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Trying to talk myself into an STI


3djedi

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I'm looking for a pistol for USPSA Limited. I compete once a month in USPSA and once a month in IDPA (I use a Walther PPQ for that). I was planning on an M&P pro 5" .40 as a cost effective way to compete. However, I've been drooling over the STI's lately and almost ready to bite the bullet. I have a few questions:

1) Which one would you go with Eagle, Edge, Tactical 5.0 and why? I'm leaning edge but the tactical looks sweet!

2) How much tinkering and maintenance is required to keep these things going? I don't have the time to clean it everytime I shoot and I don't really want to "tinker" to make it work.

3) Would the M&P be more practical and durable for my situation?

4) Are there any 140mm magazines available? I can't seem to find any in stock online.

I was thinking about getting the Dave Dawson EDGE. Looks like it has everything out of the box that I need to compete except for the magazines

Anyway, if it were you tell me which way you would go. And if you think STI then which one would you choose?

Thanks!!!

P.S. since you guys probably love your 2011's do you end up carrying a similar pistol for CCW?

Edited by 3djedi
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From what i've read on here (don't have my own 2011 yet) a Dawson tuned edge is a great place to start. You can also scour the classifieds for a used limited class blaster for a better price. Nothing wrong withthe M&P but I'd go with a used 2011 first. That's just me though....

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As an owner of a handful of 2011's, I love to work on my guns and "tinker" to my heart's content. That being said, the Dawson's run right out of the box, but I have to agree with 38superfan, look around the classifieds and see what's out there. I have a buddy that's all M&P, all the time and he works on his for function more than I work on mine for fun. I thoroughly clean mine around every 2K rounds, rest of the time it's a bore snake and a wipe down. Good luck and shoot safe.

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I have had all three, and went the M&P route first as well. I wish I would have just bought an STI off the bat or a custom 2011. I like the eagle because its versatile in USPSA,3 gun, and IDPA. Just picked up a tactical that the dust cover has been shortened to 3/4.

The best thing to do would be to try out some different models. Most guys I have shot with were happy to let me try out their 2011. good luck

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Depending on the gun and the caliber yes some mags need to be tinkered with. I would go to shooter's connection and check out their selection and email them for suggestions. I a lot of 40s no tuning is necessary , but with some guns and mags it is.

If you plan on shooting IDPA get a gun with a bushing barrel not a bull barrel . That would be the eagle. As work on your gun, it depends on what kind of shooter you are. Do you want a 2# trigger ? do you want it super smooth ? lighter hammer and better springs ?

it's all stuff that can be done in the future. Basically a stock edge with a trigger job is sufficient to get started in my view. You may have to tinker with mags. but that's the bare minimum for a 2011. If you're planning on doing a few things to it, though you might look into a custom gun and save time and over the long run .... money

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I plan on going .40 for whatever I get. I don't mind doing upgrades....I was planning a lot if work on the m&p. But spending that much on the Dawson edge and mags I don't want to upgrade anything until at least next year. I just want to be able to run it and not have any problems out of the box. No malfunctions.

Edited by 3djedi
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I would get a STI Edge, after messing with the M&P trust me you will wish you just bought a STI to start off with. Or if you have the extra money you can get a custom built for a few hundred more than a tuned edge.

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Eagle with bushing is the only legal for idpa option.

Honestly if you're going to buy new I'd get a custom since after you spend money on a sti "upgrading it" it's about the price of some of the value custom jobs.

If you can get a good price on a used eagle I'd do that too.

Edited by Forgetful
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For a USPSA only gun, the Edge is what you want. Or at least an Edge-type gun - full dust cover, full profile slide, bull barrel.

If you want something that will run right out of the box, I would strongly suggest getting one from either Dawson Precision or Brazos Custom that has been tuned by them. Strongly. Dawson calls it a CRP Edge, Brazos a High Performance Edge.

Read this: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=177668

Edited by warpspeed
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Brazos has tuned 140 mags and bare 140 tubes in stock.

2) How much tinkering and maintenance is required to keep these things going? I don't have the time to clean it everytime I shoot and I don't really want to "tinker" to make it work.

You don't have to clean an STI every time you shoot it, but you do really need to know how it works and be willing to give it what it needs to run well. I've seen dozens of STI owners struggle with the same problems match after match and not approach solving those problems in a systematic way. If you want something you can just buy and shoot and not worry about it... keep walking. You might get one, and if you get a tuned Edge or a custom gun from one of the real pros you'll have a good chance of getting one, but it's still a roll of the dice.

The 2011 isn't a good platform for dabbling. You need to commit to it.

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Brazos has tuned 140 mags and bare 140 tubes in stock.

2) How much tinkering and maintenance is required to keep these things going? I don't have the time to clean it everytime I shoot and I don't really want to "tinker" to make it work.

You don't have to clean an STI every time you shoot it, but you do really need to know how it works and be willing to give it what it needs to run well. I've seen dozens of STI owners struggle with the same problems match after match and not approach solving those problems in a systematic way. If you want something you can just buy and shoot and not worry about it... keep walking. You might get one, and if you get a tuned Edge or a custom gun from one of the real pros you'll have a good chance of getting one, but it's still a roll of the dice.

The 2011 isn't a good platform for dabbling. You need to commit to it.

Kinda agree, My STI's have been very reliable but they DO need some tinkering from time to time and my custom guns are very reliable as well however 1 or 2 needed some tweaking to make them work right. I would advise an M&P or Glock to get started as after a few mods for trigger and fiber front sight they are good to go, then sell it after you get comfy with an STI at some point down the road. It's not like you will lose a lot since a good competition M&P or GLock will retain a lot of value.

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I started shooting IDPA this year with a XDM 5.25 9mm. Then I found a good deal on a STI Trojan 9mm. The XDM has become a safe queen. That being said,I would get the Edge to start with. Just my 2 cents.

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I clean my 2011 about every 2k rounds, it takes about an hour. If I cleaned it more it would take less time. I clean my mags every time they hit the ground. My current 2011 is from Akai and I would not hesitate to recommend a gun from him. I case gauge every round that I shoot and when loading plated stuff for local matches I have a fair amount that don't make it and I use them for practice. The gun runs it all. If you shop and are patient you can find a good custom gun at a good price on this forum. I would not spend the money on a new semi custom.

I have run pretty much stock mags with Dawson base pads and Grams springs/followers with some slight tuning and have zero trouble with them. I have 4 that are about 6 months old and have had zero failures. There are a couple of good mag tuning threads on this forum. All you need is a vice with some soft jaws, a non marring hammer and some time.

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My M&P was an absolute disaster. delivered with a lousy crown, very poor slide to rail fit and a badly machined breech block area that prevented chambering of every 3rd or 4th factory load. although customer service was great, the product was terrible. It was going to require as much tweaking to run as the sti and would still never deliver the same kind of accuracy. i know i am in the minority, but my experience was lousy.

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