I was going to say, even before I finished reading your post all the way, this is the perfect truck gun. It seems to eat anything, shoots well, and at $400-ish won't sting too bad getting it banged/scratched up in the woods. Being a 1911 connoisseur I'm sure you will find/point out more faults than me. This is my first 1911. I have handled Dad's Colt, but to say I'm experienced with 1911's would be a lie.
The model is a Tisas Zig M 1911. It's a 1911-A1 clone.
Manufacturer Part Number TZM11FBW
Item Number GTZM11FBW
(think those are right, I copied it from the ad)
PROS:
- slide/frame fit is very tight. Tighter than the others I was handling at the same time including RIA, ATI, Girsan
- took it out of the box, cleaned it, and headed to the range. It's been completely flawless so far. 250 rounds of the nastiest, cheapest Remington UMC that money can buy.
- Satin Nickel slide looks awesome. Never had anything two tone before Okay so that was just a totally subjective comment thrown in there
CONS:
- both of us had some hammer bite after those first 250 rounds. NEEDS a beavertail.
- trigger is a little heavy for a single action trigger (but from what I understand, what 1911 couldn't use a trigger job?) But still after shooting and being accustomed to my striker fired Walther any single action trigger feels like butter
- I would consider that if you have problems with it for some reason, you probably won't get much help from Tisas. That's a complete guess though. I think it just had a one year warranty, but don't remember for sure. Heck, I'm just planning on not having problems!
PERSONAL PREFERENCES:
- GI sights...obviously a little more difficult to get the sight picture, but I like the benefits of low profile sights for a gun that is more than just a range queen.
- round mainspring housing on this gun...don't know if you prefer a flat housing
- walnut grips...I personally like the walnut grips. They are not plastic-y, slippery, super lacquered up like a lot of wood 1911 grips are. I would like to have some checkering on them though.
- Spring is HEAVY...I think 22 pounds?
- Slide release is stiff. Should break in with more time though.
Buds Gun Shop is probably the place to get it. I think it's a Buds exclusive. That said, I bought mine from a local dealer who sells out of a shed in his back yard, ajguns dot net. He was a little higher than Buds, but by the time I would've added the shipping and transfer, plus the convenience of showing my CCW and walking out with the gun, I just spend the little extra to get it NOW haha. Told me he couldn't even buy it for the price Buds was selling them for, but came down a little bit for me.
I'd also take a serious look at Girsan, also Turkish made but slightly more money. Between the Tisas and RIA. It came down to the Tisas or Girsan for me. I liked both better than the RIA and ATI. The Girsan was a "combat" model and had a rail, skeleton hammer, extended safety, better slide release. Felt great, but to me and for specifically going after a 1911, I just couldn't bring myself to buy a 1911 with a rail.
Any specific questions?
Here are a few more pictures. Let me know if you want a better quality picture of something specific.