JohnHL
SWCA Member
Some of you may recall that I had posted on the Rural King Tisas 1911 thread about how I missed out on the promotion after getting a bit of a runaround from Rural King.
I didn't like the way Rural King treated me, but everything I had heard or read about the Tisas 1911A1 filled me with the resolve to buy one if I could find one at a similar great price.
Forum member (and all-around great guy) Dave Baird was sufficiently moved by my plaintive lamentations, and stepped up to send me a link to an Ohio company (Fin Feather Fur Outfitters) that had a version of the Tisas 1911A1 on sale for $299.95 with $15.00 shipping and no sales tax.
I thanked Dave, ordered it, and picked it up last Saturday from my friendly neighborhood FFL, so no three hour round trip drive for me to the nearest Rural King.
This version is named the "1911A1 SERVICE SPECIAL".
It differs from the Rural King version (1911A1 U.S. ARMY) in the following ways:
1) "1911A1 SERVICE SPECIAL" laser engraved on the left side of the slide instead of "1911A1 U.S. ARMY"
2) Dark grey Ceracoat finish instead of parkerized/ceracoat (?) o.d. finish
3) Ring spur hammer instead of wide thumb spur hammer
4) Flat mainspring housing instead of arched mainspring housing.
5) Two 8 round Checkmate Industries magazines with large plastic floorplates (that seem to mimic the old competition bumper pads) instead of two 7 round flat floorplate, flush fit magazines.
Other than those, they are the same pistol.
I was impressed by the overall high quality of the fit and finish, especially as compared to the Chinese imports we saw back in the nineties, and am convinced these were built on very late design CNC machines.
Mine came with the same very nice hard case with accessories and was wearing "poop brown" colored plastic stocks. (ugh
)
Do manufacturers think "poop brown" colored plastic looks like wood?
I don't think so!
Looks to me like "poop brown" colored plastic!
Fortunately, Tisas thoughtfully included a pair of black plastic stocks that I immediately installed.
Much better, and I like the way black plastic stocks look on nearly all of my 2nd and 3rd gen S&W pistols.
It seems Tisas likes to mix and match parts and finishes to produce different models (much like S&W), and so do I, so I ordered an arched mainspring housing assembly and a flat floorplate flush fit 8 round mag from the SDS Imports (their importer's) website using a 10% off coupon provided with the package.
I'm very pleased with this slightly early holiday present to myself, but most of all, I am grateful to the gracious tip provided by a Forum Christmas Angel, Dave Baird.
Thanks again, Dave!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All (and to all, a Good Night).
John
I didn't like the way Rural King treated me, but everything I had heard or read about the Tisas 1911A1 filled me with the resolve to buy one if I could find one at a similar great price.
Forum member (and all-around great guy) Dave Baird was sufficiently moved by my plaintive lamentations, and stepped up to send me a link to an Ohio company (Fin Feather Fur Outfitters) that had a version of the Tisas 1911A1 on sale for $299.95 with $15.00 shipping and no sales tax.
I thanked Dave, ordered it, and picked it up last Saturday from my friendly neighborhood FFL, so no three hour round trip drive for me to the nearest Rural King.
This version is named the "1911A1 SERVICE SPECIAL".
It differs from the Rural King version (1911A1 U.S. ARMY) in the following ways:
1) "1911A1 SERVICE SPECIAL" laser engraved on the left side of the slide instead of "1911A1 U.S. ARMY"
2) Dark grey Ceracoat finish instead of parkerized/ceracoat (?) o.d. finish
3) Ring spur hammer instead of wide thumb spur hammer
4) Flat mainspring housing instead of arched mainspring housing.
5) Two 8 round Checkmate Industries magazines with large plastic floorplates (that seem to mimic the old competition bumper pads) instead of two 7 round flat floorplate, flush fit magazines.
Other than those, they are the same pistol.
I was impressed by the overall high quality of the fit and finish, especially as compared to the Chinese imports we saw back in the nineties, and am convinced these were built on very late design CNC machines.
Mine came with the same very nice hard case with accessories and was wearing "poop brown" colored plastic stocks. (ugh
)Do manufacturers think "poop brown" colored plastic looks like wood?
I don't think so!
Looks to me like "poop brown" colored plastic!
Fortunately, Tisas thoughtfully included a pair of black plastic stocks that I immediately installed.
Much better, and I like the way black plastic stocks look on nearly all of my 2nd and 3rd gen S&W pistols.
It seems Tisas likes to mix and match parts and finishes to produce different models (much like S&W), and so do I, so I ordered an arched mainspring housing assembly and a flat floorplate flush fit 8 round mag from the SDS Imports (their importer's) website using a 10% off coupon provided with the package.
I'm very pleased with this slightly early holiday present to myself, but most of all, I am grateful to the gracious tip provided by a Forum Christmas Angel, Dave Baird.
Thanks again, Dave!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All (and to all, a Good Night).
John
