Tisas 1911 Hands-On Review [2025] – The best 1911 for the money?

Since 2022, Tisas 1911s have disrupted the 1911 market in a big way. With excellent build quality and an affordable price, they might be the best 1911 for the money in 2025.

I’ve been a 1911 fan for many years. No other handgun has the same combination of shootability and historical significance. Despite the design being over 100 years old, the 1911 continues to soldier on in the age of the plastic wonder pistol. 

Most modern 1911s aren’t cheap. Many go for well over $1000 and far beyond. Even “budget” 1911s commonly go for over $500. At the $500 price point, many “budget” 1911s lack features and build quality. Wouldn’t getting a high-quality, feature-packed 1911 at an affordable price be sweet?

Enter the Tisas B45 Duty 1911.

The Bottom Line

The Tisas B45 is the best single-stack 1911 for the money in 2025—and it isn’t even close. Tisas 1911s will easily compete with 1911s at the $1000 price point. It even has fully machined bar stock internals—no MIM parts! I liked it so much that I bought a second Tisas 1911 in 9mm, which I’ll review in the coming months. Stand by for that.

The Tisas B45 1911 Specs and Features

Specs

Caliber: 45 ACP

Finish: Black Cerakote frame and slide, hard chrome barrel

Sights: 3 dot Novak style

Barrel Length: 5”

Length: 8.62”

Height: 5.3”

Width: 1.41”

Weight: 36 oz unloaded

Features

Forged Steel Frame and Slide

Machines Bar Stock Internals (No MIM parts!)

70 Series Parts

Ed Brown Bobtail Cut

G10 Grips

Skeletonized Hammer and Trigger

Ambidextrous Safety

3 dot Novak-style sights

Background

About 9 months ago, a friend turned me on to Tisas 1911s. I’ve heard of them before but never had the chance to see one for myself. I wasn’t in the market for a new 1911, but I checked them out anyway. Tisas offers a massive array of 1911 variations—everything from commander-size guns in 9mm to full-size 45 ACP models and even 10mm versions. The B45 B’s combination of full-size 1911 with a bobtail grip caught my eye, and I just had to have it.

When I bought the gun, I didn’t know much about the company. Tisas is a Turkish firearms manufacturer that has been building 1911s and other guns since the mid-90s. They established US operations in 2022 and introduced numerous 1911 models and other firearms. 

How We Tested the Tisas B45 1911

Since I bought the Tisas B45, I’ve shot over 2000 rounds through the gun. Most of my shooting involved practical self-defense-style shooting using various drills. Ammo consisted of the following: 

• Federal American Eagle 230gr FMJ
• AAC 230gr FMJ
• Federal HST 230gr Hollow Points
• Winchester White Box 230gr Hollow Points

During my testing, I used the two included magazines: MecGar 8-round magazines and Wilson Combat 8- and 10-round magazines. All magazines performed flawlessly. 

I’ve also carried the Tisas B45 1911 frequently over the 9 months I’ve had it. More on that later.

Who is the Tisas B45 1911 for?

Anyone looking for a high-quality 1911 at an affordable price (for a 1911). It should be at the top of your list if you’re looking for your first 1911. Are there nicer guns? Sure, but you’ll pay the price. The Tisas B45 gets you a well-made, feature-packed, reliable 1911 that you could trust your life to. It impressively punches above its price point.

Fit and Finish

Overall, I’m impressed with the gun’s fit and finish. The Tisas B45 1911 is cerakoted black. The exterior shows no signs of wear despite being carried for many hours. I’ve also drawn and reholstered the gun hundreds of times during drills and dry fire. 

The slide and frame’s machining look excellent, with no machining marks or imperfections that I can find. The slide-to-frame fit is not as tight as that of a Nighthawk or Wilson combat, but we’re talking about a budget 1911, so I wouldn’t expect that. The frame’s fitting is acceptable and as good as or better than many 1911s that cost $1000 or more. 

The grip safety is not as tightly fitted as some higher-end 1911s, but it works as it should. The thumb safety has a positive detent and makes that satisfying “click” sound when switching from safe to fire. 

When initially handling the gun, I noticed the rear sight shifted to the left more than usual. During my first range trip, I saw my round hitting an inch left of my point of aim. After adjusting the sight, my rounds hit at my point of aim. This was a relatively minor and easily correctable issue.

Magazines

The gun ships with two MecGar 8-round 45 ACP magazines. MecGar makes excellent magazines, and it’s nice to see high-quality magazines included with the gun. The included mags have performed flawlessly as long as I’ve owned the gun.

