Cheap 1911A1: SDS any good for $319

The Carry (Commander) size Tisas arrived and came with two 8 round Check-Mate magazines.

jar

Nice, clean looking copy of a Colt Commander!

jar said:

... two 8 round Check-Mate magazines.

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Typically, a non-extended tube CheckMate with 8 rounds is a tight squeeze with the slide forward.

JTQ said:

Typically, a non-extended tube CheckMate with 8 rounds is a tight squeeze with the slide forward.

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So far I've had no issues with the eight round Check-Mate magazines but a couple Wilson 920s are very tight and also will not insert unless the release button is pushed in. I have a replacement Wilson and also an Ed Brown mag release button inbound to see if that helps. If not I'll just put the Wilson mags in the Box of Shame and relegate them to range use only.

jar said:

So far I've had no issues with the eight round Check-Mate magazines but a couple Wilson 920s are very tight and also will not insert unless the release button is pushed in.

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Two different issues.

Clearing the mag catch, you'll notice the CheckMates have a dimple on the top right of the mag tube that helps clear a mag catch. The Wilson 920 Series doesn't have that dimple on the tube.

The "tight" issue with the CheckMate non-extended tube is they are short and there really isn't enough space in the tube for 8 rounds, their spring, and follower with the slide forward. One can usually get them to seat with the slide forward, but it usually requires quite a bit of attention and quite often, quite a bit of force, more than most other magazines.

bannockburn said:

jar

Nice, clean looking copy of a Colt Commander!

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Very clean and no big billboard roll marks on either side. Feed ramp polished and series 70 internals, slightly lowered ejection port and mag well slightly beveled. Found a Safariland 6378 holster I had purchased sometime ago to use with my Bulgarian Arcus 94 kinda HP clone and the Tisas Carry fits great and the ALS system works on both as well.

Mark_Mark said:

I’m going to get the same gun! Love the extended ambi safety

can’t wait to get my dremel and polishing flitz on that bad boy!

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It's already polished by folk that know what is needed.

Mark_Mark said:

really! smoother than the basic model! that’s value!

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The basic model was also already polished as well.

JTQ said:

Typically, a non-extended tube CheckMate with 8 rounds is a tight squeeze with the slide forward.

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Not on my unfired Tisas 1911 Duty.
The OEM mags loaded 8 rds of 230gr ball Winchesters without any drama. Insertion took little effort.
The same can not be said for the new Wilson 47D I tried. It probably took 30 lbs of force to seat it with the mag release depressed.
My favorite mags are plain Jane Springfields, hand loaded SWCs run flawlessly.

Mark_Mark said:

you going to change out the grips? I personally like black on black. Wonder if they have a super grippy black grip

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Perhaps someday. If I do it would likely be with wood. But if these work it would only be an aesthetic decision. I did try changing the grips on the GI model to see if that made it easier to work the mag release but there was so little difference I'll likely swap back to the original grips.

Otto said:

Not on my unfired Tisas 1911 Duty.
The OEM mags loaded 8 rds of 230gr ball Winchesters without any drama. Insertion took little effort.
The same can not be said for the new Wilson 47D I tried. It probably took 30 lbs of force to seat it with the mag release depressed.
My favorite mags are plain Jane Springfields, hand loaded SWCs run flawlessly.

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Good to know I'm not the only one not happy with Wilson magazines. I do have a Wilson Magazine Release headed my way and it will be interesting to see if the Wilson magaziness work better when I install the Wilson release. But thinking back, I had issues with the Wilson magazines and my Dan Wesson Pointman/Patriot semi-custom as well.



I could at least insert them without having to hold the release button in but they still needed a good dope slap to seat.

jar said:

Good to know I'm not the only one not happy with Wilson magazines.

But thinking back, I had issues with the Wilson magazines and my Dan Wesson Pointman/Patriot semi-custom as well.

I could at least insert them without having to hold the release button in but they still needed a good dope slap to seat.

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Wilson has a large line-up of magazines and they are not all equal. The ETM's you have pictured also have the dimple on the mag tube, like the CheckMate mags, to help clear the mag catch, while the 920's don't.

Note how much longer your ETM mags are than the Wilson 920 or the CheckMate 8 rounders.

Mark_Mark said:

can’t wait to get my dremel and polishing flitz on that bad boy!

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I think that’s a good reason to buy a cheap one. No reason to risk futzing up an expensive one.

I used my $299, back of shotgun news years ago 1911 as a trainer myself.

I actually use it a lot because it was so cheap and with mags it likes, I would put it up against my $3000+ pistols as far as reliability goes.

JTQ said:

Wilson has a large line-up of magazines and they are not all equal. The ETM's you have pictured also have the dimple on the mag tube, like the CheckMate mags, to help clear the mag catch, while the 920's don't.

Note how much longer your ETM mags are than the Wilson 920 or the CheckMate 8 rounders.

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But they were still hard to seat and unreliable feeding.

I got one of the nicer SDS from BUDS and so far is great. I have 3 1911s. A colt 1911 built in 1967, 38 super, with an ED BROWN conversion to 9 mm.. All it took was the barrel, bushing, and magazines. One of the Phillipine 1911s and the new SDS. The phillippine gun and SDS are both 45s. I have put about 4 boxes thru them and so far so good. I retired from the US COAST GUARD IN 1989 after 20 years, actually started on 1911 45s when I was 17 1/2 in the US ARMY RESERVES. Been a 1911 guy ever since. Will be 72 years old this year, boy time flies when your having fun

have to be honest, only thing I did was replace the ambi safety with a regular 1911 safety and works great. AM OLD SCHOOL AND have carried 1911s for 54 years with no problems

It really does. I often carry my Colt 1911 10mm or my Remington 1911 .45. They carry just right.