The venerable 1911 has been around forever….well, nearly forever. It’s been through rough times and good times and there’s no better time to be a 1911 than now. With its 100 year anniversary just over, we’ve seen a slew of new 1911 models introduced. While I don’t think that anyone has come up with anything better than John Browning’s original design, everyone is still trying to better it. Sig Sauer has not fallen short of this goal with the introduction of its Tactical Operations 1911.
I spent the better part of an entire weekend just running this pistol through its paces and it did not disappoint.
The trigger pull is typical of a well-made 1911, crisp and light. I found that double-taps were seemingly easy due to the great trigger and the weight of the gun itself. I’d been accustomed to shooting a Commander length 1911 and found that the extra inch or so in the full size really helped to tame some of the .45’s recoil and keep my front sight post where I needed it.
It came from Sig equipped with Trijicon night sights, which are essential in a fighting weapon such as this. Finding the sights in low-light/darkness is much faster than standard irons that aren’t illuminated. While I liked the size of the Meprolight sights that were on my old 1911, I found these to be brighter and easier to pick up than the ones I had previously been using. Even when they were new, they did not shine like these Trijicon sights do.
The one thing that worried me when I bought this gun was the ambi safety on the right-hand side of the gun. I only had a single-sided safety on my previous 1911 and worried that the southpaw was going to get in the way. It does not. It’s so unobtrusive that I didn’t even remember it was there when I was doing some weak-hand shooting. I did find that my weak hand is called such because well, it’s weaker. I found that I couldn’t reliably flick the safety on/off with my left hand. I am sure this partially due to less hand strength but also in part to the tightness of this new gun and the safety. I would hazard a guess that after a few more range trips that the safety will wear a little and be easier to manipulate.
The gun also comes from Sig with a throated and polished barrel/feedramp. In researching this purchase I had read that the gun would actually feed spent casings almost as smoothly as a new round. I found this to be true in my experience. I loaded a mag with a few rounds and also included a spent and it did feed it just as the rest. While I don’t know if this is something that should be done on a regular basis, it might come in handy for some malfunction drills occasionally.
The other thing I had read about was the slide profile of the Sig 1911. This is not one of their “traditional” models and has a slightly more square slide profile than a typical 1911. When you look down on the gun from the top you almost feel as if you are holding another model Sig in your hands. It really does remind me of the slide on my P226. This is a nice wink to their other gun designs but does make holster selection a little harder. I found that the Tac Ops will not fit into a standard Blackhawk CQC holster because of the slide profile. The leather holsters I had seem to fit fine with a little extra break-in as you would a new leather holster. I also have several other holsters made of Kydex and while the gun will fit in them, they are a little tighter fit than usual. I am sure the gun will wear on the holster and become smoother over time but if compatibility of this gun with your current holster is paramount, it might be best to take your favorite carry rig to your local gun shop and try their gun out first before deciding to purchase.
The beavertail safety is slightly raised so that even a non-optimal grip will deactivate it. While I have never had any problems with that fact on the range, I can see that in a “life or death” situation you might not be able to draw your gun and get the best grip on it before needing to fire. The added “bump” is not obtrusive but merely adds another level of redundancy to ensure that this particular pistol is ready to fire should you ever need it.
All in all, I am really digging this gun. It’s my new daily carry and I’m pleased with its performance. I haven’t yet been able to do any accuracy testing but it handles well enough to put all 8 shots in the “A” zone at 25 yards and closer. I wouldn’t hesitate buying one if you are in need of a reliable sidearm for whatever may come your way.
As a side note: I only recently noticed that the hex screw that secures the flared magwell to the base of the gun had gone missing. I called Sig about this on Wednesday and received a replacement by Friday. It seems that their customer service is almost as legendary as their firearms. Almost. 🙂
Dieterich out.
Dieterich
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I got a chance to fondle one of these this past Saturday and it sure made a cheap SOB like me smile. I can finally afford a balls to the wall 1911 that is made here in the US. I love springfield but the frames and slides are made in Brazil…ME NO LIKEY, I dont care how you want to dress that dog up, its still a dog. It seems to me as if they hit the nail on the head with this one and added insult to injury by making it wallet friendly.
I can always count on TGR to have a no frills review on something that I have been thinking about buying. Thank you.
This is not a true statement. Only the low end 1911s have components made in Brazil. I contacted Springfield to confirm this. You can contact SA to verify your make/model is USA made/assembled prior to purchase.
However, it caused me to worry that someday an expensive 1911 TRP or TRP PRO might be made in Brazil and reduce the used value.
