I'm looking for some info on the Citadel 1911 pistols. Very little info on the site here (yes i searched), but some of the US sites speak pretty highly of them. All i've been able to find here is that they are made in the Philippines and they are basically the same as the RIA 1911s.
Are these decent quality? I'm looking for my first 1911, probably in 9mm. My budget is on the low side so i was considering a Norinco, but i came across the Citadels for not a whole bunch more.
Any help would be great.
I received the 9mm on tuesday. I haven't had the chance to actually fire it, and I probably won't be able to for at least 2, maybe 3 weeks because of my schedule. Therefore, what I'm about to say may be thrown out the window if the gun gives me problems in the real world. First off, in case you didn't know, Citadel is exactly Rock Island Armory with a different badge. Same exact slide, barrel, frame, components, etc. They are made/assembled by the very same people that make the Rock Island line. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the build quality is the same. The only thing I'm noticing that's different are the front cocking serrations. That's about it. This is what I've researched.
Before I start, let me say that my experience with 1911s are with the Norinco GI, STI Spartan (SAM manufactured), STI Ranger II, and the Springfield Range Officer. All in .45acp. I'm comparing the Citadel with these pistols. I've never held and/or fired any other 1911s. So I can't comment on the others. I did order from Sylvestre Sporting Goods. They seem to be a good retailer. They've emailed me personally telling me my transfer has started and my pistol has shipped when the transfer was approved. So, what you get is a decent sized box case. Much better than what you get from Norc and STI. Only Springfield tops it, but that's because Springfield adds a holster to their Range Officers. You don't get much though. Just 2 magazines (Metalform brand), test rounds, and user manual. The pistol I received was made in 2013. Interestingly enough, my Spartan was also a 2013 production when I bought it in 2015.
Slide-to-frame fit is excellent. If you factor in the price, exceptional. No movement whatsoever when the hammer is down. When the hammer is cocked, there is very little (and I do mean little) play. Both of my STIs had more play than this Citadel. In fact, even my Springfield has more play as well. So, that's saying something. Overall build quality is very good to excellent. Yes, there are tool marks when you field strip it, sure, no different than my STI Spartan. And that piece of $hit cost me $850 plus tax. The slide-to-frame fit I already mentioned, but the rest of the parts seem to fit well. Nothing sticks out and out of spec. The slide serrations are really well done. The trigger is heavy at 6lbs. consistent. My Springfield is at 4.25lbs in comparison. However, it's not really that bad. Once the overtravel screw is adjusted properly, the trigger is pretty good. I say it's better than both of my STIs because my STIs have vertical trigger play sloppiness which annoyed me. Obviously, one of the great things about 1911s is that you can tune the trigger if you know how or care to know how. So, I wouldn't worry about the heavy 6lb pull. On the Sylvestre website, it shows the "Citadel" branding on the slide to be matte black. This is not true. The branding is in white. Outside of this, I really like the fact the pistol doesn't have too many brandings on it. Just the serial number on one side and a small "M1911-A1 FS" branding on the frame. The "Citadel" branding doesn't seem to be engraved or etched on to the steel. It looks like it was added on after the parkerization. So, it should be removed quite easily if you so choose.
Only 2 things I would fault the manufacturer for. 1) The parkerization, while applied evenly and consistent, chips easily as usual with cheap 1911s. Heck, even my Range Officer's parker isn't durable as well. And 2) the front sight is horrible because it's all black. You might like it, but I don't. These 2 things are on the top of my priority list when it comes to customizing the pistol. The trigger I can live with. It's got slack and a bit of creep, but generally not bad in my opinion. I would most likely change the grips. I find them to be too fat for my hands and too slippery. Of course, a 10rnd 9mm magazine is a must. An oversized mag release wouldn't hurt, maybe a non-plastic mainspring housing, and a wider safety. These are just personal preference mods, not performance enhancing ones. Honestly, those are the only things I would change.
For $450, I'd say you can't go wrong. These are selling for $400 in the US, give or take. Again, let me re-iterate, I haven't fired this pistol yet. Even still, I'm so impressed, I ordered the .45acp version as well.
