Barrels
Cold hammer forging, the same process the large European makers use, with button rifling available as an alternative. Forging the bore rather than cutting it is what gives the barrel its life.
Tisas · Since 1993
A Legacy You Can Carry
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1993
1993 · Trabzon2026 · USA
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Full Timeline
Every year, since 1993
The complete record, from a founding in Trabzon to going direct in Georgia.
- 1993
Founded in Trabzon (28 May 1993), as part of the Eastern Black Sea Weapon Project.
- 1994
Production begins at the Arsin Organized Industrial Zone facility.
- 1996
First pistol production, the Fatih-13.
- 1998
Ankara office opens.
- 1999
ISO 9001 quality certification.
- 2000
Kanuni S and the first Zigana (M16).
- 2001
First 9mm pistol production, the Kanuni-16.
- 2004
Cold hammer forging barrel technology; Zigana T adopted by the Turkish Armed Forces.
- 2006
First military tender; Zigana Sport (compensated) and Zigana C45 (.45 ACP).
- 2007
First polymer pistol production; Zigana F Auto.
- 2008
The 1911 platform begins with the ZIG M1911.
- 2009
First export to the United States.
- 2010
Production of the ZPT AR15-type assault rifle.
- 2011
Zig22 and Zig25 rimfire models.
- 2014
ZIG14 on the Browning Hi-Power platform.
- 2016
Zigana F adopted by the Turkish Gendarmerie; F Auto by the Republic of the Congo.
- 2018
Partnership with Azerbaijan.
- 2019
The TİSAŞ R&D Centre is established, the Eastern Black Sea region's second official R&D hub.
- 2020
PX-9 adopted by the Bangladesh Air Force.
- 2021
Philippine Police and Türkiye Customs Enforcement tenders; TİSAŞ USA established.
- 2022
Ministry of Trade export brand award.
- 2023
Turkish Ministry of National Defense tender, running three years; OSBÜK export award.
- 2024
Türkiye's first 5.7x28mm pistol and the world's first polymer-sheet hybrid chassis weapon; 9 Double Stack launches; Türkiye Innovation Week award.
- 2025
52,000 ZIGANA PX-9 GEN3 BATUR pistols delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces across 2024 and 2025; named to Turkey's Top 1000 Exporters.
- 2026
Tisas goes direct in America: Tisas USA, Buford, Georgia.
Inside the factory
What one factory actually means
Tisas does not assemble bought-in parts. Barrels are cold hammer forged in house, frames and slides are machined in house, heat treatment and Cerakote happen under the same roof, and every one of them is measured in the plant's own labs before it ships.
11,800
m² facility, Arsin
400+
Skilled personnel
100+
CNC machines
200,000
Pistols per year
73
Countries served
30
R&D engineers
Machining
More than 60 vertical and 30 horizontal machining centres, plus CNC lathes, deep-hole drilling, grinding and broaching, with robotic load and unload on the high-volume lines.
Heat treatment
Vacuum and gas atmosphere furnaces, induction hardening, salt nitrocarburising and tempering, all in house, so hardness is controlled rather than bought.
Finish
Manganese phosphate to MIL-DTL-1623H Type M Class 4, hard chrome to ASTM B650, electroless nickel to ASTM B733, and a Cerakote line on site.
Measurement
CMM and 2D CNC measuring, Renishaw Octopus and Zoller tool measurement, backed by material and chemical labs running spectral analysis, microstructure and hardness testing.
R&D
An R&D centre recognised in 2019, the region's second, with 30 engineers across design, reverse engineering, projects, IP and testing, working with Turkish universities.
Certified to ISO 9001:2015 · ISO 14001:2015 · ISO 45001:2015 · ISO 27001:2015 · Facility Security Certificate · Production Authorization Certificate · Turquality
Tisas USA
One factory, one pattern, still
Every Tisas pistol is still forged and machined in the same Trabzon, Türkiye factory the company has built in since 1993, with forged frames and slides and cold-hammer-forged barrels. Ninety-five percent of what the factory builds ships out of Türkiye, to 73 countries, and since 2026 Tisas has sold and supported its pistols directly in the US from Buford, Georgia.
