RIA decision choice - TAC vs ROCK sereis

[n2horns]

I have been into 10mm for a while and have a built up G20 G3 that I use for hunting, and hunting / woods defense.  I have been getting into the 1911 game and looking at a Rock Island 10mm.
Trying to decide on the TAC or Rock series.  I have 15 rounds in my Glock now and really wish the TAC series had a full size high capacity.  I see the Rock Series has a FS HC and double stack, appears past the more rounds, the Rock series lacks rail underneath.

Is there another 1911 style other than STI that is double stacked but not the sky high price?

[sqlbullet]

There really isn't. 

I would also caution, the magwell on the Rock HC is not easily removed as the frame is modified.  I posted a thread on my adventure turning this into a concealed carry gun.  It can be done, but you gotta be comfortable taking your new gun to the grinder.

For woods carry, I don't see that the magwell would be an issue.  The lack of a rail can be addressed with a number of aftermarket options.

[n2horns]

@sqlbullet - I saw your mod post on the mag well, looks great now.  On the comment about aftermarket rail, I'm not familiar enough on the 1911 side to to know the mod needed, can you point me into the direction?

I need to go get my hands on both and see which I like. I assume the FS HC (double stack) would be about the same as the Glock G20.  I have so much vested in holster for woods/hunting carry that making the RIA 10mm primary might take a while. 

[Kenk]

sqlbullet, do you have an pictures of your magwell mod?
Thanks

Ken

[sqlbullet]

At the risk of embarrassing myself....

After watching The Accountant I decided I really wanted a rail on a 1911.  But I didn't want to pay for a rail on a 1911.  So I looked around a good bit at aftermarket options to add a rail.

They fall into four basic categories:  Bolt into the frame, clamp onto the trigger guard, grip chassis and stick onto the frame.

Bolt on

The bolt on options involve drilling and tapping holes in the bottom of the dust cover for the rail to bolt onto, just like the name implies.  Novak and Beretta both make fine examples of these types of rail mounts, and both are available from Brownells for $50-$60.  Beretta offers steel and aluminum at 1.6 oz and .6 oz respectively.  Novak offers both stainless and blued steel, and they add about 1.5 oz to your gun.  Novak used to offer aluminum, but no longer does.

https://www.brownells.com/shooting-accessories/flashlights-accessories/flashlight-mounts/stainless-steel-tactical-light-rail-sku662000078-27001-52946.aspx

https://www.brownells.com/shooting-accessories/flashlights-accessories/flashlight-mounts/aluminum-light-rail-mount-sku078000076-22337-46550.aspx

Clamp on

The clamp on is the most common.  No gun modifications are needed in most cases.  These types either clamp onto the trigger guard or they use the slide stop pin and trigger guard.  Most often these are made from ballistic polymer or glass filled nylon to be non-marring to the existing finish.  The two I would look hard at in this category are the TRG EZ Rail and the Surefire MR07 Rail Adapter.  A big downside to the Surefire is the $100+ price tag (though if you are going to pay for your frame to be drilled/tapped for a bolt on, this is probably comparable, and you don't end up with holes in your gun) (the surefire is discontinued).  The TRG is around $60.

https://www.gunnersecurity.com/shop/hardware/pistol-rail-adapters/rail-mount-adapter-for-1911/

There are also a number of options that just attach to the trigger guard.  It is notable that these are mostly made by companies that focus on the airsoft market.  They run about $25-$35 on Amazon, but I really question if they will hold up under real recoil.

Grip Chassis

This option probably won't work for a Rock HC since all that I have seen are for single stack 1911 guns.  As the name implies, they replace the grips with a chassis type part that wraps under the trigger guard and has a rail section up front.  I gotta think these are "operator" only as I can't imagine adding that much bulk to a concealed carry gun.   Brownells catalogs one of this style by Recover Tactical for $50.

https://www.brownells.com/handgun-parts/grip-parts/grips/cc3p-grip-and-rail-system-for-the-1911-prod87740.aspx

Stick on

The most hokey, and yet probably the one I would most likely try first is the stick on variety.  Just like the name implies, these stick to the gun either via neodymium magnets or industrial adhesives.  In both cases, they are non-marring.  The magnetic versions can be pulled off and stuck on at will.  Obviously won't work on aluminum frames.  It does work with 416R stainless steel firearms fine though.

https://ramlite.com/products/1911-magnetic-weaver-rail

The adhesive based options can also be removed, but it requires a non-marring plastic tool like a spudger. Putting it back on will require a new strip of adhesive, and the needed solvents. 

https://railtac.com/collections/semi-auto-picatinny-rail/products/1911-full-size-beretta-92-96-picatinny-rail-adapter

Kenk,

I think you have seen my final gun, but if not, here it is:

[Kenk]

Way nice, great job by the way. Would you ever consider doing that on another one is the price was right?

[Kenk]

Absolutely : )