Together with (very) few other firearms, the 1911 pistol enjoys a semi-divine status in the world of gun enthusiasts, especially in the U.S. After more than a century since its introduction, the 1911 is still being produced in countless versions and variations by countless big and small manufacturers. Over the years, some of them even proposed “replicas” that mimicked the look and feel of the original pistols made during WW2 – with mixed results ranging from almost perfect to pretty poor. Tisas USA, the American branch of the Turkish firearms manufacturer Tisas and a division of SDS Imports, already offered a wide range of 1911-style handguns, and for 2024 has announced the introduction of a museum-grade replica of the M1911A1 “as it was issued during the Second World War”. Based on a 1943 Remington Rand, the Tisas Armed Services (AS) 1911 duplicates the original Type E hammer, correct arched mainspring housing, small window ejection port, and other features specific to the sub-contracted pistols of the day.
Tisas Armed Services 1911A1, in .45 ACP and 9mm
“Until now, no one has produced a true replica of the issue M1911A1,” stated SDS/Tisas USA CEO Tim Mulverhill. “Many companies have created ‘GI’ or similarly named models, but none of them were true representations of the original. We set out to create a version that would be hard to tell apart when holding an original in one hand and the Tisas in the other. Until you see the discreet manufacturer information under the dust cover, you can’t tell them apart other than wear and the cruder wartime machining marks of the originals. We even considered adding the flaming Ordnance Bomb proof mark, but there is a fine line between replica and counterfeit, and we felt that would be crossing it.”
Tisas really went into details with its Armed Services model, even reproducing the correct United States Property roll marks. Looking at the photos, purist will object that 1911A1 pistols did not use walnut double diamond checkered grips – true: those were used on the earlier 1911 model – but the Tisas Armed Services M1911A1 actually also comes with the correct WW2-style brown plastic grips, and the double diamond grips are just included as a bonus. All the other features are what you can expect from a military 1911A1, including a 5”/127 mm barrel, manganese phosphate slide, frame & small parts, and those old-style sights made up of a teeny-weeny rear notch and semicircular front blade that produces glare in almost any light condition – but that's what 1911 enthusiasts actually love, isn't it?
The Tisas Armed Services M1911A1 is obviously chambered in its original caliber, that is the venerable .45 ACP, but much to the dismay of the aforementioned purists a 9mm model is also available. Tisas Issued Series 1911 pistols come standard with a lockable hard case, two magazines (7-round capacity in .45 ACP), cleaning kit, bushing wrench, trigger lock and instruction manual. All this for a quite reasonable price of $479.99 in the U.S. Tisas also offers a 1911A1 US Army Slide Assembly for .45 ACP frames that includes sights, firing pin/spring/stop and extractor priced at $189.95.
