1. Guns.com
  2. News
  3. Reviews
  4. Review: 500 Rounds with the Tisas Manta 1911 .45

This understated Tisas 1911, which sports an Ed Brown Bobtail to minimize printing – and maximize comfort – when carrying concealed, has proved smooth and dependable in testing. We're talking about the Manta.

Table of Contents
 
Overview
The Specs
Features
Trigger
Reliability
Accuracy
Carry
Pros & Cons
Conclusion

Overview


Tisas has been making some seriously nice 1911s in the past few years including guns in both standard GI and commander lengths, and in assorted calibers like 9mm and 10mm beside the bedrock .45 ACP chambering. Best yet, they bring good value for the dollar. 

The Manta fundamentally can be looked at as a big brother to the company's existing Stingray Carry, an aluminum-framed commander-sized 9mm with an Ed Brown bobtail ramped frame. As it runs a full 5-inch barrel, naturally this bigger ray comes standard in .45 ACP and heads to sea with a forged carbon steel frame, part of the company's Duty B45 series. 
 

The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
The Tisas Manta has a Government-length 5-inch barrel slide with a distinctive Ed Brown bobtail frame. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
Both frame and slide are made of forged carbon steel. 

 

The Specs

 

  • Caliber: .45 ACP
  • Capacity: 8+1 flush fit mag  
  • Trigger Pull: 3.5 pounds (10-pull average), SAO.
  • Weight: 36 ounces with an empty mag 
  • Barrel Length: 5 inches 
  • Overall Length: 8.5 inches
  • Height: 5.5 inches over the top of rear sights 
  • Width: 1.2 inches at widest over grips

Features

 

The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
On the inside, the Manta takes down like any classic 1911, using a standard GI-style recoil system, which means you don't need a takedown tool and allows the gun to be truly "field stripped" in the field. Note that it has Series 70 style internals, with no daffy trigger plunger.
The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
When it comes to surface controls, the frame-mounted manual safety levers are ambidextrous, and the push-button mag release drops the mag free when pressed. The slide catch is functional and, while not extended, works as advertised. 
The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
Note the ambi safety lever, which gives the gun its maximum width of just over 1.2 inches from the outside of one lever to the other. Keep in mind the right-side safety is short, which keeps it from bumping the finger in a traditional grip. 
The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
The high-tanged extended beavertail grip safety, paired with the rounded combat-style hammer, ensures the user's palm webbing remains safe from slide bites while on the range. I like a carry 1911 with a rounded enclosed hammer spur rather than the more traditional spur, as it gives one less snag point on a draw from concealment. 
The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
Front slide serrations are deep and usable. For those who love to press check their 1911s, the Manta stands ready. 
The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
Wearing a smooth matte black Cerakote finish on the slide and frame and black G10 grips with a complementary sunburst texture pattern, the Manta has tastefully understated manufacturer’s roll marks and banners, with the slide being almost completely smooth and unmarked. 
The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
When it comes to texture on the grip, there is no front or rear strap checkering or stippling, although it should be noted that the Ed Brown bobtail eliminates the traditional hot spot of the rear grip digging into the heel of the user's palm. 
The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
Sights are a fixed white three-dot Novak style and are fitted to a dovetail in the frame. They pop out in normal and bright light conditions, but if you anticipate using the Manta in dark/low-light engagements without a bright tac light, night sights should be on the menu. 

 

Trigger


The aluminum trigger on the Tisas Manta is decent, especially with the gun's Series 70 internals – which a lot of 1911 purists prefer. It has a straight-back half-inch pull that comes to an almost immediate wall and a 3.5-pound break. The reset is short and audible. While the color is not that aesthetically pleasing in my opinion – black or grey would be better I feel – the trigger works.
 

 

Reliability


The Tisas Manta has a lot going for it in terms of inherent dependability. The fitment is good, the ejection port is lowered and flared, and it carries a fully supported ramped barrel. The magazines included are 8-rounders, which seem to be unmarked Check-Mates as they carry one of Tom Vieweg's old patent numbers. We ran it with a mix of 500 rounds of factory ammo, throwing in several different 1911 magazines, and it went 500 for 500 right out of the box with no lube. The worst thing we can say is that it failed to lock back a few times. 
 

The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
While we used some PMC Bronze and Wolf Polyformance 230-grain steel case, most of our range ammo was Federal's excellent American Eagle 230-grain FMJ. We also ran about 100 rounds of Federal's Punch 230-grain JHP and Speer's Gold Dot HP.

 

Accuracy


The sights are good, especially in low light, and the high tang beavertail safety coupled with the Bobtailed grip and G10 panels kept the Manta easily in hand. We were able to ring 10-inch plates at 25 yards offhand more often than not. 
 

The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
Recoil is almost straight back on the Manta. 
The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
Typical accuracy from the 15, offhanded, just running mag dumps. 

 

Carry


The Tisas Manta, with its Bobtail frame cut, carries well for a full-sized 1911. We tried it for several days, all day, both in inside waistband and more traditional outside waistband formats, with success. The smoothed extended beavertail grip safety, coupled with the rounded hammer, keeps from digging into the side while sitting and moving, as does the Bobtail.

As someone who has carried lots of standard Government profile 1911s over the years, I can vouch that it is more comfortable. Plus, with the trailing edge of the rear grip effectively rounded off, you print less with a cover garment. 
 

The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
One favorite minimalist OWB carry was the always popular Galco Yaqui Slide, paired with a bamboo Boker Burnley Kwaiken. When carried with a spare mag in N8 Tactical's new Magna-Clip carrier, you had 17 rounds of Speer Gold Dot at the ready. 
The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
A more deep carry concealment setup was a Bianchi Leather Model 100 Professional IWB holster with a high back. An extra mag in a Crossbreed Confidant, which can be carried IWB as well, makes a good companion as does a fixed blade. 

 

Pros & Cons

 

Pros

  • Good price, especially for the features
  • Bobtail grip 
  • Extended beavertail with a rounded hammer
  • Still has a full-sized barrel and slide
  • Reliable
  • Accurate
  • Subtle slide markings (almost none)

Cons

  • Sights could be better
  • Trigger color stands out/clashes
  • Smooth grip front and rear, could use stippling or checkering

 

Conclusion


The Tisas B45 Manta gives the user a lot of features for a price range that hits the $500 neighborhood. It's accurate, dependable, and feels good, functioning flawlessly on the range thus far. When it comes to carry, I would probably want to swap out the grips for something with a bit more texture, as well as upgrade the sights to a set with better low-light performance. Other than that, the Manta offers a lot right out of the box.
 

The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol
The Tisas Manta B45B Duty series pistol is imported by SDS. 

 

Read More On:
revolver barrel loading graphic

Loading