Tisas Carry 9 DS Comp Handgun

I recently picked up a new Tisas Carry 9 DS Comp to add to my budget 2011 clone collection. These new updated versions of the Tisas DS pistols look really good in my opinion, and I've been pretty happy with my MAC 9 DS Comp from a value standpoint. The MAC DS pistols are made by Tisas in the same factory using the same parts, but are distributed in the US by a different company.

My impressions of the MAC 9 DS Comp was that the gun looks great and performs well, but it seems to have a lower quality feel to it compared to a lot of my other 2011 style guns.  I didn't expect the Tisas DS Comp to be any different in terms of quality, but there are some notable improvements of the new Tisas DS pistols over the current MAC DS pistols. Unfortunately, the Tisas has it's own quality issues.

I love the aesthetics of the new Tisas DS pistols. They now have full length dust cover frames that are as wide as the slide, which gives them a more modern look and potentially increases their long term durability. However, I had to do a lot of filing on the frame rails to get the gun to cycle smoothly, as it was getting stuck in the rear position due to binding. This was not disconnector hang-up, as it would get stuck even with all the internals removed from the slide and frame. The muzzle end of the slide rails were binding on the taper of the front frame rails, so I had to file that taper down until it cleared and wouldn't bind.

With my MAC DS and the MAC hammer that was installed on my Prodigy Carry Comp, I had to trim the top edge of the hammers down to reduce friction on the bottom of the slide during cycling, and I had to do the same thing on this Tisas DS. Trimming the top edge of the hammer makes a huge difference for how smooth the gun feels when cycling the slide by hand, and almost completely eliminates that "clunky" feel that they have compared to other 2011 style guns.

The new optics mounting system on the Tisas DS appears to be more robust than the AOS mounting system on the MAC DS and the Prodigy 1911DS, which has a known issue of the optic plate screws coming loose and/or breaking. This new Tisas system has small o-rings positioned between the plate and the slide for vibration dampening (similar to the Staccato DPO system) and a locating pin to keep the optic plate securely in place on the slide. However, the supplied hex key screws that secure the optic plate to the slide are very small and strip out easily with the included hex key. The screws are the same size as the MAC DS and Prodigy 1911DS optic plate screws, so I was able to use some quality aftermarket replacements that have a T10 torx head instead of hex key to be able to torque them properly. The factory optic cover plate also had a small hex key screw (hidden behind the firing pin stop plate) that easily stripped out when I tried to remove it, so I had to tap a T9 torx head bit into it with a hammer to break it loose.

Tuning the trigger down to between 2.5 and 3 pounds was fairly straight forward, but as I did with the MAC DS, I installed a 19 pound hammer spring to lighten things up. Both the MAC DS and Tisas DS pistols are way over-sprung from the factory for compensated guns, so I installed 13 pound recoil springs in both of them, which makes a substantial difference in their recoil impulse and return to zero consistency.

One thing I really like about the MAC DS and Tisas DS pistols is that the size and shape of their thumb safeties work fine with my large hands and high grip, so I didn't feel the need to thin down, dehorn, and refinish them. Both pistols are nicely dehorned on the edges and corners of the slides and frames and their black nitride finish looks great. With my RFV Tactical grip texture, trigger tuning, and lighter recoil springs, these guns shoot really well for their budget price point.

USPSA Action Pistol Match - 08/01/2026

USPSA action pistol match at the Southwest Shooting Center in Clovis, NM with the Southwest Performance Shooters club. I was shooting my V-slot ported Prodigy 1911DS from concealment (AIWB) in the Open division. I haven't trained with or shot this gun at a match in a while, so I forgot how awesome it performs for me. It has just enough assistance with the V-ports to really make the gun shoot flat and soft without being overly concussive.

Stage 1: I had some bad luck engaging the steel with multiple make-up shots, and I didn't get my reload done as fast as I would've liked. I placed 9th with four C-zone hits.

Stage 2: I had a decent run with this unloaded start stage. I placed 4th with all A-zone hits.

Stage 3: Classifier 25-04. I was definitely not as fast I would've liked on the two middle targets. I placed 7th with one C-zone hit.

