SIG Sauer Tacops 1911R-10-TACOPS 10mm Auto

This pistol comes with an impressive list of features and was very accurate, but it had extraction issues initially. SIG fixed the problem fast, so we upgraded its marks to include customer service.

2

GUN TESTS GRADE: B-/A

$1050

Recent SIG Sauer 1911s tend to be a bit different. The slide is not mil-spec nor is the muzzle. When you order a holster for a SIG 1911, make sure you tell them it is a SIG, because they don’t fit in tight standard rigs. Our Tacops sample is no different. Easily visible when viewed from the muzzle, the radiused edge on the top of the slide is flared out a bit more than just about everyone else’s. Then the top half of the sides of the slide is dished out. All of this makes for a very distinctive look. The dust cover on the Tacops model is reinforced and then milled out as a Picatinny rail. Three slots give room to mount just about anything desired. Add in an external extractor, and you could tell who made this pistol with your eyes closed.

Action TypeSingle action, hammer fired
Overall Length8.7 in.
Overall Height5.6 in.
Maximum Width1.33 in.
Weight Unloaded39.8 oz.
Weight Loaded47.7 oz. with nine 180-grain FMJs
Slide MaterialStainless steel
Slide Retraction Effort20.5 lbs.
Receiver MaterialStainless steel
FinishNitron
Front Strap Height2.75 in.
Back Strap Height3.5 in. with factory extended magwell
Barrel Length5.0 in.
Grip Thickness (Maximum)1.33 in.
Grip Circumference5.4 in.
MagazineFour 8-round steel
Rear SightNovak pattern Siglite
Front SightNovak pattern Siglite
Sight Radius6.5 in.
Trigger-Pull Weight4.0 lbs.
Trigger Span3.0 in.
SafetyFiring pin, grip, manual thumb
WarrantyLimited lifetime, non-transferrable
Telephone(603) 610-3000
WebsiteSigSauer.com
Made InU.S.A., New Hampshire

Our sample came with a 5-inch fully-ramped match-quality barrel showing a well-recessed crown. For use with a higher intensity cartridge like the 10mm, we like the extra support the ramp provides. As with the Colt Delta Elite, slide-to-barrel fit was very tight. The slide and frame on the Tacops are both stainless steel with a matte-black nitride finish. The slide mounts excellent Novak-style Siglite night sights both front and rear. Diagonal grasping grooves are located at the rear of the slide only, but there is plenty of space at the front of the slide available to be used for press checks. The frame is undercut to allow the shooter’s hand to sit as high as possible in the grip and reduce recoil a bit. The front strap and the mainspring housing are checkered at what appears to be 30 lines per inch. We remember when all of this kind of checkering was done by hand. We remember when we were pretty good at it. We don’t remember our checkering ever being this precise. The lines and the edges are just about perfect. As on the earlier 45, our 10mm Tacops ships with an extended magazine well. This creates a bit more length and more of a funnel effect to the mag well, allowing faster reloads. A big of extra recoil does not disqualify a firearm for use as a high-speed fighting pistol, and the SIG is certainly set up for it.

While everything else on the pistol except the barrel and the trigger are a matte black, the controls are more of a polished black, making a nice contrast in colors. The manual thumb safety is ambidextrous and a little larger than mil-spec, but operating surfaces are not all that large. That being said, we did not have any trouble operating the safety properly. The high-rise beavertail safety has a larger-than-average “Memory Pad” on it that can perhaps forgive some less than perfect grips. The trigger is skeletonized aluminum and very crisp within the slight limitations of an 80-series type firing-pin safety. Initial take-up and overtravel during trigger compression were both only about 0.125 inch. Trigger movement required was right at 4 pounds pressure.

The pistol ships with four highly polished eight-round magazines. We could get nine rounds in the mag, but then it would not seat with the slide forward, so we settled for eight. All loaded and fed well. We also tried out some Wilson Combat nine-round magazines we had on both the SIG and the Colt. All worked well. At first glimpse, we thought that the grip panels might be G10 laminate but, upon removal, we confirmed they were plastic with a nice SIG logo centered therein. Diagonal grooves are molded into the panels that seemed a bit sharp to us for use in an extended shooting, but then didn’t actually pose any problems during the shooting session.

The SIG Tacops was the most accurate of the semi-autos we tested in this group, but function was spotty early on. We had fairly consistent extraction issues in which the empty case would stay in the chamber as the slide cycled to the rear. This happened primarily with Magtech ammo and good reloaded ammunition. The Remington and Buffalo Bore ammo worked almost all the time, but we wouldn’t settle for that. We contacted SIG. Within 10 days of reaching out to them, our Tacops had been repaired and returned to us. We then put more than 200 rounds through it where it worked perfectly. Turned out to be a simple extractor issue. Our hats are off to SIG for their energy and interest in making this problem right. As we always say, test any and all new firearms before you bet your life or the hunt of a lifetime on them.

Our Team Said: This pistol comes with an impressive list of features and was very accurate, but it had extraction issues — which SIG Sauer then did an incredible job of fixing, so we added another half grade to the marks for the repaired pistol for their customer service.

Range Data

Remington 155-grain Hog HunterColt Delta EliteSIG Sauer TacopsS&W Model 610Springfield XD-M 10
Average Velocity1212 fps1200 fps1250 fps1228 fps
Muzzle Energy506 ft.-lbs.495 ft.-lbs.538 ft.-lbs.519 ft.-lbs.
Best Group1.68 in.1.36 in.1.65 in.1.33 in.
Average Group1.94 in.1.75 in.1.85 in.2.03 in.
MagTech 180-grain FMJColt Delta EliteSIG Sauer TacopsS&W Model 610Springfield XD-M 10
Average Velocity1214 fps1193 fps1231 fps1210 fps
Muzzle Energy589 ft.-lbs.569 ft.-lbs.606 ft.-lbs.585 ft.-lbs.
Best Group1.61 in.1.49 in.1.07 in.1.49 in.
Average Group1.93 in.1.80 in.1.49 in.1.78 in.
PMC 200-grain FMJColt Delta EliteSIG Sauer TacopsS&W Model 610Springfield XD-M 10
Average Velocity1011 fps997 fps1019 fps1017 fps
Muzzle Energy454 ft.-lbs.441 ft.-lbs.461 ft.-lbs.459 ft.-lbs.
Best Group1.37 in.0.95 in.0.57 in.0.97 in.
Average Group1.83 in.1.30 in.0.77 in.1.17 in.
Buffalo Bore 220-grain Hard CastColt Delta EliteSIG Sauer TacopsS&W Model 610Springfield XD-M 10
Average Velocity1189 fps1166 fps1236 fps1200 fps
Muzzle Energy691 ft.-lbs.664 ft.-lbs.747 ft.-lbs.704 ft.-lbs.
Best Group1.80 in.0.95 in.0.77 in.1.27 in.
Average Group1.94 in.1.19 in.1.25 in.1.85 in.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. I am tempted to renew my subscription for the third time but something tells me that I won’t get my free copy of Gun Value as advertised in the past. I brought this to the attention of your not so candid customer service, and they ignored me.

  2. I have been a satisfied reader for several years. I am especially appreciative of the fact that you tell it exactly as you find it.
    I hope you never have to give in to the likes of the other gun magazines and provide a glowing report on a less than stellar gun.
    Thank you for your always candid reporting of the good, the bad and the ugly in the firearms world.
    God Bless
    Newt

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