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Mark_Mark
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I’m show the issue tonight, colt vs WC mags
Cheap 1911A1: SDS any good for $319
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Black cloud
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I would buy one. I have a Rock Island cheapo that out performs a kimber that sits in my safe.
jar
Contributing Member
I've long thought the Colt model 1903 is as close to the perfect handgun as has ever been created. But I've never really been able to like or enjoy the 1911.
My introduction to pistols was when I was in second or third grade when I took a 1911 that had followed my dad home from his four year all expenses paid Mediterranean, North African, Italian and Persian Gulf safari. I took the big old slabside and one round to school for show and tell and to tell the safety lessons I'd learned and that dad said all kids should know. It was big and heavy and rattled and from an adult perspective it had probably been rebuilt a brazillion times with pieces parts what was available. But it was my Dad's. Anyway, the teacher liked my show and tell and even had me go to other classes for their show-n-tell. That day it got passed around the room and every kid got to hold it and see how heavy it was and how big the bullet was and only one boy tried a pew-pew and got scolded by the teacher for breaking the safety rules I had just listed.
Time passed and I grew up and when I was in my 40s eventually bought a 1911 of my own, a series 80. It never felt like that old memory from long ago and it was super tight and never rattled like that old 1911 (it was so loose it would rattle when wrapped in two socks and put in the back of the drawer).
It went to a forever home.
Later I bought a pre-CZ Dan Wesson custom Pointman/Patriot. It was beautiful and super accurate but just again never felt right.
So it went to a forever home.
I always loved the round and had lots of 45acp wheelies from Colt and S&W and while I was living in Phoenix in the 1960s carried one of my S&W Brazilian Contract 1917s in a Hunter holster when I wandered in the desert or Superstitions. They are all still with me.
But I still felt somewhat tainted because I really should like the 1911.
SDS Imports is bringing in a Turkish (Tisas made) 1911A1 that they say is built to the wartime specs and it was selling for under $400.00 and was just an old slabside with no rail and no real sights and no skeleton trigger or hammer and no fancy grips and ... well, nothing but what my dad would have been issued on his safari.
For a couple years I looked at reviews and put one in the basket to check out but never pulled the trigger. Until a couple days ago.
It wasn't under $400.00 but it wasn't much over $400.00 either. Yesterday I picked it up and it came home with me. It wasn't in the cardboard box in the reviews but rather a plastic clamshell case. And it had two magazines rather than just one. And the magazines were from Check-Mate. And it's plain. It doesn't rattle but it does feel just like my memories of the thing dad brought home. I also still had a couple Mec-Gar 1911 magazines that somehow didn't go with the DW. I still have a couple boxes or 45acp ball and a whole bunch of 45acp in moon clips I can de-moon if needed.
I pulled it apart and checked inside and everything is well machined, the feed ramp polished. I lubed it up with Rem Oil and will try to get to the range this weekend to do function check.
So far though I'm pleased. I also found I had a full box of Triton Hi-Vel +P JHPs so if I decide to carry it I should be set.
Took the new to me SDS Import Tisas GI 1911 to the range for a function test before the heat set in. I wasn't shooting for accuracy but just seeing if it would feed reliably, toss reliably and go bang. Ran 56 rounds of old UMC ball and used four magazines, the two Check-Mate that came with the gun and a couple Mec-Gar with no dimple that I had laying around. Ran one magazine of each make of the old Triton +P JHP to see if it died. Ran flawlessly. No failure to feed, no failure to fire, no failure to eject. Cleanup when I got home was easy. Only real issues is that some of the detente springs are still a bear. That should ease up with use.
Who knows. I might actually like this one.
My introduction to pistols was when I was in second or third grade when I took a 1911 that had followed my dad home from his four year all expenses paid Mediterranean, North African, Italian and Persian Gulf safari. I took the big old slabside and one round to school for show and tell and to tell the safety lessons I'd learned and that dad said all kids should know. It was big and heavy and rattled and from an adult perspective it had probably been rebuilt a brazillion times with pieces parts what was available. But it was my Dad's. Anyway, the teacher liked my show and tell and even had me go to other classes for their show-n-tell. That day it got passed around the room and every kid got to hold it and see how heavy it was and how big the bullet was and only one boy tried a pew-pew and got scolded by the teacher for breaking the safety rules I had just listed.
