Yes, I thought I was done buying guns for awhile.
I bought another Rock Island Armory 1911, the MS Ultra (or what used to be called a Tactical MS 2011), manufacture number 51963 (Armscor link it dead, but this one works)
UPDATE: As of 9/12/2022, this gun isn’t available for purchase from Armscor, although you might be able to find it as a used gun or at a gun store that has old stock. The closest things to this gun that is currently on the Armscor website are items 56636 (FS), 56634 (CCO), and 56633 (CS-L) – all three of them being sold with two barrels (9mm and 22TCM9R); All three are Rock Ultras and are single stacked. There are two Tac Ultras that shoot both 9mm and 22TCM9R – 56635 (single stacked) and 56632 (double stacked). The closest in-production RIA to my MS Tac Ultra (51963) is 56632 – that one is a MS Tac Ultra, but it is double stacked.
What’s the difference between that one and the one I currently have? Well, the 51963 will shoot two calibers – .22TCM and 9mm (it comes with two barrels and recoil springs). It also has an accessory rail. The barrels also aren’t bull barrels. Those are the only differences.
The cons of this weapon? The only ammo maker that has this ammo type is Armscor (the maker of this gun). Also, I’d initially thought I was locked into specific magazines for this round, as the .22TCM round is longer than a 9mm round, so I can’t use a 9mm 1911 magazine (well, I CAN, but only if I’ve the 9mm barrel installed), but I’ve found that I can use 1911 mags for .38 Super calibers…basically, that’s what the MS Ultra 22TCM/9mm 1911 uses as a magazine — 1911 .38 Super mags.
I did take the liberty of ordering 250 rounds of 22TCM via online store…it should arrive today. I also found that there’s at least one local store that carries 22TCM. Although they sell it for $6 more than where I found it online, I can rely upon the local store for emergencies. I’d have ordered more 22TCM but I’m due to begin packing up for location move…I don’t think the movers will pack up ammo and I’m already going to have a car that’s heavy with weapons…I’d prefer not to be carrying a ton of ammo too. Once I’ve finalized the relocation, I can then stockpile ammo.
I can’t wait to shoot this gun, but I may wait until tomorrow so that I can clean the gun first. The gun has already arrived at the FFL and I’m awaiting them to call me for pickup, but I can’t go until Fedex delivers that ammo I ordered, otherwise I’ll miss the delivery.
UPDATE:
Fedex waited until 7PM to deliver the ammo. They also dropped it off on the front doorstep and barely knocked on the door. If I’d have known they’d do that, I’d have picked up the weapon without worrying about missing the ammo shipment. The FFL was open until 8PM and I didn’t get there until 7:10. I inspected the weapon and bought another 100 rounds of ammo (that’s the second source of .22TCM ammo that’s local to me, @ $25 a 50-round box). It took me 10 minutes to do the paperwork and another 5 minutes of waiting to see if the background check was good (it always is, and always takes 5 minutes). I was home before 7:30PM.
The gun is NICE. The slide to frame tolerance is quite a bit tighter than my Tactical II RIA, at least from looking at the rear of where the slide meets the frame. With the Tactical II, I can actually see a bit of daylight in some cases, but my Metro Arms is tight…just not as tight as this TCM.
The differences between this gun and my Tactical II is:
- The slide has a flat area down the top of the slide.
- The slide serrations on the TCM are larger and are canted forward.
- The TCM comes with a railed dust cover.
- The TCM comes with two barrels and recoil springs (9mm and 22TCM).
- The TCM is easier to take down (it breaks down in the traditional 1911 manner — has a barrel bushing).
- The magazine follower is a bit different in shape, to allow for usage of both 9mm and 22TCM ammo.
I haven’t been to the range yet. Today is Friday…I’ve no reason to not go to the range and test this gun tonight.