Also, Springfield uses as significantly higher % of MIM than Sig Sauer, which they confirmed, but they contend that only in parts that do not require forged components. There are videos/posts on the web that list them. Unfortunately I think Sig Sauer is increasing the amount as well.
I got my Tacops as a trade in for an HK compact 9mm +$450.00. I need it for the Law enforcement academy. I took it to the range a few days ago and I was pleased. I can tell with my trigger pull that I am the malfunction not the gun, it grouped like a dream. The five inch barrel is a plus when shooting at a distance for sure.The trigger pull is crisp as some custom triggers I have shot. The ambi-safety is a real nice added feature with me being a south paw. The night sights are bright and I have put on a tac light. Overall I am very pleased with the gun, it seems to me that Sig is maing some good stuff. I am going to have to find a left handed duty holster, I hope it wont be has hard to find as some people are leading me to believe. If anyone has any suggestions as where to find a holster please let me know.
Try http://www.PHLster.com for your holster. They make them to fit and I do not think they are expensive, at least judging by what I saw on their website. Good luck!!
Try the Blackhawk serpa level 2 light bearing holster. Works perfect with my tacops…
Tucker Byrd Gun Holsters will make one for you and it will last a lifetime and look great doing it. Cost around $150
Oh boy what can I say other than WHAT A GUN! I picked up mine a 2012 carry (4.25 in) model and I must say its almost the perfect 1911. The firearm came with 4 mags, nitesites, magwell, and the comfort of the “hell and back reliablity”. When I compare my 2011 Wilson Combat CQB Lightrail pro… the Sig 1911 Tacops I feel is way better option. Out of the box I put 300rnds on really cheap ammo (Tulamo) on it and not a single fail! As for my wilson combat I had to set back to them twice… a feed ram issue and a extractor problem after less than 50 rnds each time. So you will not be disappointed in this weapon!
Well, got the TacOps just today, but in this part of the world (Europe) it was 11 month(!)waiting period and the price.. well it was one of the cheapest 1911 available here but you are going to be bewildered… 1875 $. Meaning you could have gotten 2,5 Tacops for the same price in US. I do envy you sometimes..
Well worth it anyway.
Fantastic write-up and review..
It is good to see more and more Sig 1911 reviews. If you are looking for a railed 1911 look no further that a Tac Ops. Great write up and pics!
Its your fault Dieterich :)….I finally bought one of these after bidding on about 2 million of them since you wrote this up…finally won a gunbroker auction today for 680$ and 15$ shipping for a brand new one with factory laser, holster and 2 magazines. Brand new! I watch auctions that end after lunch time on mondays…good time to get a deal on something when alot of people are unavailable to bid…gotta love those smart phones for that.
That’s a steal of a price you got there! I hope your gun treats you as well as mine does me. I’ve put at least another 1000 rounds through with zero malfunctions and it seems to be getting smoother all the time.
If you are looking for a custom holster, check out http://www.phlster.com/
They specialize in Kydex for the Sig slide profile. I’ve got one on order and it should be here within the next week or two. I’ll probably review that as soon as I get my hands on it.
Good luck on your recent buy!!!
They are GIVING these things away!! An auction that ended 12 or 14 hours after mine ended at 655.01$ Can you believe that?? Theres a bunch of them from the same people with a No Reserve auction. That one was sold to a dealer who no doubt is gonna mark it up for resale. If anybody wants one of these get on Gunbroker now and search “tacpac” AND “tac pac” (with a space between) Their almost free! 🙂 Thanks for the holster link D. Appreciate it. C.
I did a quick search and came across the pistols you were talking about. WOW! Wish I had picked mine up at that price! However, I did see a few external differences. The “tacpac” model doesn’t have ambi-safeties nor the flared magwell. It also looks like it comes with just a single mag where the model I got came with 4. I’m not sure what(if any) internal differences there are but it’s still a heckuva gun for the price. And really, is a flared magwell and ambi-safety really worth another couple $100? Probably not. I just wanted to point out those differences in case our readers wanted to get one of their own and wanted those extra features that I wrote about.
Hey Buddy, got the Sig home….2 mags, factory laser, factory paddle holster with retention button and a mag loader. You are correct about the safety and magwell. The safety I dont care about. The frame is beveled at the well and loads pretty smooth. If I decide I want a well, then a smith alexander or drop in Wilson Combat is under 50$ but I feel pretty good about it as is. For under 700$ I cant complain about a thing.
Thats a beauty! Well done review and great pics…your really making me want to get one of those “Tac pacs” they have…looks like same gun. I bet that baby would handle 45 super ammo too…
Nice writeup
NICE gun!