Broooooo!!!! This video was FIRE 🔥!!!! Everything about it was what I needed to hear. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. Super informative!!! As my Tisas sits here on the table, I’m glad I did not waste my time and money. I’m definitely doing a video on the Tisas and Apollo11… btw, I bought the qvo holster for it. I have the Holosun light on it. Fits both pistols perfectly.
Watching this for a 3rd time. Just love your 1911 DS pistol series. Ive learned tons from you. Extremely happy with my Tisas DS Carry. It was good out of the box but hit it with a few upgrades and made it a tad bit better. Nothing major just drop in parts. Trigger is at 4.75Lbs with an 18# main spring and it runs well. Rocking a 12# recoil spring and seems to be the right weight. I think its over sprung out of the box. Still cant believe I got mine for 580 beans but seen em as low as 514. Currently 539 on SMGA! I think it punches well above its class. Kick ass video, bro! Glad I found your channel!
Brother, that was an outstanding review on both of them. It made it very simple decision for me , with the way compared both. thank you now I know where I’m going and that will be Tisas DS Carry ..
Thanks for the comparison. It's a shame that they didn't use the same frame for the 4.25" 1911 Carry DS as the MAC gun. I'd rather have the bushing barrel since I can tune that more than having to deal with a bushingless barrel. However, the lack of compatibility with full size WMLs without an adapter is a bit of a pain. I've got a 9mm Tank Commander that has been a fun project to work on so far. A buddy and I have reprofiled the frame to accept a modern WC grip safety, fitted a new manual safety, swapped the trigger to a Harrison one, and melted a lot of the harsher edges. I've been impressed by the machining quality of Tisas so far, it's honestly better than the other more expensive brands that I've owned, barring my one year stint with an EDC X9. Recently found the channel, love the videos. Thanks for being detail oriented, I know that myself and the other viewers appreciate it.
Such a great series of videos on these pistols, man! Just got the B9R carry the other day, taking it out today. I can’t remember from your previous videos, was yours shooting low out of the box? Seen that with quite a few of them.
I finally decided to order the Tisas DS to go with the MAC 9. MAC9 is polished and down to 4# trigger pull. Very slick now due to watching your vid's. I'll get to test it out in a couple of weeks and see how the function is. I may decide to change recoil and mainspring. I wanted a couple of more mags for the MAC9, and just decided to order the Tisas DS at $539 and free shipping. If I decide to "tri top" the Tisas would the Caswell be appropriate to refinish the 4140, or should I look at something else. Thanks, Ken
The best way to refinish it with that much machining - and exposed bare metal, would be to get it nitrocarburized. I really consider cold blue or the Caswell blackening chemical for touch up myself. The cold blue... would make it more blue than the rest of the QPQ finish i am guessing. The Caswell chemical makes it more gray/black. I have played with the caswell chemical more and am unsure if its the best thing to use on carbon steel. The hydrochloric acid (as opposed to the phosphoric in the cold blue) can cause some orange rust/oxidation to appear on the carbon steels. But it still blackens the carbon steel. So i am not comfortable telling you one way or the other. I think both would work to refinish the slide material if you tri-topped it... but I doubt it would be very uniform or a nice match to the rest of the slide finish. You're not likely to find a place that will salt bath the slide for you (they usually want to process volume orders), unless you know a guy haha. I hate to say it but in this case I would recommend cerakote (i fucking hate cerakote). It should only be used as a decorative finish, it doesnt belong on internals or slide rails. But if you just used it to refinish the outside of the slide that would be fine and likely your best bet at a uniform finish. Hope this helps. Enjoy your new toys!
@@EngineersArmory I know there are some "coating" companies in the area, and I know some knife makers that used to have some blades done with a black nitride finish IIRC. I'll try to reach out to them. Definitely don't want to tri-top it until I can get a decent finish back on it. If I can't do the tri-top I may just decide to lighten the slide and possible porting. Thanks for the info
@@customcutter100 Sure thing. If someone can nitride it for you that would be ideal. Parkerization is another option. Brownell's sells the fluid. Just needs to be hot and aggitated (I would use a beaker, hot plate, and magnetic stir bar myself). But the existing nitride would likely need stripped off - hydrochloric? Nitric? sodium hydroxide? I'm not sure. Chemistry required haha.
Great video I went with the DS9 versus the Mac simply because the Mac to me isn’t worth the extra money because I can get work done to get it tricked out and if I’m not happy with it hopefully by then they’ll drop the price on the Mac
Would the "duty" version be a good compromise? Rmrc footprint is a little lame imo, but with 4 slot rail you can just throw any light on the gun and not have to make adapters. Id probably get an EPS for it then toss on my spare X300u.
Good way to look at it. If you want the full rail get the duty 5" model. They can be found for the same price as the carry 4.25. Or you can buy an $8 adapter from QVO tactical. Or go to my grabcad page and download the model and 3d print it yourself (if you have access to a printer).
@dltz did not know about the QVO adapter, I'll check it out. Unfortunately don't have a printer but that's pretty cool you made the file public. You're a breath of fresh air on here when it's mainly paid shills or a man child scared to say anything critical of something. Keep it up.
I went with the Mac for the optics mount, the bull barrel but also the full size light rail. Not being able to run a light without some crappy 3d printed adapter was a deal breaker for me
Sounds like it had just the right features for you. I have been running my own 3D printed adapter for the TLR-1 on mine and use it with a Blackhawk omnivore holster. I am not easy on it and its held up great. With the right material, print parameters, and correct orientation of the printed layers to be perpendicular to the recoil shear forces on the lug they are quite durable. But I understand your hesitation.
