Help deciding on STI model for Single Stack Class

[glockstan]

Which model STI would be recommend for Single Stack Class? in .40cal. Thinking about work on single stack class need some pro tips and advises from all of you like holster, magazine pouches.... and spec, thank you very much for all input, very appreciated.

[kgunz11]

I absolutely LOVE my STI Trojan in .40 and wouldn't sell it for anything in the world.

[Paul Burtchell]

For 40 S&W in an STI I would recommend the Trojan. Buy 6 to 8 of the new generation Tripp Research mags and send them and the gun to Benny Hill for a trigger job, F/O front sight and an Ed Brown wide thumb safety and a good magwell of your choice. I like the SVI for single stacks, but Tech Well and Smith and Alexander are also good.

Belt, holster and mag pouches I would recommend Comp-Tac.

That ought to set you up nicely.

Just my recommendations. You will probably get several others that are just as good.

Edited June 4, 2008 by baerburtchell

[oddjob]

I have a Trojan .40 and my smith thought it was one of the best built 1911's he has seen. And this guy is picky.......

[-JQ-]

I really like my Trojan in .45. I bought it from www.dawsonprecision.com. I had Dave do his "enhancement package" for $150 they change out internals and polish/fluff&buff and added a SA magwell.

The only thing I don't like are the adjustable sights on the rear...personal preference I guess.

But overall it is a great value.

YMMV

[pjb45]

My Trojan .45 shoots sub 1.25 groups @ 25 yds. The lugs on the first barrel cracked and STI replaced. It may have helped that I shot A4 with Chris some years ago. It has been sent back to STI at least three other times for other issues.

I use a SVI Trigger, Brown mag well, Wilson thumb safety and Dawson fiber optic front sight.

My TS .22 conversion mags will NOT fit into the gun.

For $900 it is an ok gun. Knowing what I know now, I would have paid an extra $500 to $600 for a Wilson or Baer because I have at least $300 dollars in upgrades.

If you are going to shot .40 S&W, you will need someone to work on it. Get reliabilty and a trigger job. Try Matt McLearn, Brazos, Dawson etc. If you can talk Tripp into working on it, by all means send it to him. He built a tack driver for me in .40 S&W.

Tripp .40 S&W mags are awesome. I have 13 of them in 8 and 10 rounds. Wilson may have some also.

I still use a Safariland 560 holster and mag holders. If you can find one they are about $90. There are many cheaper alternatives but I am still partial to Safariland. And they support our sport and there quality is excellent.

I like the CR Speed belt from Angus Hobdell. He is a good guy and purchases support his shooting adddiction.

What I have learned is that it is cheaper to go with better equipment than to scrimp by with the cheapest.

[G-ManBart]

I also went with a Trojan in .40 for a SS gun. I sent it to Matt McLearn along with a box of parts to do a complete upgrade of the fire conrol system and he did a trigger job and reliability package on it. It's a really nice shooting gun that has been incredibly reliable.

A couple of things to add. Mine ran just fine with both WWB and my handloads as it came from the factory, but that may not always be true depending on the mags you're going to use and how long you load your ammo. I actually had a problem with Tripp mags. They run fine, but if they're only one or two rounds down, they won't drop free (top round slides forward a touch and this spreads the feed lips until they drag on the frame). I have a bunch of Wilson 47NX and McCormick mags and they run perfectly and drop free.

The only changes planned for it are to install a new Scheumann AET barrel that I got free (factory barrel is very accurate) and swapping out the rear sight for a prototype that's reported to be the best adjustable rear sight ever....can't wait to see it....and then off for IonBond or hard chrome.

[TheQuietMan2]

I have a STI Trojan in .40 and a Fusion Firearms 5906 in .40 as my primary and back up because I shoot a Edge .40 in Limited. One load runs everything.

I run a CR Speed belt and pouches. Safariland 568 lined paddle holster. Magazines are Virgil Tripp.

http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=197499

Edited June 4, 2008 by TheQuietMan2

[Joe D]

Why do guns in this price range have to be sent out for anything? Should they not be right when STI makes them? Don't get me started about the grossly overpriced 2011.

[Glshooter]

Another Trojan fan here. I ordered mine from Dawson Precision with his enhancement package and I couldn't be happier with it.

