Tisas 1911 ASF model vs Springfield 1911 Mil Spec model

[Trooper224]

Do you think one model is constructed of better material than the other?

Other than Springfields use of MIM small parts v. Tisas use of forged parts, no. Materials are comparable.

Do you happen to know which gun has internal mechanisms closest to the original?

Both use internals of original design.

I remember reading somewhere the original 1911 often jammed due to failure to eject?

I read a lot of things, much of it's bullshit, like this.

Do you think the expanded ejection port is warranted and valuable?

Not in terms of reliability. It's meant to prevent denting of the casing upon ejection. If you don't reload it's irrelevant.

I own both, at this point I'd go for the Tisas.

[Squib308]

One of my 45 auto Tisas 1911’s had ejection issues. It required fitting a new firing pin stop, extractor and ejector. My 3rd Tisas (a 9mm tank commander) was terribly unreliable with extraction failures 2-3x per mag. It is at Tisas now getting serviced. On the contrary, my 2 Springfield 1911’s (a mil spec and a TRP) have run great and needed nothing. My sense is the Tisas pistols are great if you’re a tinkerer and comfortable hand fitting parts. If the goal is to get a reliable pistol out of the box, I’d go Springfield for sure.

[MattyD380]

No experience with a Tisas, but I just grabbed a used Springfield Mil-Spec…

I really like it, so far.

It honestly feels more solidly built than the 2 Colts I’ve owned. The barrel hood has zero play when you press down. The slide to frame fit is fairly tight, without seeming too tight. The extractor holds rounds securely when shaking the slide. The thing feels dense, solid and substantial. I was also surprised to see that the barrel is slightly “belled” near the muzzle, to aid in lockup. If that’s a standard feature on “normal” 1911s, I wasn’t aware.



I’ve only put a few boxes through it so far, but It’s been reliable. Very accurate at intermediate distances. I mean, I really haven’t heard anything bad about the Tisas… but the Springfield Mil-Spec seems like a very nice gun for the money.

Except for the _ucking GI grip safety… which bores a hole straight into my flesh. Your hand mileage may vary… but that’s something I’d need to change on either model. I’ve got some replacement parts for mine… just need to make the swap.

[03RN]

If you want an accurate(ish) representation of the early model 1911's go for a Tisas.

If you want a 1911 with more "shooter friendly" features, go for a Springfield. Neither are American made, as far as I know. Tisas is Turkish and Springfield is Brazilian but assembled/finished in the states, last I heard.

"So I'd like to learn how to operate and shoot a 1911, taking it to the range every now and then."

Go for the Tisas, IMO and spend the money you saved on magazines and .45 ACP ammo.

It's been about 15 years since some of Springfields have been made from Brazilian parts.

[03RN]

My first handgun was a Springfield milspec. I have very fond memories of it. I used to drive to an indoor rangeva couple days per week to shoot back at 16

That being said, I'm not anti tisas. The enhanced duty and the jsoc are calling my name.

[BillSWPA]

The internals on most 1911's are pretty much the same as the original. There's some that will have an additional firing pin safety mechanism added in, but they'll usually let you know.

But before you drop a lot of money, see if you can go and try out an original spec version somewhere. There's a good reason for a lot of the changes you see from the GI pattern.

This point is worth emphasizing. There are good reasons for the development of better sights and sight attachment methods, beavertail grip safeties, extended thumb safeties, and other changes.

[Danko]

Thank you again, Trooper224! I value your fine input. I had to look up MIM, as it's not an acronym I'm familiar with. I said I'm a relative newbie who doesn't know much. I certainly know what forged parts are and and know the metal is made near indestructible. I'm not keen on the MIM concept as I don't know how long it's been in use or how durable are the parts made in the process. I think you've taken the guesswork out of my decision making. My money seems to be best spent on the Tisas ASF model. I read many good reviews of Tisas guns on this site and watched a number of vids on YouTube. Despite all of that information I thought my money would be better spent buying a product made in USA. I wanted to believe the American made gun was better, but my belief has turned into smoke. On a brighter note, the two hundred bucks I save on the gun can go toward a supply of start up ammo. I'll probably order the gun and ammo at the same time.

Is it possible to be happy and a little disappointed at the same time? Yes it is!

If you see at old dude at a range in Michigan trying to figure out how to operate his 1911, it may be me.

I'll likely post a photo of my gun and my impressions shooting it after I fired it a few hundred rounds. I look forward to finally owning a 1911!

Thank you for all of your help! Danko

[RJ]

If you see at old dude at a range in Michigan trying to figure out how to operate his 1911, it may be me.

I've spent the last 18 months doing this... 1911s are fun to tinker with. I think either of these choices will work fine.

I'll likely post a photo of my gun and my impressions shooting it after I fired it a few hundred rounds. I look forward to finally owning a 1911!

Please do.

[Trooper224]

Thank you again, Trooper224! I value your fine input. I had to look up MIM, as it's not an acronym I'm familiar with. I said I'm a relative newbie who doesn't know much. I certainly know what forged parts are and and know the metal is made near indestructible. I'm not keen on the MIM concept as I don't know how long it's been in use or how durable are the parts made in the process. I think you've taken the guesswork out of my decision making. My money seems to be best spent on the Tisas ASF model. I read many good reviews of Tisas guns on this site and watched a number of vids on YouTube. Despite all of that information I thought my money would be better spent buying a product made in USA. I wanted to believe the American made gun was better, but my belief has turned into smoke. On a brighter note, the two hundred bucks I save on the gun can go toward a supply of start up ammo. I'll probably order the gun and ammo at the same time.

Is it possible to be happy and a little disappointed at the same time? Yes it is!

If you see at old dude at a range in Michigan trying to figure out how to operate his 1911, it may be me.

I'll likely post a photo of my gun and my impressions shooting it after I fired it a few hundred rounds. I look forward to finally owning a 1911!

Thank you for all of your help! Danko

You're welcome.

I'm not a MIM hater. There's really nothing wrong with the process. It's just that, in some areas old school designs benifit from old school manufacturing processes. The 1911 pistol is one of those.

I'm pretty enthused about Tisas pistols right now. It's not that you can't find one with problems, because some obviously do. However, in my experience those problems are the same ones you may encounter with offerings costing three or four times as much.

Same issues + lower cost = better value.

[Robinson]

I wanted to believe the American made gun was better, but my belief has turned into smoke.

You might be overthinking this. Springfield's Mil-Spec is a pretty good pistol and their cast/MIM parts don't really cause any problems. Especially recently, I have been impressed with the quality of the Springfield Armory guns I've seen. My Operator is a really nicely made gun with excellent build quality despite the MIM parts. I've owned two Mil-Specs and they were both solid.

If you want an American made, mostly traditionally styled 1911 you've got some choices:

Springfield Armory: the Mil-Spec is a very decent gun at a good price available parkerized or stainless. The Defender model is the most affordable.
Colt: they still make a couple of GI-styled 1911s in blued and stainless finishes. More expensive that Springfield. The O1970A1CS model is the most similar to the guns being discussed in this thread. I own one and it's nice.
Standard Manufacturing: they make a nice M1911A1 clone. More expensive than the others.
The real thing: you can still find original 1911 pistols from WW1 and WW2. You will need to learn about GI guns in general and begin a search for a good one. Will require an investment of time and money on your part.