Chad Wallace

May 31, 2026

Guns, review

MAC IX

Chad Wallace

May 31, 2026

Guns, review

Military Armament Corporation -

MAC IX PCC Review

Everyone is making 9mm Pistol Caliber Carbines (PCC) these days. Not to be outdone, Military Armament Corporation (MAC) came out with their MAC IX 9mm PCC. This is a direct blowback “pistol” that is compatible with MP5 magazines. It is not one of the MP5 clones, instead it is more like an AR PCC with MP5 features.

My first thoughts on the MAC IX. It is a nice looking PCC. It comes with a few extras that other companies do not do. The main one is removable iron sights. These sights have large side protectors to keep the sights safe in case they get banged around. Inside them are a standard AR post front sight and an A2 style rear. MAC also includes an adjustment tool for the front sight. The other included items are a single point sling and a flash hider. I believe the sling is included because this version does not come with an attached brace.

Let me describe the MAC IX a little. It looks very much like an AR, but it is definitely not. It does have a separate upper and lower, like an AR, but these parts have different spacing, or at least the pins to take the upper and lower apart are spaced differently. There are only 2 main parts on the MAC IX that are interchangeable with an AR. Those are the trigger and safety selector. It also uses any standard AR grip.

The upper of the MAC IX is very similar to the PCC you are used to. There is a standard port door covering the bolt, it flops open once the bolt is cycled. To charge the MAC IX, it has an ambidextrous rear charging handle. The upper also has a M-Lok rail up front. It is short, so don’t expect to mount much to it. On top is a standard full length picatinny rail for mounting the included iron sights, or an optic.

Again, the lower portion of the MAC IX resembles an AR’s lower receiver. So the trigger and safety are in the same position. It has an ambidextrous safety with short levers on both sides. The safety is very stiff, even after a lot of use. Moving to the front of the lower, is the MP5 magwell. There are 2 different ways to drop the magazines on the MAC IX. First is with a button on the right side of the magwell, very similar to the AR mag release you are used to. However, this mag button is farther away from the trigger than a normal AR. This makes the button hard to get to unless you have long fingers. But, MAC also gives you an ambidextrous paddle mag release. This mag release is like a better MP5 paddle release, it has large paddles on both sides. The only problem with the paddle release is that it is not easy to use. The spring pressure is way too much to reliably push the paddle with your trigger finger. So you end up using your thumb, grabbing the mag and the paddle, and pulling the mag out. On the left side of the receiver is a bolt catch, this is typical AR style. When using the MAC magazines, the bolt will lock back when empty. When using actual MP5 magazines, the bolt will not lock back. The MAC magazines are cheaper anyhow and work great.

At the very rear of the MAC IX’s receiver is a vertical pic rail. This rail is for mounting various braces and stocks (assuming you have your Form 1 in hand). On a 45 degree angle, at the bottom of this pic rail, is a QD mounting spot. This is where you install the supplied single point sling. That way you can push out on the pistol, with the sling wrapped around you, to stabilize the pistol. Single point slings work well for this, and the supplied one worked as intended.

The MAC IX has a 6.5 inch barrel. It is a good size for this type of 9mm PCC. This barrel has two different ways of attaching muzzle devices or suppressors. The first is with a tri lug quick detach mount. So if you have a tri lug suppressor, you won't need to add anything to the MAC IX to mount it. The other mounting option is ½-28 threads. Which is what I used. The MAC IX also comes with a flash hider that screws onto the barrel. It reminds me of an A1 style flash hider. The accuracy of the barrel was fine. I only ran cheap 9mm ammunition through it. Federal 124gr gave me the best 5 shot group at 15 yards, it was a little under an inch. The other cheap stuff ran between 1-2 inches at that range.

Notice the metal nub sticking up, a quick file fixed it

I like the MAC IX. But, it did have a few issues. None of them were functional issues as the IX ran great. The trigger is not good, even for a mil-spec AR style trigger. It's gritty and has lots of creep, even after 900 rounds. It has a pull weight of 6.5 pounds now, it started out heavier. But, you can always change the trigger. Next up, one of the iron sights had a nub on the bottom, inside, almost directly in the middle. This made it so the iron sight would not slide on the pic rail like it should. The sights come in the box, not on the gun. I filed the metal nub off and the sight slid right on. I would say that was a quality control problem. Speaking of QC problems, the IX is also supposed to come with 2 magazines in the box. Well, this one didn't have any in the box. Luckily, SDS Arms had sent me 3 extra mags. These 3 were separate line items, so I know they weren't part of the 2 “not” in the box. I contacted my rep (not at SDS or MAC). SDS told them they would ship me a couple when they were restocked, I still haven't seen them.

