Tisas 1911 questions

[big honkin jeep]

Or go buy a SA 1911 in any flavor you choose and be done with it.
I used to spend a good bit on customs and hand fitted parts until I realized that Springfield Armory makes super high quality factory 1911 pistols from GI rattlesnake shakes to those with all the bells and whistles and everything in between. Never had an unreliable factory SA 1911. Most of the world reknowned high dollar custom 1911 pistol smiths got their start working at Springfield Armory and in their custom shop. Also gotta love a warranty you dont need. Theres not enough cost difference between he "wannabes" and a forged SA to justify my buying anything else. Never had anything close to the failure rate described above with anything but an uber tight hand built custom match gun that cost three times as much and needed cleaning every 50 rounds or so to function. Even from a ransom rest it doesnt shoot noticeably better than a factory SA STS Target model.
Just one of those expensive lessons I picked up along the way..

[PatrickBruce]

In the built vs bought conversation, I prefer to build and process through any issues I find

[Dave Hoback]

Again, there is nothing to help. 1 or 2 jams in 50 rounds is quite normal for a 1911. It holds true, the tighter it is, the more jams will happen. The looser parts are, the less. But as soon as it starts getting dry, lack of lubricant, it will jam. This includes Springfield Armory 1911’s which I’ve both owned, and sold many hundreds! And also returned dozens for warranty work because of…… yes, Jamming. Although, this does not mean there is a problem.

I agree with the above. I too preferred building my own over buying. Those 1911’s I built were nicer & functioned better than those I or my friends and son, purchased. One thing you can try for piece of mind, is to polish the feed ramp & such.

[big honkin jeep]

Sorry nothing to add except that SA makes the TRP and the requirements for the adaptation were The model that won the 5,000 pistol contract back in 1988 had to meet stringent performance requirements like 2,500 rounds without stoppage and 1.5-inch groups from 25 yards with service ammunition.
Never owned a factory 1911 with a failure rate as high as stated above and actually honed the chamber on my Wilson combat match barrel and polished my reworked forged slide mating surfaces until it would run.
I only mentioned starting with an SA because if youre going to spend the $ on building a 1911 and the effort on hand fitting parts I feel its a disservice not to do so on forged slides and frames.
Good luck and hope you get your Tisas and its tolerances figured out.

[Dave Hoback]

Oh I wasn’t recommending anyone build a 1911 over buying one. Especially not without pretty extensive knowledge & background building/working on firearms. A 1911 is Not the firearm for a First Build. I know now there are these so called drop in parts for the 1911, but I would never use them. They didn’t exist when I was building them. Oversize parts & hand fit is the way to go.

But let me ask, why do you think it’s a disservice not to have a Forged frame? Just wondering your thoughts? I felt that way at one time, as I was conditioned through magazines and typical shooter range talNot to mention a lack of factual knowledge in operation and building. But it was actually CZ that first changed my mind on the Cast vs Forged debate. The CZ 75 is one of the finest firearms ever produced. No one out there has ever seen or even actually heard of a CS75 failing do it’s Cast frame. While most firearms manufactures that do use Cast Frames, still tend to use Forged Slides. Not all though. After learning CZ’s background, I then started learning of others, like Ruger using Cast Frames, Slides and even their Rifle Receivers are Cast! While I do agree Forged or Machined Billet is a nice touch, to say anything else is a disservice, I think, is not having the best understanding of the difference. While it’s never wrong to use a Forged frame, telling people they must or it’s no good is just factually incorrect. Quality of parts is the most important aspect. A bad forged part won’t work any better than a bad cast one. Neither will a quality Forged Frame provide better function, reliability or accuracy over a quality Cast frame. The forging is stronger than the cast in many cases, but simply being Forged does not mean it’s always going to be stronger. In the cases they are stronger, yes, that extra strength gives a certain level of piece of mind. Of course, we all know that added piece of mind does nothing for actual operation in the real world.

The last 1911 I built is the only one I have at present. It was built on a custom maker Cast Frame. And I actually used a S&W slide I already had in my spare parts. But from there, I used almost every single part I could, made by Nighthawk custom. Not just the Trigger, Hammer, Sear & Disconnector, but also the Thumb & Grip Safety, Mainspring Housing, Slide Stop & Safety Plungers & Plunger Tube. The Magazine Release, Slide Stop, Recoil Spring Guide, Plug, Barrel Bushing & a new Barrel Link for proper lock up… Even ALL the pins & grip screws are Nighthawk.. I mean almost everything! And this 1911 I specifically built to fire 450SMC/45 Super, which is quite a stout round! 230gr pills at almost 1150fps & 185gr pills at close to 1400fps from an auto is no slouch! And the Cast Frame is doing just fine. But again, like I said, I wouldn’t recommend building just to have one. The Springfields are great. That was actually the first 1911 I ever owned. A GI model in fact. However, there’s nothing wrong with the Tisas either. Tisas also uses a Forged Frame. But then, I’ve held, inspected, shot, worked on countless RIA 1911’s and never once saw a problem with on it their Cast Frames.