evild Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 99% sure I want an STI Spartan, havn't really read any thing bad about them, just want some last thoughts before I pull the trigger on one (pun intended). I like production so I will only shoot single stack on occasion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjb45 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 (edited) The Spartan is a price-point item. The difference between the parts in a Spartan and a Wilson/Nowlin/Baer is huge. If this matters then upgrade otherwise the Spartan has decent accuracy and can be made reliable. Edited March 1, 2011 by pjb45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Hello: I have had my Spartan 45 since they first came out and they work great. Accuracy is good enough for IDPA and USPSA. The fire controls are STI and will last a long time. I have over 5500 rounds through mine now and it still is tight. I don't think you will beat the Spartan for twice the price, ok maybe 1 1/2 times Mine has been more reliable than some of the other big named pistols I've seen I use Wilson 47D's and Metalform Elite mags. It runs 100% with both. Hope this helps. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodownzero Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I love mine. It used to belong to Aircooled6racer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 twodownzero: I thought that 9mm Spartan was for a little old lady My son misses that one now. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodownzero Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 (edited) twodownzero: I thought that 9mm Spartan was for a little old lady My son misses that one now. Thanks, Eric It is. Just gotta transfer it to her and it's all hers. She's 22 and deadly...and blonde. But she has TD Roe for a coach...so watch out! Edited March 1, 2011 by twodownzero Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Cline Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 evild, There is no reason not to buy the Spartan. They enjoy a great reputation and I am considering a STI USPSA. I suspect you will be very happy with it. The wonderful world of 1911 allows for you to get any level or configuration of 1911 you could desire. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I put off buying a Spartan for a long time...mainly bc I'm a bit picky and I hate the Park'd finish they come with. Then Dawson came out with a hard chrome'd version around the holidays.... Love this gun!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonm1 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 My 9mm Spartan is great with ball ammo. The hollowpoints are finicky feeding. I have not found reliable loads with MG 124G hp yet. It came with an unramped barrel. I shoot the ball ammo better than any pistol I have owned so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootingchef Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 For the price + a few more buck, why not a Kimber made here in America rather than Armscor, from overseas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodownzero Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 For the price + a few more buck, why not a Kimber made here in America rather than Armscor, from overseas. I would hesitate to sell my Kimber, which I've had for a long time. That said, my Spartan is better in every way, save its lack of frontstrap checkering, compared to my Kimber. The fit is better and the STI trigger parts are nicer. The only place it lacked, I guess, was the thumb safety, which is easily corrected. Kimber has a lot of work to do to catch up with the quality and value of the STI Spartan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David.Hylton Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I have 9mm and .45 Spartans. Both are accurate and the .45 is absolutely reliable. The 9mm runs with minor loads with 124 MG hps, but sometimes will not extract. The extraction problem is going away as I shoot it more. I am very happy with both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjohn Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Kimber is no longer what they were. No comparison in the fit between my personal Spartan and current Kimber offerings. Absolutely no reason not to be a Spartan. Can't get a better weapon unless you drop 1k more. Just saying. Oh and personally it's the best of the STI single stacks. I just had to get another barrel fit in a 6 inch Trojan because too much from the feet were removed by STI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EkuJustice Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I have both the Kimber(first handgun I bough) and a spartan. Kimber has gone down hill over time. The older guns were much nicer than the new guns. I find the spartans better fit than the new kimbers. If something does go wrong, STI warranty VS Kimber warranty? STI wins by a landslide. STI also has a contingent program and gives back to the sport. KImber simply places an add in the magazine. I think Kimber when down hill when they had more and more offerings with different cosmetic packages and the guns made around 2000 and before are the way to go in a kimber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BallisticianX Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 For the price + a few more buck, why not a Kimber made here in America rather than Armscor, from overseas. I would'nt buy a New Kimber, any model, at any price. I live near the Kimber Plant thats located in Yonkers NY. The Company is owned by an Overseas conglomerate from the Middle East, and only 15% of there employee base speaks english. The STI spartan frame, slide, and barrel is made in the phillipines but all other components are made here. The price you pay is going to an American owned company!!! Another reason to buy a spartan?? Mine in .45acp shoots 5 shot sub 1" groups at 20yds., has a crisp 3lb trigger, and had a better frame slide fit than any new Kimber I've handled in the last two years. I have around 7500 rounds thru it and it shoots just as well as it did new. I will admit it was finiky with SWC but a quality magazine fixed that!