MAC (I think it may be manufactured by Agency Arms) optic plate is AAA+++. Fitment to RMR is perfect. Zero play in either optic plate to frame or optic to optic plate. Is the MAC 1911-9 DS worth $250 more than the TISAS B9R DS? Bull barrel, magwell, fiber optic front sight, no extended mag... I dunno.

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See how it shoots, then we can decide.  I think the Agency Arms plate fitment is a good addition, did that come included or do you have to buy one.  If you have to buy one, how much is added.  

How is the trigger?

I have a pair of the Duty DS versions on the way soon so I will give one the once over and post my opinions.

Came with a cover plate, a RMR plate, tools, and 3 sets of different length screws. RMR plate included a rear dovetailed blacked out square notch iron sight. Irons will not co-witness with a RMR. Kind of sucks that they would put all the effort into giving you an extra iron sight just for it to be the same height as on the cover plate. If I were MAC, I'd equip the pistol with lower 1/4 co-witness front/rear/rear optic plate. It wouldn't cost them any more to make.

This is my first 1911 style pistol so don't read this thinking I know anything. Trigger is spec'd at "Duty" 4.75 lbs. I'm getting 5.75-6.25 lbs consistently. Very short take up but you can feel some jiggle to the trigger > wall > zero creep > break is hard for me to describe. You hear it but by the time you've processed what you have heard you are at a hard stop at the back. I can't even tell my trigger finger has moved. > Reset is medium-light and very short. I'm sure all of you 1911 guys are silently giggling while reading this and I bet you same guys are far better at detecting the minute nuances of the platform. I'm coming from really good striker fired triggers like aftermarket P-10, PDP, Canik, etc. and this is a different universe. I played around with a tuned Bull that was on consignment today so I think I know what a good 2011 feels like.

I bought this hoping it would be a good Lego set to learn on. I look forward to modding the hell out of it and then maybe stepping up a few levels in a year or two.

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Thanks for the info on the recoil spring. I thought it felt a bit stiff. Will the Dawson toolless guide rod work on this model? Also, is it normal for there to be a couple of resistance bumps after overcoming the hammer when racking the slide? It feels like the slide release is slightly catching (even though it absolutely isn't).

I was combing over MAC's website last night and I came across this:

https://milarmamentcorp.com/mac-1911-double-stack-9mm/

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I wonder if they spec'd the sights incorrectly. It really doesn't make make any business sense. RMR's are definitely in the "most optics" category and the fact they included an optics plate cut for the RMR footprint just reinforces this.

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Just got a pair of the Tisas Duty 1911 DS (9DS).  They also look nice, clean black Cerrakote.  Enough rail for the TLR1.  Triggers were around 6# out of the box, nice smooth action.

Here's my Night Stalker

Yes, I'm waiting on an Acro plate @sdsimports

This handgun is the shit.
I still like a Staccato slightly better but not by much

Thanks for the update. So are us early adopters that purchased the MAC models after reading the product description going to receive replacement rear sights that can screw in to the very nice existing optics plate along with a taller front sight? I can see this being a huge PITA for you, especially when coupled with the recent Tisas recalls. Maybe you could offer us something like a 20 round extended mag with the agreement that we will pay out of pocket for a solution on our own. Just trying to find a mutually agreeable solution that doesn't snowball into your side scrambling to find a solution that doesn't exist yet and takes many months to implement and customers frozen in a situation where they want appropriate height sights but don't purchase any due to an OEM solution/fix being "right around the corner". I've seen this play out a few times and it doesn't do either side any favors.

EDIT:

I see that the product description for the MAC DS 9 on the SDS site has been changed. Hopefully that takes care of the issue going forward. I'll post a screen cap of the product description at the time I made the purchase for posterity.

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To get Para magazines to work very well, replace the base pad with an extended pad that adds a round or two (I find 15 rounds of 45 ACP feeds great) and swap out the factory springs for extra power Wolff springs.  They have been working great for many years.

Here's kind of a head scratcher... $25 difference in cost.

Suppressor height sights, optics cut, OEM smooth trigger shoe and magwell were the only changes to the G45.