@@EngineersArmory lol... just found it right after this comment.... sorry for wasting your time, but thank you for all the great vids and the fast reply. Will be spending the rest of the day binging all your other videos as well. One quick question, that is probably also further explained in another video I haven't gotten to yet, when you port your barrels, how do you remove the burr on the inside? Or do you get one? I am a machinist by trade and have a little manual mill at home and that concept is very intriguing to me. Thanks again and happy tinkering 😊
@@kevindflowers234 no problem man. I make sure to slow down and really gently break thru to the bore. I'm sure you know the feeling of when it's getting close. There are always little burrs left though. I wrap a piece of 600 grit sandpaper around a rod that I have put a nice radius on the end of. Reach in the bore and run the sandpaper over the area. Some 9mm fmj does the rest of the deburring for me at the range haha. I think I show the process in my first porting video on the CZ P-10F.
I've really appreciated these videos. I'm by no means new to shooting, but I don't have any experience with 2011s. All of these newer budget models with the two piece frame seem to be a longer, 17round grip. Are there any options for an aftermarket, shorter grip more comparable to a compact pistol? I'd like to try out a 2011, but I couldn't justify the purchase unless I could carry it. The size of that grip just looms way too big for me to carry.
Glad you're finding them useful! In terms of compact grip 2011s, the only ones I know of are from Staccato. The C, C2 and CS. I looked into putting a compact grip on a commander length 2011 and this was the only option I found, unless you find someone selling a grip that they pulled off one of the Staccato models I listed in favor of a longer 17 round grip. Compact grip module is here (I think it comes with the mainspring housing - they offer a bobbed version too!): extremeshooters.com/staccato-c2-2011-gen1-tactical-black-grip It requires a shortened mainspring housing internals kit: extremeshooters.com/2011-sti-120mm-mainspring-kit Either way, you're paying for a Staccato, or a pretty expensive aftermarket grip module. Staccato is you know... $2200-2500? if you got this grip module and the Tisas Carry DS, and a couple of the compact size mags from Staccato you would be right around $1000. Might be a good option and would be a cool custom gun!
Did ypu port the barrel on the tisas or just mill the slide? And would u recommend porting it to to make it shoot as flat as the mac? (since the mac has the bull barrel I'm assuming it might shoot a little flatter)
I milled the slide and ported the barrel on the Tisas. With the porting job it shoots much flatter than the MAC. Out of the box (neither pistol ported) you are correct, the MAC shoots a little flatter due to the bull barrel. But only a little bit.
I enjoy watching your videos. I got the Tisas DS for 550. How hard would it be to add the bull barrel? I thought about just adding a threaded barrel and comp wouldn't that do the same thing?
Adding a bull barrel would be an insane amount of labor and cost for such a cheap gun. It would be cheaper to buy a Mac9DS I bet haha. A threaded barrel and comp would still use the same barrel bushing. You can get compensators that replace the barrel bushing as well - I've tried them, they don't help with recoil much.
pretty much comes down to preference and your use case for the gun. shooting characteristics will be a little different. The MAC 9 DS only comes with a 4.25" barrel. The Tisas 5" duty Tisas has a 4 slot picatinny rail on the dust cover, the 4.25" carry version only has a 3 slot rail.
I order them off the Wolff website. The commander length reduced power recoil spring tuning pack is part# 13102. Here is the commander specific springs (which is only recoil springs): www.gunsprings.com/COLT/COMMANDER+SERIES+PISTOL/cID1/mID1/dID2 The rest of the 1911 springs are here (gov't length recoil springs, all the other springs are the same between commander and gov't length): www.gunsprings.com/COLT/1911+GOV'T+PISTOL/cID1/mID1/dID1
I think there are plenty of us out there looking at DS 1911’s under the price of a Staccato so videos like this are very appreciated. So I have a question I’m hoping you could answer. Would you take the Tisas over a used Prodigy? I realize there are mim parts in the prodigy but there’s also mim parts in a staccato (which is surprising given the price point compared to a non mim Tisas/Mac). But is the fit n finish better on a Prodigy over the Mac/Tisas? And what about the Apollo 11? You can find used Oracle Arms 2011’s for about $1700. Is it better to buy once cry once or is the money saved by buying the Tisas for $540 a no brainer here for those of us out to buy our first 2011? Thanks for your time in reading this as well as the great content!
