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Dave Dawson??


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Just read somewhere that Dave Dawson is returning to STI as quality control specialist ??

I have talked with Dave several times in the past and was always impressed as what a helpful and considerate guy he was .

I guess he had enough of golf in his golden years!

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STI and I have had a relationship for over 25 years, some of you know the story. I wouldn’t be where I am without them. Westwind Investors, the parent company of STI, is committed to making STI the premier firearms manufacturer in the world and bringing the joy of shooting to people everywhere. Nate Horvath, STI’s CEO, and I are confident that I can help them achieve that goal. That is why I am now the Senior Director of Operational Excellence. That’s a fancy title, but it basically means “hang on to your STI hat, cause there’s some cool stuff comin’”.

I have not sold or reduced my role at Dawson Precision in any way. We will continue to grow and improve at the same pace thanks to our awesome team.

On behalf of Dawson Precision and STI, I want to thank all of you, our loyal customers! We could not have done this without you.
-Dave Dawson

 

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41 minutes ago, Loves2Shoot said:

Senior Director of Operational Excellence

 

Sounds like a good first step would be to fire whoever is reading the trendy management books. Wish I had kept track of all that stuff as it came and went. 

 

Besides that though, happy to see STI moving in a good direction! I see an American made all steel production class gun in my crystal ball. 

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STI and I have had a relationship for over 25 years, some of you know the story. I wouldn’t be where I am without them. Westwind Investors, the parent company of STI, is committed to making STI the premier firearms manufacturer in the world and bringing the joy of shooting to people everywhere. Nate Horvath, STI’s CEO, and I are confident that I can help them achieve that goal. That is why I am now the Senior Director of Operational Excellence. That’s a fancy title, but it basically means “hang on to your STI hat, cause there’s some cool stuff comin’”.

I have not sold or reduced my role at Dawson Precision in any way. We will continue to grow and improve at the same pace thanks to our awesome team.

On behalf of Dawson Precision and STI, I want to thank all of you, our loyal customers! We could not have done this without you.
-Dave Dawson
 

Barrel fitting, slide to frame fitting sucks. Stop the korean made products
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They've been talking a good game for a while now.  It'll be interesting to see if they actually deliver on the promises.  It's been a very long time since I even considered buying, using or working on an STI product.

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It's all these issues here and in other threads that prevented me from ever buying an STI. I built my first 2011 and I just recently ordered an Atlas in favor of a much cheaper STI that would have fit the bill, but I would not be able to trust my life with carrying it on duty. 

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3 hours ago, 36873687 said:

That’s bs 

 

So I am not getting my gun?

 

Of course I live overseas, but my DVC busted after couple of months, warranty issued and still waiting. They don't provide any dates(or year). Well I paid around 5300 USD and have nothing. There isn't many custom shops in Europe so alternatives are rather thin. Also strict gun policies are a problem. 

 

Even the infamous STI Europe (STP whatever it's now) has gained old STI customers cause STI quality has gone down and delivery times are what they are. I wasn't going to rant but there is a limit what you can take...

 

Even they customer service portal is no longer available where my original ticket was issued :)

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6 hours ago, dthomas1003 said:

It's all these issues here and in other threads that prevented me from ever buying an STI. I built my first 2011 and I just recently ordered an Atlas in favor of a much cheaper STI that would have fit the bill, but I would not be able to trust my life with carrying it on duty. 

I've carried a couple of STIs at work in the past with no issues.  A Tactical 5.0 in 40, and Eagle in 38 Super and most recently a Costa VIP in 9mm.  Just have to be sure and replace your mag springs every year.

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3 hours ago, Kema said:

 

So I am not getting my gun?

 

Of course I live overseas, but my DVC busted after couple of months, warranty issued and still waiting. They don't provide any dates(or year). Well I paid around 5300 USD and have nothing. There isn't many custom shops in Europe so alternatives are rather thin. Also strict gun policies are a problem. 

 

Even the infamous STI Europe (STP whatever it's now) has gained old STI customers cause STI quality has gone down and delivery times are what they are. I wasn't going to rant but there is a limit what you can take...

 

Even they customer service portal is no longer available where my original ticket was issued :)

Rants involving shooters, firearms, or shooting related manufacturers, such as but not limited to - IPSC, IDPA, USPSA, Colt, Brownell's, Dillon, or Match Staff - are NOT PERMITTED. Brian's Forums is not the place to resolve customer service issues or disputes you may have with a manufacturer, dealer, gunsmith, or individual.

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7 hours ago, Kema said:

 

So I am not getting my gun?

 

Of course I live overseas, but my DVC busted after couple of months, warranty issued and still waiting. They don't provide any dates(or year). Well I paid around 5300 USD and have nothing. There isn't many custom shops in Europe so alternatives are rather thin. Also strict gun policies are a problem. 

 

Even the infamous STI Europe (STP whatever it's now) has gained old STI customers cause STI quality has gone down and delivery times are what they are. I wasn't going to rant but there is a limit what you can take...

 

Even they customer service portal is no longer available where my original ticket was issued :)

I know it’s blows. I know guy who’s dvc Comp crack. Then after they replaced that the slide was cracked also. That’s been March. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

The employees are friendly and helpful.  The lack of even the most basic quality practices is sad.  Please help them avoid shipping things that aren't built right.  It likely requires changes in both process and culture.  Thanks.

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This is really exciting news. I avoided an STI for my first 2011 because of the myriad of issues that were cropping up regarding quality controls, poor fit and a fair amount of people having to send their guns back for warranty fixes. 

 

This would be great for not only STI, but the sport of action shooting if STI can regain the quality that was synonymous with the brand when they established themselves way back in the beginning. 

 

At least they're trying some things to shake it up and get back on track.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So I have to say I just had a very favorable interaction with STI. I have a Trojan in .40 which has not had favorable reviews for quite some time, lots of feeding issues. I had resolved the problem by loading long 200gr hardball coated bullets and the raised mag catch. It was reasonably reliable but would not feed RNFP bullets with any reliability. Sent it off last week after talking with Shawn and he told me to send it in. Received it back today and after they reshaped the barrel ramp and polished it this fed Winchester white box ammo. Very happy with the quick warranty work. 

 

One can assume that they are taking action to get in the right direction!

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I have known Dave longer than either of us would like to admit in public, way before he became associated with STI and I have several STI guns which apparently were done before all the issues I see mentioned here. All were done while Dave was a major part of STI and if it is to return to past glory he would be da man.

Dave I have mixed feelings about this my lives in Houston and I was coming out to test the motor-home and the corvette but since you are going back to a real job can I have em???

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