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.
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 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
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.
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.
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.
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.