Been doin' some on-line shopping and have come across STI 1911 pistols. They look good, price is fair (not cheap) but I'm not familiar with them. The model I was looking at was a STI Spartan. Any info, reviews, knowledge or direction to an appropriate link is appreciated. I carry Sigs (226 & 239) so I am accustomed to a quality handgun. I understand that Colt & SA are the gold standards. For me, a 1911 would probably me a range gun only. Thanks in advance.
I havent actually had any hands on with an STI but ive heard nothing but good about them.ive heard that the spartan is a very good weapon
+1 to what Mr Wray said.... I also do not have any 1st hand experience w/them but have heard good things. There is a guy who posts here pretty regularly (bountyhunter) who talks about STI's alot and I think he has one. Hopefully he will chime in - but in the meantime, checkout these two threads where he posts about STI's: http://www.firearmstalk.com/forums/f57/best-1911-800-1000-a-48966/ & http://www.firearmstalk.com/forums/f57/best-1911-a-46158/
I have two STI's, one is the commander size Ranger11 the other is a long dust cover Range Master. While I like my Colt Series 70, the STI's are a serious improvement over the Colt. TGR
The STI Sparton is made in the Phillipines, so is a more budget friendly pistol & I've read some good reports by owners. I've only seen one & it was in a gun show with a plastic tie through the action & couldn't check it out. The few other models of STI I have been able to handle, which were made here in Texas, seemed to be really nice pistols, just a little above my budget at that time.
The STI Sparton that I saw could be bought in the $600 range. I liked the price, which is why I'm looking for information.
Why do they have to put SPARTAN so dang big on the slide...ugh. things like that turn me off of them. But with that aside, they look pretty good. And as others have said, I've heard nothing but good things.
I own two Trojans I bought maybe ten years ago. They are basically "hand mades" with barrels, slides, frames matched and fitted by hand. Superb guns, best value for 1911 you will find. The Spartan has posted nothing but good reviews, but I have never handled one. I find it hard to believe they could afford the same level of hand fit on the cheaper model, but they still are probably very good guns. STI would never put their name on a dog. I do know from personal experience the people at STI are fanatics about quality and making any problem right. In about 15 years of forums, I believe I have only heard one negative post on an STI pistol. It was one of their "compact" 1911's which did not cycle reliably. The guy sent it in and they reworked the whole gun, even stripped and re-blued so it would be as brand new. Worked perfectly afterwards. The other thing is if you buy from dawson Precision, they do test fire the guns (at least, they always used to) so you won't get a lemon. That's good insurance, considering the cost of mailing guns around to get them worked on.
That makes my mouth water, too. But STI is no longer legal for sale in california so I can't buy one.
I put hand on a spartan a lil while ago it had the nicest slide to frame fit I have ever felt on a 1911 and very smooth action never shot one but plan to soon
A gun can only be sold here if the maker submits five samples for "safety testing" and pays for the priviledge. If it passes, it goes on the approved list and the samples are destroyed. STI pulled out of the state years some ago.
Holy crap, that is a butt load of red tape!! I knew that it was difficult but i didnt know that it was that stringent
I love the Spartan I have one in 45acp & loved it so much I went and got one in 9pm.Not shot the 9 much yet.Think it will shoot with the 45. I have two Sigs too.Have a 220(45)&239(40sw). Just sold full size Xdm in 9pm(great gun also)Had Smith M&P , glocks, shot about everything. I would put it up against any pistol accuracy wise.
It was designed to make it as difficult as possible to sell guns here. The idiots that run the place like Dianne Feinstein, barbara Boxer and the rest are pathologically obsessed with banning guns any way they can.
Is it true they have to go through that red tape every year, even though they didn't change anything?
It's definitely true that the qualifications expire, not sure of the exact time interval. The really ridiculous part is the makers have to qualify every minor variation in a gun model, like even if one has a black finish and one has camo finish. Revolvers also have to qual every different barrel length for the same model. It's very expensive to do that so the smaller premium quality makers like STI just don't.
I own a STI Trojan, very well made and quite accurate. I use it for for informal IDPA shoots and also in USPSA matches. With Tripp mags = no failures.Great 1911 for the price. Next 1911, 2011 will be an STI.
Some guys that I shot with in IPSC used STIs for limited competition, they were running the double stack guns. Very nice pieces. I went on the "cheap" and bought a Kimber though.
STI makes a great gun here in the US, Texas to be exact. The Spartan is their base model with a frame, slide, and possible barrel made by Armscor (makers of Rock Island Armory and Citadel 1911s) assembled by STI using STI internal parts. Never handled one, but they get good reviews for a budget 1911.
