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dervin

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Personally, i would go with the Trojan for the main reason that I know so many people running the Troajan in SS competition who are very happy with it. A couple of the 1911/2011 pistolsmiths out here also like the Trojan as a platform to build on.

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Okay, I'll rock the boat. I'd buy neither. If I were going to spend $1200 on a SS 1911, I'd want better quality than a Trojan. I'd be looking a Sigs (but not the traditional models) or Springfield Armory or Kimber.

I have a friend who owns two very nice Kimbers that he paid around $1200 each for. Admittedly, that was several years ago, but they both make a Trojan look like junk. My Sig Tacops is a lot nicer than a Trojan.

If I wanted to stay in the $1200 range complete, I'd take a serious look at SAs offerings. With a basic Ranger Officer model, you at least start with a forged receiver and slide and a match barrel. Okay, the trigger could use some work and the rest of the internals are mostly MIM, but same with the Trojan and that uses a cast receiver. You can buy a RO for between $700 and $750. You can use a little of the money you saved to get a great trigger job and upgrade the internals when they start to wear. Every RO I've seen at the club had a tight slide to frame fit and was accurate. The stock trigger pull improves markedly after about 300 rounds.

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Of those choices I would go with the STI. If you want an STI though, I would upgrade to the Edge. Personally, I shoot a Les Baer UM in single stack - were I to replace that about the only other thing I would consider would be the Edge.

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Of those choices I would go with the STI. If you want an STI though, I would upgrade to the Edge. Personally, I shoot a Les Baer UM in single stack - were I to replace that about the only other thing I would consider would be the Edge.

It's my understanding that the original poster is looking for a single stack 1911...the Edge is a double stack. BTW, Dawson's SA CRP RO looks like a good deal!

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Okay, I'll rock the boat. I'd buy neither. If I were going to spend $1200 on a SS 1911, I'd want better quality than a Trojan. I'd be looking a Sigs (but not the traditional models) or Springfield Armory or Kimber.

I have a friend who owns two very nice Kimbers that he paid around $1200 each for. Admittedly, that was several years ago, but they both make a Trojan look like junk. My Sig Tacops is a lot nicer than a Trojan.

Boat rocker- have you run either of those brands for even just one full season of single stack? I tried to run a Kimber for a season... they aren't built for that. I've also never seen a SIG 1911 run locally. Not sure what your definition of quality is but it sounds more heavily weighted towards the cosmetic/spec sheet side than mine. Not trying to be rude... my priorities are just different.

Looks and niceness points aside, Trojans run. Targets do not care if frames are forged or cast, or beaver tails are bar stock or MIM. The hammer and sear are the same excellent tool steel pieces from the double stacks. They work. You can get them in 40. Not sure what you find lacking in quality.

Now the SA RO I can agree with, if you are looking for a 9 or 45- but I wouldn't say its better. Its fine.

Now if OP want something to look at and stick in nice leather, Kimber or SIG may be the way to go. I assume people on benos are interested in competition but understand priorities may vary. I've done the Kimber thing and despite constant maintenance it just never worked out. It was great as a 50 rounds a month range piece, but failed miserably as a USPSA blaster.

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Okay, I'll rock the boat. I'd buy neither. If I were going to spend $1200 on a SS 1911, I'd want better quality than a Trojan. I'd be looking a Sigs (but not the traditional models) or Springfield Armory or Kimber.

I have a friend who owns two very nice Kimbers that he paid around $1200 each for. Admittedly, that was several years ago, but they both make a Trojan look like junk. My Sig Tacops is a lot nicer than a Trojan.

Boat rocker- have you run either of those brands for even just one full season of single stack? I tried to run a Kimber for a season... they aren't built for that. I've also never seen a SIG 1911 run locally. Not sure what your definition of quality is but it sounds more heavily weighted towards the cosmetic/spec sheet side than mine. Not trying to be rude... my priorities are just different.

Looks and niceness points aside, Trojans run. Targets do not care if frames are forged or cast, or beaver tails are bar stock or MIM. The hammer and sear are the same excellent tool steel pieces from the double stacks. They work. You can get them in 40. Not sure what you find lacking in quality.