Now the good. The MAC IX is a super fun PCC. The small size makes it very maneuverable. I put a Strike Industries dual folding brace on this one. It mounted up on the rear pic rail without a hitch and fits the PCC well. The MAC IX will even fit in a backpack with the brace folded and a full 30 round magazine inserted. So if you want something small to carry, that has a little more firepower than a carry pistol, the MAC IX might help. I also installed a 1x prism from ZeroTech. Most of the testing was done with the prism. I only used the irons with a few mags, just to see if they worked. In the 900+ rounds I have shot, I only had 1 failure to feed. The IX was also dirty when that happened. Recoil on the IX had a typical PCC blowback feel to it. I do think the recoil felt less than my old AR PCC. I really like the MAC magazines because they hold the bolt back on the last round. I didn’t notice much difference running the IX with or without a suppressor. Granted, there was a little more gas blowback in my face, but not as much as I expected. The MAC IX just works. All I can say is that the MAC IX surprised me with how much fun it is to shoot.

The MAC IX is a fun little PCC. It uses those great MP5 style magazines, comes with iron sights, and is ready for you to install a suppressor. Being a Turkish import, the MAC IX is built really nice. It does everything you might need, or want, it to. The Mac IX is also super portable due to its small package size. The MAC series of firearms are distributed through SDS Arms and can be found on the Military Armament Corporation's website.

Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Blowback operated Pistol Caliber Carbine that uses MP5 magazines and some AR parts

Target Market:

Anyone wanting a small PCC

Features, Benefits, and Specifications of this product:

Action Type: Direct Blow Back Semi-Auto
Caliber: 9MM
Adjustable Sights - AR/M4 BUIS Style
Top picatinny rail
Capacity (w/ Included Mags): 30 + 1
Barrel Length: 6.5"
Barrel threaded 1/2-28 TPI and tri-lug
OAL: 15.97"
Height: 8"
Width: 1.75"
Weight (Unloaded): 5.10 lbs.
Rear picatinny for mounting braces
Rear QD attachment point
MAC-5/MP5 Magazine Compatibility
Paddle and Button Magazine Release
Includes: Hard case, 2 magazines, Cleaning kit, Sling, & Flash hider

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

None

What others are saying?:

4 out 5 stars at PSA

I love this thing.

Only complaint I got is mine will not feed hollow points. I’ve run maybe 400 rounds of fmj flawlessly but it won’t fire two consecutive hollow points without failing to feed. Didn’t buy it for hollow points so I’m ok with it. Other than that, I have no regrets.

Link to other reviews:

Gun Talk

Price point:

MSRP = $797.00

Retail = Around $700.00

I need it now! Availability:

Guns.com, MidwayUSA, PSA, Battle Hawk Armory, and many others

Our Rating:

Pros:

Compact
Uses some AR parts
Uses MP5 Magazines
Tri-lug adaptor and threaded barrel
Comes with iron sights that are decent
Rear picatinny rail with QD point
SDS mags lock bolt open

Cons:

Did not have supplied magazines in box
Recoil due to blowback action
Stiff safety selector
Stiff paddle magazine release
Hard to reach button mag release

Score: 7.50 Good

Favorite Link: AimWin PE320 red dot review

Chad Wallace

February 1, 2026

Guns, Review

Tisas 1911 Duty B9R DS

Chad Wallace

February 1, 2026

Guns, Review

Tisas 1911 Double Stack (2011)

Review

In the world of double stack 1911 style pistols, or 2011’s as some people call them, there are a ton to choose from. Their prices range anywhere from about $500 up to the $5000'nds. Tisas started making their 1911 double stacks a few years ago. These are value priced, 9mm 2011 style pistols that punch above their price range. Tisas has both a carry and full size version. Since I am not carrying a 2011 style pistol, I opted for the Tisas 1911 Duty B9R Double Stack, which is their full size 5” version.

The first thing you notice, when you pull the Tisas 1911 DS out of the box, is all the upgrades it has. To start with, the B9R uses a standard style 2011 polymer grip frame with a rail. This means that it is compatible with most aftermarket grip frames available for 2011 style pistols, including metal frames. This frame has a built-in magazine well and some texture around the grip, as do most of these style frames. Being a 1911 style pistol, there is also a high ride, extended beavertail grip safety with a memory bump. Then there is the slightly extended, ambidextrous, thumb safety. This safety has fine lines on it for better grip. The hammer is a commander-ish style. Then there is an extended magazine release. But somehow, the mag release is not checkered or lined, which I did not care for. All of that is followed by a bull barrel and one piece guide rod. The B9R is also cut for a RMSc footprint optic. So as you can see, this pistol has a ton of upgrades already on it.

