Hello all, my name is Francesco from Italy (just registered to give you my "maybe useless for most people" point of view, about the STI 2011 platform).
On the way: apologize about my english, my grammar is terrible; I am perfectly informed about this...
This message is a bit long (I did rant on it a bit too) but if you are genuinely interested in the 2011 platform (especially STI), I think will worth to read the whole thing (or at least until the "TUNING PART" and then "escape the rant" ).
I am a civilian, no military experience but I do train regularly, and get defensive classes every 1-3 months. I can easily outshoot 90%+ of the "Italian LEOs" (people that DO NOT TRAIN AT ALL) and "normal military personnels" (special forces are another story OFC, nonetheless i pay for their training too; I hope they would outshoot me big time).
I bought and sold many weapons, and used almost every platform that the Italian marked have to offer; I ended focusing on two (pretty much opposite) platforms: 2011 (STI Marauder) and Glock (17-19).
When I acquired the Marauder, it was "tuned for race" (low power factor ammo), with a 15lb hammer spring and 10lb recoil one (slide); RESULT: IMPOSSIBLE TO HIT A STANDARD "B-27 TARGET" AT 25 meters (just over 27 yards). BARELY INSIDE THE SILHOUETTE AT 10m...
The barrel's tenons "disengaged" BEFORE THE BULLET WAS OUT OF THE BARREL (this is why the gun was so imprecise); not "enough pressure" from the springs to keep the tenons locked-on (using FULL POWER AMMO).
The recoil was absurd (with the slide hitting the frame violently), and the gun was basically UNABLE TO FEED FROM A "FULLY LOADED MAGAZINE" (due to the "TO WEAK" 10lb slide spring)...
Don't get me wrong, all this is NORMAL for a "Race Gun"; in competition is normal not to use "a fully loaded magazine" (at least on the 2011 platform - OR... Have a gun that DO NOT LOCK-OPEN WHEN EMPTY) and that "WEAK TUNING" was perfect (probably... ...Never tried my self) for "low power ammunition".
But "Competition Is Not My Cup Of Tea"; so...
...I RE-TUNED the gun, using as BASE LINE the "1911 military standard spring weights" (that i was familiar with). I also tested EVERY COMBINATION "IN BETWEEN" from Sport to Military standard; this is what I have found...
For my personal STI Marauder 9x21 IMI (that do use a firing pin block "J. Browning ORIGINAL GEOMETRY" standard from STI - MODIFIED FIRING PIN BLOCKs WILL NEED DIFFERENT SPRINGS WEIGHT -), I do use a 23lb WOLFF Chrome-Silicon "Factory Standard" HAMMER spring, in conjunction with a 13lb Wolff "NON progressive" Chrome-Silicon RECOIL spring (with his Wolff "tuned accordingly" FIRING PIN counter spring - included in the SET -).
Now... Reliability (based on my own experience)...
Most of the courses I attend, are "2 days with 600-850 bullets fired" (more than less)...
Starting with a CLEAN WEAPON (lubed with a VERY THIN LAYER OF "WEAPON-SHIELD" all over the place - this way there is no "carbon build" ANYWHERE), NO CLEANING
NO RE-LUBING during the course = ZERO MALFUNCTIONS in the last 7900 rounds (more or less). The gun after 800 rounds is ALMOST CLEAN (good ammo + Weapon Shield let me clean the gun with JUST A RAG and few drops of Ballistol...). And now also strip a FULLY LOADED MAGAZINES (with "+1 coil" spring) without any problem.
I have also found that, STRANGELY, my Marauder was running (almost flawlessly) with some VERY WEIRD SPRINGs COMBINATIONS (that I was sure would have make the gun "not able to cycle at all" - I guess this is due the "smooth like glass contact surfaces" of the STI action -).
"STI guns are unreliable"... ...I bet this statement come from the same kind of people that say "Glock are dangerous pistols" (after shooting them selves in a leg during a cleaning process, of "accidentally discharge the gun in the car WHILE USING A "RIPPED LEATHER HOLSTER" that have never seen a drop of grease/oil/or wax in his 39 years of service... I am getting mad... Stop!).