Now the SA RO I can agree with, if you are looking for a 9 or 45- but I wouldn't say its better. Its fine.

Now if OP want something to look at and stick in nice leather, Kimber or SIG may be the way to go. I assume people on benos are interested in competition but understand priorities may vary. I've done the Kimber thing and despite constant maintenance it just never worked out. It was great as a 50 rounds a month range piece, but failed miserably as a USPSA blaster.

If my only choice in 1911's was Kimber I'd shoot revolvers. Kimbers are horribly made paper weights and their customer service is shite! The Kimber I bought had chatter marks down the "match grade" barrel and visible seams in the MIM trigger parts. When it broke it took Kimber a year and 5 trips to the factory to get it fixed. The cast frames are so soft, they become rattle traps in 30k rounds and... most competitors are not fans of the firing pin blocks. Kimbers are made for 1911 lovers who don't actually shoot much. Sigs are made with better barrels and better MIM internals and the cast frames are a little longer lasting, but the slides are too heavy making it difficult to add a mag well and still be legal, and... they have firing pin blocks. Springfields are decent pistols with forged frames and good barrels and no firing pin blocks. Drop in a decent set of trigger parts and they are good guns that last a long time. If I were gonna buck the OP list and go up a level, I would get an STI Sentry or a Dan Wesson Valor.

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Mike, I'm interested in quality and performance first. My Sig 1911 45ACP Tacops is not a particularly handsome gun, but it runs. I shoot everything with it. Steel, pins, plates, all the run gun games, you name it. There is always some competition to shoot. Add in 250 rounds a week for practice and you easily exceed 16,000 rounds per year. I didn't shoot quite as much in the first year, so let's call it 44,000 rounds in the three years I've been shooting it. All I've ever done besides clean it is recut the hammer hooks and reface the sear (2 months ago). Nothing broke. That is more than I can say for the Trojan shooters at my club. Several of them are always complaining about something that broke, or isn't right.

As far as Kimbers go, you must have been shooting an $800 model. My buddy has two. He shoots one for IDPA and the other for USPSA SS. He considers them to be the finest 1911 he owns. He also shoots a Colt NM Hardball, a Colt NM Gold Cup, and two Springfields for bullseye.

I'll stick with my assessment. For single stack 1911s, I'll take a Springfield Armory with a trigger job over a Trojan any day of the week. If I wanted something off the shelf with a good trigger, I'd buy the Sig Tacops or similar model.

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co-exprs, my Sig Tacops receiver is forged. Yes, it is series 80, but the trigger glass rod breaks at 2.5lbs. BTW, it makes weight with the magwell.

I'd take the Valor any day of the week. When you talk to STI they will seriously urge you to move up to the Sentry for the forged receiver and the better tolerance internals.

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I ran a pre-Series II Kimber Stainless Classic for a couple years in SSTK. Picked it up used and it had a Kart barrel fited but as far as I could tell the rest was "orginal" or at least the hammer and external controls were since they were all the same black on stainless two tone look. The only problems I ever had were the results of errors with hand loads and the blade on the rear sight broke off.

I know the Series II Kimbers are disliked due to extra safety parts (just like Series 80 colts) and I've not seem many run locally (but there haven't been many SSTK shooters either). IMHO NEW Kimbers are pricy for what you get but used gun could be a good value, or not.

The Para Pro Comp in 40S&W can be had at Bud's for $871 + shipping and transfer fees. http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/21_53/products_id/84408/Para+Ordnance+96711+Pro+Comp+40+8%2B1+40S%26W+5%22

I dare you to find any Trojan anywhere in stock for less than ~$1100, expect most to be closer to $1200.

The Para has an Ionbond finish over stainless steel (will be very durable), the Trojan finish not so much unless hard chormed but even more expensive.

I can't debate the relative merrits of individual internal components or overall fit because I haven't handeled a large samle of each.

