Tisas "Duty" 5" Government model 45acp.

[jar]

Well my first Tisas of 2023 is a "Duty" model that was on sale at Classic Firearms for $339.99. The other Tisas 1911s have all worked flawlessly so I expected this one to be the same.

And it was.

The "Duty" is a full size almost 1911A1 with a flat main spring housing, beaver tail speed bump grip safety, long skeleton trigger and "Commander" style hammer as well as Novak style three dot sights. The frame, slide and barrel are forged and milled after hardening. Came standard in a plastic case with two eight round CheckMate magazines. Trigger pull out of the box was three pounds seven ounces with a crisp break and short but positive reset.

Today's range session was simply to test initial function and reliability and as expected it just worked. There were zero failure to feeds, zero failure to go into battery, zero failure to fire and zero failure to eject. It worked with magazines from Ed Brown, ACT, Checkmate, Wilson and MecGar. It worked with seven and eight round magazines. It worked with ball, jhp, ARX bullet shapes and with standard and +P charges. It fed empty casings. It tossed empties about eight to ten feet away.

It was simply boring.





And $339.99.

[Spats McGee]

I like it!

[bamaranger]

I've got one just like it, bought used about a year ago. I created a thread at the time. My experience has been a bit more interesting.

First issue was premature lockback. At first I thought it was the bullet nose (ball) striking the slide lock lever tab in the mag well. I was also suspect of magazines, but the problem continued with 2-3 varieties on hand. I dressed the tab a wee bit, but was reluctant to move a lot of metal. The problem continued, perhaps alleviated some.. I switched to SWC projectiles, no way the bullet nose could strike the tab with them. The problem continued. I had a pal mill a small detent on the face of the slide lock lever where the plunger bears on it. That fixed it, but then occasionally I would get a failure to lock when empty, somewhat magazine dependent. I disassembled the plunger tube, stretched the plunger spring and reassembled. Now the gun would not lock with any magazine. The plunger would bury itself in the dimple I created and not move. Full circle at that point, from premature lock, to failure to lock. I then broadened the tip of the plunger, and polished the face of the lock lever. That seems to have solved it. In hindsight, I should have replaced or stretched the plunger spring first, for I now suspect the problem was insufficient pressure from the plunger and spring from the beginning.

Next, a real crisis. Bamaboy was shooting the pistol and had a squib. ... my reloads. Before I could react, he "tap/racked and drove a live round on top of the slug in the barrel, jugging same, but the gun held together. So much so I had to drive it apart with a mallet. We bought a new EAB drop in with "minor" fitting required, and followed the instructions that came with it to get the new barrel fit to the gun. The EAB barrel provided a distinct improvement in accuracy BTW.

I was never happy with the operation of the safety, insufficient "snick", overall mushy operation. I would sometimes find the safety wiped "off". Increasing the plunger tension had helped a bit, but the issue persisted. I deepened the radius on the safety where the plunger bore upon it, and that helped. The tip of the ambi safety on the right side was not fit quite right either, protruding upward excessively and touching the slide. I relieved the tip of the safety and that allowed full safety movement upward. That and the radius change on the left side greatly improved the safety operation.

At 800 rounds, the firing pin stop plate fractured. I replaced it with a EAB drop in part. At 1121 rounds the upper right corner of the right grip panel fractured, and I replaced grips with a set from Ergo. I have no idea what caused the breakage. I had to relieve a small portion of the interior of the right Ergo grip to allow fit and function of the ambi safety.

I'm at 1300+ rounds now. The pistol is magazine dependent, with best function from Wilson mags, including a pair of 10 rounders. Some Shooting Stars and a lone Metalform not so much. The factory MecGar runs good. Hollow points on hand, W-W Ranger -T and Fed Hydrashoks, are a roll of the dice no matter the mag, but oddly, SWC feeds OK. Ball or LRN runs best of course. The ammo issue does not really bother me.

Accuracy is VERY good, especially with the EAB barrel. The trigger is OK by me, though I really don't have much experience to compare. I drifted the rear sight a slight bit to get on target, and the fixed sights are visible and good elevation wise with either ball or SWC.