Time passed and I grew up and when I was in my 40s eventually bought a 1911 of my own, a series 80. It never felt like that old memory from long ago and it was super tight and never rattled like that old 1911 (it was so loose it would rattle when wrapped in two socks and put in the back of the drawer).
It went to a forever home.
Later I bought a pre-CZ Dan Wesson custom Pointman/Patriot. It was beautiful and super accurate but just again never felt right.
So it went to a forever home.
I always loved the round and had lots of 45acp wheelies from Colt and S&W and while I was living in Phoenix in the 1960s carried one of my S&W Brazilian Contract 1917s in a Hunter holster when I wandered in the desert or Superstitions. They are all still with me.
But I still felt somewhat tainted because I really should like the 1911.
SDS Imports is bringing in a Turkish (Tisas made) 1911A1 that they say is built to the wartime specs and it was selling for under $400.00 and was just an old slabside with no rail and no real sights and no skeleton trigger or hammer and no fancy grips and ... well, nothing but what my dad would have been issued on his safari.
For a couple years I looked at reviews and put one in the basket to check out but never pulled the trigger. Until a couple days ago.
It wasn't under $400.00 but it wasn't much over $400.00 either. Yesterday I picked it up and it came home with me. It wasn't in the cardboard box in the reviews but rather a plastic clamshell case. And it had two magazines rather than just one. And the magazines were from Check-Mate. And it's plain. It doesn't rattle but it does feel just like my memories of the thing dad brought home. I also still had a couple Mec-Gar 1911 magazines that somehow didn't go with the DW. I still have a couple boxes or 45acp ball and a whole bunch of 45acp in moon clips I can de-moon if needed.
I pulled it apart and checked inside and everything is well machined, the feed ramp polished. I lubed it up with Rem Oil and will try to get to the range this weekend to do function check.
So far though I'm pleased. I also found I had a full box of Triton Hi-Vel +P JHPs so if I decide to carry it I should be set.
Took the new to me SDS Import Tisas GI 1911 to the range for a function test before the heat set in. I wasn't shooting for accuracy but just seeing if it would feed reliably, toss reliably and go bang. Ran 56 rounds of old UMC ball and used four magazines, the two Check-Mate that came with the gun and a couple Mec-Gar with no dimple that I had laying around. Ran one magazine of each make of the old Triton +P JHP to see if it died. Ran flawlessly. No failure to feed, no failure to fire, no failure to eject. Cleanup when I got home was easy. Only real issues is that some of the detente springs are still a bear. That should ease up with use.
Who knows. I might actually like this one.
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jar
Contributing Member
And the teacher just put it in her desk drawer because it was too heavy for me to carry around; no lock, not monitored and let kids come to hold it or just look at it.
It was a different time.
JTQ
Member
Since Colt hasn't made 1911 mags since probably the 1970's, you're getting a contract mag, and it could be almost anything.
CheckMate is their current supplier and has quite a variety of options, some are really good, and some are not.
.45Coltguy
Member
jar, I do think you'll like your new 1911.
jar
Contributing Member
I think I will, but then I really thought I'd like the Series 80 and I really thought I'd like the Dan Wesson. The DW sure was purty though.
American_Fusilier
Member
I had an sds for a while, sold it because I kept getting hammer bite. I found the gun to be underwhelming and not super reliable. Replaced it with a rock island
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Mark_Mark
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yeah, that A2 beavertail is short. I guess men had leather hands back then. I’m going to save up for a Colt Classic next
JTQ
Member
Just for clarity, not all grip safeties are beavertail grip safeties. Your gun, at least the one in the pictures, does not have a beavertail grip safety.
jar
Contributing Member
I get zero hammer bite from the SDS 1911A1. I can't get my hand in a position where hammer bite might be an issue with this one but the PPK was simply a Slice-n-Dice.
jar
Contributing Member
Finally got a photo of the SDS Tisas 1911A1.
