dogtown tom
Member
I've transferred four in the last two weeks.
TISAS' "Armed Services" 1911A1
- Thread starter Slater
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Nature Boy
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- Joined
- Apr 21, 2015
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- 8,254
I kinda want one
md7
Member
I kinda want one, too
AlexanderA
Member
In the sense that good quality WW2 clones might become collectables in their own right, yes, it might be a good (speculative) idea to buy one. (That is, if you have spare cash laying around. Don't use the grocery money for this.) If you want it for shooting, there are better options. The improvements that a shooter would prefer (updated sights, a lowered ejection port, a beveled magazine well, maybe a firing pin safety) are not present on this gun -- and that's precisely why it appeals to collectors.
halfmoonclip
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- Feb 4, 2011
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- 2,764
I have an older TISAs GI-ish 1911. May get ambitious, and swap it for the more nearly correct iteration (no lowered ejection port, etc). Or not.
Moon
Moon
AlexanderA
Member
Yes, they're available online, for transfers through a local FFL. But, since this is a current-production gun, I would like to see one up close and personal before buying. I just can't find one in the flesh locally. I think Tisas has a problem with their distribution network. Compare the availability with, for example, Sig Sauer.
Today is the day for my large local gun show, The Nation's Gun Show in Chantilly, Virginia. I was thinking about going, just to look for this Tisas, but on further reflection, the chances of finding one are so low that it's not worth fighting the crowds. (The big dealers that always attend this show are not listing this gun on their web sites.)
Lennyjoe
Member
My Tisa’s Duty shoots just as good as any of my 1911’s.
HPJeep
Member
Is Tisas Service or Auto Ordnance GI a more accurate WWII copy externally? I'm not too worried about Series 70 or 80 internally.
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AlexanderA
Member
I don't have the Tisas ASF (yet) but I can comment on the Auto Ordnance / Thompson / Kahr GI.
On the whole, it's a pretty good copy of the WW2 gun. The ejection port is not lowered, and the magazine well is not beveled. On the other hand, it does have the Series 80 firing pin safety.
The following picture is one of my Thompson / Kahr guns, brought up to what I consider acceptable authenticity. Surrounding the gun are the parts I removed or replaced in this process.
At the upper left are the removed firing pin safety parts. These were replaced with a GI firing pin, spring, extractor, and firing pin stop. The levers were replaced with a special filler piece for the frame. Note that the holes / milling in the slide and frame are still there, but they're not externally visible.
The Kahr grip safety has a heavier profile than the GI grip safety, and the Kahr trigger is longer than the GI trigger (but not as long as the M1911 trigger). The recoil spring plug is just plain poor.
The Kahr grips (wood) are nice, but not authentic. The Kahr magazine is basically junk.
From what I've seen, the Turkish gun corrects most of these problems, and at a comparable price. But as I've said, I haven't yet had it in my hands.
trackskippy
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- Oct 2, 2010
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- 3,493
I have a couple of Tisas 1911's, including one of the "Army" models in 9mm. I had ordered the Army gun in 45 and a Tank Commander in 9mm, but my dealer got things mixed up and they came in reverse caliber wise.
All in all, I think they got the copy pretty close. If they had parked the gun, instead of Ceracoating it, it would be better, but, I guess it is what it is. They did get the color pretty close too though.
For the what you pay, they are OK, but you also get what you pay for, and like any of the other 1911's, $ or $$$, expect to have to fiddle a bit. From what Im seeing, the 45 versions are the better way to go, as they are more true to the original design.
Unlike the original design, their 9mm versions use a ramped barrel, and the two guns I have in that caliber, haven't been the most reliable, especially as they come. I have a Colt Commander in 9mm, which follows the traditional design, and its a lot more reliable than the ramped barrel versions.
All three of my Tisas's needed some extractor attention, and later on, a bit of polishing has also helped all of them. I don't know if they had a bad run of extractors or what, but both the 9mm and 45 extractors don't seem to want to hold their tune. I replaced one of the 9mm extractors with a Wilson, and that seems to helped it a lot. Ive had to re-tune the others a couple of times now, and will probably replace them as well down the road.