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I shot the DS9 today (Govt 1911 DS) and it ran like a champ.  I added a dot because I can’t see and accuracy was good.  I ran 5-6  mags of Monarch steel and some reloads.  It could use a stipple or some grip tape but does well as is.

4.5 would be fine. Thanks for the info.

I held my nose (Turkish gun) and ordered the Duty 5”. I thought about the night stalker but it may fit my 1911 w/TLR1 holster without the threaded bbl. Pistol, EPS Carry and 3x 20rd prodigy mags and I’m around the prodigy pistol only price.

They said they are doing a 10mm sometime down the road in the video.
Ima waite for that as I already have a RI 9mm double stack.

LMAO - whatever works for you I guess.

This is actually me, and I can give a quick update on these guns.

Both guns are sitting at 1400ish rounds right now. We shot them without filming just to enjoy them, and we're going to do a full long term review once we hit around 4000ish rounds.

So far both guns are pretty solid. The magazines that come with them and are marked Tisas have different springs in them than what you'd get from a Staccato or buying Checkmate mags. The top of the spring actually has a kink in it to prevent nosedive, AND the spring despite having the same number of coils as the Checkmate mag felt much more stout. I replaced them all with Atlas +15 springs but I'm going to keep the Tisas springs floating around just in case in need springs in a pinch. I did need to tune the Checkmate mags after dropping them since they stopped feeding HST, the Tisas mags had no such issues. Magazines are the weak point of the entire family of 2011s and the Atlas Youtube channel has kept me from thinking any of the guns have issues. Calipers don't lie.

Both guns are wearing in a bit more, the MAC9 got a wipe down and some oil and the Night Stalker is still gross as hell. I'm currently mulling over getting a 5 inch Duty DS and a Prodigy to do a "budget" 2011 Battle Royale.

Anywhere, he's a picture of the springs for you pleasure. The Middle spring is the Tisas spring and the right one is the Atlas spring. That little kink up top is genius.

Anyone know definitively what type of sights are on the DS 9? I've been messing around with a set of calipers and think I know what height to purchase for the rear.

The very bottom of the rear sight appears to be at the same level as the floor of the optic plate so... RMR rear deck height is about .350" and the height of a rear sight notch at .118" so anything around .468" or a tiny bit taller will put the rear exactly where I like it. The rear looks kind of like a Glock dovetail but I'm not 100%. I figure if I can get the rear figured out, I'll use some heat activated moldable plastic pellets and mold an extension to the front sight until I can get it to co-witness with my red dot. Then I'll just take a measurement with my calipers and order the closest size that Dawson has available. All that is holding me back is knowing what the cut is for the front and rear.

That seemed too low until I discovered the differences on how different sight manufacturers describe the heights of their sights. Dawson uses the slide to top of sight while Ameriglo uses total sight height (including dovetail).

Now it makes more sense.

So on the Prodigy, the .420" is really .420" + .08" (dovetail height) = .500" in Ameriglo language.

Since the vetted MRDS sights are so good these days, I like to have my irons as low as possible. When co-witnessing, I want to be able to see the bottom of the rear sight notch as low as possible in the optic's window. I guess you could call it a lower 1/5 or 1/6 co-witness. A .468" (Ameriglo) or .388" (Dawson) should do that for me.

For those of you seeking a true 1/3 co-witness, it looks like the Prodigy sizing of .420" (Dawson) / .500" (Ameriglo) should get you there.

I'll be ordering several options today and I'll report back once I've played around with them.

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On another note...

I spent $593 so you don't have to!

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I know 90% of this stuff is unnecessary but I'm guessing there will be a lot of 1911 DS Tisas/MAC noobs getting into the game and hopefully me stuggle-bussing through some of the "quirks and features" on this platform will save someone else some money down the line.

As it currently stands, the MAC DS 9 only has a few "flaws":

- Most say it is over sprung (recoil and mainspring)

- Sights aren't tall enough

- Take down for field strip requires a tool (paperclip)

In addition, my personal issues are:

- Mag release button is way over sprung. I don't know if this is a 1911 thing but I am going to find out!

