STI Trojan Pistol

[baron45]

I am thinking of getting a STI Trojan pistol in 45 caliber.For those of you out there who's ever tried the STI Trojan,what did you think of it?Would you highly recommend it?How does the Trojan compare to the Kimber TLE, Springfield Operator or to other Single Stack 1911 pistols up to the $1,200.00 price range?

THANKS.

baron45

[rhino]

The STI Trojan is the best "factory" 1911 on the market, the best value for your money, and probably better than a lot of "custom" guns.

I have several 1911s, but the next .45 I get will be an STI.

[bountyhunter]

Ditto above. I have a 5" Trojan in 9mm and a 6" in .40. I also own a Para 1640. My Trojan is a few years old so take the comments as dated: the slide frame fit and finish are flawless, the internal parts are comp grade (superb). My Para has had problems and the piece parts look like junk. Oddly, the 1640 LTD sells for close to what a Trojan does (within maybe $150 dollars). Light years away in what you get.

I don't have a current trojan so I can't attest to their current production units. I know they are still much better fitted than junkers like my Para. I am just not certain if STI is still using first quality internal parts or have they swuitched to the cheaper MIM stuff (?). Anyway, you can always put in triggers and sears and that stuff if you want to. It is the fit of the slide, barrel and frame that make the gun accurate.

But for the price of a Trojan (about $900 from dawson Precision last time I checked) you get a whole lot of hand fitting and quality in the slide, barrel and frame you simply won't get from a mass made gun. It turns out there are exactly two ways to set up the fit on a 1911: the right way and any other way. In lockup, a fitted gun will have the lower barrel lugs resting on the slide stop cross pin and the top lug against the slide (three point support, zero play). My Trojans lock up that way. My Para is "long linked" so the lower barrel feet never get near the cross pin. In lockup, the barrel is supported by the link..... and whatever part of the slide it is leaning against.

STI is not the only maker to properly fit guns: valtro, baer, Wilson and the like all know how. But mass produced guns are not fitted. The parts are sized to allow a "drop together" manufacturing process, not one that starts with an oversized lug and cuts to fit. Some mass made guns are quite good, some are pure junk.

[bountyhunter]

How does the Trojan compare to the Kimber TLE, Springfield Operator or to other Single Stack 1911 pistols up to the $1,200.00 price range?

THANKS.

baron45

I make people angry when I say this, but here is my answer: the Trojan is made at a company where the average gun costs about $1600. They are made on the same line by the same people who fit those guns. they don't get dumber or lazier because the barrel/slide/frame or whatever is headed for a Trojan.

IMO, when company like para, Kimber or SA makes a "$1200 gun" you are getting an $800 mass made gun with a bunch of added stuff to make you think it is like a Wilson or STI. I have shot some of the Gold Cups and a couple of other "top end" guns. They are not the same. One difference that jumps out is usually trigger break feel.

Shoot a valtro and see what I mean. The slide racks like it had ball bearings. The whole gun has the feel of something carved out of a single piece of steel. Solid. That is the feel that a fitted gun has.

[Mistral404]

I own a Trojan .45. It does shoot one ragged hole at 25yds. In fact it shoots less than an inch. But,

The barrel was replaced by STI and they did a super job of fitting the new one. So do not expect that kind of accuracy out of the box. DO expect less than 1.5 @ 25 yds.

This is a production gun and the fit and finish are better than average.

I have upgraded mine with better parts, mostly out of the desire to do so.

It is a great value for the price.

STI customer service is excellent which is one good reason to do business with them.

[KennyD]

I have a Trojan 45. Great gun but, you have limited choices as far as after-market mags go. I was told by STI that I would have to purchase Tripp Research mags for my pistol (if I wanted 10 round mags) as Virgil was the only person they are aware of making a single stack STI specific magazines. It seems that the STI mag release sits higher in the frame than other single stacks due to the undercut trigger guards... Food for thought...

