Before you choose a pistol, you must decide the role and what you expect. If you want a 1911 to be all it can be, you need a model with the best sights, a good trigger action, and modern features such as extended controls. A beavertail grip safety is good to have. These features are expensive. There are folks who simply want an example of a historic icon. A 1911 that looks a lot like the GI .45 the greatest generation deployed is good. Just the same, these handguns are formidable weapons in the hands of a trained shooter. Recently, I was able to test fire one of the more affordable modern 1911 handguns.
The 1911A1 World War Two
I am demanding of performance from a 1911. The Tisas excels on its first criteria and that is appearance. It really looks like a GI .45. I have owned several original 1911 handguns, and the Tisas 1911 is a close clone. If you want a shooter or a gun to upgrade, there are guns such as the Tisas Service with superior features. But then we are back to wishing to own a GI gun. Turkey has an impressive firearms industry. They offer affordable firearms, and they also produce other, more highly developed firearms. They now compete with European makers who once farmed out production to Turkey. A Glock pistol or Beretta shotgun isn’t that difficult to clone and get right. They will run well with a finish that isn’t that great, and represent good economy. A 1911 demands more finesse in fitting. No matter what type of modern CNC machinery is used there is some hand fitting involved in the 1911. Someone who knows something about hard fitting a barrel locking lug and barrel bushing has had their hands on the Tisas 1911.
The author’s GI gun has proven a good buy
The pistol features a dark cerekote finish similar to World War Two Parkerizing. The 1911A1 was introduced in 1928. This pistol features an arched mainspring housing and finger grooves in the frame to shorten finger reach. The trigger is the standard short trigger. Quite a few economy 1911 handguns feature a flat mainspring housing and a long trigger. These are easier to fit a beaver-tail safety to. The 1911A1, like the Tisas illustrated, handles quickly and shoots well with the combination of arched housing and short trigger. The controls are GI. The slide lock and hammer spur are checkered in the original fashion. The pistol features a lanyard ring. Cocking serrations are faithful to the original vertical cuts. The barrel bushing is snug but not tight in 1911A1 fashion. Disassembly isn’t difficult. The sights are dovetailed rear and staked in front sight. Even by early 20th-centurytandards they were small. But they were usually precise when lined up properly. The grips are nicely checkered Turkish walnut in the original double diamond pattern. These grips were fitted to the 1911A1 until World War Two, when plastic checkered grips were used. The Tisas grips are oil finished with a pleasing appearance. The slide and frame are not investment cast but forged, a good point in favor of the Tisas.
Cocking serrations are true to the original, so are GI sights.
An observation on a superior feature of the Tisas 1911A1. This pistol features a very decent trigger pull. There is a slight take-up- no creep- and a smooth break at 4.5 pounds. Reset is rapid. I would be pleased to have this trigger action on a much more expensive 1911. The pistol is supplied with a single Mec Gar magazine. Mec Gar makes good gear with predicted good function. A few words on the sights. Original production standards called for the pistol to fire high at 25 yards. This gave soldiers a fighting chance to connect with the enemy at 50 yards. The Tisas continues with this feature, firing above the point of aim at 25 yards. Simply use the 6 o’clock hold when firing for the bullseye. Another standard was that the pistol group into 5 inches at 25 yards from a machine rest. The accuracy standard for 50 yards was 10 inches. Most GI guns are more accurate than this at 25 yards. The 50-yard group is very difficult with original sights. The Tisas exceeds this standard handily.
Parts interchangeability is good with GI guns.
The .45 Automatic Colt Pistol cartridge was developed as an anti-personnel cartridge and later a superbly accurate target load. The original load with its case cannelure to prevent the bullet from backing into the case during recoil was among the first truly reliable handgun cartridges. Winchester won one of the first contracts for ammunition based on unheard-of for the time reliability standards. Loaded with a 230 grain bullet over Bullseye powder for 820 to 850 fps, the .45 ACP proved to be a definitive fight stopper. The cartridge exhibits a full powder burn in a five-inch barrel with muted flash and excellent practical accuracy.
I chose Winchester’s 230 grain FMJ for evaluation purposes. I added several magazines and headed to the range. I set man-sized targets at 5, 7, and 10 yards. The Tisas is lively in the hand and balances well like a true 1911. The arched mainspring housing and short trigger make for fast shooting. I ate the center out of the man-sized targets in short order. Rapid fire at 10 yards produced good results. The pistol handles well. A natural point helps bring the pistol to the eye. When the front sight breaks the plane between the eye and the target, you are on the X. I fired 50 rounds in rapid fire. The pistol is comfortable to fire as a steel-frame handgun should be. Lightweight frame .45s will never be as comfortable as the full-size pistol. This handgun is a joy to fire. There were no failures to feed the chamber fire or eject. I sometimes forgot I was firing an economy handgun.
With the Browning X bullet load the author did good work.
The pistol features the proper 1/32nd inch gap between the two halves of the feed ramp. This ensures feed reliability. Just the same GI guns sometimes don’t feed hollow points well. This is primarily due to poor bullet design in early-generation expanding bullet loads. I tested the pistol with a magazine of each of two popular defense loads. The Winchester 185 grain Silvertip and Browning’s 225 grain X Bullet were tested. Each fed well. The X bullet demonstrated heavier recoil. The Silvertip was pleasant to fire. Incidentally 185 185-grain bullets struck to the point of aim. The final test was of absolute accuracy. Firing from a solid benchrest position, I used two loads and fired 5-shot groups at 15 yards. The sights are well-regulated but it was a challenge to line them up properly.
Load Group size, five shots, 15 yards
Winchester 230 grain FMJ 2.0 in.
Browning 225 grain X Bullet 2.5 in.
The Tisas is a decent performer worth its modest price. At present, it seems the best buy GI 1911 for recreational shooting. It is true to the design of a World War Two 1911 GI gun. If the pistol is proven and reliable, you could do worse for home defense use.
Carrying the Tisas 1911
Falco’s thumb break holster is a good all-around holster for the 1911.
The pistol fits any holster molded for the 1911. The Tisas would do for animal defense or as a camp gun if you prefer. I carried the Tisas on a long hike in a rather nice Falco holster. The Bateluer C116 is a thumb break similar to standard strong side belt scabbards of a generation ago, often used by plainclothesmen and federal agents. It is useful for concealed carry under a covering garment and also makes a good field holster. The C116 carries the weight well and offers a good mix of speed and retention. The Tisas 1911A1 is a fine entry-level 1911. Many of us started with this type of handgun, and it is good to see one still available.
- Type: Hammer-fired, single-action, semiauto
- Caliber: .45 ACP
- Overall Length: 8.56 in.
- Barrel Length: 5.02 in.
- Weight: 39 oz.
- Construction: Chrome-Moly frame and barrel
- Finish: Cerekote
- Sights: Blade (front), square notch (rear)
- Capacity: 7+1 rds.
- Grips: Checkered wood
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