- Lot's of play on the right side thumb safety. Again, I don't know if this is "normal" but I have already tightened up the "C channel" on the connecting joint between the left and right thumb safeties and it didn't take long for it to loosen back up.

One last thing I am seeking to address is... What is a great (Duty-ish) 1911/2011 trigger pull and how does MAC DS 9 stack up? I've only handled a Staccato P and a BUL SAS TAC II at the gun store so I have very little to go on. I already took the MAC 100% apart and followed an OCD tuning guide by an over zealous Prodigy owner which yielded very positive results:



After doing the above, I'm at a very good place with the MAC. I want to see if the Atlas EGW Ignition kit is as good as people say it is, or if a handy guy with a few hours to burn can accomplish much of this with decent OEM parts and a few tools.

I figure if the Atlas parts aren't deemed "necessary" for the MAC, I'll have a good stack of internals that I can swap into a Prodigy at a later date.

Sorry for the long winded post.

BTW... Just got off the phone with Springfield Armory. The Prodigy grip module is only $39. Sure beats the $350-650 I've seen for other 2011 style grip modules out on the web. They are now out of stock but I was going to pick one up b/c I heard they fit the DS 9 with just a little trimming.

SA Part: PH0534

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Tisas says its a Glock rear sight.  Front sight is Novak like.  The pin does not line up so a dry fit.  I fitted a FO to a Duty fairly easily.

Thank you! It looks like milarmamentcorp.com just added some relevant info to their DS 9 description:

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Duty 9DS.  I swapped in an EPS for the 407k.  It is a little bigger window, maintains co-witness.  I did sand the optic cut and the optic with some 600 grit to get the fit a little less snug.

Looks like they got the height of the irons and slide cut depth right. Great co-witness!

EDIT:

Could you have mashed the optic in the pocket without the sanding?

I probably could have mashed it but I opted for snug fit.  I taped the visible finish on the slide and it is contained to the pocket.

My prediction is that all it really needs is a couple springs (and sights).

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Picked up one of the MAC DS9s, overall pretty impressive out of the box for the money.  

If anyone was curious about some holster compatibility, it works no problem in the Safariland 6390RDS for the Staccato P 4.4".

Got my duty 5” in today. Got the light and optic on. May get to the range tomorrow.

In a Facebook users post it was announced that to mount the TLR1 to the 4.25” commander DS one must use the SW99/TSW key with some minor fitting.

How are the grips on these? Look pretty slick in photos but do they have good traction?

Haven't gotten to the range yet, so we'll see how shooting feels then, but in handling the texture on the sides is not very aggressive IMO.  The checkering on the front and back are decent but a bit fine.

The sides are nothing like the tac grip on a Staccato but the rear and front offer fairly good texture. For some reason, I don't have any issues getting great purchase on this pistol. Maybe it is the large-ish size of the grip module or just the fact that it is a Staccato grip module clone in general. It just fits my hands very well.

For the MAC 9 DS owners. Your rear co-witness sight is a Dawson .395" (part 018-777).

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A .390" should do for the front. Not sure about that yet.

https://dawsonprecision.com/dawson-precision-glock-mos-fixed-co-witness-rear-sights/

I used the Amazon $50 VISM blue sight pusher tool and the OEM sight creaked a few times but made it out in an uneventful fashion. Dawson sight tapped right in with the delrin side of a gunsmith hammer. Glad it has a screw.

Typically, for a platform (like a Glock) that I’m familiar with, I can. With the variances from manufacturers on slide cut depths optic plate thicknesses and integrated optic plate dovetails, I get confused with spec’ing fronts. I guess I could try what you are saying. I’ll report back when the front arrives.

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@Melvin_Johnson

Dawson rear total height = .395"
MAC 9 DS rear total height = .3535"
Difference = 0.0415

Dawson front sights are measured from the top of the slide to the top of the sight

MAC 9 DS top of slide to top of OEM sight is = .190"

.190 + .0415 = .2315"

.220" and .245 is all that Dawson offers for blacked out Novak cut irons.

Do I go low or high?

Go high, you can always file it down if it’s too high for your liking. You can’t easily add material to a sight that is too short.