40 Or 45 5 Inch Trojan For Ipsc?idpa

[635 PCSO]

I am planning on ordering a 40 caliber Trojan. For L-10 and ESP. I have read some horror stories about the 40 caliber in the 1911 platform. I am planning on reloading so I can adjust OAL. Having said that I would like to be able to shoot factory defensive rounds from time to time. Is the 40 to unreliable in the Trojan? I am assuming there is an advantage to shooting the 40 in competition, due to a quicker handling gun and less perceived redoil. Is this true?

If there is no advantage to shooting the 40 I would just go with the 45 and have a reliable pistol. Also would I be able to get a 10mm barrel and mags and it was fitted of course and shoot 10mm in the 40 trojan? What do you guys think 40 or 45?

I am limited to a 1000 dollar budget for this gun, otherwise I would be going with a double stack. I found the Dawson Jarret to be around 1000 but the Salesman told me the Trojan was an overall better firearm. I need help making this decision, I have to order reloading equipment and the pistol this week.

[Ron Ankeny]

First off, I am a big fan of STI and I love the guns. I would never bad mouth them just to be mean spirited. However, you asked an honest question and I'll give you an honest reply.

A friend of mine bought a .40 Trojan partly on my recommendation. It wouldn't run with several brands of factory ammo, including his duty load. He sent the gun back a couple of times and he never could get the gun to run reliably. The gun was to be his duty gun and double as an IDPA toy. To make a long story short, he dumped the gun and took a substantial loss. He replaced it with a .45 that runs flawlessly from another manufacturer whom shall remain nameless because I wouldn't urinate on his leg if his pants where on fire but his initials are Les Baer.

According to my friend (and I don't think he fed me a line of bull) STI claims that the most problematic single stack is their 9 mm followed by the .40. They usually find fault with the magazines. The .45 is reportedly their most reliable Trojan.

Having said all of that, there are no doubt a whole lot of .40 Trojans that will feed anything and run like the Energizer Bunny.

[oddjob]

I don't have a Trojan, but was thinking between the 40 and 45 for a single stack L-10 gun (I have a double stack SV in 40).

I know of a few shooters with SS .40's and they had to tweak'em more to get'em runnin' right. But the guns run good now. 10 rd mags are a problem with 40's as well according to these guys.

Bottom Line: I got a SS .45 ACP for L-10 and I am very happy with it. Its run well from day one. Shooting L-10 with a SS is fun. I will say the the bigger 45 hole has saved me a miss a couple of times.

[the duck of death]

I've got a Glock 23 that hasn't had a malfunction in over 20K rounds, I wonder what I'd recommend?

[uscbigdawg]

The Trojan is a solid platform. Consider too a Springfield. Mags are available from Virgil Tripp and I think, Ross Carter (www.cartercustom.com).

As for gobbling up factory loads, I've that's more a function of how the gun is set up and fitted. For instance, I was plinking with my new Brazos .40. I happen to have some old Speer Gold Dot HP loads, and figured what the hell, I'll give it a shot. They fed perfectly.

In the end, if you consider the gun a work in progress, you might be able to save some grief. Get the gun, get the mags and start running. As funds become available, send it to a gunsmith (with the mags) and have them just polish and clean things up (rails, hammer/sear engagement surfaces, etc....if nothing else to get a nice trigger job). Just about every gunsmith in this sport has some kind of "reliability" package and will go through the gun and file, shave and polish to get things just right.

Just a thought.

Rich

[Flexmoney]

The number one priority is a gun that runs. You can't hit anything if it doesn't spit bullets.

The 1911 has been made to run the 45 for about 100 years.

If you want a reliable 40 for under a grand, grab a Glock35.

[Paul B]

If it doesn't have to be a single stack, try the Para P-16 Limited. They come from the factory ready to shoot factory .40 ammo and the price is well under $1k. They can use 10 round mags from the factory and yet you can get high capacity up to 22 rounds. You can shoot limited, and limited 10. As you like it can be built up with higher quality parts (Para does not use the best small parts) and you will still have less than $1K in it. It fits all 1911 holsters.

Go with .40 if you want to compete as the components are going to cost less and the recoil impulse will always be more consistent with a .40. Plus it will be a little more muzzle stable with the smaller hole in the barrel.

This also may sound like heresy, but with reloads, specially for someone who is relatively new, the .40 is simply more reliable. I can't tell you how many .45's by Kimber, Baer, etc. I've seen jam at matches, but rarely see this happen to a .40. This might be due to the practice factor of the people shooting .40's, and it may be different with factory ammo, but it is what I see.

[Joe D]

I am a little like Flex. If you want a .40 that shoots every time you pull the trigger get a Glock 35. I have Kimbers in .40 and .45. They both function fine. The .40 does need to be loaded to 1.200" to function properly. The guns are very different in the firing cycle when loaded to a 165-170 PF. The .45 is a push where the .40 is more snappy. If I had to choose between the two I would probably take the .40 due to lower cost of reloading components. .45 brass has gotten pretty expensive.

CMC 10 rd .45 mags work fine with the .40 when loaded long. The Ed Brown/Metalform 10 rd 45 mags will work for the .40 also. I can use the Wilson 8rd .45 mags for .40. They will hold 9 rds of .40.

One bad thing about the .40 is lead bullets. They seem to generate twice the smoke a .45 does with lead.

[rhino]

I got to put 10 quick rounds through BigDave's sweet, sweet .40 Trojan today. It ran nicely with the Tripp Cobra mag. If I hadn't seen that, I would not hesitate to recommend .45ACP hands down over .40.

I still think the .45 is a much better idea for a lot of reasons, but now that reliable magazines are available, that's one less thing to condemn a .40 single stack.

[.40AET]

If you want to shot factory loads, then go with the .45. The 1911/2011 platform was built specifically for the .45. Any other caliber, and you will probably have to play with the OAL to get it to run at the level that competition demands. I shot a Para in .45 and never had a problem, then I sold it for a Para in .40, then I had problems with factory loads. The .45 will shot almost any factory load dependably, and any decent hand load. If you are looking to shoot L-10, then the .45 is king.

[horaceblanchflower]

635 PCSO

Just buy the .45 Trojan from Dawson and don't look back.

The .45 Trojan will eat any and all ammo without a hick-up.

The Trojan will suit you well in IDPA CDP,IPSC L10, bullseye,pinshooting,ppc, et al.

Save yourself a bunch of $ and buy:

1...Bladetech holster and mag pouches

2...Wilson 10 and 8 round mags

3...Dillon reloader

4...Brians book

5...Classes/instruction

I would not buy a single stack in anything other than a .45acp.

JMB got it right way back in 1905----+...

go rin no sho....hb

[John Thompson]

I have a .40 Trojan and it works great. If you want a .40 get a .40; the real life difference between a 9/40/45 is almost nill and the .40 costs a lot less to shoot.

As a duty/self defense gun to be used against BG's who move and shoot back I prefer 9mm as I want ever bullet I can get.