Thats a real tough question and the answer will vary wildly based on your needs. I still think the tisas is the best budget starting point for a doublstack 1911. dont expect good fit or finish, its on par with like a $400 RIA GI, but just doublestack. But it runs, and its a great starting point for upgrades and you can make it pretty nice for cheap. I like the prodigy. newer production ones are good guns, better fit, tolerances etc. A used one, if it runs reliably, might be a good deal if you want a little nicer quality. Depends on price, your budget, what you're looking for, etc. If you want budget and a bull barrel I think the MAC is the clear choice if you're okay with worse fit and finish than the Prodigy. But if you could get a Prodigy used for... around the same price as the MAC I would be inclined to go with that. The internals in the MAC are billet but they are covered with cerakote and not great quality. If you wanted good internals you're replacing them anyways, just like the prodigy. The hammer on the MAC has a huge undercut from (i am assuming) wire EDM manufacturing and it makes the trigger have a ton of creep. I replaced the hammer in mine. The OA would be cool if you have a ton of Glock mags and dont want to get into the 2011 magazine world. I think those guns are ugly as shit but thats completely subjective haha. I am planning on buying an LFA apollo 11 soon-ish. Its going to get some wild upgrades, likey some comparison videos to the MAC9. From what I have seen those are a good value for the price. Like Prodigy quality, but billet internals, they look cooler, sounds like the shoot nicer, but they are $950 right now. only thing that sucks is their 3D printed grip module. But thats easy to replace with a Prodigy grip module for $40 (like i did with my MAC and I already have another prodigy grip module for the APollo 11 when I get it). Take this information on the Apollo 11 with a grain of salt - I dont own one yet. I have extensive experience with the Tisas, MAC, Prodigy. Hope this helps. Its really going to come down to what you want, your budget, expected performance and desired quality, and if you plan on upgrading the pistols yourself or paying someone to do it.
@@EngineersArmory I really appreciate the speedy reply. Wasn’t expecting an answer so quickly. I’ve been down the road of buying let’s say a car and upgrading a bunch of it over time and then realizing for the money spent I should have bought a more capable car out of the gate. I look at the 2011 purchase as the same thing except I have a hard time spending 2k or more on something like this realizing for that money there are a lot of good options out there, possibly even 2 options. For me I enjoy the 1911 feel in the hand, 2011’s do feel bulkier to me but a few do still feel decent. The Staccato C2 for instance felt great but the other Staccato’s just didn’t feel quite right. The Prodigy didn’t feel right when I first held it but has since changed every time I pick one up and I’m beginning to like it. As for final use I’m always thinking you don’t need a ton of guns, especially if you can’t train with all of them to be great at all of them. Better to have one gun and be amazing with it than own several and be ok with them. So in theory when I look at a pistol I’m thinking what if this was my one gun to rule them all. Right now my 2 that I cycle through are Sig X5 Legion and a P365 Tacops. So the thinking here is that the 2 are somewhat similar and that by using one for range or if I ever took the plunge to try competition shooting the X5 would cover that and the 365 would be the EDC. By doing so you have a bit of similarities between the 2 platforms. So in the 2011 game I lean towards the 4”/4.25” size rather than the 5” because you could use it in more ways. So my worry here is what if I like the 2011 platform a lot and decide to move that way. What would be the best option? Buy once cry once or pay less for something now with the possibility of upgrading it and making out like a bandit compared to the higher priced trims? I’m not an Sig guy it’s just that those 2 for the money seemed to be the best choice for those needs. Hopefully this helps you understand my thought process.
@@ChefMarcCollins it sounds like in your case start with the prodigy or LFA apollo 11. I can recommend the prodigy due to the experience I've had with it. Cant honestly do that with the LFA. I would recommend getting the prodigy, put an egw ignition kit in it (have it properly installed, fit and tuned) and run the pistol. It will be great, you can run it and upgrade it as you want more performance. I dont know if you plan to compete but the compensated version is really cool and would perform better (I think a comp puts you into open class? I dont know I dont compete). With a little tune up the prodigy will perform as good as guns 2x the cost (my opinion). If you want to dip your toes into the 2011 world, get something that performs decent and can perform really well with a little work, have a gun you can grow with. I think it's the prodigy. It also uses the most common 2011 mags (staccato pattern) so if you end up buying more 2011s you'll likely already have the mags.
@@EngineersArmory thx. Appreciate the insight. I may wait for your Apollo review 😉 I’ve seen reviews of it from Roger Barrera at QVO Tactical and he had issues with it. I’ve also seen Skips Gunz review. A mixed bag on it so your review will be interesting to watch. Have an amazing and blessed day!
@@ChefMarcCollins I'm really curious to get my hands on that one! Honest outlaw and the humble marksman also have good videos on it to check out in the meantime. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Tisas offers threaded barrels for the 1911 DS. They are standard 9mm 1911 bushing barrels. You can absolutely have a extended and threaded bull barrel. Sometimes bull barrels will be turned down and fit with a thread on sleeve that is then matched to the slide. And that extends forward with the standard thread. I dont know of any threaded barrels specific to the mac9. I dont know if there is a "standard" bull barrel size either.
Great review. I am actually doing a paper comparing the current worldwide situation on manufacturing. (Mech and Aero Engineer here too, *fist bump*) I was given a Staccato P and the MAC 9DS to compare. What do you think about that comparison in terms of quality? Of course tolerances will be a thing but what do you think?
haha dude damn i want someone to give my a Staccato P to analyze and compare! Finishes will be different. The Staccato wont have dog shit cerakote all over it. Some of the differences in coatings will come down to environmental regulations is certain countries. I dont think its legal to do DLC in EU countries - the P will have some DLC likely. The Tisas guns do have nitrocarburization which is a good coating, but they cheaped out and went with cerakote on the frame and internals which sucks. Machining quality will be nicer on the Staccato, with tighter tolerances held on the parts. I dont know if its that the machines used to machine the Staccato are better quality, more stable, more expensive, or if its that they take more time to do their machining in part due to the tighter tolerances, and desire for a finer surface finish. They may run finish passes at a slower speed/feed than the Tisas guns. Differences in tooling used - how dull they let tools get before they replace them (this will affect machining quality and surface finish). Time spend post processing, reburring, inspecting, etc. How much time, care, and inspection is put into selecting parts from the parts bin to put together. Materials may be different, and of different quality. Diffferent material sources and suppliers will lead to changes in raw material costs. I dont know if due to LE contracts Staccato as to maintain materials traceability and certification at all - that increases material costs. I think a good place to start analyzing this is labor cost difference between countries, the exchange rate of currency between the countries, the importation procedure and cost associated with the turkish guns. Interesting question and research topic, I hope this helps!