Now that we have the base features out of the way, I will get into them a little deeper starting with the slide. The slide on the Tisas B9R resembles any 1911 slide. It has a curved top reminiscent of old school 1911’s. But that is where it stops. Everything else is new school. Tisas put front and rear, angled, cocking serrations on it. These serrations are really nice and grippy so you will have no problems racking the slide. The muzzle end is cut slightly narrower, mainly for looks, because I can’t see any other reason for it. Sitting on top of the slide is a nice set of iron sights. The front is fiber optic and the rear is blackout serrated. The sight picture is nice. Then Tisas cuts the slide for an RMSc style optic. This cut is deep, so much so that the factory iron sights will co-witness with the optic of your choice.

The Tisas’ 2011 style frame is nice. Yes, it has a few minor setbacks, but not everything can be perfect in a $800 2011 ish pistol. The only real setback I found is the smoothness of the grip. The texture Tisas uses is a little lacking. I’m not carrying the B9R next to my skin, so give me some more texture. Even the front and rear checkering needs to be deeper. Tisas does offer a “Coarse” grip module, which I may be checking out. The only other disappointment in the B9R’s frame is the non textured magazine release. Please add some texture. The grip also has a small magazine well built into it. It works well enough, but if you are using the B9R for competition, you may want to add a larger one. Everything else on the grip is great. The Tisas has a rail for lights. Both safeties, the grip and the ambidextrous thumb safety, are nice. The grip safety has a memory bump to help always depress it. The thumb safety has a nice texture and size to it. The B9R also has a squared trigger guard similar to most 2011 style frames.

Since the Tisas B9R is a 1911 style pistol, we have to talk about the trigger. Tisas uses a flat style trigger on the B9R. It appears to be around “medium” length which works well for this pistol. The trigger broke around 5.5 pounds when I first received the B9R. It has a little take up, maybe 0.100 inch maximum. Then it breaks clean with a little bit of over-travel. It is definitely everything a typical 1911 trigger is. After some use, the trigger breaks about 5 pounds now. The trigger is non-adjustable. For a base model 2011 style pistol, the trigger is better than I expected.

The Tisas Duty B9R DS uses industry standard magazines. Any 2011 pattern magazine will work. Anything from the cheaper $25 magazines, up to the elite $100 ones, they all work. The B9R comes with 2 high quality, flush fit, 17 round magazines. I have used a bunch of different magazines, including some 26 round ones. All have run flawlessly in the B9R.

I found the Tisas 1911 DS to be quite accurate. Okay, I didn’t put it in a rest at 25 yards, but I can consistently hit the headbox of a USPSA target at that range. At 7 yards I can get a 1”, 10 shot, round ragged hole. This accuracy has to be from the fact that Tisas uses a bushingless bull barrel in the B9R. They also use a 1 piece guide rod. Of course, the guide rod does make disassembly of the B9R a little more complicated, but nothing terrible. I was pleasantly surprised at how accurate the Tisas was out of the box.

Here are some of my thoughts on the Tisas B9R. It is great for the price point it is at. I got great accuracy from the factory bull barrel. It uses standard 2011 pattern magazines, which all worked flawlessly. I have had zero malfunctions in the 956 rounds I have shot through it. That was using about 7 different brands and weights of 9mm ammunition. Are there things that bother me? Yes. The iron sight cuts use 2 different styles. The rear is a Glock style dovetail, but the front is a Tisas dovetail. So good luck getting aftermarket iron sights that work together. But since I expect that most people will put an optic on it, and it is cut for a Holosun K / RMSc footprint, this doesn’t matter too much. I did like the iron sight picture, it gave me light on both sides of the post as opposed to other sight pictures that basically give you no light on the sides of the post. I ended up mounting an Aimwin PE330 red dot on it. Originally I had one of the Primary Arms Classic series on it, but the PE330 came in and has a larger window. Speaking of optics, I was informed, by a friend, that if you use one of the super large window optics like the Gideon Judge XL, you will need a small riser plate so that the optics window doesn’t hit the top of the slide. SDS Arms has this spacer, but it is not listed on their website. I was impressed with how well the B9R felt while shooting it. It is not as smooth as a $2500 2011. But, after about the first 200 rounds, the slide smoothed up nicely and still has a fairly tight slide to frame fit. Probably my most favorite aspect of the Tisas B9R is that it has aftermarket parts compatibility with most 2011 style pistols. So if you want to upgrade the trigger, or that non-textured mag release, you can.

The Tisas B9R has proved itself to be a fantastic pistol. With all its extras and the way it performs, you can’t go wrong. If you are looking at getting into the double stack 1911 game, I don’t think you can go wrong with the Tisas Duty B9R DS. It performed fantastic for me, with great accuracy and function, all at a great price. Definitely go look at the Tisas firearms and see what you think. They used to be imported by SDS Arms and Tisas’ are made in Turkey, but don’t let that scare you away from a great pistol.