Tisas or RIA?

[FL-NC]

A friend of mine who is also a Veteran is moving for a while to a jurisdiction where his 2nd amendment rights are going to be considerably infringed. Many of the guns he owns will not be able to make the trip. He is very experienced with firearms of various types, including the 1911 in various formats. Due to the unconstitutional laws where he is headed, he is interested in purchasing a railed1911 pistol for home defense, in lieu of using pistols he has now and buying neutered magazines. He is trying to avoid paying the higher prices that come with a Sig, SA operator, Colt M45, and so on, but he doesn't want to nose-dive into another pistol to find out its a turd. So, he was considering either the RIA TAC-Standard-FS or the Tisas 1911 Duty BR. I have zero experience with either of these manufacturers, but from looking at tables at gun shows and the display cases at gun shops, they seem to be popular. It looks like the Tisas may be a little easier to get a holster for, since it looks like the rail mimics the one on my SA operator and similar designs. Also, the Tisas has front slide serrations, which is nice but not a required feature. So what do owners/shooters of either or both of these pistols here think of them? He already has a commander size 1911 and has ordered the rail for it that is integral with the grips, but he wants a second one, since "2 is 1 and 1 is none". He also already has several pistol mountable lights and ample quality 1911 mags in 8 and 10 round capacity.

 

[hso]

pistol for home defense

RIA TAC-Standard-FS

I like RIA and Tisas, but there's a longer track record with the RIA 1911s.

 

[SimonRL]

I just bought the Tisas Duty BR in 9mm and I have to say I couldn’t t be happier. I bought it to see if a dirt cheap 1911 was worth it, or not. First off, it’s a great looking gun with a rich satin black finish and comes with two ant-friction black mags in a pretty nice plastic case with cleaning brush, cleaning jag and branded bushing wrench. It is tight, with no rattle. Mine has a smooth trigger pull that is 3lb 8oz and after 275 rounds have only experienced a single stovepipe. I had it at the range yesterday along with my SA Range Officer Target, which cost twice what I paid for the Tisas, and they both performed identically.

 

[jar]

I don't like rails on my handguns so I bought the Tisas 1911A1 (Full-size) and the Tisas 1911 Duty (Commander sized).

Initially I was really hesitant since I have a history of just not getting along with the 1911 platform. Almost 40 years ago I bought a new Colt Series 80 but after years of really trying to like it and make it reliable and several trips back to Colt it was still really picky about ammo and magazines and just plain no fun at all. So it went to a Forever Home.

About 20 years ago I bought a new Dan Wesson Pointman/Patriot but again, after years of trying to like it and make it something I trusted it too went to a Forever Home.

I really felt like I should like a 1911, I loved the 45acp as a cartridge and had quite a few wheel guns in the round and had many decades of enjoyment with them and I kept seeing the reviews on the Tisas and RIA 1911s and would put one in the shopping cart then chicken out. Finally I did order the Tisas 1911A1 US Army model and it was everything I thought a 1911 could be. It was tight and accurate and ate any ammo I fed it and liked any magazines I stuck in it and had zero failure to feed and zero failure to fire and zero failure to eject and was easy to maintain and felt good and made me look good.

And then a Tisas B45 Enhanced Carry (Commander size) followed me home and it was tight and accurate and ate any ammo I fed it and liked any magazines I stuck in it and had zero failure to feed and zero failure to fire and zero failure to eject and was easy to maintain and felt good and was smaller and fancier and still made me look good.

I know, it's only a sample of two successes and two failures and just my opinion and what do I know.

But this morning at the range with the Carry and at SD distances of 3-7 yards it allowed me to put all the holes in the 5 count area and a really big hole where the X usta was.

And a smile on my face. So on the way home I got a breakfast biscuit meal at What-A-Burger.

But forgot and left an Ed Brown magazine at the range. They found it for me and I'll pick it up Wednesday.

 

[WestKentucky]

My RIA has me sold on the brand. Mine is a basic 10mm but I wouldn’t shy away from any of their 1911 style pistols. In fact I’m hoping to stumble across a compact 9mm at some point.

