**2023 Update: The Elite Force 1911 TAC is still holding strong after all these years, and Elite Force has recently started selling directly to consumers in addition to selling through authoritized retailers. You can find links to find this pistol on Amazon, or see it on Evike.com’s website here.
The Elite Force 1911 is an airsoft gun that you probably see every time you play airsoft. They’ve been available for over five years, and have been widely adopted by players looking for a reliable sidearm at an affordable price. Over the years the Elite Force 1911 has seen improvements on their design to improve the quality and accuracy of the pistol, but how do they stack up to newer designs from other companies in 2021?
External Quality & Features
The first thing we should discuss is the different models of 1911 available from Elite Force. Both of them have the same internals, so the only difference is their external features. Currently, Elite Force offers their 1911 TAC, a modernized 1911 design. This is the model we’ll be focusing on in this article, but they also offer their 1911A1 which is more inline with the traditional WWII era 1911 design.
Both models have a metal slide and frame which gives the pistol a nice weight and balance. This helps with the extremely hard recoil, but we’ll get to that later in the article. The 1911 TAC model has a number of updates to make the 1911 into a more modern fighting pistol, and Elite Force really nailed it with the features on this pistol. They’ve enhanced the standard 1911 controls you’d expect with an improved ambidextrous safety lever, enhanced beavertail grip safety and rounded hammer. All small details, but they make a world of difference compared to the 1911A1 model.
Functionality wise, the 1911 TAC has a few great additions that need to be highlighted. First, this model has a rail on the frame of the pistol for attaching lights and lasers, which is a must for any modern pistol and I’m glad they chose to add it. Speaking of attachments, the 1911 TAC has a threaded barrel for adding a mock suppressors or tracers to the airsoft gun. The iron sights are three clear white dots, which are much better than traditional 1911 sights. This pistol is basically the Marine’s M45A1 pistol without the tan cerekote and grips.
Internals & Performance
The Elite Force 1911 TAC uses the KWC CO2 system, which has seen many improvements over the years. These have improved the consistency, accuracy and reliability of the KWC system, and have only made the 1911 TAC a better product with every generation of the pistol they release. This pistol produces a lot of recoil, so strengthened internals were a must-have to keep it running smoothly.
Elite Force offers many replacement parts for this pistol in their rebuild kits. These include parts for various sections of the pistol, including the magazine incase anything breaks on your 1911. I’m really glad they’ve made these parts widely available, because a lack of parts support has been an issue for me with other pistols in the past.
The pistol is powered by a 14 round C02 magazine which highlights one of the largest disadvantages of the 1911 TAC. 14 rounds isn’t a lot of ammo, and I’d recommend looking at the extended 27 round magazines that are available. Despite the amount of recoil the 1911 TAC has, you can easily get 4-5 magazines from a single CO2 capsule.
The range on this pistol is what you’d expect from a typical airsoft pistol. It’s easy to hit shots at roughly 60 feet, but anything after 80-90 feet you’d be pushing your luck. The hop up is adjustable, and is accessed by removing the slide from the frame like most airsoft pistols
Final Thoughts
The Elite Force 1911 TAC is a highly underrated pistol for its price point. The design has everything you’d expect, but doesn’t have anything flashy or unnecessary. While it is hindered by the low magazine capacity I don’t think it’s a deal breaker. If you’re the type of player who uses their pistol as a sidearm to get themselves out of a sticky situation or occasionally uses it as a primary, this would be a great option for you. If you’re looking for something to use exclusively as a primary, I think there’s pistols better suited to that role. Overall, I’d highly recommend the Elite Force 1911 TAC to any airsoft player!
The Best Online Deals For The Elite Force 1911 TAC
You May Also Need…
Buying via our links may result in us earning a commission. Also, we take your privacy rights seriously. Learn more here.
Want to stay up to date with new articles from The BB Warrior? Sign up for our newsletter!
