The Tisas Raider is a close reproduction of the Colt M45A1 once used by the USMC Raiders (formerly MARSOC) and MEU units. It’s also available to the public at a fraction of the cost of a decommissioned Colt, but boasts the same bravado. There were plenty of reviews when the Raider first debuted so I thought we would see how the handgun holds up after 700 rounds through it. This wasn’t a crazy torture test. The Tisas was never drug through the mud, submerged in below freezing water for 10 minutes or given to a Velociraptor to gnaw on all afternoon. This was all done under normal range circumstances during drills and practice just as most shooters would do throughout the time period it would take them to surpass 700 rounds.
The Raider .45ACP pistol has been a hit since its release and has garnered a sizeable share of good reviews. Much of positive reactions are due in part to the features Tisas outfits the Raider with. The fit and feel on mine was tight out of the box and has stayed that way. Unlike some, I never upgraded any springs or parts with Wilson Combat or other well-known manufacturers and kept the Raider stock right out of the box. I like the fact the pistol comes old-school with the Series 70 internals, which means of course fewer moving parts.
Breakdown field strip of the Raider by Tisas
Cosmetically the Tisas instantly stands out in a good way. The FDE Cerakote is a nice, dark tone (again playing homage to the M45A1) and looks great. After 700 rounds the Cerakote has a little dark discoloration around the muzzle. There are also few wear marks on the ambidextrous safety and on the slide from holster rub. Inside the Raider the Cerakote has some wear marks as well from the usual metal-on-metal moving parts. The textured G10 grips look great on the Raider as well. One nagging small issue was the left grip screws constantly working themselves loose to the point it was something to check each time before shooting. Not a large ordeal of course and finally adding an ever so small touch of light thread lock stopped the problem. Adding an “o” ring might do the trick as well. Having a grip screw come loose is not an uncommon issue on 1911s.
I do like the forward cocking serrations allowing for a movie-ready press check if one desires. The picatinny four section rail under the barrel is a great addition. I used a Streamlight TLR-1 and Surefire X300 Ultra under the barrel with no issues. The five inch forged steel barrel is the perfect length for the Surefire X300 Ultra with the end of the light almost stopping exactly under the end of the barrel.
Another feature that sold me with the Raider is the extended beavertail grip safety. It just has a good “feel’ when gripping it. The 1911 design has great ergonomics to begin with and this beavertail accentuates that in your hands.
With all these features Tisas has included on the Raider can easily compete with other 1911 models that hover just above the $1000.00 price point all day long. This is a lot of pistol for the price. It also feels like a lot of pistol in your hands. This is no polymer lightweight designed specifically for concealed carry. Its a hunk of forged steel, which helps negate the .45ACP felt recoil.
Our range days shooting the Raider consisted of drawing and firing from the holster at 5, then 10 and finally 20 yards. The Novak three-dot sight on the Raider is easy to get on target. At one point we decided to have some fun and moved over to the long gun range. We then walked rounds downrange finding the correct angle until finally making contact consistently with the 10-inch gong at 160 yards. To make things interesting later back at the pistol range we added some run and gun drills between plastic 55-gallon barrels at the range allowing an opportunity for ejecting magazines onto the ground while moving.
Speaking of magazines, many people in the past have complained about the quality of 1911 magazines that ship with the Raider. We shot two Tisas magazines alongside a Wilson Combat 1911magzine during the trials. All magazines were purposely ejected onto the ground at the range, which consists of rock, gravel and other debris. I never experienced any damage to the magazine sides or to the followers.
The bulk of the ammo shot through this Raider .45ACP was range ammo. We ran Winchester Target & Practice 230 grain FMJ, PMC 230 grain FMJ and Fiocchi 230 grain FMJ. The Winchester may have won for shooting the cleanest. I’m that person who cleans the firearm after every range trip, but for the majority of this test I optioned not to do any cleaning in order to see how the Raider would perform with carbon build up and using range ammo. By the end of the testing the inside of the slide as well as around the trigger was understandably caked with carbon residue. The Raider’s Cerakote color around the barrel and ejection port was much greyer than FDE, but mechanically everything remained sound for the most part.
Area one of slight Cerakote wear
Some slight wear on the slide
Throughout the 700 rounds the only malfunctions experienced were about five failures to go into battery after releasing the slide. I’m going to blame this on more of a dirty pistol and dirty ammo issue. After the testing I took the Raider apart for a long and thorough cleaning. Afterwards I returned to the range and inserted a magazine while the slide was locked open and depressed the slide release to see if I could recreate the malfunction. Instead, the Raider ran through 10 magazines just fine with zero issues.
Another 1911 issue some shooters have with various makes is with the extractor. While we never had any malfunctions that might be due to an under-tensioned extractor, we decided to go ahead and check it while the Raider was apart. After inspecting it, the extractor tension was nice and tight.
Extractor Test with Dummy Round
I will note this Raider’s particular serial number was part of the voluntary safety recall Tisas issued concerning certain 1911 models where the hammer might follow the slide forward when chambering a round. I can say that never happened while firing before this pistol was sent to Tisas for work to be performed as part of the recall.
I know some people might have been waiting to read about a major problem or catastrophic failure, but there were none to be had. After 700 rounds the Raider is running as strong as ever.
Some handguns just feel right. The Raider is one of them for me. It is packed with many features you would pay more for when it comes to other brands. This model is cruising by 700 rounds without any issues and has become a favorite to shoot. If I were to open carry a full frame 45ACP for self-defense I would be very confident choosing this Tisas Raider.
Raider SPECS:
Frame: Forged Carbon Steel, Full-Size w/ Picatinny Rail, Ramped
Slide: Forged Carbon Steel, Government Length
Caliber: .45ACP
Barrel: 5″ Forged & Machined Barrel w/ Button Rifling
Internals: Colt® 70 Series
Sights: Novak Style 3-Dot
Grips: Black/FDE G10 Textured
Finish: FDE Cerakote
Weight: 2lb 4oz
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