The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > Hogan's Alley > Handguns: The Semi-automatic Forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old November 16, 2012, 01:42 AM   #1
CWKahrFan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 3, 2010
Posts: 2,016
ATI Tisas Zigana .40 First Impressions and Pics

I appreciate "Buy American"... I get it.
And I also have a penchant for oddball guns... Can't help it.

Since I got my Ruger SR40c, I've become quite enamored with .40 and developed a hankering for a "chromey" hammer-fired gun in that caliber. But I'm retired and have to watch my pennies so I considered cheaper ways to go... like used, or off-brand.

I kept coming back to those ATI closeouts listed at CDNN on page 29 (now):

http://www.cdnninvestments.com/dowournewcat.html

Yeah, they're made in Turkey (Hey, at least they're in NATO..). I watched the funky promo video of their kinda modern production facility on YouTube and their testing methods:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt4yp9mffWY

And I read generally positive testimony from owners on the net... and watched a couple YouTubes made by owners too.

So I got one... CS40... "Chromey", ported barrel (always been curious about them)... Kinda resembles a Sig... Cost me $340 including transfer.

I've run 120 rounds through it so far. Feels real good. Fits my (kinda large) hand perfectly. Weighs 39 oz. loaded... Alloy frame, steel slide. Feels very substantial and solid. Everything's as tight as it needs to be. The ported barrel doesn't interfere with my sighting at all and helps with muzzle flip.

I ran a 50-rd. box of range FMJ's plus 70 of my own hotter reloads. Accuracy was decent for a 4" barrel .40 (though I'm a little better with my SR40c). It functioned fine except for on two of my reload mags the very last round didn't chamber correctly. No big deal... The factory production ammo ran without a hitch. It came with only one mag, which seems very well made.

It spews brass a little erratically but none near my face, so that's not a big deal.

For the price I paid, I'm happy with what I've got.

I gotta add that ATI has apparently dropped the Tisas line. Why? I don't know... But that's probably a big chunk of the reason that CDNN is liquidating them cheap. Now, I know!... that parts may be difficult to come by in the future but I'm very resourceful and not too worried. (Please don't harp about THAT too much in this thread... I already said it and I'm not a salesman for Tisas or CDNN... I'm just relating my story.)

So, I'm going to post a bunch of pics now 'cause (they say) they're worth a thousand words. You'll see some places where the fit and finish is commensurate with a bargain gun but, all in all, I feel this gun is going to work for me. I'll do a follow-up sometime down the line for the curious.







__________________
What did Mrs. Bullet say to Mr. Bullet? ... "We're having a BeeBee!"...
IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT!... IF THE GUN FITS, SHOOT IT!
"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it."
CWKahrFan is offline  
Old November 16, 2012, 01:47 AM   #2
CWKahrFan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 3, 2010
Posts: 2,016








__________________
What did Mrs. Bullet say to Mr. Bullet? ... "We're having a BeeBee!"...
IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT!... IF THE GUN FITS, SHOOT IT!
"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it."
CWKahrFan is offline  
Old November 16, 2012, 01:50 AM   #3
CWKahrFan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 3, 2010
Posts: 2,016




__________________
What did Mrs. Bullet say to Mr. Bullet? ... "We're having a BeeBee!"...
IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT!... IF THE GUN FITS, SHOOT IT!
"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it."
CWKahrFan is offline  
Old November 16, 2012, 04:54 PM   #4
CWKahrFan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 3, 2010
Posts: 2,016
Anyone else here own one of this brand?... How's it going?
__________________
What did Mrs. Bullet say to Mr. Bullet? ... "We're having a BeeBee!"...
IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT!... IF THE GUN FITS, SHOOT IT!
"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it."
CWKahrFan is offline  
Old November 17, 2012, 12:04 AM   #5
pelo801
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 9, 2009
Posts: 718
i have two, both the C45 model. one is a blued gun that i got before ATI got involved with Tisas and the other is basically identical to your 40. everything is going fine with mine, except neither one will run any kind of HP. but that's ok by me. i actually like the blued one better, it has wood panel grips, but mostly the trigger is a little smoother. maybe because it has 3 times as many rounds fired. it also came with two mags. i came across a place that sells mags for these guns, if i can find it again, I'll post a link
pelo801 is offline  
Old November 17, 2012, 12:28 AM   #6
CWKahrFan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 3, 2010
Posts: 2,016
pelo,

Cool... Thanks for responding. Yeah, a link for mags would be great!

I didn't specify above that my reloads were HP's.

I also didn't mention above how much I like the trigger on mine. The double-action pull is quite stiff, but in single-action mode it's fantastic... One of the very best I've experienced.