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evild Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 Thanks for the replies. I'm ordering it at eh end of the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLSlim Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 I had some function problems (45 reloads, so my problem, not the gun) that I had to work through but other than that it is hard to beat the quality for the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gng4life Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 I got my Spartan 9mm last Friday. Loaded up some rounds and shot yesterday. With the MG 95gr JHP, I can't get it to feed more than two without a Failure to Chamber. I had some old Barrys HBRN that I haven't shot in a long time. They all ran perfect, no jams or anything and the groups were decent. I shot around 300 rounds of that load and it was fun. I'm shooting more tomorrow so I have to load up more of the Barrys until I get some FMJ MG or something else. So far, for the money, it's a steal. I now own 8 STI pistols and while this doesn't compare to the high dollar double stacks I have, it's one of the best SS I've shot in a long time. Good luck finding one, I had a lot of trouble locating one in stock...most people are out until Apr/May...I think there is still one on GB but that's about all I could find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcelr8n Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 A shooting buddy just got a 9mm Spartan. I think that it's worth what he paid for it. The slide to frame fit was terrible. I could rattle the slide on the frame. Finish was terrible. The fitment on parts was terrible (big gaps around the grip safety). And the trigger was the worst that I've ever felt on a 1911 and I've shot a lot of them. Based on what I'm reading here, this does not seem to be the norm for the Spartan. It is just my experience with a friend's gun. I'm not sure why Kimber got brought into this but I have Pre-Series II and Series II Kimbers along with Springers and Baers. The Kimbers that I own are a far superior product to the Spartan. Of course I would expect a $1000 gun to have a better finish/fit than a $600 gun. IHMO/YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Good luck finding one, I had a lot of trouble locating one in stock...most people are out until Apr/May...I think there is still one on GB but that's about all I could find. I have one left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike cyrwus Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Here are the reasons not to buy a Spartan. (there are pleanty of reasons TO buy one) 1. no front strap checkering 2.the MSH pin is lower in the frame than spec on most of the ones Ive seen. Putting a magwell on it will leave a small mostly cosmetic gap. 3. front sight is bigger than optimal; it should be changed. 4. barrel and bushing fit is ok, but not near as good as a $1k+ pistol from sti or springfield. 5. steel is a little on the soft side. 6.trigger guard isnt undercut 6. I can afford an extra $500-600 to get a sti sentry, springer trp, or trophy match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evild Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Ended up getting (tonight) a Sprinfield, got a deal I couldn't refuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-Bros_JLR Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 A shooting buddy just got a 9mm Spartan. I think that it's worth what he paid for it. The slide to frame fit was terrible. I could rattle the slide on the frame. Finish was terrible. The fitment on parts was terrible (big gaps around the grip safety). And the trigger was the worst that I've ever felt on a 1911 and I've shot a lot of them. Based on what I'm reading here, this does not seem to be the norm for the Spartan. It is just my experience with a friend's gun. I'm not sure why Kimber got brought into this but I have Pre-Series II and Series II Kimbers along with Springers and Baers. The Kimbers that I own are a far superior product to the Spartan. Of course I would expect a $1000 gun to have a better finish/fit than a $600 gun. IHMO/YMMV That's definitely not the norm. I've bought three of them now and all three were tighter than 90% of the 1911s I played with at SHOT this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gng4life Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I agree with R-Bros - my Spartan is awesome. The fit is tight, shoots excellent groups, finish is great, I really like it for $630. I will be changing the beavertail, I can't seem to depress it all the way with my grip. I will also change to a ambi safety and get a trigger job. I already added a Dawson ICE and a extended mag release. It is really a nice little 1911. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boulderchild Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I just picked one in hard chrome for my wife. it seems well made, and for the price I really don't think you can beat it. I have had several springfield and kimbers and several lower price 1911's such as the para ordinance gi expert which I think was around the same price. it's a good gun and you can always upgrade it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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