Will I be happy

[hovbuild]

buying a 9mm spartan or a slightly tunes Trojan. I own a LB .45 premier II and think it is the bomb! But want a 9mm single stack 1911 that will be as accurate and as well built. I am looking for accuracy and reliability. I have heard that the LB 9mm has had some reliability problems but the 600 dollar difference is also an issue.

Thanks, Bill

[Rolex]

I know LB makes most guns rock, as well as

other top name builders! That being said STI,

guns work out of the box- many can attest to

that on the forum. I have shot stock STI guns

from .9mm to the .45 with no issues, with both

factory ammo and reloads. And as with all the

other gun makes/builders- they will stand behind

their products- Best of luck!

[Sean Gaines]

I know LB makes most guns rock, as well as

other top name builders! That being said STI,

guns work out of the box- many can attest to

that on the forum. I have shot stock STI guns

from .9mm to the .45 with no issues, with both

factory ammo and reloads. And as with all the

other gun makes/builders- they will stand behind

their products- Best of luck!

I hate to disagree, to me any 1911 that comes off a production line is gunsmith ready. there is always some deburring, polishing and tweaking that needs to be done to the gun. As far as running straight out of the box, its hit or miss. Don't get me wrong I love 1911's. I would never, I guess I should say never buy an expensive Wilson or one of those so called high end expensive 1911's. For that price I would get all the best quality parts that I like and build the gun the way i want it built, by a reputable gunsmith and be done with it. I may pay a little more, but it will be the way I want it. JMO

[Chris iliff]

buddy just got a Dawson tuned Spartan in 45. I would go through Dawson, get the gun and the tune up. His .45 rocks, unbelievable for the money.

[MTBfarms]

I would have to agree that most new guns out of the box are ready for a gunsmith. If you are like most 1911 competitors, that small hitch in the trigger, that sharp burr, or putting a 1000 rounds through the gun just to make it run 100% will drive you nuts. I'm not knocking factory builders they do a great job for the most part, it is that we are very particular about our setups and no two like the exact same setup. The best value IMHO would be to buy a tuned gun from a dealer/gunsmith. I know a great one who I think has a Spartan 9 right now.

[Corey]

buddy just got a Dawson tuned Spartan in 45. I would go through Dawson, get the gun and the tune up. His .45 rocks, unbelievable for the money.

that may very well be the exact next gun i buy! haha

A lot go "needed" gunsmoth work is based on personal preferance. Im currently shooting a Colt that has ran like champ since the day I brought it home (yes, i bought it new). ive made a few modifications to it, but nothing serious. It shoots far better than i do at the moment. that being said, the next gun i buy-whatever division it may be- will most likely get a quality smith tune up to see the differences.

[G-ManBart]

buying a 9mm spartan or a slightly tunes Trojan. I own a LB .45 premier II and think it is the bomb! But want a 9mm single stack 1911 that will be as accurate and as well built. I am looking for accuracy and reliability. I have heard that the LB 9mm has had some reliability problems but the 600 dollar difference is also an issue.

Thanks, Bill

So you want a gun that's as accurate, well built and reliable, but you want to pay less for it?

If you buy a Spartan or Trojan and then compare it to your Baer, you probably won't be happy unless you factor in the price difference...just no way to get around that. That's not to say that either won't be good enough for your purposes, so you might ultimately be happy, but I wouldn't use the Baer as a benchmark since it's so much more expensive. R,

[Paul Burtchell]

I've owned 3 Les Baer's and 3 STI Spartan's. 2 of the Spartan's were in 45acp and my newest is in 9mm.

I think you will be mighty pleased if you purchase a Spartan9 from one of our Forum Dealers/Gunsmith's and have them do a trigger job, exchange the big honkin' f/o front sight for a Dawson 0.40 diameter f/o .185 tall and your choice of a .100 or .115 wide front sight, & a magwell of your choice. I like the Dawson Ice "no gap" magwell. Another option would be to add an ambi-safety. The new Dawson Precision 10 round 9mm mags and base pads or Tripp/Cobramags and you are good to go.

The thing is you will need to do a trigger job, probably change out the front sight and add a magwell to the Les Baer too.

Is the fit and finish of the Spartan on par to the Les Baer? NO ! but, my Spartan is more than accurate enough for USPSA and IDPA etc. and the reliability is outstanding.

A tweaked Spartan 9 is ALOT of pistol for the money.

Paul

Edited May 16, 2010 by Paul Burtchell