The Republic of Texas Commemorative pistol is a Government-length 1911 with Colt 70 Series internals. Empty weight is 2 pounds, 2 ounces. The frame is stainless steel, full-sized, and ramped. The slide is stainless steel, 5-inch with decorative engraving, rounded top, with rear cocking serrations. The left side has the words, “The Republic of Texas”.
On the dust cover reads, “1 of 1836.” The right side of the slide has “March 2, 1836,” the date the Republic of Texas was founded — just below the lowered and flared ejection port. The sights consist of a Novak-style U-notch rear sight, and a brass dot extending from a black blade front sight. The 5-inch .45 ACP barrel is forged and machined with button rifling.
The dustcover is engraved to indicate only 1836 of the model was made.
The frame is forged stainless steel. It has 25 LPI checkering on the front strap. The mainspring housing is flat with 25 LPI checkering. The thumb safety is ambidextrous, and the grip safety has an extended memory bump. Wooden grips with laser-etched Republic of Texas logo midway are on the grip on each side. The trigger and hammer are skeletonized. Trigger pull was initially a little over seven pounds, which surprised me since the triggers are lighter on all three of my other Tisas 1911s.
Tisas Texas Republic Commemorative edition production will be limited to 1836 units.
Tisas provides a carrying case that is worthy of a commemorative pistol.
I made a slight adjustment to the main spring by adding some curve to the left tab (the one that engages the hammer as the sear), and that brought the trigger pull weight down to an average of 5 pounds. If you don’t know what I’m talking about and the need is there, you can refer it to a gunsmith for this minor adjustment. The gun shipped in a lockable case with two 8-round Checkmate magazines. A cleaning brush, rod, and barrel bushing wrench were also included.
As I write this, I’ve made two range trips just to shoot the Texas gun and to share it with a couple of my shooting companions. We’re all 1911 guys, and we’ve all shot a variety of full-size 1911s (including the recently reviewed Tisas Raider which in many regards is the same gun with different cosmetics). One thing about the Texas Commemorative pistol that immediately sets it apart is the sights. The bead front sight viewed through the U-notch of the rear sight make for a very precise sight picture. Even with my aging eyes — aiming at paper targets 10–15 yards away — I can easily create a repeatable sight picture, which makes it easy to create a decent spread.
This 12-yard freehand target is just one of many examples of the accuracy and shootability of the Republic of Texas Commemorative
The Tisas Republic of Texas Commemorative pistol ships in a deluxe lockable pistol case with 2 magazines, cleaning rod, brush, barrel bushing tool, and a safety lock.
The 1911 is such an enjoyable platform to shoot. Because of the maturity of its design, there are no surprises. Such was the case with the Texas Commemorative Tisas. I started with an MTM ammo box containing 100 assorted 230-grain JHP and FMJ cartridges. When those were gone, I switched to some lighter weight, faster cartridges. These included a box of Norma MHP 175-grain cartridges traveling at an average of 1,050 fps and a box of Underwood +P 135-grain cartridges traveling at 1,335 fps. Freehand accuracy was similar with all these rounds and reliability was 100 percent. The weight of the gun helped with recoil.
I cleaned the gun after the second range trip and was surprised to find it wasn’t very dirty. Takedown is standard for a standard-length guide rod.
I have a number of 1911 holsters, so I pulled some of them out and boned up on my 1911 carry strategy. I have a holster for appendix carry of the 9mm Stingray Commander, but I don’t see myself carrying a full-size 1911 in that manner. Instead, I’ll use the Bullard Leather Company IWB holster that carries well at 3 o’clock.
This is a fine collectible pistol for under $1,000. I’ve developed a fine appreciation Tisas and its ability to bring excellent products such as the Tisas Republic of Texas Commemorative 1911 to the U.S.