If you feel like revealing your approx. round counts through those guns, I'm all ears.

I don't know the real scoop on ATI's current relationship to TISAS... I simply noticed that there are none shown on the main ATI website. I have come across a couple of other dealers that handle them besides CDNN but I don't know anything about them:

http://www.slickguns.com/product/tur...l-pistol-28999

http://www.e-gunstore.com/Firearms/A...ml?product=950
__________________
What did Mrs. Bullet say to Mr. Bullet? ... "We're having a BeeBee!"...
IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT!... IF THE GUN FITS, SHOOT IT!
"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it."
CWKahrFan is offline  
Old November 18, 2012, 10:53 AM   #7
pelo801
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 9, 2009
Posts: 718
none of the local dealers around here are even aware of these guns. and i don't hear too much talk about them on the internet either. i think they're kinda a sleeper gun. a good gun for a relatively good price. a little bulky looking but they still look cool enough. and function great, i've never really had a problem with either of mine.

i reload 45. the load i had been using in the non ported gun didn't work in the ported gun. it wouldn't push the slide all the way back, it would go back enough to eject the shell, but not enough to compress the spring enough. i uped the charge and fixed that problem easily. the ported gun is right around 1500-2000 rounds and the non ported one is closer to 5000.

i did find a site that carried mags for tisas pistols, but it was only for the CS9 and FS9 models. i'll keep looking.
pelo801 is offline  
Old November 18, 2012, 11:31 AM   #8
CWKahrFan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 3, 2010
Posts: 2,016
It's nice to see your round counts there.

I noticed in their technical specifications in the manual, under Minimum Barrel Life it lists 25,000 shots.

I like the bulky look... Coupled with the ports and vents, mine is the most intimidating-looking gun I have (which can be a nice factor in certain defensive circumstances).

I have smaller carry guns that I'm happy with but, mostly, I wanted something bigger and heavier for the range. The slide of the CS40 is actually slightly narrower than the the slide of the Ruger SR40c.

It'll be interesting to see if they become better-known in the States. There's a lot of gun there for the price.
__________________
What did Mrs. Bullet say to Mr. Bullet? ... "We're having a BeeBee!"...
IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT!... IF THE GUN FITS, SHOOT IT!
"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it."
CWKahrFan is offline  
Old November 29, 2012, 07:42 PM   #9
CWKahrFan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 3, 2010
Posts: 2,016
I ran another 50 rds. today and concentrated more on my accuracy.
Freestanding at 30 ft., all shots were within the nine ring, and at least half were in the ten. Considering the fact that I'm 64, I was very happy.

Shooting the ATI Tisas back-to-back with my Ruger SR40c and really paying attention, it was more apparent to me this time how the ported barrel and extra weight team up to make the Tisas a real shooter.

My lighter, poly frame SR40c has noticeably more felt recoil and muzzle flip, as one would expect.

This time I was more accurate with the heavier Tisas, and shooting it was easier and more enjoyable than shooting the Ruger. THE TISAS TRIGGER IS REALLY GOOD in single-action mode; it has a short pull and requires just the right pressure to suit me. The gun ran 100% smooth with my JHP reloads.

The smaller, lighter Ruger SR40c carries easier and I'm very happy with it.

But as a range and home defense gun, for me, the ATI/Tisas CS40 is proving itself to be worth much more than its price tag would indicate.
__________________
What did Mrs. Bullet say to Mr. Bullet? ... "We're having a BeeBee!"...
IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT!... IF THE GUN FITS, SHOOT IT!
"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it."
CWKahrFan is offline  
Old November 29, 2012, 08:49 PM   #10
pelo801
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 9, 2009
Posts: 718
nice work. the ATI's are a good bargain. do you find your reloads need to be a little hotter for the porting?
pelo801 is offline  
Old November 29, 2012, 09:36 PM   #11
CWKahrFan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 3, 2010
Posts: 2,016
Quote:
do you find your reloads need to be a little hotter for the porting?
Well, SOME velocity must be lost to the ports.

I've been using Power Pistol for my .40 loads. It's definitely very strong. Great for .40 IMHO. Actually I've been backing off lately on my target fare charges because they just seemed a bit much.

Your thinking's got to be right according to a chronometer. I understand that PP burns real fast so maybe it's a little less affected by porting than slower-burning powders would be, but I'm no expert.
__________________
What did Mrs. Bullet say to Mr. Bullet? ... "We're having a BeeBee!"...
IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT!... IF THE GUN FITS, SHOOT IT!
"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it."
CWKahrFan is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:27 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.07153 seconds with 10 queries