@@EngineersArmory Yeah, bro. Really appreciate the feedback. I am in-line with your thinking. Personal concern for me is that it seems that the world is catching up, to be honest. I have read and seen examples like the Prodigy which apparently is poop in terms of quality. With some refinements, companies like TISAS might get there in a couple of years.
@@creyes879 the first prodigy's were not that good. The newer production ones are much better. As with any new manufacturing line and product, springfield had some growing pains. But the early production prodigy's were better quality than the MAC9 in my option in terms of fit and finish, however, the overall performance felt about the same to me, and the mac9 has generally been more reliable for people (using the mac9 as a comparison as it also has a bull barrel). The prodigy has always had better machining quality, the bull barrel fit was better. The newer production prodigy's are much nicer than the MAC9. I agree with your statement tho. Will be interesting to see the quality of the Turkish 1911s in the coming years.
At this point I'd like if you could get a stock Staccato loaner and do a "feel comparison" I really want to know how tolerances and fit and finish impact its feel. *In direct relation to these offerings
I'd really like that too buddy! haha. I plan on saving my money for a Staccato XC or higher end 2011 at some point. Thats probably a long ways off though.
@@EngineersArmory I appreciate the acknowledgement! I just really also appreciate your detailed breakdown and perspective as I feel it really touches everything I'd want to understand
Yes it will. I just put a prodigy grip module on my MAC 9DS which is pretty much the same gun. Fitting it required it's not a bolt on part (no part on a 1911/2011 is drop-in really).
Barrel material is the same. Different finish. The bull barrel was fit better than the barrel on my tisas but they were both not very great fits due to being cheap guns. Accuracy is more related to lock up. A bushing barrel and bull barrel have the same capability for good accuracy with proper fitting. A bull barrel lock up and fit wouldnt last any longer than a bushing barrel for any reason really. The bull barrel has more non-reciprocating mass. Generally shoots a little softer.
After more research I went with the tisas. I don't have a preference on barrel, but didn't want to deal with sizing the bushing. Speaking to a local gunsmith who will do it for cheap. No real preference on optics yet either. May go with the 5" just to not have to deal with light adapters
Sure does. The trigger out the of box is... not good. But it is a 1911. So making it a really nice trigger is no big deal if you know what you're doing.
@@SS-tr5ru hahhaa I was gonna say. A factory glock trigger was better than the Mac9 trigger out of the box. Really bad. 3.5# is the perfect weight for a general purpose 1911 trigger. Good taste my friend haha.
Why with your recommendation I guess no one will be buying a tisas because they're listing for and more stores that I've seen for 700 to 750. you said if it costs more than six don't buy it.
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
Excellent comparison. I think Im going with the MAC.
Broooooo!!!! This video was FIRE 🔥!!!! Everything about it was what I needed to hear. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. Super informative!!! As my Tisas sits here on the table, I’m glad I did not waste my time and money. I’m definitely doing a video on the Tisas and Apollo11… btw, I bought the qvo holster for it. I have the Holosun light on it. Fits both pistols perfectly.
Nice! Ill be watching your video!
Great and concise overview. Just picked up the tisas for 599. This is what made me feel comfortable about my decision. Thank you.
Good deal on the tisas!
Got mine for 580! But Ive seen em as low as 514. Currently 539 on smga. Heck of a deal for the Tisas 1911 DS!
@@DesertTacticalwhat locations are under $600 currently?
@@phillips040782 $588 on Battlehawk Armory. $539 on smga.
@@phillips040782 $588 on Battlehawk Armory and $539 on smga.
A much needed video. And the content is crisp, to the point and objective (but then again, your videos are par excellence). Thank you!
Thank you for this detailed video. You really went in depth. Great work.
Great review
Truly appreciate the detail you go into in the videos! Subbed!
He is a wealth of knowledge!
Great comparison
Watching this for a 3rd time. Just love your 1911 DS pistol series. Ive learned tons from you.
Extremely happy with my Tisas DS Carry. It was good out of the box but hit it with a few upgrades and made it a tad bit better. Nothing major just drop in parts. Trigger is at 4.75Lbs with an 18# main spring and it runs well. Rocking a 12# recoil spring and seems to be the right weight. I think its over sprung out of the box.
Still cant believe I got mine for 580 beans but seen em as low as 514. Currently 539 on SMGA! I think it punches well above its class.
Kick ass video, bro! Glad I found your channel!
That's a sick deal for this pistol! Sounds like you've got yours dialed in well. Glad to hear these videos were helpful!
Brother, that was an outstanding review on both of them. It made it very simple decision for me , with the way compared both. thank you now I know where I’m going and that will be Tisas DS Carry ..
Glad it was helpful!
@ yes sir big time
Excellent review. Pretty much made up my mind.
Glad it was helpful!
Damn, solid video. Thank you for the breakdown on those two pistols.
Thanks for the comparison. It's a shame that they didn't use the same frame for the 4.25" 1911 Carry DS as the MAC gun. I'd rather have the bushing barrel since I can tune that more than having to deal with a bushingless barrel. However, the lack of compatibility with full size WMLs without an adapter is a bit of a pain.