[Catfish]

Very happy with my STI Lawman. And haven't had to do a thing to it, Joe.

[kimel]

Why do guns in this price range have to be sent out for anything? Should they not be right when STI makes them?

I suspect a lot of it is personal preference stuff. Want a different safety/trigger/sights or a magwell (or different magwell) and so on. Some of us just cannot resist doing some tweaking to "personalize" the gun.

Action jobs are necessary because, IMHO, well because there are people out there that believe that anything less than a 5 or 6 lb single action trigger is unsafe...and these people tend to be lawyers who will go after the manufacturers for selling a defective product. Gunsmiths get away with it because it is a customer requested modification and thus the liability is passed back to the customer. But that is just my opinion.

[G-ManBart]

Why do guns in this price range have to be sent out for anything? Should they not be right when STI makes them? Don't get me started about the grossly overpriced 2011.

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: But a Spartan. 45 does not cost that much more to reload. The equipment I use are a Comp Tac belt holster, CR Speed inner belt and Uncle Mikes double mag holders (I use 3). I am using 8 Wilson 47D magazines. The pistol has a S&A magwell, Caspian fiber front sight, McCormick stainless extended mag release and Horned Lizard grips. It needs an ambi thimb safety for IDPA. I am not a pro and don't pretend to be one This ad is free. Hope this helps. Thanks, Eric

[chirpy]

I wish they would make the Spartan in diff. cals. I don't like the STIppling on the Trojan otherwise I might have one or two or... Very attractive price on both especially from Dawson.

Richard

[chrisjohn]

Stick with a Spartan. MANY fewer headaches than a .40. A whole lot less expensive, easier to find good mags and already has all the STI fire control components. My Spartan came fitted flawlessly BETTER than every Trojan I've handled and my gun doctor said the same.

I'd also second going to a Les Baer or Ed Brown if you're interested in spending 1K+. Don't even think about one of the higher end single stack STI guns, if you're wanting to drop 2k+ get a full custom.

Edited June 6, 2008 by chrisjohn

[G-ManBart]

Stick with a Spartan. MANY fewer headaches than a .40. A whole lot less expensive, easier to find good mags and already has all the STI fire control components. My Spartan came fitted flawlessly BETTER than every Trojan I've handled and gun doctor said the same.

I'd also second going to a Les Baer or Ed Brown if you're interested in spending 1K+. Don't even think about one of the higher end single stack STI guns, if you're wanting to drop 2k+ get a full custom.

Seems plenty of folks here have Trojan's with zero headaches, so I'm not sure where you're getting the "MANY fewer headaches" thing. The STI fire control components aren't all that great, honestly, so I'm not sure why that would be a factor. Maybe you got an unusually well fit Spartan, but I know it would be hard to find a factory gun fit much better than my Trojan or any of the others that I've handled. The frames and slides are produced and fit before going to STI and the good folks there touch them up if needed (at least that's the way it was described to me) so you have the same folks doing QC on them....should be about the same percentage of good/great/not so great fit guns at the end of the process. Not that they're they cause of all the difference in price, but the undercut frame and chain link of the Trojan are more functional for many people. It's also not made overseas, which is a bonus.

[chrisjohn]

I'm having déjà vu. G-ManBart and I have done this before.

If the original poster is set on a .40 SS then the Trojan is the only game in town at the 1K price point. Not sure if Kimber still makes a .40 but then you're dealing with the funky Schwartz safety which really complicates the process of getting a good clean trigger.

One doesn't give up anything in a SS .45 and a Spartan is 400 USD cheaper. That's at least 1K of reloaded .45 or 100 gallons of regular unleaded if you buy it soon.

Of the four .40 Trojan's I've seen/handled, none of them have functioned reliably in box stock form. After a trip to the doctor, 3 run great, one was sold. Not everyone has the desire/willingness to get their gun tweaked how it needs to be. Most forum members probably do, but I hate to make that assumption when recommending something without stating that caveat.

