STI DVC Limited Island Review

[Ltbrown117]

I just purchased one of the new STI DVC Limited Islands in 9mm, so I figured I’d post a quick review. This is my first 2011, and will replace my Glock 34 for 3 gun. After a few months of research and reading through countless posts here, I was between an STI DVC, CK, or Atlas gun. When I came across the DVC Island on Gunbroker, it seemed like a good compromise between the features that I wanted and cost. I really liked the concept of a sight tracker, which previously limited me to an Apeiro or custom gun.  This seems to be a good middle ground between those 2 options, although CK and Atlas definitely offer an amazing value for non sight tracker guns.

 

The DVC Limited Island is a limited production gun (like the DVC Limited DLC), and is essentially a hybrid between the DVC Limited and Apeiro. It has a 2 tone finish, with the slide and frame tumble blued and the barrel, magwell, and hammer matte silver. I received the gun last week and made a few observations.

 

Pros: The action seems pretty smooth (although I don’t really have anything to compare it to), and the trigger is awesome coming from a Glock. I measured it at 2 lbs 15 oz on my digital gauge with a very short reset. I also really liked the texture and double undercut on the Extreme Shooters grip. I don’t mind the blued finish, but I figure that I can always have it refinished in the future.

 

Cons: Unfortunately, I noticed a few minor issues.  Once I took apart the gun, I noticed a large machine mark/groove on the right side of the island portion of the barrel (see pictures). There were also some minor wear marks on the inside of the slide where the finish appears to be worn off, which I found unusual for a new gun.  I should also mention that the island barrel is an STI, not a Schuemann barrel. While I was hoping to be surprised, the STI barrel is what I expected.

 

At the range, I was very happy with how the gun handled. Although I didn’t notice a huge difference in sight tracking/follow through, I think the island barrel still has its merits. It definitely shoots really flat. After putting about 150 rounds through the gun, however, I ran into a problem. I was having some issues zeroing the gun, so I checked the front sight. Sure enough, the sight was very loose and could easily be moved from one side of the dovetail to the other. Based on some other posts that I read, this seems to be a common issue with the DVCs.

 

I contacted STI on Friday, and was told that I would hear back from them on Monday. I really like the gun, but it’s very disappointing to have to send it back already. I was mostly concerned about the front sight issue, but I’ll also see what they can do about the machine mark on the barrel. It’s minor from a cosmetic standpoint, but I’m concerned about long term wear on the slide.  I’m cautiously optimistic that STI will be able to get everything fixed. If not I may send it elsewhere to get it tuned/fixed, but that could bring my total investment into the custom gun range. Hopefully I’ll be sharing an STI customer service success story later this week. As long as these issues are specific to my gun, the DVC Limited Island could still be a good option for those looking for a sight tracker but not wanting to go the custom route. I would love to hear from anyone else who buys one of these so that we can get more information and help future buyers make an informed decision.

[Fowlmouths]

Sorry to hear about these issues.  I have had 2 Aperios and both ended up back at the factory for different reasons.   The 1st was brand new and the island barrel had .015 clearance on one side and .003 on the other.  Never even fired the first shot out of it.  They replaced the barrel in it.  Unfortunately it should have never left the shop.  STI's quality control is lacking for sure however they to stand behind their guns with a great warranty.  

The second one the Schuemann barrel cracked after 75k rounds.  It was after they had moved to the Korean made barrels they use now.  After 8 months of back and forth trying to get a replacement Schuemann barrel they finally replaced the entire pistol with a brand new Aperio.  Again they stood behind their product.

I have moved to Infinity since then but I still own a DVC open gun for a backup.  It was a replacement warranty gun as well that a friend had.

So 3 out of 3 STIs that I have had have been back to the factory.   1 replacement barrel and 2 new pistols for replacement.  I have to give it to STI for standing behind their product but I think it would make sense to fix their quality control issues.

Edited June 12, 2017 by Fowlmouths

[3gunDQ]

1 hour ago, Fowlmouths said:

i have to give it to STI for standing behind their product but I think it would make sense to fix their quality control issues.

 

If 1 in 5 had to go back to the factory they cant make any real money... one in 10 is not even good. I have owned two STI factory built pistols; One DVC that I was not impressed with at all and one Eagle 40 that is built much better than the DVC I previously owned....it is an easy choice to have a custom gun built. STI's are production guns, mediocre ones at that. I'm sure the Strayers and Mr Tripp are not proud of what STI has become. Note to self: don't sell my last name to anyone. 

[galt11]

It truly is sad to see a company that made such great products for years put out so many guns with issues right out of the box.  Maybe they should listen to their customers who are telling them to work or QC and not necessarily a new model gun.

