Spartan Vs. Trojan

[Micah]

Thanks for the input thus far guys. I probably should have stated that I am looking at the 9mm versions of each.

[Pro2AInPA]

My Spartan has been flawless, but it's a .45 ACP.

[ah1356]

I have never shot a 9mm Spartan, but I love my 9mm Trojan. If I had to start over I would buy another one in a second. Get an Aftec extractor. I waited until after I had 5 or 6 failures to extract in a match before I got mine. Since I installed the Aftec it is 100% reliable.

Either way you go you're going to replace and upgrade parts. In my opinion, the Trojan will be better out of the box and will be a better platform to build on.

[ParaGunner]

Get the Spartan and all the gear. I don't think the extra $400 spent is going to make Micah any better of a shooter or stop him from getting DQed with that single action trigger.

Why shoot a Hi-Point when you can get a Glock? So why shoot a Spartan when you can get a Trojan?

We are comparing 2 STI pistols in this thread, not a hi-point or glock.Both the Spartan and Trojan are excellent pistols. He is probably going to make upgrades to either one he gets and he needs gear. So getting the Trojan will take his overall cost way up just for a few differences that do't really justify the cost.

Edited November 5, 2010 by Roy Hess

[Glshooter]

Funny but I went through the same thing a little while ago. I have been a die hard Glock guy for years. I thought that a 1911 would help my shooting and the STI contingency thing would be good. I bought a Trojan and it was a great gun. I had owned other 1911s in that price range fron Colt, Kimber and Springfield and the Trojan topped them all.

But then the realism set in. When I compared my times and performance with the Glock, there was really no difference. For me it made sense to stick with the gun I already had time, parts, mags and holsters already invested in. I sold the Trojan and used the money on other things like ammo and entry fees.

I know STI has a contingency program but I thought it was just good towards product. If you already bought the gun, you already put out the main expense and you already have the product. You could sell the product but you still have to make up the initial cost of new gun, mags,holsters plus the time to get familiar with the new platform. For me it didn't make sense from a financial standpoint but then again, you will probably win more than I would.

Just my 2 cents if that helps.

[Corey]

i dont think he's wanting to try it for the sake of a couple hundred dollars of contingency money/gear. i think he just wants to play in a real man's division , of which he cant use a glock.

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: The trick with 9mm 1911's is the mags. I have used Metalfrom,Wilson,Springfields and Tripps. The Tripp and Metalforms worked the best. I like using the 9mm mags for short loads and the 38 mags for loading long. If you must have a ramped barrel the Trojan is your choice. If you don't really care which barrel then I would choose the Spartan. It also depends on what bullet you are going to use. If you are using a jacketed bullet I would use either pistol. For a Moly bullet I would look at the Trojan even though my Spartan 9mm has not had a problem with the Moly bullets so far(only 120 rounds). I bought the Spartan because of price and I know they are fitted well. I figured if it did not run I could always mill the frame for a Clark/Para cut Schuemann barrel and it still would be cheaper than the Trojan. Maybe I will shoot the 9mm today Thanks, Eric

[steel1212]

Guys with Spartan and Trojans what is the frame to slide fit like comparing the 2? I know the Trojan's I've handled have been pretty tight. Some of the Spartans I've seen not so much.

You really can't say X gun is better because you'll just add parts to it and it will jack up the price more on the other one....ummm no you'll be adding the same parts to either gun so the price will go up the same either way. If the Spartan has less favorable parts to keep it cheaper then you might actually add more parts to it.

[Pro2AInPA]

Guys with Spartan and Trojans what is the frame to slide fit like comparing the 2? I know the Trojan's I've handled have been pretty tight. Some of the Spartans I've seen not so much.

You really can't say X gun is better because you'll just add parts to it and it will jack up the price more on the other one....ummm no you'll be adding the same parts to either gun so the price will go up the same either way. If the Spartan has less favorable parts to keep it cheaper then you might actually add more parts to it.

When I bought my Spartan there was a Trojan right next to it in the case.

Slide to frame fit was just about identical.

Trigger sucked on both guns. Front sight sucked on both guns.

So, with either gun, I would have been looking at a trigger job, new front sight, and a magwell.