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Mark_Mark
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I would pick on up! the upgrade models are ever better if your into ambi, rails, and crisper trigger. and only in the $500 range too. Good value
jar
Contributing Member
It came with two Check-Mate mags and I had a couple Mec-Gar mags from my prior 1911 venture as well as an Ed Brown. So far up to somewhere at 200+ rounds through it now and zero failure to feed, zero failure to fire and zero failure to eject using really old (20 + years) UMC and RP head stamp 230gr ball as well as RP head stamp 185gr JHP and Triton 185gr Hi-Vel +p JHP.
I have a Commander size enhanced one on order but without a rail. No rails on any of my handguns if I can avoid it.
jar
Contributing Member
Personally I never want a light on my firearm.
At home I want to be able to remotely control what is lit and what is dark. Alexa and smart lights allows me to do that. I seldom go out after dark and if I do I have a small powerful led light I can hold away from my body so I'm not simply providing the best possible point of aim for an attacker. The same reasoning applies to a laser pointer on my firearm.
Remember, I am never going to try to detain anyone and any firearm use is a last resort. Flight rather than fight.
AbE:
Now that I've put a couple hundred+ rounds through it I checked the trigger pull using my Lyman Digital Scale and it averages right at a 4 pound break out of the box and no tuning or buffing. The lowest 5 shot reading was 3.86 pounds and the highest was 4.12 pounds.
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JTQ
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jar
Contributing Member
jar
Contributing Member
I have been pretty used to carrying similar size and weight handguns from most of my wheelies to quite a few semi-automatics like the Colt 1903, Smith & Wesson 5906, Walther P-38 and PP, Beretta 81, Browning P-35 and clones so the size and weight doesn't really concern me. I found I still had a bunch of the 1911 IWB and OWB holsters in the Box of Shame and added a 1911 shell from Alien Gear so I didn't need to buy holsters other than the one shell.
As I do with all new guns or new holsters I simply started carrying this one unloaded initially (with a loaded gun in one of my pocket holsters) to make sure it was comfortable to wear for a full day and that the setup made sure the safety stayed in the safe position and that mags didn't get mysteriously ejected (Had that happen once with one of my Berettas. Hate it when I draw a gun and feel the mag hit my foot.). Two of the IWB rigs, one from Alien Gear and another from High Noon Holster and several of my OWB holster seem to work just fine. One that I had even forgotten I owned is a paddle rig from Safariland and it turns out to be exceptionally stable with great retention and holds the gun tight to my body. I haven't tried my shoulder holster for larger guns yet but come fall, assuming fall does come, I'll likely give it a try as well.
I've run a few hundred OLD rounds (purchased a couple decades ago) of ammo and still I've had zero failure to load, zero failure to fire and zero failure to ejects. Trigger pull has remained right at 4 pounds. The magazine release is slightly better than it was initially. I had to use two hands to drop a mag right out of the box. Ordered a set of MagPul Grip Panels that have a relief to make the mag release easier to use and it should arrive today.
Now I guess I'll need to start looking for some ammo.
P.S.
A Commander sized somewhat enhanced but still Series 70 based one is also on order.
As I do with all new guns or new holsters I simply started carrying this one unloaded initially (with a loaded gun in one of my pocket holsters) to make sure it was comfortable to wear for a full day and that the setup made sure the safety stayed in the safe position and that mags didn't get mysteriously ejected (Had that happen once with one of my Berettas. Hate it when I draw a gun and feel the mag hit my foot.). Two of the IWB rigs, one from Alien Gear and another from High Noon Holster and several of my OWB holster seem to work just fine. One that I had even forgotten I owned is a paddle rig from Safariland and it turns out to be exceptionally stable with great retention and holds the gun tight to my body. I haven't tried my shoulder holster for larger guns yet but come fall, assuming fall does come, I'll likely give it a try as well.
I've run a few hundred OLD rounds (purchased a couple decades ago) of ammo and still I've had zero failure to load, zero failure to fire and zero failure to ejects. Trigger pull has remained right at 4 pounds. The magazine release is slightly better than it was initially. I had to use two hands to drop a mag right out of the box. Ordered a set of MagPul Grip Panels that have a relief to make the mag release easier to use and it should arrive today.
Now I guess I'll need to start looking for some ammo.
P.S.
A Commander sized somewhat enhanced but still Series 70 based one is also on order.
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