Does anyone have any experiance with Charles Daly 1911 Field EFS? I am looking for a full frame 1911 and was wondering what a good used one would go for? I have a line on one possibly but I am interested if anyone else has any horror stories about them.

I have a Charles Daly 1911 Field EFST (http://www.charlesdaly.com/HTML/Details/dynamic_details.asp?ModLink=CDGR6505), and enjoy it a lot. The T means it has adjustable target sights. Got it brand new for just over $300.

It has a few quirks:

The magazines it comes with are MecGar, which you can get inexpensively aftermarket. These feed very reliably. Other brands of mags are hit-or-miss on whether they'll work.

The trigger is very heavy; I'm planning on getting a trigger job done. But, this is a common requirement even on guns costing 3X the Daly.

The firing-pin return spring is very stiff ( lawyer resistant ) to resist accidental discharges if dropped, I guess. Problem was, I got very light primer hits, and misfires. Picked up a std mil firing-pin return spring at a gun show, swapped with no other changes, and voila, no more misfires.

The bore looks like it was gnawed out by angry gophers. But, it doesn't foul with my soft lead cast bullets, and accuracy is very good. I slugged the bore, and found the resistance to be very consistent the length of the bbl, so I deduce it has a constant diameter the length of the bore. So, I just don't look down the bore too much.

The feed ramp on the bbl was a little rough, so I polished it a bit with a round stone. Thought it was causing misfeeds. Looks nicer, but it was bad magazines causing the misfeeds.

I find mine doesn't like the very fast powders much - Bullseye & Titegroup. Cycling is sometimes off & I get stovepipes. I use W-231 or other medium-speed powder, and get perfect cycling. Slower powders like Unique work well, but require a larger charge, so I stay in the 231 range.

I use 200gr Semi-Wadcutter bullets from my RCBS mould primarily. These, and other SWCs feed well in the pistol out of the MecGar mags. I've had some other mags that wouldn't fit the RCBS bullets. This is not the gun's fault, just crummy aftermarket mags.

I've used 180gr SWC and 230gr RN and SWC lead bullets. Feeding & accuracy were fine. Very little experience with jacketed factory or reloads.

Bottom line: would I buy this pistol over again? Sure would. In fact, I'm hoping they come out with a variant in .40S&W.

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Mine has been a delight from the get-go, certainly the best of 8 or 9 1911s I've owned thru the years. Accurate and dead reliable. The trigger is a bit heavy, but it's crisp and quite manageable. A trigger just a bit on the heavy side isn't entirely a bad thing on a gun you're using for self defense. I bought mine brand-new for right at $350, and considering the performance and the nice "frills" it come with, that's a bargain.

Are these actually RIs that are built for CD to upgrade?

They just have that 'look' to them.

Huh? RIs? - no, not related to Rhode Island. CD? - don't see how it relates to Certificates of Deposit or Compact Discs. Use English, for God's sake!

I think Hazcat is refering to Rock Island Armory .45 and CD is refering to Charles Daly. Not sure if it is originally a RIA Hazcat dont know too much about Charles Daly stuff.

Huh? RIs? - no, not related to Rhode Island. CD? - don't see how it relates to Certificates of Deposit or Compact Discs. Use English, for God's sake!

Gee let's see... We have been discussing Charle Daly .45 caliber 1911 semi auto handguns so CD might mean Charles Daly what ya think, is that logical?

Rock Island is a well known manufacturer of inexpensive .45 caliber 1911 semi auto handguns so RI could stand for Rock Island!

I think Hazcat is refering to Rock Island Armory .45 and CD is refering to Charles Daly. Not sure if it is originally a RIA Hazcat dont know too much about Charles Daly stuff.
Well the Charles Daly is a good looking gun and Rock Island is a good platform so if it is an 'upgrade' then it sounds like a good deal.

If it is just built by Rock Island for them then not so good.

I have heard real good things about the Taurus 1911 and you should be able to pick up a new one for 500 to 525.

Hadn't heard of Rock Island before, at least not for 1911's - just for 1903 rifles & .30-06 ammo.

Charles Daly imports from KBI ( that's their name, not my acronym ) which mfrs in the Phillipines.

I don't think they do any upgrading - just import 'em.

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Hadn't heard of Rock Island before, at least not for 1911's - just for 1903 rifles & .30-06 ammo.

Charles Daly imports from KBI ( that's their name, not my acronym ) which mfrs in the Phillipines.

I don't think they do any upgrading - just import 'em.

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Peace dude :). The Rock Island is also in the Phillipines so I bet they are the same gun. Straight RIs can be had for about 325.00. It looks like the CD (OK?) has checkered grips and their name on it. Don't know if anything else is different.

Sorry, Haz, I guess my post came across way stronger than I meant it while writing! Knowing what RI is makes all the difference…

Anyway the CD is stamped "KBI" on the underside of the frame, just in front of the trigger guard.

Sorry, Haz, I guess my post came across way stronger than I meant it while writing! Knowing what RI is makes all the difference…

Anyway the CD is stamped "KBI" on the underside of the frame, just in front of the trigger guard.
Here's a link to a place that sells the Rock Island.

http://www.sarcoinc.com/rockislands-new.html

I've read that Charles Daly and Rock Island 1911s are made by the same company in the Philipines. I suppose that, like many firearms companies, they'll put whatever features and name you want on 'em, as long as you place a big enough order.

I've read that Charles Daly and Rock Island 1911s are made by the same company in the Philipines. I suppose that, like many firearms companies, they'll put whatever features and name you want on 'em, as long as you place a big enough order.

I'm pretty sure Rock Island Armory is the mfg. They produce and sell to/trhough others.

My local dealer just showed me a Rock Island 1911 target pistol he got in. Seems the price is around $600. I don't know about the overall quality of the gun, but I will say it had the best 1911 trigger I've ever seen - light, crisp pull with no noticable creep or overtravel. My dealer had a snap cap in the chamber so he could let all the customers try it.

I don't have the full size 1911, but I do have a .45 CD 3" (Officers Model?). I picked it up new about 10 years ago with two mags. With Hogue rubber grips, it always shoots straight and it has never missed a shell. It sleeps in the console of my pickup. Good luck.
George

Are these actually RIs that are built for CD to upgrade?

They just have that 'look' to them.


Such a Richard! :mad: