Honest Review: Tisas D-10 1911

While we spend plenty of time and effort preparing for two-legged threats, we have to ask ourselves, are we prepared for larger four-legged beasts?

Truth be told, I feel that I am more likely to have an encounter with an angry black bear or mountain lion than I am a home invasion, so I like to carry appropriately. For those that enjoy the “comfort” that .40 S&W gives you, I invite you to tighten your man bun and give 10mm a try. This higher-velocity round delivers a punch on par with most .357 Magnum loads and can defeat light barriers and thick skin better than nearly any other semi-automatic cartridge on the market. Understandably, lugging around something chambered in this round (that the FBI couldn’t handle btw) on a daily basis might not make a whole lot of sense, particularly if you are sure that you are going to be in an urban environment. However, that shouldn’t preclude you from having something that can fire it in your safe. This brings us to the SDS Imports Tisas D-10, an affordable 1911 that can bring the pain to anything that lurks in the woods of North America.

First things first, I understand that “high-caliber” and “budget” don’t sound great next to each other, so let’s address the level of quality that this gun portrays. We can sum it up with one statement, which is that the D-10 is hardened before machining (just like me, baby!). This allows the CNCs to cut more precisely, which, in turn, eliminates any loose fitment between parts. This is made evident the second you try to wiggle the slide side to side; it just doesn’t budge. It doesn’t take much to realize that this is not your average import, but then again, most products that SDS brings in aren’t.

A quality frame and slide serve as a stage to a host of high-end features, including a fully adjustable rear sight, an ambidextrous safety, fore and aft cocking serrations, and an ejection port that is flared and lowered for reliability. Working down, we’ll see that Tisas splurged on a pair of aggressive-looking G-10 grips and even went as far as checkering the front and back strap for controllability. Coupled with an extended beavertail, this adds up to one little package that just feels good in the hand (again, like me).

Range day was well-anticipated, and I selected Winchester’s 180-grain Defender load as my test fodder. I like this round because it is built with a low-flash propellant and is relatively light on the wrist, at least as far as 10mm goes. As this is a full-sized pistol, I decided to start by zeroing at 25 yards before putting it through a formal accuracy test. After touching off a group of three, I realized that this was going to be one hell of a shooter. The three shots landed less than an inch apart from each other but slightly low and about 4 inches left. I quickly dialed my sights in and preceded to fire five five-shot groups and loved what I saw. All together, they averaged 3.21 inches, with my best group measuring just 1.87″. Not bad at all, especially for a sub $1,000 1911.

With the paper punching behind me, I engaged steel that was as far as 100 yards out and landed every shot that I broke properly. Admittedly, the light 5.5-pound trigger made it easier, and I was quite partial to its snappy reset, especially when double tapping the close-range targets. Eating through the eight-round magazine so quickly was my only complaint, but that is to be expected in the world of single-stacks. However, with it comes epic controllability which the D-10 had in spades.

I ended my day by firing off another 60 rounds of ammo and just didn’t feel like quitting. In short, this gun left me wanting to build a 10mm practice load because I enjoyed shooting it so much. The MSRP of $799.99 is mind-boggling; however even more impressive is that they throw in a hard-sided lockable case, a spare magazine, a cleaning kit, and even a takedown wrench which admittedly is more of a luxury than a requirement for disassembly. In closing, Tisas made a great little pistol that is fun to shoot and reliable enough to trust should a grizzly bear decide that your face would make a great snack.

Specs:

Action: Single

Caliber: 10mm

Capacity: 8+1

Barrel Length: 5″

OA Length: 8.6″

Width: 1.32″

Height: 5.3″

Weight: 38.4 oz

Finish: Two-Toned

Grips: G10 (Black/Tan)

Sights: Fully Adjustable

Trigger Pull: 5lb., 8oz.

Magazines: Eight-Round, two included

MSRP: $799.99