The 1911/2011 springs are reasonably priced - I MEAN CHEAP - (even the best quality ones, like Wolff or WilsonCombat); THERE ARE NO EXCUSES for "not to try to re-tune a gun", before trash talk ANY brand (just my 50 cent common sense statement). But nowadays there is this "mentality" (very far from me) that ""something MUST be "PERFECT FOR EVERYONE NEEDS" out of the box"" - this is SIMPLY NOT POSSIBLE! -. Then...
...We have ALL THOSE "YOU-TUBE EXPERTS" (ONLY few are "the real deal" but others) that CONSTANTLY are "testing" guns with THE LOWER GRADE POSSIBLE AMMUNITIONS, and then bashing "that model/brand" as "trash" because it wasn't running flawlessly "with steel case bullets" or "9.99$ 1000 rounds bulk ammo" (like you use that trash in a "SELF DEFENSE/DUTY GUN"... If someone does; he simply deserve to die... Mad again...).
I am not a Genius (I know this as a fact) but I am not a total ignorant too; if I have been able to make my own gun run this good (not only reliable but PRECISE, FAST, FLAT SHOOTING, "TWO BULLETS ONE HOLE FOLLOW THROUGH", FANTASTIC IN GENERAL - all this with LIMITED TRAINING -), I don't see why ANY OTHER STI SHOULD PERFORM ANY LESS.
- Mine is NO LONGER a "Race Gun"; it is a "Go To War Gun" -.
I bought mine new at half of his price tag (thanx to a friend gun shop owner)... This is probably the biggest downside of the brand (at least in Italy... Marauder 3'600+ Euro - over 4k Dollars - from "Bignami"... Insane...).
Also the "2011 platform" (any brand) do not digest "SHORTer OUT OF SPEC BULLETS"; I have made some my self to try out, and the Marauder jammed with a short bullet "stuck between the upper lip of the barrel and the magazine, barely touching the ramp with the belly, or not touching it at all"... When I moved the same (5) bullets on the
G-19, the gun cycled and fired them all (they was out of spec more than 1,2mm on the short side). I haven't found any similar "AOUT OF SPEC BULLETs" in the last (almost) 8000 rounds that I have shoot from my Marauder (1/3 of which was my reloading). I do consider this as "NON EXISTENT PROBLEM".
My Marauder trigger is 3.7lb (more or less), smooth like glass, LESS THAN 2mm total (0,07 inches, sorry i don't know "about fractions") - 1mm PRE-TRAVEL + 0,9mm comprensive of "BRAKE + OVER-TRAVEL"; anyone can understand that THIS IS AN ADVANTAGE for "PRECISION SHOOTING" (it make your life VERY easy - probably is "beyond cheating" -).
I have limited time to train, and limited resources; I admit that I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO SHOOT A GLOCK AS GOOD AS THE MARAUDER (I do train with both; but "Fiat and Lamborghini will NEVER be the same". PERIOD...).
If you are of the school of: - "7 YARDS SHOOTING CAPABILITY IS ALL YOU NEED" - there is not much to say... GET A GLOCK (or any similar gun).
...If you want a gun that can EASILY MAKE YOU ABLE to make an HEAD SHOOT at 25m (27+yards) or "hit and hunter that is shooting you from 150m away"... Then INVEST IN STI (or any other 2011/1911 pistol, or CZ-75, Tanfoglio... Whatever QUALITY ONE you can effort and like to shoot...).
I am not a troll, not payed by STI (I contacted them once to ask about the weight of the original springs of the Marauder, and they answered in about 24-48H, very kindly; this is all the relation I had with them). I enjoy my Marauder (that look like an "East Europe black market gun"), and really hope that "more people will start to use them for DUTY and SELF DEFENSE - Because Your Life Is What Matter The Most And Any Advantage In A FireFight Is WELCOME - (Sun Tsu would agree with me Big Time).
Hope this post will help someone out.
P.S.
In Italy we don't have "bulk ammo" (only "quality one"); no idea if the same kind of results is achievable using "cheap ammo"...
P.P.S.
A person that do use any weapon for DUTY or SELF DEFENSE and "do not keep those weapons PERFECTLY CLEAN"; is NOT Trustworthy!
Link photo of my STI Marauder: https://ibb.co/9gW1tKT (edited link)