Ergonomics

The Tisas B45 1911 has those typical 1911 ergonomics that so many people enjoy. The safety is easy to reach and disengage. Magazines drop free easily when depressing the magazine release. The slide stop drops the slide without issue. The bobtail grip doesn’t change the feel of the gun in my hand that much. It feels a little different than a non-bobtail, but not dramatically so.

The 1911 grip is larger than some handgun grips, so people with smaller hands may have issues manipulating the gun.

Grip

The front and backstrap are smooth, with no checkering. While I’d love to see this on the gun, it’s not something I’d expect at this price point. The grip panels are machined G10 in a starburst pattern. They are relatively smooth and don’t provide as much grip as more aggressively textured 1911 grips. Swapping grips out is easy enough and doesn’t cost much if they don’t work for you. I eventually swapped to some Guncrafter grip panels, which are more aggressive and thicker than the stock grips.

How Does the Tisas B45 1911 Shoot?

In short, pretty dang well. The full-size frame and long sight radius of the 5-inch barrel lend the gun to fast and accurate shooting. The bobtail grip went entirely unnoticed for me while shooting. I shot it just as well as 1911s with full-size grips. For me, there is no downside to the bobtail from a practical perspective.

I fired 200 rounds of AAC 230 gr FMJ on my first range trip. The accuracy was excellent. Despite the sights being a little off, shooting one ragged hole at 10 yards was easy. The trigger on the Tisas 1911 is quite good, making fast, accurate hits on target relatively trivial. The trigger isn’t as good as some higher-end guns, but I have no complaints. 

During my first few magazines, I did have several stove pipes. Break-in periods are a thing with 1911s, so I wasn’t too concerned.  After the first 200 rounds, I haven’t had a single malfunction.

After adjusting the sights, hitting 8-inch steel targets at 25 yards was no problem at all. During rapid strings of fire, the gun is very controllable, and the hefty steel frame helps in this regard.

Since my initial range trip, I’ve shot about 2000 rounds through the gun with no malfunctions. It continues to impress me with its accuracy and reliability. 

Trigger

The stock trigger feels good. It’s not as nice as a Nighthawk or Wilson Combat, but we’re talking about a 1911 commonly found for under $500 at the time of writing this. It has a small amount of take-up before hitting the wall. The trigger breaks at about 4 lbs and feels fairly crisp. The reset is positive and audible. I have no complaints. 

Accuracy

Shooting ragged hole groups at 7-10 yards was no problem with the Tisas B45. The long sight radius and good trigger reminded me why I love full-size 1911s. I shoot them better than anything else. The trigger’s clean break and positive reset aid in rapid and accurate shooting. Are there more accurate 1911s out there? Probably. Is the Tisas B45 1911 accurate enough for self-defense? Absolutely.

Reliability

As I mentioned, I had a few malfunctions during my initial range trip. This is not uncommon, with many 1911s requiring a break-in period. After the first 200 rounds or so, the gun has been flawlessly reliable. The included MecGar magazines are good quality and work just as well as fancier Wilson Combat mags. I still use Wilson Combat mags when I carry the gun, but I don’t think you will be underserved with the stock mags.

Carrying the Tisas B45 1911

A full-size steel 1911 may not be your first thought regarding a concealed-carry handgun. Despite the weight and size, many people find the accuracy and excellent 1911 trigger worth the trade-offs.

I prefer to carry most handguns appendix style and I found the Tisas 1911 to work well in this role. I also carried the gun strong side inside the waistband. The bobtail grip helps keep printing to a minimum despite being a full-size 1911. With standard 1911 grip frames, the butt of the grip can be prone to printing or poking into my stomach during appendix carry. For a 1911 that will be concealed, I see no downside to choosing the bobtail. 

The narrow slide makes 1911s surprisingly easy to carry. The weight distribution allows the gun to sit close to the body. With a quality holster and stiff gun belt, the gun makes an excellent concealed carry piece if you can tolerate the weight.

Upgrades

Out of the box, the Tisas B45 Duty 1911 is ready to go. Nothing about the gun in stock form holds it back. The grips work fine, and the sights get the job done. The included magazines are reliable and of good quality. 

There is nothing wrong with the grips but I eventually switched to some Guncrafter grips for more aggressive texture.

My preferred sights have a bright-colored front sight and blacked-out rear. I also prefer rear sights with a ledge to aid in one-hand manipulation of the slide. Using the ejection port to rack the slide on your belt gets the job done. I’ll probably upgrade to a Heinie Straight 8 or similar sights in the future, but it’s not high on my priority list.

The Verdict

Tisas 1911s offer an impressive package of features at an outstanding price point. The build quality is excellent, and they shoot great. Based on my experience so far, Tisas 1911s are the best value in 1911s in 2025. I liked the Tisas B45 1911 so much that I bought a second one in 9mm. With how much I like the 9mm, it won’t be my last Tisas 1911.