Tisas GI type 1911 9mm upgrade

[Magnumite]

I acquired a new Tisas 1911, GI pattern pistol in 9mm. I had a 45 I reworked …sold it and miss the how svelte it handles. I thought in a 9mm one similarly worked would be the cat’s meow. We’ll see.

Picked it, bought range time. Ran a patch through the bore, oiled the rails and lock work and made some noise. The pistol has character. Black paint over park finish, wide spur hammer, magwell bevel. Tear drop thumb safety is okay. The barrel is bright polished stainless. Forged slide and frame, hammer is MIM, the rest of the pistol is machined steel, most likely barstock. GI type teeny sights.

The trigger was very gritty during take up, no doubt due to the park and paint finish. Trigger had creep and broke at 5.5 pounds. The GI A1 type grip safety is designed to impress its sharp corners into the web of the hand. Annoying but a fullsize 1911 shooting 115 grain CCI Blazer aluminum should not be like this.

Accuracy…not a bad pistol…even with the loose unfitted barrel bushing. Shooting standing with two hands…. At 11 yards the group went about 1 inch. At 17 yards - about a 2 - 2 1/2 inch group. It nose dived on the top round of the first full Mecgar mag I put into it. Afterward, it was 100%.

Pics attached. The circle in the picture of the back of the pistol shows a deviation from the GI grip safety that contributes to hammer bite. Pic of 11 yard target included..two small fliers were me. Forgot to snap the 17 yard target…duh

 

[RFBfromDE]

Thanks for the report!

I have the Tisas/SDS .45ACP 1911A1 US Army and love it.

A 1911 Tanker/Commander in 9mm with carry sights is on my wish list...

 

[babalou]

RFBfromDe- I have looked at the sds imports 1911A1. I Also have looked at their stainless ones and actually had a few added to the MD roster. I saw a few at the Chantilly and Gettysburg shows. Hmmm. I also want a Springfield Ronin in .45.

 

[RFBfromDE]

Yeah, the list can go on and on!

 

[Magnumite]

Starting the morph…
- Trigger work definitely needed. End result, smmoth trigger with just a little roll to it, set to 4 pounds 5 ounces. This weight reflects the pistol’s format/use.
- replaced with a reworked Springfield grip safety to get a higher hold, reduce discomfort. This puts the contour of the grip safety and pistol more in line with the early GI guns (through 1925). The hammer was bobbed to avoid hammer bite.
-Thumb safety. The thumb safety plate would swing past the rear of the grip safety contour of the frame when in the down position. It also was felt while firing the pistol. I prefer that curve on the rear of the thumb safety plate more closely align with the rear frame contour. I do it as much as possible without getting a sizable ‘smilie’ from the frame thumb safety window when the thumb safety is up. That is when contouring for a high hold grip.
- You can see where I modified the thumb safety to set the rear of the safety paddle forward. I normally contour the paddle to GI dimension…this time I wanted a little more on the rear of the paddle.

Pics of near finished sear and hammer relationship. I redid it with less negative sear angle to eliminate creep while giving a nice smooth roll. Notice the round cut into the hammer flat. That round should be cut into the bottom of the hammer hooks. Tisas put the round placed where seen probably to eliminate issues from the hammer flat/hook notch using a sear without a break away angle.

Also pics of the thumb safety mods and a with hammer bobbed, grip safety spur mod, and touches done on the frame under the grip safety spur.

 

[Magnumite]

You guys are developing the 1911 bad habit. 12 point program doesn’t work. Guns and parts do.

 

[Magnumite]

Now for the front strap…front of the grip frame…

Shown is a pic of the size of the radius relative to the front strap and bottom of the trigger guard. Redlines indicate the begijnng and end of the curve. The radius is much larger than my index finger. One of the approaches ai use is to reduce the curve’s radius to about that of my index finger. Shown is a pic of how the pistol sits in the hand relative to bottom of the trigger guard and alignment on the front strap.

 

[babalou]

Yeah, the list can go on and on!

like darn Tribbles

 

[babalou]

You guys are developing the 1911 bad habit. 12 point program doesn’t work. Guns and parts do.

hahaha

 

[babalou]

Magnumite--- gotta get down with that OCD, yeah you know me.. Love it!!!

 

[Magnumite]

To reconfigure front strap radius…

I use a file to place the radius ‘working point’ with a file. Once I get the working pount set I use a rotary tool with an orange barrel grind stone on LOW speed…not nuckear metal removal high soeed mode. Yhe I work the arc from its set pount toward the trigger guard and from the setvpint toward the grip frame. What is shown is close to rough size I ‘finished’ at.

Pics. Not sure if the site program will keep the posting sequence so the reader may need to identify sequential steps.

Also a pic of how the frame how sits in the hand.

 

[Magnumite]

Not exacting stippling…texturing the front strap

 

[Magnumite]

Fin!
I am sure I’ll find some discrepancies that puts me back to work…

 

[babalou]

so, when all the grinding/sanding is done, do you reblue yourself or somewhere else? Awesome updates...

 

[Magnumite]

I apply cold blue to somethong like this…Oxpho-Blu to be precise. Soon I’ll be rust bluing some full builds I have done.

 

[babalou]

I apply cold blue to somethong like this…Oxpho-Blu to be precise. Soon I’ll be rust bluing some full builds I have done.

schweeee-eeet

 

[jrumann59]

Love your re-work threads. For the record I absolutely love the Tisa 1911 you referenced way up top.

 

[Rockzilla]

Mag, I'm following this. Great work as usual. taking notes, gonna get the
9mm version.
GS down here has a like new used 45acp version at a great price. So may
snatch that one up first, then the 9mm version. both will be "project guns"

waiting on the BBR Guide Rod Kit to come, they say "drop-in", The Mec-Car 14rd
mags function / feed great. Got some tuning to do after the kit install

"developing the 1911 bad habit. 12 point program doesn’t work. Guns and parts do."

yes sir when you got "spare parts" lying around in boxes, love the 1911's back to the
Crown City Arms, Vega, AMT days

not gonna know how to act with a 1911 base gun instead of 80% frame, some parts, but
one thing if you put the time in they are some sweet shooting / handling pistols.


-Rock

 

[MiddleRiverShootist]

Always enjoy following your upgrades on 1911s. Great work Mag!

 

[Magnumite]

Thanks all!

Rock, those Crown, ega, AMT labels take m back a couple decades. I am sure several other members as well.

That 80% deal…all mine are serialized…even the ones not cut yet. The second I built as a personal protection. It is one of two pistols in my carry battery. I just broke the edge around the ejection port. It is eating my holster.

jrumann59, that really turned out to be a nice pistol. Left an impression on me. Sellers remorse occasionally. Nice to know you are enjoying it.