As far as STI fire control components go they're comparable in materials and pin geometry to any of the "high end" fire control components: light weight trigger w/ over travel adjustment, titanium strut, quality steel hammer/sear. These parts will take and hold a wonderful trigger job, which cannot be said of many stock parts, e.g. Springfield Armory or Kimber. A good trigger is in the person doing the work that really understands the geometry and the mechanical interplay between the components, which I certainly don't. I am lucky to have a good friend who is also my gun doc who does.

[G-ManBart]

I'm having déjà vu. G-ManBart and I have done this before.

If the original poster is set on a .40 SS then the Trojan is the only game in town at the 1K price point. Not sure if Kimber still makes a .40 but then you're dealing with the funky Schwartz safety which really complicates the process of getting a good clean trigger.

One doesn't give up anything in a SS .45 and a Spartan is 400 USD cheaper. That's at least 1K of reloaded .45 or 100 gallons of regular unleaded if you buy it soon.

Of the four .40 Trojan's I've seen/handled, none of them have functioned reliably in box stock form. After a trip to the doctor, 3 run great, one was sold. Not everyone has the desire/willingness to get their gun tweaked how it needs to be. Most forum members probably do, but I hate to make that assumption when recommending something without stating that caveat.

As far as STI fire control components go they're comparable in materials and pin geometry to any of the "high end" fire control components: light weight trigger w/ over travel adjustment, titanium strut, quality steel hammer/sear. These parts will take and hold a wonderful trigger job, which cannot be said of many stock parts, e.g. Springfield Armory or Kimber. A good trigger is in the person doing the work that really understands the geometry and the mechanical interplay between the components, which I certainly don't. I am lucky to have a good friend who is also my gun doc who does.

It's not really $400 difference between the two. Right now Dawson is listing Spartans for $594 and Trojans for $921. Saying it's $400 difference is nearly off by 20% if I did my math right.

I guess the point is that there are a number of folks here saying they have Trojan's in 40 that run just fine and I've read enough posts here to know that there aren't legions of folks claiming to have those "many headaches" getting .40 Trojans to run.

I've read plenty of posts here about how reliable people's .45 single stacks are, then I go to matches and see them puke time after time after time, so that argument doesn't hold much water in the real world. At the last match I went to I saw no less than three guys on my squad have malfunctions with single stack .45s and it was a small squad.

It's really luck of the draw. You can buy either gun and wind up with a lemon, but chances are if either requires anything, it's going to be pretty minor...maybe a little feed ramp polishing or some ejector tuning...nothing major.

No matter how you cut it, the Spartan is a heck of a gun and a great value, but I don't see how anyone can say it's as nice or as "good" as a Trojan....hey, let's keep work here in the U.S. right?

[Jaxshooter]

The STI USPSA Model is a nice gun and it is built on a forged frame. Chuck at Shooters Connection has them in stock in 40 and 45.

[glockstan]

Final question:

Should I go for Trojan in .40S&W or 9mm, which caliber would you pick for USPA Single Stack Division? also what is advantage in major and minor power factor? once again thank you very much for all your input, very appreciated.

[G-ManBart]

Final question:

Should I go for Trojan in .40S&W or 9mm, which caliber would you pick for USPA Single Stack Division? also what is advantage in major and minor power factor? once again thank you very much for all your input, very appreciated.

Definitely .40 over 9mm. With minor you lose one more point for anything other than an A hit when compared with major. Shoot a C in Major and it's four points. Shoot a C in Minor and it's 3pts. That adds up over time. Shoot a D in Minor and it's like a no-penalty miss!

[chirpy]

.40 is the way to fly especially with the 10 round mags coming out. Don't let anyone tell they don't make a difference. You will not need the all the time but when you do they can save just enough time to make a difference.

Richard

[adweisbe]

Final question:

Should I go for Trojan in .40S&W or 9mm, which caliber would you pick for USPA Single Stack Division? also what is advantage in major and minor power factor? once again thank you very much for all your input, very appreciated.

If you were to ask me about major vs. minor I would tell you that major is the way to go. Bruce Gray called it an insurmountable scoring disadvantage. Major vs. Minor is the difference between winning a match with the next best shooter at %88 and losing that same match at %98.7. You can only make major with .40 or greater. In single stack division you can't use 10 rounds in .40 but it is handy if you want to shoot limited 10.

Edited June 9, 2008 by adweisbe

[Flexmoney]

Minor sucks.