[Zappa]

I have this oddball wide-body 1911 made by Strayer-Voight, it's one of their Infinity models. I know these things are MUCHO EXPENSIVE, but I didn't pay for it because I won it in a raffle. It's really one heck of a gun, by far the most accurate 1911 I've ever fired and the trigger is just phenominal. I've never seen another one like it, but I believe all their guns are pretty much one-off customs.
I checked out the SVI website and found a dizzying number of options and features available. The "gunbuilder" page was very interesting, where you can spec-out a virtual gun, with over 60 different multiple-choice options. I never knew how many different triggers, hammers, safeties, barrels and slide profiles etc. there were to choose from. So I guess it's easy to see why there are no two alike. The only thing they have that's close to a "standard" production model is one made from titanium. I don't even want to know the price on that one.......!
Anyway, my question is, are there any other SVI owners out here? And what's your opinion of them?

[ken_mays]

I own two SV Infinitys, and will be acquiring more. They are my favorite handguns bar none, and neither has ever let me down.

They are mainly marketed toward competitive shooters, specifically USPSA/IPSC shooters, so that's why the average Joe has no idea who or what they are. You can go over to http://www.brianenos.com where there is a community of competitors who are intimately familiar with them.

I don't know exactly which model you own, but I feel fairly confident that it would cost at least $2500 if you were to buy it today.

Strayer-Voigt don't have a standard lineup of off-the-shelf models (STI does as I will mention later). Every gun they make is to custom order. That's why they have the Gunbuilder program. They are a small shop more interested in pushing the envelope of what a 1911 can be, than selling as many guns they possibly can to all segments of the handgun market. As a result, they focus more heavily than most on innovation, having developed the interchangeable breechface, Tri-Glide trigger system, interchangeable trigger shoes, the Tiki design, and more. Every part is supposedly CNC machined out of billet and hand fit.

STI is a separate company that builds guns on the same wide-body frame that Virgil Tripp and Sandy Strayer both helped develop, along with Chip McCormick. Basically Strayer and Tripp went their separate ways, forming the respective companies. STI is more of a mass producer of these guns, so their guns don't get as much hand work as SV's, and they tend to use less costly components in their guns. They are still quality handguns though some need tweaking out of the box to be fully reliable.

The widebody STI/SV design, while disdained by 1911 purists, has proven itself in over a decade of high-round-count competition. They are currently the platform of choice for most top competitors, and can withstand an insane round count. It's common for them to go well over 100,000 rounds.

Personally, I love the Strayer-Voigt style and think the guns are exceptional in quality and design. I compete in USPSA Limited division with my two .40 caliber Infinitys, but that's more because I want to shoot the heck out of the guns I love, than any real love for the game. I also have a bushing barrel that I drop into my short dust cover Infinity so that I can compete in IDPA with it. If somebody stole my Infinitys and I had to shoot matches with an STI or a Glock, I probably wouldn't bother... for me, it's all about the guns first and the game second.

Hope this helped!

Ken

[ken_mays]

I tried to reply a while ago but my reply never made it here for some reason.

I've got two of them and they're my favorite handguns of all time. Quality-wise they are second to none. They are all custom guns, they don't make an "off the shelf" model. Look to STI for that.

I shoot them in competition but I shoot competition because I own the guns, not the other way around. If I had to compete with Glocks or something I just wouldn't be interested.