Stage 4: I had to reengage a steel target, which added some time, but I placed 6th with all A-zone hits.

Stage 5: A conservative run because I was getting tired and hot. I placed 7th with all A-zone hits.

I ended up in 6th place Overall out of 23 total. Certainly not a bad finish, but not my best performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foIx3Erd-bw

Outlaw Action Pistol Match - 07/18/2026

Outlaw action pistol match (a mix of USPSA, IDPA, and GPA rules) at the Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club. I was shooing my Staccato P 4.4 in the Carry Optics division. Another typical ARPC match where every stage was just a wall of targets all at about the same distance. 😐

Stage 1: 1st place on this stage with only two C-zone hits, which is surprising as I look pretty slow in the video. At the last position of the stage, I had a bit of a hesitation before I started shooting again as I was squatting down behind the barrels (required) and couldn't find my dot in that awkward position.

Stage 2: 5th on this stage with only two C-zone hits. I felt like I ran this stage pretty well, but I was about two seconds behind the pace.

Stage 3: 4th on this stage with only two C-zone hits. Another slow run for me with a bad draw from the holster, and a slight confusion hesitation on engaging a target from my second shooting position.

Stage 4: 2nd on this stage with three C-zone hits, but I still looked slow on video. 😞

I guess my old ass just can't move or shoot fast enough these days, regardless of how much I practice. I ended up in 3rd place Overall out of 19 total.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbulIfHqXzI

Live Free Armory Apollo 11 Handgun

I haven't really been a fan of the Live Free Armory Apollo 11 handguns, because of their 3D printed grip modules and the stylized horizontal lines cut into the sides of the slides (that busy look is not really my style). However, I can certainly appreciate how budget friendly they are. I considered picking one up to go along with the three budget 2011 clones that I acquired earlier this year, but decided that I just didn't like the gun's features and aesthetics enough to justify buying one. I recently came across a used compact that was priced super cheap, so I figured it would be a good project to customize on a budget, and... I am a sucker for a steel frame Commander 2011 with a full length dust cover. 😜

Photos from the Gunbroker auction

I installed the same Osight/Olight budget accessories that I installed on my other budget 2011 clones, but I did have to use a 1-degree shim to properly adjust the optic (not shown in the photos) as the RMSc optic cut is parallel with the top of the slide rather than having a slight forward tilt as most other optic cuts do.

I was planning to replace the 3D printed grip module with a new Springfield Armory Prodigy grip module, but I found a used Alpha Foxtrot Romulus grip module locally for only $60 that was complete with the trigger, mag catch, and beavertail. The Romulus grip modules are very similar to the Prodigy grip modules, and the lead time on Prodigy grip modules can be kind of long depending on their current inventory or production schedule, so the used Romulus grip module was a nice find. 

I did my typical RFV Tactical texture work to the grip module, but I had to use the Romulus grip safety as the factory grip safety is longer than normal and wouldn't work with the Romulus mainspring housing. It took quite a bit of work to fit the Romulus grip safety to the gun, but it actually matches up to the back of the frame better than the factory grip safety did.

I did my typical performance and reliability tuning to the gun so that it would have a trigger pull weight between 2.5 and 3 pounds, cycle smoothly, and feed/extract reliably. The slide's stripper rail has a ramped cut similar to my Race City Defense RC9c, so cycling the slide back and forth by hand is very smooth with absolutely zero disconnector hang up.

The gun had a little bit of wear and tear on the finish and controls from the previous owner, so I did my normal dehorning, thinned down the thumb safety levers to accommodate my high grip, and refinished everything in my new custom Black Nitride Mimic Cerakote color as I did with my Kimber 2K11 Pro.

Despite the 3D printed grip module and it's loose tolerances, the build quality and value seem to be just a little nicer than the EAA/Girsan CMXX. Upgrading the grip module definitely improved the overall look and feel of the pistol, and it shoots really well for a sub $1000 pistol.