I've got a 9mm Tank Commander that has been a fun project to work on so far. A buddy and I have reprofiled the frame to accept a modern WC grip safety, fitted a new manual safety, swapped the trigger to a Harrison one, and melted a lot of the harsher edges. I've been impressed by the machining quality of Tisas so far, it's honestly better than the other more expensive brands that I've owned, barring my one year stint with an EDC X9.
Recently found the channel, love the videos. Thanks for being detail oriented, I know that myself and the other viewers appreciate it.
Definitely helpful appreciate the video
Fantastic video
Great video.
Ordering one (tisas) as soooon as midnight hits !!
What is the manufacture/model of the flared magwell for the tisas ?
Thx sir
Dawson precision gen 1 STI/Staccato mag well
Such a great series of videos on these pistols, man! Just got the B9R carry the other day, taking it out today. I can’t remember from your previous videos, was yours shooting low out of the box? Seen that with quite a few of them.
Awesome video! Thanks for the detail.
I finally decided to order the Tisas DS to go with the MAC 9. MAC9 is polished and down to 4# trigger pull. Very slick now due to watching your vid's. I'll get to test it out in a couple of weeks and see how the function is. I may decide to change recoil and mainspring. I wanted a couple of more mags for the MAC9, and just decided to order the Tisas DS at $539 and free shipping. If I decide to "tri top" the Tisas would the Caswell be appropriate to refinish the 4140, or should I look at something else. Thanks, Ken
The best way to refinish it with that much machining - and exposed bare metal, would be to get it nitrocarburized. I really consider cold blue or the Caswell blackening chemical for touch up myself. The cold blue... would make it more blue than the rest of the QPQ finish i am guessing. The Caswell chemical makes it more gray/black.
I have played with the caswell chemical more and am unsure if its the best thing to use on carbon steel. The hydrochloric acid (as opposed to the phosphoric in the cold blue) can cause some orange rust/oxidation to appear on the carbon steels. But it still blackens the carbon steel. So i am not comfortable telling you one way or the other. I think both would work to refinish the slide material if you tri-topped it... but I doubt it would be very uniform or a nice match to the rest of the slide finish.
You're not likely to find a place that will salt bath the slide for you (they usually want to process volume orders), unless you know a guy haha. I hate to say it but in this case I would recommend cerakote (i fucking hate cerakote). It should only be used as a decorative finish, it doesnt belong on internals or slide rails. But if you just used it to refinish the outside of the slide that would be fine and likely your best bet at a uniform finish.
Hope this helps. Enjoy your new toys!
@@EngineersArmory I know there are some "coating" companies in the area, and I know some knife makers that used to have some blades done with a black nitride finish IIRC. I'll try to reach out to them. Definitely don't want to tri-top it until I can get a decent finish back on it. If I can't do the tri-top I may just decide to lighten the slide and possible porting. Thanks for the info
@@customcutter100 Sure thing. If someone can nitride it for you that would be ideal. Parkerization is another option. Brownell's sells the fluid. Just needs to be hot and aggitated (I would use a beaker, hot plate, and magnetic stir bar myself). But the existing nitride would likely need stripped off - hydrochloric? Nitric? sodium hydroxide? I'm not sure. Chemistry required haha.
Great video I went with the DS9 versus the Mac simply because the Mac to me isn’t worth the extra money because I can get work done to get it tricked out and if I’m not happy with it hopefully by then they’ll drop the price on the Mac
Would the "duty" version be a good compromise? Rmrc footprint is a little lame imo, but with 4 slot rail you can just throw any light on the gun and not have to make adapters. Id probably get an EPS for it then toss on my spare X300u.
Good way to look at it. If you want the full rail get the duty 5" model. They can be found for the same price as the carry 4.25. Or you can buy an $8 adapter from QVO tactical. Or go to my grabcad page and download the model and 3d print it yourself (if you have access to a printer).
@dltz did not know about the QVO adapter, I'll check it out. Unfortunately don't have a printer but that's pretty cool you made the file public. You're a breath of fresh air on here when it's mainly paid shills or a man child scared to say anything critical of something. Keep it up.
I went with the Mac for the optics mount, the bull barrel but also the full size light rail. Not being able to run a light without some crappy 3d printed adapter was a deal breaker for me
Sounds like it had just the right features for you. I have been running my own 3D printed adapter for the TLR-1 on mine and use it with a Blackhawk omnivore holster. I am not easy on it and its held up great. With the right material, print parameters, and correct orientation of the printed layers to be perpendicular to the recoil shear forces on the lug they are quite durable. But I understand your hesitation.
@@EngineersArmory any chance you wanna make a video about that adapter or how you designed it? Or give the file to a subscriber?😉
@@kevindflowers234 already have. Check my channel. Or the playlist of video I linked in the description.
@@EngineersArmory lol... just found it right after this comment.... sorry for wasting your time, but thank you for all the great vids and the fast reply. Will be spending the rest of the day binging all your other videos as well. One quick question, that is probably also further explained in another video I haven't gotten to yet, when you port your barrels, how do you remove the burr on the inside? Or do you get one? I am a machinist by trade and have a little manual mill at home and that concept is very intriguing to me. Thanks again and happy tinkering 😊
@@kevindflowers234 no problem man. I make sure to slow down and really gently break thru to the bore. I'm sure you know the feeling of when it's getting close. There are always little burrs left though. I wrap a piece of 600 grit sandpaper around a rod that I have put a nice radius on the end of. Reach in the bore and run the sandpaper over the area. Some 9mm fmj does the rest of the deburring for me at the range haha. I think I show the process in my first porting video on the CZ P-10F.
