Posted: 12/24/2014 10:26:22 PM EDT
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Okay, I made it to the range after work and took both my Tisas GI style and my new railed model. I made the following changes to each pistol:
GI Style Wilson Combat drop in beavertail grip safety Wilson Combat Commander style hammer Colt flat mainspring housing Cylinder and Slide Extended Combat thumb safety Wilson Combat spring kit Polished the frame ramp A2 Rail Model Colt extended thumb safety Wilson Combat spring kit Polished the frame ramp When I purchased the GI Style model, it would not function 100%, especially when using the factory supplied Mec Gar mags. After using Wilson 47D, Checkmate Hybrid mags and polishing the frame ramp, it functioned perfectly. I polished the frame ramp on the railed model as well, prior to hitting the range. It paid off. I fired 150 rds through both pistols, using SPEER 230 grain FMJ and had zero issues, even with the Mec Gar mags:rock:. I also fired two mags of Federal 230 grain HST +P through both pistols and they handled it perfectly. I was surprised at how little felt recoil this load had in the 1911's. It was raining with about a 12 mph wind, I fired the last two mags to see how good I could get both pistols to shoot at 13 yards, sitting in my wheelchair. The upper target was the GI Style and the lower target, the Railed model. I think I could have had better results if the wind wasn't blowing, but overall I'm happy with both pistols. 
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I installed a Kensight front night sight on my railed Tisas this evening. I was surprised that this sight was a direct replacement for the factory front sight on this 1911 and required zero filing or fitting. I'm thinking about going ahead and installing their rear night sight as well, but I'm kinda digging the front night sight only setup as well..
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I finally decided to go ahead and tackle the process of installing a set of Trijicon night sights on my GI style Tisas 1911 last night. I had planned on sending the slide off to have a set installed, but to be honest, part of the reason I bought this cheap 1911, was to learn by trial and error how to work on a 1911. I have upgraded to a semi-drop in beavertail grip safety, extended thumb safety, a commander style hammer, Wilson Combat spring kit Magpul MOE grips and now, night sights.
If anybody has a question or doubt as to which size front tenon a Tisas GI style 1911 has, it is, without doubt a small tenon. The rear sight took a bit of fitting to get it installed, but the front staked sight was really not that bad. One thing to note on the front tenon, is that it appeared that the factory front sight was not swaged on the inside of the slide. It was bonded to the inside of the slide with a copper/gold colored material (brazed?). All I did to punch it out was use an automatic punch tool to tap it out from the inside of the slide. It took about 6-7 clicks with the tool to push it out. My 1911 front sight staking tool should be here on Monday and I will be able to do the final staking on the front sight. At this point, I think I'm done with upgrades on this pistol. I always wanted a basic GI type pistol with specific upgrades to fit me and I now have it. The finish on this pistol is definitely showing wear and I have no plans to refinish it and will only replace parts if they break. This will be my beater gun and the best part, is that I have everything done for less than $550, including the price of the pistol (and finding the parts on sale during the holidays  .
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