Update: I sent the barrel back to LFA for their factory V6 porting service which is surprisingly very inexpensive at only $50 with a 5 to 10 day turnaround. The ports match up with the factory window cuts in the slide, and they increase the performance to be on par with my other ported/comped budget 2011 clones.

STI Tactical 4.0 2011 Handgun

I have finally acquired an older STI Tactical 4.0 2011 handgun in decent condition for what I considered to be a fair price. I already have the STI Tac-Lite 4.0, which is an aluminum frame version of this gun, but I've been wanting to get one with a steel frame for quite a long time. These don't come up for sale very often, but when they do they typically have an overly inflated price tag. They aren't quite as sought after as the 2019 STI Staccato P or the Staccato Heritage P, but they are still highly desirable. The STI Tactical 4.0 is what originally attracted me to the 2011 platform long ago, so it's nice to have another one in my collection. This one came with a DLC finish from the factory rather than the more common Graphite Black Cerakote that came on most of the Tactical series pistols, however it had quite a bit of holster wear as you can see from the photos below. Despite the holster wear, the barrel and slide to frame fitment is still excellent (more on that later).

Photos from the Gunbroker auction

Upon receiving the gun, I immediately sent the slide to DSC Gunworks to have the factory Staccato DPO optic cut done so that I could install a Holosun 509T optic, and I also had two additional front cocking serrations cut on each side of the slide as I think it looks better proportioned with the rear serrations. These mis-proportioned front-to-rear slide serrations are one of the few things that I didn't like about the older STI pistols, so I wanted to correct that on this gun while it was being cut for an optic.

Once I got the slide back from DSCG, I took the time to do a lot of small refinements that the average person probably wouldn't notice or appreciate. I thoroughly dehorned the slide, frame, and beavertail of any sharp edges. I did a relief cut on the bottom of the slide stop lever pad to make it easier to lock the slide back manually, cut in an assembly notch to reduce the potential for an "idiot scratch" during reassembly, did a flat tip on the slide stop pin so that it wouldn't protrude through the frame as much, and dehorned the entire lever. I also dehorned, chamfered, blended, and thinned down the safety levers to work better with my high grip and large hands. The hammer lacked the edge chamfering that my other STI hammers have, so I chamfered the inside and outside edges of it to give it a nicer look and feel, which was very time consuming. Once I finished all of the dehorning, chamfering, and blending, I refinished everything in my custom DLC Mimic Cerakote color. I mixed in a slightly higher ratio of catalyst to give it a little more gloss than I've done with previous guns, and it turned out exactly how I wanted it. The barrel and slide to frame fitment was so tight prior to my Cerakote work, that I had to completely remove all the Cerakote from the frame rails, slide rails, and barrel lugs in the slide to get the gun reassembled and functioning properly. Even with all of these areas completely bare metal, the gun is still very tight, with no slide to frame wiggle.

I modified the factory Gen1 grip module by doing a subtle trigger guard undercut, squared out the inside of the trigger guard, did a step-cut grip chop to accept 16-round Staccato C2 magazines, filled in the faux screw holes at the bottom of the grip for a more modern look, and added my RFV Tactical texture with a smooth border on the bottom of the main spring housing to match the magwell border. I do that smooth border on all of my personal 2011 style grip modules so that my shirt is less likely to snag on the back edge of the grip causing it to print when carrying concealed, and to make the gun feel just a little more comfortable in the hand when shooting.

I did my typical trigger tuning to between 2.5 and 3 pounds utilizing all of the factory components, and replaced the factory Recoil Master dual spring recoil system with a Dawson Precision tool-less guide rod and a 13lb recoil spring, which is what I have in most of my other 2011 style 4.25" pistols. The Recoil Master system works really well, but I like the tool-less guide rod for the ease of disassembly and reassembly and for the ability to add a shock buffer. 

The gun looks absolutely amazing with the extra serrations and I am extremely happy with how the dehorning, blending, Cerakote, and grip work turned out. The gun shoots virtually identical to my original 2019 P and my Heritage P, as I would expect since it is foundationally the same gun. As with all of my other STI guns, this particular pistol is just another personal collection piece, so it won't get carried or used at matches much, if at all.