Shot my new Remmy for the first time today. Fired about 150 rounds of my reloads without a single problem. This may actually be saying something. I messed up and seated the bullets too deep so my rounds were too short. They gave my friend’s Ruger 1911 some real fits. As I said before, I have a RO which I love --it's an older one; it's actually my carry piece. I have some comparisons to make but bear in mind that I'm relatively new to 1911's. Cut me a little slack if I make a mistake.
The slide to frame fit on the RO is definitely tighter. I would compare that of the Remmy to an Army issue M9.
The barrel to bushing fit is very tight on both. However, I must use a bushing wrench to disassemble the RO no matter what I do. On the Remmy, I can push the slide a little out of battery and rotate the bushing by hand. Personally, I prefer this.
The Remmy has a fiber optic front sight which is very easy to see. The RO's is metal (steel?). Paint helps but it's still not as easy to see as the fiber optic. The RO originally had an LPA rear sight. I replaced it with a Harrison (great product) as the pin on the LPA sight would work its way out under recoil.
The trigger on the Remmy didn't seem all that well fitted. I say “didn't” as I already replaced it with a Wilson short trigger (a product which doesn't impress me). I can't compare it to that of the RO as I replaced its trigger with a Harrison short trigger (great product). I don't remember how the RO's original trigger was fitted.
I don't have a trigger gauge but the RO's trigger seems a little lighter. The Remmy's trigger is not bad by any means but it does seem a smidge heavier. The RO is series 70 and uses a smaller firing pin and heavier FP spring to prevent the gun going off when dropped. The Remmy is series 80 and I'm guessing, retains the original size firing pin. FOR WHAT I'M DOING, I'm not sure which I prefer. It seems like the original sized firing pin would be more durable and light off primers more reliably but maybe someone can explain why I'm wrong. I'll say this, I'm fine with the Remmy trigger, series 80 or not.
The slide rail on the frame of the Remmy has been cut away above the slide stop tab. I don't know what I think of that but it did seem easy to get the slide stop back in.
The grip safety on the Remmy is a little better fitted than the one on the RO. That is to say, there’s less protruding around the edges of the frame when depressed. This is what caught my eye in the gun store.
I don't wish to comment much on the metallurgy associated the with slide and frame of either gun. This is not my field of expertise. It seems to me that hammer forged would be better but what do I know? Personally, I'm alright with a Brazilian made frame. I'm under the impression that IMBEL has a very good rep so it seems OK to me.
The Remmy has front cocking serrations, the RO doesn't. I'm don't know if I care or not.
The extractor on the Remmy seems well done.
The feed ramp on the frame of my RO is quite smooth. The one one the Remmy has a couple of obvious machine marks; they’re not bad but I noticed them. They may polish out but I doubt it. They're not exceedingly deep and I don't think I'm going to have a problem but time will tell.
For now, I'm going to keep carrying my RO. I bought it used and it had some issues which were caused by some home gunsmithing of the previous owner. I've since corrected those issues and I've not had a single problem with it since. The Remmy does seem like a great gun though. I'll let you now how I feel a few thousand rounds from now.
*As an aside, regarding the length of my rounds: There’s a formula one can use to calculate max/starting powder charge as it relates to COL. At least I hope there is since I’ve been using it awhile. If you’re curious, ask around on the reloading forum.