Ive had a number of other quasi-GI 1911's in the past, AO, Springfield, etc, and I do think Tisas has done one of the better jobs so far. Ive had a couple of GI guns and a number of stock Colts in the past and still have a couple of Colts, and the Tisas look very close and feel the same in the hand. Most of the other copies Ive had didn't for one reason or the other. The early Springfields (early- 80's) were one of the closest, and the later guns were all over the place and pretty bad.
If you want more than a toy out of it, I would stay with the 45 versions, and I would send them off to someone who knows what to do with a 1911 as far as making them reliable, especially if you plan on anything other than ball.
Anyway, this is my 9mm Army Tisas. I replaced the wood grips with GI panels and a piece of skateboard tape on the front strap.
All in all, I think they got the copy pretty close. If they had parked the gun, instead of Ceracoating it, it would be better, but, I guess it is what it is. They did get the color pretty close too though.
For the what you pay, they are OK, but you also get what you pay for, and like any of the other 1911's, $ or $$$, expect to have to fiddle a bit. From what Im seeing, the 45 versions are the better way to go, as they are more true to the original design.
Unlike the original design, their 9mm versions use a ramped barrel, and the two guns I have in that caliber, haven't been the most reliable, especially as they come. I have a Colt Commander in 9mm, which follows the traditional design, and its a lot more reliable than the ramped barrel versions.
All three of my Tisas's needed some extractor attention, and later on, a bit of polishing has also helped all of them. I don't know if they had a bad run of extractors or what, but both the 9mm and 45 extractors don't seem to want to hold their tune. I replaced one of the 9mm extractors with a Wilson, and that seems to helped it a lot. Ive had to re-tune the others a couple of times now, and will probably replace them as well down the road.
Ive had a number of other quasi-GI 1911's in the past, AO, Springfield, etc, and I do think Tisas has done one of the better jobs so far. Ive had a couple of GI guns and a number of stock Colts in the past and still have a couple of Colts, and the Tisas look very close and feel the same in the hand. Most of the other copies Ive had didn't for one reason or the other. The early Springfields (early- 80's) were one of the closest, and the later guns were all over the place and pretty bad.
If you want more than a toy out of it, I would stay with the 45 versions, and I would send them off to someone who knows what to do with a 1911 as far as making them reliable, especially if you plan on anything other than ball.
Anyway, this is my 9mm Army Tisas. I replaced the wood grips with GI panels and a piece of skateboard tape on the front strap.
AlexanderA
Member
What you have is the previous "Army" version of the Tisas. (That one has a lowered ejection port and Cerakote finish.) The new "Armed Forces Family" (ASF) has a Parkerized finish and all the 1943 features.
Your gun is probably better for shooting than the new one. But the new one is a no-brainer if you're primarily interested in authenticity. This is the only one on the market that seriously attempts to replicate the originals.
CapnMac
Member
And is good enough that CMP agreed to offer the "CMP" marked examples.
I've seen a couple of the Parkerized guns. The finish looks very well done, with matching frames and slides. In the past I've seen some Parkerized 1911's in which the frame and slide look mismatched. I've heard that this isn't that uncommon, with frames and slides being treated in different production batches, etc.
AlexanderA
Member
I've been checking Gun Broker for this new Tisas ASF. Lots of the "Army" model (with the lowered ejection port), but hardly any of the more authentic "ASF" model. And the asking prices of those few are north of $500. None are available in local shops in my area. I'm beginning to wonder if this is some kind of vaporware -- a big splash and then nothing.
gc70
Member
I bought this "USMC" marked model when they were available. Nice gun, although I don't know if the "USMC" marking is historically accurate.
https://www.budsgunshop.com/product...ganese+phosphate+coated+manganese+barrel+serr
https://www.budsgunshop.com/product...ganese+phosphate+coated+manganese+barrel+serr
AlexanderA
Member
I looked on Gun Broker again today and there were exactly two Tisas M1911 ASF's in .45 ACP listed for the whole country, both well above $500 when you include shipping and transfer fees. And it looks like I would have to replace the grips and magazines, at least, to bring them up to authenticity. 1990's GI magazines, NOS, are running $25-30 each. This is getting frustrating. It shouldn't be this way for a current-production gun.
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