 

[greyling22]

the youtube channel honest outlaw really spoke highly of the girsan 1911.

 

[entropy]

I owned an RIA GI; good gun. I stupidly let my son have it, he traded it for a .357 revolver.
A friend who had shot my RIA quite a bit bought a Tisas, which I fired. We agreed both were good guns for the $$.

 

[Blkhrt13]

I’ve not owned either but handled both on multiple occasions. My dad has a RIA and my sons friend has a Tisas. I have yet to hear any complaints from either of them. I’ve not shot either but plan to remedy that.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Been there, done that.

I bought another Beretta 92 (yes, lost mag capacity but I knew it) to play their socialist game. Then a Ruger LCR as I didn't have one of those yet so it made a bit of sense as I would get my J frames back later.

That said. I went RIA later but think Tisa is as good or better.

Don't rule out higher cap stuff though with a lower cap mag for the time being. May be better $$ spent.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I have 12 1911's. 8 of them are RIA'S.

 

[ontarget]

Love my RIA.

 

[halfmoonclip]

Can't speak to the upmarket versions, but personal experience with the TISAS has been nothing but positive; nicely fit and finished, decent trigger, Series 70 works (have yet to pull the firing pin to see if it is steel), bang all the time. A buddy brought his around for me to move the rear sight for a zero; (he'll be taking it to Perry for the GI division), and more of the same. (It did take a BFH to finally move that rear sight)
One caveat; if you choke really high on the frame, the hammer can bite you. I've smoothed mine up, and solved the problem.
Moon

 

[Tallball]

I had one Tisas and it was reliable.

I've had four RIA's. Three were reliable from Day One. The other one required three trips back to the factory.

 

[Y-T71]

I'm have neither RIA or Tisas but have owned 8 1911's over the years (from Springfields, SIG's and Colt's and fired many more including the RIA)

If I was buying today I would get the RIA.
They've been on the market for awhile with a good reputation.

CS seem to be excellent and they have a pretty comprehensive selection.

On a much more personal note, I really want .38 super and RIA looks like a great, entry level pistol to get there.

 

[FL-NC]

I don't like rails on my handguns

I think they take away from the appearance of a handgun too, and they definitely look "off" on a 100+ year old design like a 1911- but if you want a light on your handgun, they are pretty much mandatory, and if you need to use a gun in the dark, target ID is really important for getting hits and overall safety.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I completely taken the Tisas apart, down to the pins. Loaded it with 8 rounds from the factory mags, No issues after 200 rounds. and it’s a quality gun for the price. I also head nothing but good stuff from RIA, and has a longer track record. He won’t go wrong with either

 

[jar]

I think they take away from the appearance of a handgun too, and they definitely look "off" on a 100+ year old design like a 1911- but if you want a light on your handgun, they are pretty much mandatory, and if you need to use a gun in the dark, target ID is really important for getting hits and overall safety.

I agree but take a different route. I'm old and live at home and very seldom go out after dark and so instead of putting a light on my handgun I have voice and application control over all of the lighting inside and outside my home so that I can determine what is lighted and what is in the dark. In the few instances when I'm out after dark I prefer a tiny bright LED light held away from my body or firearm.

I don't dislike rails on guns simply because they are ugly; after all there are almost no modern handguns or rifles that are not at best totally FUGLY. What I dislike is the idea of changing the balance point and point-ability of a self defense handgun. On something used only on the range or only outside away from all lights on a moonless night with coastal fog like found along El Camino Real between San Buenaventura and Santa Barbara I can even accept the look as long as there is no one around that might recognize me.

 

[bannockburn]

Worked on an RIA 1911 for a friend of mine as he wanted a beaver tail grip safety, a rounded hammer, and an extended slide release. Since the gun was nickel plated (and they did a fine job of plating it), we went with all polished stainless steel parts. While I had the gun apart I was impressed at how well the internal parts were fitted and with hardly any visible tool marks inside.

