
???

July 23, 2025 at 1:33 pm

I’m glad in our capitalistic society. That liberal gun owners complain about that, anybody who has the funds can buy such a firearm.

Dude

July 24, 2025 at 7:51 am

This looks nice. I’d worry about long term reliability until it’s tested.

tsbhoa.p.jr

July 24, 2025 at 9:54 am

looks like fun.
sort of an sao cz compact.
i’ve shot ria in .45… really very nice for what they cost.