1 million dollar question: STI-SVI 2011, which one ?

[Stefano]

I know, it's quite difficult to give an answer, but I would like to know from you American guys what are the "pro & cons" between an Hi Cap STI & SVI 2011 for IPSC Standard Division ....

Here in Italy the main issues conditioning the choice are the price (STI it's a little bit more affortable) and the lack of gunsmithing avaiability (guys who can affort the price sometimes prefer SVI guns because they offer a wide choice of pre-fitted custom parts, solving the "problem" of finding a good pistosmith; note: in Italy we have only 2/3 guys who are well-working ...).

[mpolans]

I think a lot of folks here in the U.S. go with STI because of the contingency money.

[pskys2]

Well, it's probably comparing apples and oranges, in different decades even, but here it is.

I shot a Caspian Hi-cap (Had a Para Hi-cap also) Open gun with a Jet Comp in .38 Super both with Bomars & Dots. Did make Master.

I'm shooting an STI 2011 in ..40 S&W in Limited now.

The STI Poly Frame seems to absorb the recoil better than the Steel Frames did, even with the difference of a Comp/Weight/etc...

I don't notice much more recoil with the STI than I did with the Caspian.

FWIW

[Merlin Orr]

Have a US gunsmith build you a full house custom with the parts you want and ship it to you.

[zhunter]

Have a US gunsmith build you a full house custom with the parts you want and ship it to you.

BINGO

Great Advice

[EricW]

And Tanfoglio is not an option because....?

If you go with a GOOD US gunsmith, there will be NO difference in fit, function, accuracy or reliability. The differences are largely aesthetic. I prefer SV's looks. I own and shoot both.

A factory gun from either company is a crapshoot on the best day. Virtually everyone I know or have heard of has had to have their STI/SV factory racer fixed one way or another.

I prefer STI's mags to SV simply because I know how to make STI mags run.

Edited April 19, 2008 by EricW

[L9X25]

With an SVI/Infinity you get a gun where nothing needs to be changed out or updated to be a perfect gun. If you go with an STI you may save a few dollars but have a gun full of MIM parts that may need to be replaced in the near future. Some last for a long time while others break or wear pretty quickly. This is not a slam at STI, they are just two different companies offering different products at different prices. STI leans heavily toward keeping their guns more affordable while SVI is geared toward building the best they can, regardless of price.

If you can afford the SV, I would buy it. If you cannot afford the SV, you can buy an STI, but you will have as much, or more, in it after updating the internal parts to premium items.

Edited April 19, 2008 by L9X25

[HSMITH]

STI doesn't have any MIM in the factory guns made in the US, not sure about the imported model. They do have a couple castings, like the thumb safety and grip safety, but so does every other company out there other than SV.

SV makes some parts that are head and shoulders better than anything else you can buy, but their factory guns don't impress me when you consider what they cost. Don't get me wrong, they make a great gun but at their price point I expect more in the fit of the gun, like they were in the first couple years when they were hand fit. Cosmetically they are very good.

Finding a US smith to export a gun could be a problem, and support if it ever was needed can be a problem.

You will probably be best served by buying a factory SV gun in your case. It is made in a way that SV made replacement parts in most cases can be user installed, if you ever had something break that will be valuable. Common failure items on a 1911 like thumb safeties breaking are extremely rare on an SV. They are expensive, but if you don't have a support network to help you if you should have problems and are looking at factory guns I think it will be the best choice.

[Harmon]

565 dollar answer to the million dollar question:

Glock 35

[Coolduckboy]

I own a Glock 35 and STI Edge. I think the STI is a lot better gun for limited. The Glock is nice, got me to A class, but i am not a fan of the Plastic mags and reloads aren't as smooth.

I think the real gun to keep an eye out for is the Xd .40 in the .45 frame. When that happens, My glock will become an Xd.

[bulm540]

And Tanfoglio is not an option because....?

If you go with a GOOD US gunsmith, there will be NO difference in fit, function, accuracy or reliability. The differences are largely aesthetic. I prefer SV's looks. I own and shoot both.

A factory gun from either company is a crapshoot on the best day. Virtually everyone I know or have heard of has had to have their STI/SV factory racer fixed one way or another.

I prefer STI's mags to SV simply because I know how to make STI mags run.

Ditto on the tangfolio. The Italian standard team did very well in the last World shoot.

[Paul Burtchell]

I've got the best of both. A custom Limited gun built by Benny Hill with an STI frame and an SVI Infinity slide.

So my answer is BOTH.....

Edited April 20, 2008 by baerburtchell

[stockton]

. . .Don't get me wrong, they make a great gun but at their price point I expect more in the fit of the gun, like they were in the first couple years when they were hand fit. Cosmetically they are very good...