 

My DVC went back to the factory without a shot fired for multiple issues and unfortunately, the CS I received, left me with the desire to never buy another STI product.  Hope yours gets resolved better.

 

 

Adam

[BeerBaron]

I can't believe they blued a high end limited run gun when the 'stock' version of that model is hard chrome with tin barrel?!?

 

the two tone looks bizarre. They put black controls on it then slapped on a silver magwell? Looks like a parts bin special. It's a shame as I like to concept but it would look awesome with all black parts and gold barrel or hard chrome with silver parts and black barrel. 

 

Another missed opportunity...

[kneelingatlas]

Agreed, black nitride with a titanium nitride barrel would be hot shit!

[USCSBarney]

Did you hear from STI? What did they say? 

[Ltbrown117]

I apologize for the delay, but I wanted to wait until I had the gun back from STI so that I could give everyone a complete update. It took about 2 days to get in touch with someone in the STI warranty department; they must be busy because they never pick up the phone. Literally every time I’ve called, it rings through to the receptionist who takes a message. It usually took a day or 2 to get a call back. Out of 15-20 phone calls and numerous messages left, I only ever spoke to someone in the warranty department 3 times. Once I initially spoke to someone and submitted my information on their website, they sent me a shipping label to send in just the upper portion of my gun. I sent it out on June 15^th, and I finally got a call from them last Monday (July 10^th).  The guy I spoke with told me that they would replace the front sight and try to buff out the groove on the island portion of the barrel, but that there wasn’t anything they could do beyond that since it was a cosmetic issue. He assured me that the groove wouldn’t cause any wear on the slide, since the slide and the island are not supposed to touch. He also said that the wear marks on the inside of the slide are normal, since the blued finish is so soft. He actually recommended having it DLC coated in the future, so I asked why they would even go with a blued finish in the first place. He informed me that it was a decision by the marketing team to make it different since it’s a special edition gun. That was pretty frustrating to hear, but I was hopeful that at least the major issues would be fixed.

 

Well I got the upper back today, and was I surprised when I opened up the package. They definitely put a new front sight on it; the only problem is that they put it on backwards! That’s right, the STI warranty department had my gun for almost a month and sent it back to me with a backwards front sight. The groove on the island portion of the barrel looks slightly better where they buffed it, but it somehow now extends to the front edge of the barrel and is visible when the gun is fully assembled. I have no idea how that happened. Overall, I’m extremely disappointed with STI. I really wanted to wait until I got the gun back so that I could give them a fair chance to fix everything, but they just can’t seem to get it together. While all of the employees that I spoke with were very friendly, it’s clear that the process at STI is badly broken. The fact that they would make such an obvious mistake on a repair is extremely embarrassing. I will definitely be contacting them to try to resolve these issues on Monday, but if you’re in the market for a 2011 I would suggest avoiding STI. 

[bonglee0507]

Not a schuemann anymore

[tha1000]

 

On 7/15/2017 at 10:44 PM, Ltbrown117 said:

 

I apologize for the delay, but I wanted to wait until I had the gun back from STI so that I could give everyone a complete update. It took about 2 days to get in touch with someone in the STI warranty department; they must be busy because they never pick up the phone. Literally every time I’ve called, it rings through to the receptionist who takes a message. It usually took a day or 2 to get a call back. Out of 15-20 phone calls and numerous messages left, I only ever spoke to someone in the warranty department 3 times. Once I initially spoke to someone and submitted my information on their website, they sent me a shipping label to send in just the upper portion of my gun. I sent it out on June 15^th, and I finally got a call from them last Monday (July 10^th).  The guy I spoke with told me that they would replace the front sight and try to buff out the groove on the island portion of the barrel, but that there wasn’t anything they could do beyond that since it was a cosmetic issue. He assured me that the groove wouldn’t cause any wear on the slide, since the slide and the island are not supposed to touch. He also said that the wear marks on the inside of the slide are normal, since the blued finish is so soft. He actually recommended having it DLC coated in the future, so I asked why they would even go with a blued finish in the first place. He informed me that it was a decision by the marketing team to make it different since it’s a special edition gun. That was pretty frustrating to hear, but I was hopeful that at least the major issues would be fixed.