Went with the Spartan, got done what I needed to get done, and now it's great. YMMV.

[jtaylor996]

If you're going for a .45, it doesn't matter IMO (but with either, since I know you're a Glock-guy and you're well-versed in what's out there as far as sight options, you'll probably be looking to John Harrison for a wider-notch fixed rear sight that'll work with the adjustable LPA-cut and getting yourself a .100"-.090" Dawson front to mimic the Warren/Sevigny's that are light-years ahead of what most of the SS community is running), the Trojan's undercut trigger-guard is a plus, but is it worth the price of what a Spartan has to offer?: I'm not so sure.

In 9mm, arguably, the Trojan's ramped-barrel would be the better option for achieving the best reliability with the shorter OAL round, but that said, it'd still be pretty likely you'd have to cough up some extra cash for an Aftec and spend some time and money figuring out whether Tripp's or Wilson ETM's will work best with your particular gun after you've most likely wrecked a couple ejectors... If you're seriously after a 9mm gun with most of the 1911-attributes of a crisp trigger, etc, that most of us are after, than you should be already taking a hard look at a CZ Shadow, unless of course you're also looking for a new hobby that can get pricey... as from what I've seen, all the 9mm 1911's I've seen out there don't work very reliably regardless of what you spend...

My above mentioned Kimber Team Match II was only $1300 new, 9mm, and runs like a damn clock. It has a ramped barrel. All I had to do to get it there was to tension the extractor (a whopping $20 in tools to do it right, and no I didn't replace the extractor), tripp mags (wilsons don't like the ejector, like you said).

Aside from that, all I've done are non-bowling-shoe-ugly grips for $26 from Fusion, and a dawson FO front sight. I put in a C&S trigger kit, but I only got maybe a 1% better trigger from what was already in the gun.

I'm not to 60k rounds yet, but it's showing no signs of any problems or wear yet. Essentially, this gun is ready to race right out of the box. I've had several shooters (some with a lot of 1911's and match experience) tell me they didn't believe I didn't do any thing else to the gun.

[And yes, I know it has MIM parts in it, I will never care as long as they don't break, and I don't expect them to].

Is it perfect? No, but I wanted the cheapest match type gun out of the box, and this is what I found. So far it's living up to that requirement, but it was a little more expensive than a Trojan (but not much if you consider it already has magwell, etc..., and does a lot more out of the box).

[steel1212]

Something else to look at also is if your going to replace a lot of parts you might want to go custom. I'm a semi collector so most of my 1911s are Springfield because its what I like. Well now that I know exactly what I want the only thing left on my game springfields are frame/slide/ and sometimes barrel. That is why the next one I build will be all the parts of my choosing. If I could get a unfit Springfield slide and frame I would go that route but I can't so its STI frame/slide and the parts I want.

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: The 2 Spartans that I have(one is 45acp,9mm) are both tighter than the new Trojans that I looked at 2 years ago. The internal parts are all STI and are very good quality. With a little stoning and changing of the springs you can get a 2lb trigger that feels great. The front sight is too wide that is why I went with the Dawson 0.100" wide one. The rest of the gun is very well fitted. If you are going for looks then just pic one and go with it. A single stack custom can be expensive to build more than a 2011 most times Thanks, Eric

[steel1212]

Hello: The 2 Spartans that I have(one is 45acp,9mm) are both tighter than the new Trojans that I looked at 2 years ago. The internal parts are all STI and are very good quality. With a little stoning and changing of the springs you can get a 2lb trigger that feels great. The front sight is too wide that is why I went with the Dawson 0.100" wide one. The rest of the gun is very well fitted. If you are going for looks then just pic one and go with it. A single stack custom can be expensive to build more than a 2011 most times Thanks, Eric

It will right along the same lines as my limited guns, your right, but not far off what the top of the line STI 1911s cost, gotta know the right people :-)

[EkuJustice]

The spartan allows you to spend the extra on necessities like blue spray paint

[oak hill]

Both are good, just a matter of how much you plan to use it and what level of quality you expect. Just my $ 0.02

[G-ManBart]

A single stack custom can be expensive to build more than a 2011 most times Thanks, Eric

A SS custom will be expensive to build, but not more than a 2011. I'd have to spend at least $3K (likely more) to come close to what I'd want in a new Limited gun, but I could get a SS gun built to the same standards for $2500. Just the 2011 frame is going to cost $150 to $200 more than a similar quality 1911 frame. The barrel, slide, fire control parts etc, are about the same.