Tolerances were very good with a solid frame to slide and slide to barrel fit. Overall I would say it had a really decent fit and finish and rate the gun as being an excellent buy for the money.

 

[12Bravo20]

I have no experiences with Tisa other than handling them at gun stores. I do have several RIA 1911s. The only issue I had with my 9mm RIA was that I had to tune the extractor, but that is a very minor issue. The extractor was tuned for 38 Super so it would occasionally slip off 9mm cases. I also bough a 38 Super barrel from RIA for the 9mm and it went in without any hand fitting required. I probably should have bought some lottery tickets afterwards since that was the first barrel swap I have done that did not require any fitting.

 

[Madcap_Magician]

Tisas makes a fine firearm, by all accounts, and Rock Island Armory is quite a good deal as well. I unfortunately will not buy a Tisas due to the country of origin, though.

Bul Armory is another sleeper - those have an excellent reputation internationally for IPSC guns and they make a no-MIM gun with a lot of little upgrades for under $1,000. You get a mag well, nice G10 grips, fiber-optic front sight, checkered front strap (which is pretty darn rare at this price point IIRC), but it may be a deal breaker if your friend wants a GI guide rod setup and traditional barrel. They are Israeli-made. I would consider these a moderate upgrade over the Tisas/RIA guns and quality-wise better than SA or Colt just without the name. Probably not as good as Dan Wesson, but also like $500-600 cheaper than Dan Wesson.

 

[md7]

Tisas and RIA sure seem to have a whole lot of satisfied owners. That alone would lead me to
believe that they should work pretty well out of the box

No clue how they are longevity wise, but if there were any issues long term then I’d imagine like any 1911, parts could be fitted as needed to keep it rolling along.

 

[jstert]

forgive me if way off kilter here but i worked/lived in gun-restricted locales for many years and my one handgun was a 38sp revolver, 2” steel taurus 85 to be exact. practiced speedloaders made relatively fast reloads. nothing much to worry about, no break-in needed, just pull the trigger and it goes bang.

 

[Skylerbone]

Rarely would I steer someone away from a 1911 purchase but my thought process is as follows:

Most ever 1911 I have fired felt a little different in hand as compared to others. Whether it’s controls, stocks, frame treatments, MSH; they all invite dissimilarity. Personally, I like certain things to remain consistent and be of known quality so inevitably I swap parts.

Now considering say a $350? base Tisas and adding a few $15 basic magazines will still only result in a 1911 with lackluster everything including sights. Jumping to the mentioned RIA TAC standard means $550 plus magazines plus tax etc. My instinct despite not knowing what other suitable pistols your friend owns is to believe that somewhere he already owns a better option that won’t require more than $100 worth of magazines to resolve the legal issue with. In economic terms I consider the choice an easy one, even more so if he would like to one day own a really nice 1911 for which he will have $500 already saved.

Should he not be dissuaded, the Rock is well appointed enough for his intended use.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Rarely would I steer someone away from a 1911 purchase but my thought process is as follows:

Most ever 1911 I have fired felt a little different in hand as compared to others. Whether it’s controls, stocks, frame treatments, MSH; they all invite dissimilarity. Personally, I like certain things to remain consistent and be of known quality so inevitably I swap parts.

Now considering say a $350? base Tisas and adding a few $15 basic magazines will still only result in a 1911 with lackluster everything including sights. Jumping to the mentioned RIA TAC standard means $550 plus magazines plus tax etc. My instinct despite not knowing what other suitable pistols your friend owns is to believe that somewhere he already owns a better option that won’t require more than $100 worth of magazines to resolve the legal issue with. In economic terms I consider the choice an easy one, even more so if he would like to one day own a really nice 1911 for which he will have $500 already saved.

Should he not be dissuaded, the Rock is well appointed enough for his intended use.

I say start with a cheap 1911 that works! Take it apart and learn everything about it! go to town with the buffing wheel and polish stone, Flitz is your friend… then, when your ready go for a $1500 1911. You will know what you like!

 

[American_Fusilier]

I've had both and prefer the RIA. But they're both good. The Tisas was my first 1911.