I've really appreciated these videos. I'm by no means new to shooting, but I don't have any experience with 2011s. All of these newer budget models with the two piece frame seem to be a longer, 17round grip. Are there any options for an aftermarket, shorter grip more comparable to a compact pistol? I'd like to try out a 2011, but I couldn't justify the purchase unless I could carry it. The size of that grip just looms way too big for me to carry.
Glad you're finding them useful! In terms of compact grip 2011s, the only ones I know of are from Staccato. The C, C2 and CS.
I looked into putting a compact grip on a commander length 2011 and this was the only option I found, unless you find someone selling a grip that they pulled off one of the Staccato models I listed in favor of a longer 17 round grip.
Compact grip module is here (I think it comes with the mainspring housing - they offer a bobbed version too!):
extremeshooters.com/staccato-c2-2011-gen1-tactical-black-grip
It requires a shortened mainspring housing internals kit:
extremeshooters.com/2011-sti-120mm-mainspring-kit
Either way, you're paying for a Staccato, or a pretty expensive aftermarket grip module. Staccato is you know... $2200-2500? if you got this grip module and the Tisas Carry DS, and a couple of the compact size mags from Staccato you would be right around $1000. Might be a good option and would be a cool custom gun!
They should have at least put the 4slot rail on the Tisas also!
agreed. They make the 4 slot frame for the MAC9. Why not use that for the Tisas DS carry? ridiculous.
Did ypu port the barrel on the tisas or just mill the slide? And would u recommend porting it to to make it shoot as flat as the mac? (since the mac has the bull barrel I'm assuming it might shoot a little flatter)
I milled the slide and ported the barrel on the Tisas. With the porting job it shoots much flatter than the MAC. Out of the box (neither pistol ported) you are correct, the MAC shoots a little flatter due to the bull barrel. But only a little bit.
I enjoy watching your videos. I got the Tisas DS for 550. How hard would it be to add the bull barrel? I thought about just adding a threaded barrel and comp wouldn't that do the same thing?
Adding a bull barrel would be an insane amount of labor and cost for such a cheap gun. It would be cheaper to buy a Mac9DS I bet haha. A threaded barrel and comp would still use the same barrel bushing. You can get compensators that replace the barrel bushing as well - I've tried them, they don't help with recoil much.
@@EngineersArmory thank you for letting me know I didn’t wanna waste my money & it not work good.
Hi, do you recommend the 4.25 or 5 '? Any differences overall? Thank you
pretty much comes down to preference and your use case for the gun. shooting characteristics will be a little different.
The MAC 9 DS only comes with a 4.25" barrel. The Tisas 5" duty Tisas has a 4 slot picatinny rail on the dust cover, the 4.25" carry version only has a 3 slot rail.
in regards to wolff spring tuner kits. which/where do you get them?
I order them off the Wolff website. The commander length reduced power recoil spring tuning pack is part# 13102.
Here is the commander specific springs (which is only recoil springs):
www.gunsprings.com/COLT/COMMANDER+SERIES+PISTOL/cID1/mID1/dID2
The rest of the 1911 springs are here (gov't length recoil springs, all the other springs are the same between commander and gov't length):
www.gunsprings.com/COLT/1911+GOV'T+PISTOL/cID1/mID1/dID1
Running a 12# Rec spring and 18# mainspring on mine. Wolff on both. Runs well!
Was the Long trigger reach on the MAC a problem when shooting the gun?
More of an annoyance. Biggest detriment to accuracy was the damn 6 pounds pull haha.
Will the Mac 9 slide fit the tisas grip module
I have swapped them and they fit just fine on each others frame. Didnt shoot them like that though, so not 100% confirmation.
I think there are plenty of us out there looking at DS 1911’s under the price of a Staccato so videos like this are very appreciated. So I have a question I’m hoping you could answer. Would you take the Tisas over a used Prodigy? I realize there are mim parts in the prodigy but there’s also mim parts in a staccato (which is surprising given the price point compared to a non mim Tisas/Mac). But is the fit n finish better on a Prodigy over the Mac/Tisas? And what about the Apollo 11? You can find used Oracle Arms 2011’s for about $1700. Is it better to buy once cry once or is the money saved by buying the Tisas for $540 a no brainer here for those of us out to buy our first 2011? Thanks for your time in reading this as well as the great content!
Thats a real tough question and the answer will vary wildly based on your needs. I still think the tisas is the best budget starting point for a doublstack 1911. dont expect good fit or finish, its on par with like a $400 RIA GI, but just doublestack. But it runs, and its a great starting point for upgrades and you can make it pretty nice for cheap.
I like the prodigy. newer production ones are good guns, better fit, tolerances etc. A used one, if it runs reliably, might be a good deal if you want a little nicer quality. Depends on price, your budget, what you're looking for, etc.
If you want budget and a bull barrel I think the MAC is the clear choice if you're okay with worse fit and finish than the Prodigy. But if you could get a Prodigy used for... around the same price as the MAC I would be inclined to go with that. The internals in the MAC are billet but they are covered with cerakote and not great quality. If you wanted good internals you're replacing them anyways, just like the prodigy. The hammer on the MAC has a huge undercut from (i am assuming) wire EDM manufacturing and it makes the trigger have a ton of creep. I replaced the hammer in mine.