I always wonder where you saw those Trojans that were looser than your Spartan. I've handled lots of both, and it was always the other way around, or about even. I can't see a factory gun having a slide any tighter than my Trojan. R,

Edited November 5, 2010 by G-ManBart

[norbs007]

If it was me looking for a budget STI SS that's ready to rock from a reputable builder, I won't think twice about this.

Spartan

If it was me...

[Paul Burtchell]

I've owned 2 Spartan's in 45acp and one in 9mm and I've owned several Trojan's in 40 S&W and 45acp. My advice especially in the 9mm.

Buy the Spartan. Change the factory front sight to a Dawson F/O. Get a trigger job with either the factory parts or if you really want it durable change out the fire control parts to Cylinder & Slide or EGW etc... Put on a Dawson Ice 'NO Gap' magwell. Buy the Dawson Precision mags and basepads for the no gap magwell.

The 9mm I had I got from Benny Hill. He did a nice 2.5# trigger job with factory parts, changed the front sight. I added grip tape and the magwell and it ran and ran.

Shoot the snot out of it.

[MTBfarms]

IMHO you will be happy with either. The difference will be like going from a toyota to a lexus. Both are well made by the same company. The difference is just a few features and price.

[blue edge]

Get both

[Paul Burtchell]

Get both

[JoeInKS]

Similar situation to what I faced about 2 months ago.......

Decided on the Trojan because to me the undercut trigger guard, better finish, sights, STIppling, and whatever other minor differences there may be were worth it. Just heard too many good things about the Trojan. I have not been let down. Went with one from Dawson Precision. Added a front fiber sight, Smith & Alexander magwell / mainspring housing, and had it tuned / tested by Dawson. Well worth it. It's an absolute joy to shoot. By the way, having a lot of luck with Dawson's 10round magazines.

Might chrome the darn thing for Christmas :-)

Edited November 6, 2010 by JoeInKS

[XD Niner]

I have a 9mm Spartan that now has just over 1000 rounds through it. I bought it from Bob Londrigan of Brazos and had him give it a trigger job using the OEM parts before he sent it to me. Bob's trigger is excellent so I can't really comment on the box stock version.

This particular gun has the best slide to frame fit of the five 1911's that I have owned. It was almost too tight if that's possible. I normally use Slide Glide on all my guns but it slowed the slide down noticeably on this gun. I switched to FP-10 at least until it wears in a bit more.

I also found that it did not like my Montana Gold 124 JHP loads at 1.135 OAL that I used in my XD Tactical. It experienced a number of Failures to Feed in the first few hundred rounds. I switched to Zero 125 grain JHP's and reduced the OAL to 1.120. I've not had a single problem with the Zero rounds. It may be the different ogive or it may just be that the gun was finally broken in around 600 rounds since the longer MG JHP's seem to feed fine now.

I'm perfectly happy with the OEM grips and fine with the smooth front strap. YMMV. The front sight is a bit wide for my tastes and one of these days I'll change it out. However, since I'm just using the gun for range practice and plinking right now there isn't any hurry. It would definitely benefit from the No Gap magwell so that will probably be my next modification. BTW, I use the 10 round Tripp mags.

The Spartan is an excellent buy for the money. If you're going to make the same modifications to either gun you'll not regret starting with the Spartan.

Edited November 6, 2010 by XD Niner

[Merlin Orr]

I think the fit on my Spartans are tighter than my Trojans.... Both are nice guns.

I shoot my Spartan now and the other 1911s sit on the shelves.

[818-DVC]

My Rock island tactical (Armscor- Philipines- same OEM for the Spartan) came stock with a novak rear sight, comander hammer, Ambi safety, Great finish, match barrel & nice beavertail for $400 LNIB.

it has a tighter fit than all my 1911's as well and that's comparing it to a $2000 custom built series 70 I had built almost 20 years ago buy 1 of CA's greatest pistolsmiths.