Tisas 1911 Night Stalker 45 – Review

Tisas is a company that not too many shooters know much about. I am familiar with it because I do my friend Duane’s gun shop website and I keep his inventory updated. He goes through a decent number of Tisas 1911s.

Most of the guns he sells are in the $350-$450 range. I wanted to see how Tisas handled a more expensive 1911, one with some serious bells & whistles. Now, I have before me a gray-Cerakoted, brand-new Tisas 1911 Night Stalker 45. This is not your typical budget pistol.

Tisas 1911 Night Stalker 45

Live Inventory Price Checker

	Tisas 1911 Night Stalker .45 ACP 5" 8rd, Platinum Grey - 10100512	Palmetto State Armory	$ 799.99 $ 469.99
	Tisas 1911 Night Stalker .45 ACP 5" 8rd, Platinum Grey - 10100512	Palmetto State Armory	$ 799.99 $ 479.99
	Tisas Night Stalker 5" 9rd 9mm Pistol, Platinum Gray- 10100538	Palmetto State Armory	$ 945.99 $ 699.99
	Tisas Night Stalker 5" 9rd 9mm Pistol, Platinum Gray- 10100538	Palmetto State Armory	$ 945.99 $ 699.99

TİSAŞ (Trabzon Silah Sanayi AŞ) is a firearms company located in northeastern Turkey that produces pistols and shotguns. Their guns are sold worldwide to civilians, LEOs, and militaries.

Without turning this into a treatise on Tisas, suffice it to say they produced their first pistol in 1994. The company grew and soon was exporting guns pretty much worldwide. I own a 9mm pistol that they built under the brand name Ziagana. It is one of the most accurate 9mms I’ve shot and is built to a very high-quality standard. It came with two 18-round magazines, a holster, and a nice case for about $350. I like it.

I know that politics rears its head many times in situations like this, but if you can put that aside, the quality of the guns I’ve seen from them outstrips their typical retail price. It’s not uncommon to find a Tisas for around $350 with a fit and finish that would typically go for a couple of hundred dollars more if it were made elsewhere. Simply put, labor costs over there are lower than labor costs in other areas. Turkish gun companies routinely make NATO-acceptable arms. Mind, I’m not trying to “talk you into” buying one… it’s just that, if you are on a budget, these guns are punching well above their price point and the gun in front of me is no exception.

The Night Stalker

The Night Stalker line by Tisas has nine entries. Two of them are lower-priced striker-fired guns starting at $410. The remaining seven are 1911s, either single- or double-stack, in calibers 9mm (5 models), 10mm (2 models), and .45 ACP (2 models). Prices range from $750 (like the one I have here) to $960, depending on capacity and features. Here’s a link to the Night Stalker page. Tisas guns are imported by SDS Imports of Knoxville, TN.

I don’t remember the number of 1911s I’ve owned over the years, but there have been several. I’ve owned models ranging from bargain-basement blasters to Colts. I like the platform. It seems to be making a comeback these days… interestingly enough, in calibers 9mm and 10mm, more than .45.

With the Tisas 1911 Night Stalker 45, we have a prime example of what a .45 1911 can be. It is impressive for its price, and it is one sweet 1911.

Looking at the gun, you might notice a few things. First, it’s a full-size, five-inch-barreled 1911. Next, you might notice the ambi safety and the frame rails. The semi-flat-faced trigger is not adjustable, but it doesn’t need to be.

Let’s look at the specs provided by Tisas for this gun, with a couple of my comments thrown in.

• Tisas Forged Foundation Construction – Forged Frame & Slide**
• Tisas Forged & Machined Barrel w/ Button Rifling
• Colt® Series 70 Based Internals
• Lowered & Flared Ejection Port
• Platinum Grey Cerakote Finish
• Contoured Trigger Guard Under Cut
• Rear Slide Cocking Serrations
• SF Machined Mainspring Housing
• Machined Aluminum Grips
• Novak Style U-Notch Rear w/ Tritium Front (flat-faced so you can use it to rack the slide)
• Skeletonized Hammer
• SF Trigger (My measurements showed an average trigger pull weight of 4 lbs., 2 oz.)
• SF Style Ambidextrous Safety
• Extended Beavertail Grip Safety
• Available in .45ACP
• Tisas Premium Owners Kit (2 Magazines, Cleaning Kit, Lockable Rugged Case)
• Covered by 1-Year Warranty and the Tisas Lifetime Service Plan

Here’s some additional info…

Photo Gallery

Notice the lightening cuts behind the muzzle. That shaves an ounce or two off the weight, and adds an aesthetic touch.

My only question about this pistol involves the grip panels. They are smooth, machined aluminum. Aluminum, I get, but smooth? I guess I’m old-school and prefer some texture under my palms. It’s not even a niggle, but I thought I needed to mention it.

The polish job isn’t mirror-like, but here it doesn’t have to be. It is smooth enough that cartridges fed as expected.

OK, that’s enough. The fit and finish are excellent—there are no machining marks or chatter, and nothing is where it shouldn’t be.

Range Time

I set up a few targets at my backyard range at 20 yards and tried what .45 ACP ammo I had on hand.

Top to bottom, Hornady American Gunner 185 gr. JHP, Fiocchi 200 gr. XTPHP, and Fiocchi 230 gr. FMJ.

Here are some representative targets. (In case you are wondering why the holes in the targets are egg-shaped, the targets were leaning backwards due to range conditions and wind. At least the eggs are on the paper!).

Given the conditions, any of these loads would bear further investigation and testing – but maybe on a calmer day… at least, you get the point.

It’s obvious that the sights were not regulated to POI for these three loads, but that’s something that’s fixable – at least where windage is concerned.

Before I get further into ballistics for this pistol, I want to give the trigger some love… this 4 lb., 2 oz. trigger was one of the best non-custom 1911 triggers I’d come across. After 1/4″ of take-up, you hit the wall. It seems like it took very little more finger pressure to drop the hammer… the let-off was crisp and even, every time. This trigger was amazing.

Ballistics

OK… nerd time! I like to see how the various loads I try perform in the guns I’m testing. So, a chronograph is indicated. I’ve owned four of them, but even so, that was always an issue due to set-up, batteries, shooting the sunscreen supports, etc.

That was an issue before three days ago. Why three days? That was when my Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph arrived. You’ll see it in one of the photos above. It allowed me to get some pretty interesting data sent right to my phone on these three loads, shot from this Tisas 1911 Night Stalker 45, without leaving the shooting bench.

And, In the End…

Are you looking for a 1911 to add to your collection? Want something that is a cut above the basic mil-spec models? Don’t have $1500 to spend on one? Take a look at a Night Stalker. The gray Cerakote finish is perfect and the controls work as they are supposed to.

Out of the box, this thing was tight, finished expertly, and was as accurate as I could expect that day. Even if you want a 9mm or 10mm, they have you covered.

Within the expanding 1911 universe, Tisas has made a name for itself by producing quality pistols at a reasonable price. The Night Stalker is no exception – you might want to check one out!

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About Mike Hardesty

With experience spanning over 45 years, Mike Hardesty has long enjoyed shooting and reloading. An inveterate reloader, he casts bullets and reloads for a diverse array of firearms, each handled with long-practiced precision. Living in rural Indiana, his homestead boasts a personal 100-yard range where he shares his love for guns to his four sons, their wives, and eleven grandchildren. As a recognized author, his writings have been featured in notable platforms like Sniper Country, Bear Creek Arsenal Blog, Pew Pew Tactical, TTAG, Dillon Precision’s Blue Press, and Gun Made, revealing his ongoing passion for firearms at the age of 72.