The OA would be cool if you have a ton of Glock mags and dont want to get into the 2011 magazine world. I think those guns are ugly as shit but thats completely subjective haha.
I am planning on buying an LFA apollo 11 soon-ish. Its going to get some wild upgrades, likey some comparison videos to the MAC9. From what I have seen those are a good value for the price. Like Prodigy quality, but billet internals, they look cooler, sounds like the shoot nicer, but they are $950 right now. only thing that sucks is their 3D printed grip module. But thats easy to replace with a Prodigy grip module for $40 (like i did with my MAC and I already have another prodigy grip module for the APollo 11 when I get it). Take this information on the Apollo 11 with a grain of salt - I dont own one yet.
I have extensive experience with the Tisas, MAC, Prodigy. Hope this helps. Its really going to come down to what you want, your budget, expected performance and desired quality, and if you plan on upgrading the pistols yourself or paying someone to do it.
@@EngineersArmory I really appreciate the speedy reply. Wasn’t expecting an answer so quickly. I’ve been down the road of buying let’s say a car and upgrading a bunch of it over time and then realizing for the money spent I should have bought a more capable car out of the gate. I look at the 2011 purchase as the same thing except I have a hard time spending 2k or more on something like this realizing for that money there are a lot of good options out there, possibly even 2 options. For me I enjoy the 1911 feel in the hand, 2011’s do feel bulkier to me but a few do still feel decent. The Staccato C2 for instance felt great but the other Staccato’s just didn’t feel quite right. The Prodigy didn’t feel right when I first held it but has since changed every time I pick one up and I’m beginning to like it. As for final use I’m always thinking you don’t need a ton of guns, especially if you can’t train with all of them to be great at all of them. Better to have one gun and be amazing with it than own several and be ok with them. So in theory when I look at a pistol I’m thinking what if this was my one gun to rule them all. Right now my 2 that I cycle through are Sig X5 Legion and a P365 Tacops. So the thinking here is that the 2 are somewhat similar and that by using one for range or if I ever took the plunge to try competition shooting the X5 would cover that and the 365 would be the EDC. By doing so you have a bit of similarities between the 2 platforms. So in the 2011 game I lean towards the 4”/4.25” size rather than the 5” because you could use it in more ways. So my worry here is what if I like the 2011 platform a lot and decide to move that way. What would be the best option? Buy once cry once or pay less for something now with the possibility of upgrading it and making out like a bandit compared to the higher priced trims? I’m not an Sig guy it’s just that those 2 for the money seemed to be the best choice for those needs. Hopefully this helps you understand my thought process.
@@ChefMarcCollins it sounds like in your case start with the prodigy or LFA apollo 11. I can recommend the prodigy due to the experience I've had with it. Cant honestly do that with the LFA. I would recommend getting the prodigy, put an egw ignition kit in it (have it properly installed, fit and tuned) and run the pistol. It will be great, you can run it and upgrade it as you want more performance. I dont know if you plan to compete but the compensated version is really cool and would perform better (I think a comp puts you into open class? I dont know I dont compete). With a little tune up the prodigy will perform as good as guns 2x the cost (my opinion). If you want to dip your toes into the 2011 world, get something that performs decent and can perform really well with a little work, have a gun you can grow with. I think it's the prodigy. It also uses the most common 2011 mags (staccato pattern) so if you end up buying more 2011s you'll likely already have the mags.
@@EngineersArmory thx. Appreciate the insight. I may wait for your Apollo review 😉 I’ve seen reviews of it from Roger Barrera at QVO Tactical and he had issues with it. I’ve also seen Skips Gunz review. A mixed bag on it so your review will be interesting to watch. Have an amazing and blessed day!
@@ChefMarcCollins I'm really curious to get my hands on that one! Honest outlaw and the humble marksman also have good videos on it to check out in the meantime. Thanks for watching and commenting!
If you go with bull barrel you loose the capability for a threaded barrel? The slide is not cut for a bushing correct?
Tisas offers threaded barrels for the 1911 DS. They are standard 9mm 1911 bushing barrels. You can absolutely have a extended and threaded bull barrel. Sometimes bull barrels will be turned down and fit with a thread on sleeve that is then matched to the slide. And that extends forward with the standard thread. I dont know of any threaded barrels specific to the mac9. I dont know if there is a "standard" bull barrel size either.
Great review. I am actually doing a paper comparing the current worldwide situation on manufacturing. (Mech and Aero Engineer here too, *fist bump*) I was given a Staccato P and the MAC 9DS to compare. What do you think about that comparison in terms of quality? Of course tolerances will be a thing but what do you think?
haha dude damn i want someone to give my a Staccato P to analyze and compare!
Finishes will be different. The Staccato wont have dog shit cerakote all over it. Some of the differences in coatings will come down to environmental regulations is certain countries. I dont think its legal to do DLC in EU countries - the P will have some DLC likely. The Tisas guns do have nitrocarburization which is a good coating, but they cheaped out and went with cerakote on the frame and internals which sucks.
Machining quality will be nicer on the Staccato, with tighter tolerances held on the parts. I dont know if its that the machines used to machine the Staccato are better quality, more stable, more expensive, or if its that they take more time to do their machining in part due to the tighter tolerances, and desire for a finer surface finish. They may run finish passes at a slower speed/feed than the Tisas guns. Differences in tooling used - how dull they let tools get before they replace them (this will affect machining quality and surface finish).