All said......I like it, despite all the gun plumbing I've had to do. I had a genuine Colt Commander that was every bit as contrary, and not nearly as accurate. I'm to the point where I trust it with ball and almost with SWC. I carry it as a woods pistol and general utility piece, but I am not trusting of it quite yet for pure SD carry. I got it very affordably as a hobby gun, and it has reignited my interest in the 1911. I'm saving for a Ronin or a Ruger next.

[Siggy-06]

There are some good deals out there on the non major brand guns. Tisas 1911s, EAA Windicators, even my $220 Turkish Winchester SXP shotgun has been great.

[jar]

Originally Posted by Siggy-06

There are some good deals out there on the non major brand guns. Tisas 1911s, EAA Windicators, even my $220 Turkish Winchester SXP shotgun has been great.

I have the 20 gauge SXP.

[jar]

Second range day with the new Tisas "Duty". Just 230 ball today but mostly at 25 yards. Used a five dot target and out of 40 rounds there were two fliers and the other 38 rounds in the selected dot.

I got Covid as a Christmas present and I still get exhausted easily and I'll try to get away with that as an explanation for the two fliers.

Ended up with 7 rounds rapid fire at 7 yards and the "Duty" was simply boooooooring. Sights aligned. Unfortunately it shoots right where I aim rather then right where I thought I aimed.

Zero failure to feed, zero failure to go into battery, zero failure to fire, zero failure to eject. So far I'm just slightly over 150 rounds though the gun and it has simply worked.

I like this gun and it is certainly punching way above its price point.

[CajunBass]

I'm always surprised to find another flavor of Tisas 1911 that I've never seen. They must make a lot of just slightly different ones. I believe you could make a pretty decent "collection" just rounding up all the various models.

I've got a "1911A1 Service" that is pretty much a basic GI type I suppose, except it's all black, and the ejection port and mag well are beveled slightly. It came with two 8 round mags and black plastic grips. Standard GI type sights and trigger I suppose, and a flat mainspring housing and standard beavertail.





I forgot what I paid for it, but it was the least expensive one Bud's had at the time. I've actually only had this one to the range once, for 50 rounds, but it didn't miss a beat.

Once I figure out how to hold those tiny GI sights, the gun did fine (7 yards). The operator...not so much.

[jar]

I've been trying to convince them to bring out two additional offerings.

[jar]

Another 32 rounds through the new "Duty" today at ten yards. One failure feed but I'm pretty sure it was my bad. Thumb on slide lock syndrome. That take it up over 180 rounds now and the only real issue has been the shooter.

[oldbear1950]

I have one in both 45 acp, and the 9 mm version. Have not fired the 9 yet, as I just got it and the weather has been bad here. Only place to go shooting is an outdoor range,
Will try and go this week,

[CDW4ME]

The Duty model having a beavertail grip safety and useable sights looks like a win.

[bamaranger]

The reference to "finger on the slide lock" makes me believe the OP experienced a premature slidelock and not a failure to feed.

Although the contemporary grip is thumbs forward, being an old revolver shooter originally, I transferred that grip to autos and lock the shooting thumb down with the thumb of the off hand, eliminating the possibility that my thumbs will bump the slide lock lever. as an aside, I have read and heard that resting the shooting thumb on the safety lever was the endorsed old school grip, but that never felt right or worked for me.

I have tried thumbs forward grip with my auto pistols, and think I do get a more solid grip/hold, but though I may start with that grip at the buzzer, often under stress , after a reload or moving through a course of fire to the next firing point, I'm back to locking my thumbs down.

Back to the Tisas, ...Jar.....if your issue is a prelock, and continues, consider a weak plunger tube spring.

[jar]

Originally Posted by bamaranger

Back to the Tisas, ...Jar.....if your issue is a prelock, and continues, consider a weak plunger tube spring.

The issue is the shooter. Stupid thumb rode the slide lock.

[oldbear1950]

have to admit, never did that thumb on the slide lock stance. My thumb is not long enough to reach the slide lock, although it will touch the thumb safety, and I have to be careful not to engage the thumb safety,

[oldbear1950]

I to shoot a lot of revolvers, both single and double action revolvers.
I have a Tauras double action 22/22 mag, a double action old Ruger security six, and an Uberti EL PATRON, copy of a COLT SAA,