Edited by Rob Tompkins
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I really like my STI Trojan in .40. It runs and runs but you can't load much longer than 1.170.

I loved my range officer in .45 and would have used that more if it was a .40. I just didn't have the components to reload .45 as easily.

Edit:

The Finish on the Trojan sucks. Range officer was better. No experience with the sigs.

Edited by mach1soldier
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Mike, I'm interested in quality and performance first. My Sig 1911 45ACP Tacops is not a particularly handsome gun, but it runs. I shoot everything with it. Steel, pins, plates, all the run gun games, you name it. There is always some competition to shoot. Add in 250 rounds a week for practice and you easily exceed 16,000 rounds per year. I didn't shoot quite as much in the first year, so let's call it 44,000 rounds in the three years I've been shooting it. All I've ever done besides clean it is recut the hammer hooks and reface the sear (2 months ago). Nothing broke. That is more than I can say for the Trojan shooters at my club. Several of them are always complaining about something that broke, or isn't right.

As far as Kimbers go, you must have been shooting an $800 model. My buddy has two. He shoots one for IDPA and the other for USPSA SS. He considers them to be the finest 1911 he owns. He also shoots a Colt NM Hardball, a Colt NM Gold Cup, and two Springfields for bullseye.

I'll stick with my assessment. For single stack 1911s, I'll take a Springfield Armory with a trigger job over a Trojan any day of the week. If I wanted something off the shelf with a good trigger, I'd buy the Sig Tacops or similar model.

I'm glad your SIG 1911 works! Last one I saw in a match the guy left early because the gun flat out would not run. Wouldn't make it through a mag without a stoppage. Remember SIGs flagship shooter shoots a custom STI at matches...

Saying STIs are bad guns is like saying Hondas are bad cars because there are 3 in your mechanic's shop. The more something is used the more problems you will see, even when the failure rate is perhaps lower than other brands. I'm sure Kimber makes far more guns than STI but I would venture to guess that the average STI gets shot more than the average Kimber.

For Kimber it doesn't matter if you spend 800 or 1200. They have the same frames, slides and internals. SA, like STI, has a good warranty that comes in handy when they break. I don't even own an STI now but if I were in the market for a new SS that is what I would pick. It is nice to have options.

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Have owned and shot Dan Wesson "Heritage", Sig 1911 Target Stainless, and STI Trojan, ...all in .45 ACP.

They are all good pistols and I'm not going to get into cast or forged, MIM parts or anything like that.

All I will say is I prefer the STI Trojan.

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hey thanks for all the input had a SA in 45 aways back and loved it but I don't think you can get a SA Ro in 40 so ill have to maybe go to the Trojan with 40 but again thanks for the help or should I shoot

SA -Ro in 45 again for single stack

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Of those choices I would go with the STI. If you want an STI though, I would upgrade to the Edge. Personally, I shoot a Les Baer UM in single stack - were I to replace that about the only other thing I would consider would be the Edge.

It's my understanding that the original poster is looking for a single stack 1911...the Edge is a double stack. BTW, Dawson's SA CRP RO looks like a good deal!

Your right...brain misfired.

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hey thanks for all the input had a SA in 45 aways back and loved it but I don't think you can get a SA Ro in 40 so ill have to maybe go to the Trojan with 40 but again thanks for the help or should I shoot

SA -Ro in 45 again for single stack

I'd pick the Trojan in 40, personally. Brass and bullets are more plentiful and less expensive, and you have the option to shoot major or minor.

I have a Kimber- I got tired of 45 brass, expensive projectiles, the mixed small and large primer, etc. The big push was the Kimber inexplicably locking solid on an unloaded start at a match. I had the frame rebuilt with better parts as a 40. If you shoot major, mags seat easier than a 45. Lots of pros to 40.

That very same match, a good friend loaned me a Springfield 45 to finish it out. The barrel lug cracked. He sent it in to Springfield and they discovered the VIS was improperly. They fixed it and sent it back.

I've had 3 STIs that have been great. These experiences shape your opinion- I will admit to being biased by first hand experience.

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