Time spend post processing, reburring, inspecting, etc. How much time, care, and inspection is put into selecting parts from the parts bin to put together.
Materials may be different, and of different quality. Diffferent material sources and suppliers will lead to changes in raw material costs. I dont know if due to LE contracts Staccato as to maintain materials traceability and certification at all - that increases material costs.
I think a good place to start analyzing this is labor cost difference between countries, the exchange rate of currency between the countries, the importation procedure and cost associated with the turkish guns.
Interesting question and research topic, I hope this helps!
@@EngineersArmory Yeah, bro. Really appreciate the feedback. I am in-line with your thinking. Personal concern for me is that it seems that the world is catching up, to be honest. I have read and seen examples like the Prodigy which apparently is poop in terms of quality. With some refinements, companies like TISAS might get there in a couple of years.
@@creyes879 the first prodigy's were not that good. The newer production ones are much better. As with any new manufacturing line and product, springfield had some growing pains. But the early production prodigy's were better quality than the MAC9 in my option in terms of fit and finish, however, the overall performance felt about the same to me, and the mac9 has generally been more reliable for people (using the mac9 as a comparison as it also has a bull barrel). The prodigy has always had better machining quality, the bull barrel fit was better. The newer production prodigy's are much nicer than the MAC9. I agree with your statement tho. Will be interesting to see the quality of the Turkish 1911s in the coming years.
At this point I'd like if you could get a stock Staccato loaner and do a "feel comparison" I really want to know how tolerances and fit and finish impact its feel. *In direct relation to these offerings
I'd really like that too buddy! haha. I plan on saving my money for a Staccato XC or higher end 2011 at some point. Thats probably a long ways off though.
@@EngineersArmory I appreciate the acknowledgement! I just really also appreciate your detailed breakdown and perspective as I feel it really touches everything I'd want to understand
@@Omfghellokitty Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching and commenting!
What rear sight is used on the optics plate? I’ve only seen a flat one that comes on the Mac optic plate
This is the sight that came on the optic plate with the gun.
Do you know if the prodigy grip module will work?
I got my tisas (full size) for 599 from PSA btw.
Yes it will. I just put a prodigy grip module on my MAC 9DS which is pretty much the same gun. Fitting it required it's not a bolt on part (no part on a 1911/2011 is drop-in really).
@@EngineersArmory thanks I appreciate it!
Wish the Mac came in 5". Any plans for a 5" release?
Not that I know of. All i Have seen is the 4.25" MAC9.
Does the bull barrel not account for better shooting, longevity, better quality than the regular Tisas barrel…?
Barrel material is the same. Different finish. The bull barrel was fit better than the barrel on my tisas but they were both not very great fits due to being cheap guns. Accuracy is more related to lock up. A bushing barrel and bull barrel have the same capability for good accuracy with proper fitting. A bull barrel lock up and fit wouldnt last any longer than a bushing barrel for any reason really. The bull barrel has more non-reciprocating mass. Generally shoots a little softer.
@@EngineersArmory 🙏
Any good IWB holsters for the ds carry with a holosun p.i.d?
Not that I know of. QVO tactical makes an adapter to mount the PID onto the Carry DS. Might check if they have holster options too.
Bordertown Holsters just had mine done. He has the mold and pid light. Hit him up. Tell him I sent ya.
Pid is the same footprint as tlr1
Has anyone tried fitting the mac slide on the tisas or vice versa, I know it has been a debate on reddit
Fits fine. Just tried it. Didnt shoot it. But it went right on, cycled smooth, etc.
Exactly why i havent bought a mac. Ide dather run w my prodigy than get another okish mac
I still don't know which one I want
Whats your budget? Do you want a bull barrel? What optic do you want to put on it?
After more research I went with the tisas. I don't have a preference on barrel, but didn't want to deal with sizing the bushing. Speaking to a local gunsmith who will do it for cheap. No real preference on optics yet either. May go with the 5" just to not have to deal with light adapters
Are the slides interchangeable?
I did swap them. They seemed to fit fine. Cannot confirm function because I didnt shoot them that way. Dont see why it wouldnt work.
A 20 min trigger job on the mac does absolute wonders
Sure does. The trigger out the of box is... not good. But it is a 1911. So making it a really nice trigger is no big deal if you know what you're doing.
@@EngineersArmory yup. My gunsmith did it today for me for 65$ and it feels exactly like my buddy’s Stacatto trigger now
@@SS-tr5ru hell yeah that's awesome. I just finished the trigger job in mine and set it at 4# like a Staccato P. It's really nice.
@@EngineersArmory yeah mines at 3.5 and it’s perfect. Beforehand my Glocks had better triggers lol
@@SS-tr5ru hahhaa I was gonna say. A factory glock trigger was better than the Mac9 trigger out of the box. Really bad.
3.5# is the perfect weight for a general purpose 1911 trigger. Good taste my friend haha.
Why with your recommendation I guess no one will be buying a tisas because they're listing for and more stores that I've seen for 700 to 750. you said if it costs more than six don't buy it.
Lol tea sets. Good old auto correct. There are multiple places you can get them for $600 or less right now. Look around and wait for the deals.
First!!!
My only subscriber with their notifications on hahaha
@@EngineersArmory quality over quantity! Haha!
Great video