Gotta tell you, SV quality has gone WAY back up. They had some issues for a couple of years and Brandon got a little pissed at me telling people that if they bought an SV they would need to be a bit patient getting it to run. BUT, I would also be saying this as I was showing them MY SV and pointing out that there is NO better machined major components. PERIOD! The is also no better looking pistol. PERIOD!

It should be known that Brandon "cleaned house" and those troubled days are behind them in my opinion. I have tried several of the guns they are putting out lately and they are cosmetically and mechanically PERFECT.

Here is the bottom line... You are going to pay about 30-40% more for an SV. In $US terms that about $700. Not an insurmountable difference, but not cheap either. However, with the weak dollar, the gap really shouldn't be that bad.

I will also point out another fact that most people don't take into account. The SV has an interchangeable breachface. Don't forget that a worn out BF is often the end of an expensive slide. A replaceable BF can easily save you a slide replacement which alone will close that $700 gap!

So... get an SV!

[HSMITH]

Stockton, I look forward to seeing some current/recent production SV guns soon. I use some SV content in every gun I build, and I agree 100% that there are some components that they make that are absolutely the best in the world bar none (that is the reason I use them). Thanks for the info. Howard.

[pevadijk]

A factory gun from either company is a crapshoot on the best day. Virtually everyone I know or have heard of has had to have their STI/SV factory racer fixed one way or another.

I shoot a 9mm Edge and it didn't run out of the box :-(

There was no tension on the extractor, so I had a lot of extraction problem and feedlips on the magzines where way off, so that needed to be fixed and the disconnector dragged heavy on the slide..........at 2100 euro's I had expected it would 'work' (my Glocks do).

And I understand Stefano's point: here in The Netherlands there are a lot gundealers who can sell you an STI/SVI, but only 2-3 smiths who can 'fix' it if you have problems and in my case the nearest is 125km from my home.

Don't get me wrong, but if I had known that I had to spend extra money to make it work (as I did), I would not have bought it..............

Edited April 23, 2008 by pevadijk

[scirocco38s]

. . .Don't get me wrong, they make a great gun but at their price point I expect more in the fit of the gun, like they were in the first couple years when they were hand fit. Cosmetically they are very good...

Gotta tell you, SV quality has gone WAY back up. They had some issues for a couple of years and Brandon got a little pissed at me telling people that if they bought an SV they would need to be a bit patient getting it to run. BUT, I would also be saying this as I was showing them MY SV and pointing out that there is NO better machined major components. PERIOD! The is also no better looking pistol. PERIOD!

It should be known that Brandon "cleaned house" and those troubled days are behind them in my opinion. I have tried several of the guns they are putting out lately and they are cosmetically and mechanically PERFECT.

Here is the bottom line... You are going to pay about 30-40% more for an SV. In $US terms that about $700. Not an insurmountable difference, but not cheap either. However, with the weak dollar, the gap really shouldn't be that bad.

I will also point out another fact that most people don't take into account. The SV has an interchangeable breachface. Don't forget that a worn out BF is often the end of an expensive slide. A replaceable BF can easily save you a slide replacement which alone will close that $700 gap!

So... get an SV!

You sir are correct. I have owned alot of STI's and sold several. I have never had the feeling to sell one of my SV's. I currently own alot of open and limited guns, the last 4 pruchased were SVI and I still own all 4. I have some guns that I might sell but the SV's arent in the picture. Brandon has supported his products, sometimes I believe more than he should, but he has gained my trust. I no longer consider any other gun except theirs if it is a 1911/2011 style gun. I still have some STI's and they work good and I enjoy shooting them, but I will not be buying anything else from them in the gun/fram/slide area. The one thing STI does make that I like is their magwell(when its machined correctly.) I realize that SV's are more expensive but you get the best gun built on the market, period. By the way, the only issue I have had in the last 3 years with a SV product was some 38s mags that the window for the mag catch was cut to high. Brandon had me send them back and he sent me new ones back with nicer basepads and returned them 2nd day so I was without them for less than a week.

[jostein jensen]

We got the same problem in Norway as you do in Italy and Netherland as said above.

We got 1 smith in Norway, and he's about 8-900 miles away from me.

My new gun was just finished by Dan Bedell, and I will hopefully have it by the end of may. I know if there is a problem with it, there is no way in hell I can send it back for a fix. But an Sti would also need to be sent to the same 1 smith as I will have to send my Bedell to if it encounters any problems.

With export fees and shipping the full house custom gun ends up around the same price as a stock Trubor from the Norwegian dealer. You should really check out the cost of getting one exported. I know ETSS should be able to export one to you if you can provide them a copy of an import permit. Shipping and export license fee is around $700, and with the current EURO/USD exchange rate, its not bad at all.

Edited April 25, 2008 by jostein jensen