 

Well I got the upper back today, and was I surprised when I opened up the package. They definitely put a new front sight on it; the only problem is that they put it on backwards! That’s right, the STI warranty department had my gun for almost a month and sent it back to me with a backwards front sight. The groove on the island portion of the barrel looks slightly better where they buffed it, but it somehow now extends to the front edge of the barrel and is visible when the gun is fully assembled. I have no idea how that happened. Overall, I’m extremely disappointed with STI. I really wanted to wait until I got the gun back so that I could give them a fair chance to fix everything, but they just can’t seem to get it together. While all of the employees that I spoke with were very friendly, it’s clear that the process at STI is badly broken. The fact that they would make such an obvious mistake on a repair is extremely embarrassing. I will definitely be contacting them to try to resolve these issues on Monday, but if you’re in the market for a 2011 I would suggest avoiding STI. 

 

 

hfs

Edited July 18, 2017 by tha1000

[MHitchcock]

Sorry to hear about your experience. Unfortunately from what I've gathered it is fairly common with STI.

 

In my eyes, if you are going to go for a 2011, CK is the minimum I'd recommend. Especially since they show up in the classifieds for less than a new STI. Even then, it will be MANY thousands of rounds before anyone is held back by a CK (I will probably never be held back by a CK). However, if you have the $$$ an SVI, an Atlas, or another respected custom builder is a good investment. I have three people I shoot with that have full custom Atlas open guns from before he had the chaos/titan lines. They are pieces of art. I also have to say that the PT evo grips are definitely a step up from the CK steel (to my hands anyway). 

 

Sorry if thats a bit off topic, but I feel it is pertinent to the 2011 shopping experience.

 

In any event, I hope that STI makes it right

 

[Ltbrown117]

Just to follow up, I did get my gun back from the warranty department shortly after sending it back to them. They fixed the front sight and put some time into it to remove the machine marks and smooth everything out a little bit. They also sent me 2 extra magazines for the trouble. It's unfortunate that it took a substantial amount of time and effort to get this gun to where it should have been when I bought it, but at the end of the day STI will continue to fix your gun and try to make things right as long as you're willing to keep sending it in. Hopefully things will change at STI in the future, but at least some resolution is possible through their warranty department if you have issues.

[pjb45]

This is the MO of STI for the last 10 years.

 

 

[zinger4040]

Thanks for posting your experience. I was very close to going with STI but glad I did not. It's amazing what they charge for the guns vs. the quality you get

[chriswalker18]

I've read through most of these replies, and the first thing I'll say is I've owned 10 STI 2011 pistols, and had almost no issues what so ever. I've had an Apiero, DVC limited and DVC 3 GUN. I shoot easily 5k rounds a month. I put easily 30k rounds through my first Edge before I sold it. I also have easily 5k rounds on my current DVC 3 GUN, not a single issue. Also, to clarify, the DVC is not blued, so not a "miss" on the part of STI. It is a DLC coating, which is amazing. Not even the slightest sign of wear after hundreds of draws from the holster. I have an SVI 5.4 sight tracker on order, and while I'm sure the STI won't match that quality, an SVI is close to $6k and 15 months of waiting. I'm about to order a DVC limited with an island barrel, so I'll definitely do a side by side comparison. If your looking for near perfection out of an STI right out of the box perhaps consider purchasing one from Brazos Customs and have it tuned before it ships. Bob does an incredible job on his high performance Edge for a reasonable price.

[BeerBaron]

Great thread revival. 

 

I dunno about near perfect but I think having the sight fitted the right way around is not too much to ask...

 

given the loose dovetail and the mark on the island I think they should have just replaced the barrel. 

 

Also we know some sti's are dlc. This one the op had is blued. 

 

I'm also a bit surprised they put those ball cuts so close to the island cut out. 

[Fowlmouths]

STI perfection!

[yigal]

13 minutes ago, Fowlmouths said:

STI perfection!

it's new model:

sight f...r. 

[WernerKaplan]

On 07/02/2018 at 12:43 PM, yigal said:

it's new model:

sight f...r. 

I'm buying a new one, and this model does not exist in the STI catalog ... I also do not believe it's the company standard ...

[yigal]

it is exist in their 2018 catalog .excellent  gun.

https://stiguns.com/guns/dvc-limited/

[WernerKaplan]

1 hour ago, yigal said:

it is exist in their 2018 catalog .excellent  gun.

https://stiguns.com/guns/dvc-limited/

Yes, I was referring to the model he posted that was in trouble!

[yigal]

i hope for sti  that they will build it at best high level .

[WernerKaplan]

On 22/02/2018 at 12:49 PM, yigal said:

i hope for sti  that they will build it at best high level .

 

[yigal]

perfect.

just like should be.

[Moloch38]

That looks nice! Any opinions over island vs. sight block which is superior? I see a lot more island barrel setups on the interwebs (STI, Akai, Hayes, AVI, etc) than I do sightblocks (Atlas, Akai). despite there seeming to be a supply and QA/QC issues. Any reasons why and the benefits of one configuration over the other?