I do have one beef w/ the pistol: the STI Bomar replica rear sight on my pistol broke sight pins like there was a race. Pretty aggravating when you're two shots into your local club's classifier ... I fixed the problem by installing a Bomar (STI sent me replacement site pins at every asking, but I grew tired of blowing a stage every other weekend.)

The gun has a hard time feeding the top round out of the Tripp mags when loaded w/ 10 rounds. The top round will nosedive into the frame 99% of the time and force a manual cycle or mag drop to clear. So I gave up loading to 10 and load to 9 (hope I don't have too many make-up shots on a long stage...)

KennyD

[Guest Larry Cazes]

I am surprised to hear that you have to use a Tripp magazine in the Trojan to get 100% function. Mine, which is completely stock from STI, functions 100% with Wilson 10 rounders. I've put more than 2000 rounds through mine and it has never misfed a single round. It is a very nice production gun but it is definitely NOT the equal of my Valtro in any way. The Valtro is much much nicer but also cost me about $300.00 more.

[mellow]

from what I've read and from what the guys at tripp have told me, you can just swith out the mag catch to a standard one (wilson, brown, etc.) and use standard non-STI-specific mags. You still want to check if that top round is hitting the ejector during reloads from slide lock.

KennyD, the 10th round nose dives for every one of your tripp mags? And is that an SVI mag well on your Trojan?

[BigDave]

1st: I own a Trojan in 40 and think it is a sweet gun. For the $$$, you'd be hard pressed to find a better quality 1911

2nd: Magazines. Unmodified Wilson 47D's hold 9 rds of 40 and run flawlessly for me. I have 1 Tripp STI-specific 10 rd mag that will, on occasion, activate the slide stop with one round left in the mag. From talking to my gunsmith, who is installing an SV Tri-Glide trigger and SV fiber optic front , the slide releases seem to be a bit oversized.

My suggestion: If your having problems like that with your Tripp mags, call Virgil and tell him. I'd bet $$$ that Virgil would look into it.

[KennyD]

KennyD, the 10th round nose dives for every one of your tripp mags? And is that an SVI mag well on your Trojan?

Please note that I've modified my original post... My pistol jams when stripping the first round out of the Tripp mags when loaded w/ 10 rounds. Yes, this happens w/ each of the mags. I've changed bullet shapes, weights and OAL's without great reward.

I need to call Virgil, I'm sure he can help. It's just finding the time to do so when you work 60+ hours a week.

I'll throw a new mag catch into it and try a Wilson 10 rounder next week.

Yes, I use the SV mag well and stainless spring housing. I like it much more than the traditional add-on mag wells. I would like to see Dawson make a modified version of their Ice magwell for single stacks (I use one on my SV limited pistol).

Regards,

[mellow]

Please note that I've modified my original post...  My pistol jams when stripping the first round out of the Tripp mags when loaded w/ 10 rounds.  Yes, this happens w/ each of the mags.  I've changed bullet shapes, weights and OAL's without great reward.

ah, I see. Tripp has a pretty good explaination for what may be your problem.

http://www.trippresearch.com/feature/angulargap.htm

Keep the round config constant and experiment with round height via mag catch and different mags. If that don't work, you might have to look into your feed ramp and/or barrel throat geometry. You might even get some results experimenting with recoil spring wt.

Sorry Barron45 for the drift, but hopefully this will help explain some of the reviews you read about the Trojan. The 1911 forum has quite a few stories about problems with the trojan, and many are related to mag-catch/mag combos.

[baron45]

[

Sorry Barron45 for the drift, but hopefully this will help explain some of the reviews you read about the Trojan. The 1911 forum has quite a few stories about problems with the trojan, and many are related to mag-catch/mag combos.

mellow,

No Problem.In fact I already got my STI Trojan.It came with a Bomar Adjustable Rear Sight(not A STI Copy Of A Bomar).I suppose as it says Bomar on the right side of the sight.

baron45

mellow,

No Problem.In fact I already got my STI Trojan.It came with a Bomar Adjustable Rear Sight(not A STI Copy Of A Bomar).I suppose as it says Bomar on the right side of the sight.I also got the two tone version.

baron45