New 1911 - 45 ACP

[86er]

I admit to being a 1911 wannabe. I like the looks and appreciate the design but I have never gotten along with one. I tried 5", 4.25" guns and brands like Colt, Kimber, Taurus, new guns from the last few years and older guns from the '70's. The biggest problem was that they were unreliable. I am used to the utter reliability and worry free Glock. I am not a big "cleaner" so my guns get a good quick field cleaning but not much more in depth than that very often. I also did not get used to the weight no matter what holster I used, although some were more comfortable. Anyway, I found one I liked and a company that would help me. I went to STI in Georgetown, TX last Wednesday. We talked about what I wanted and what I needed. They took one of their models and got the tweeks I needed on it. I got it today. At 22.2 ounces it is very light and comfortable. Even though 45ACP the recoil is pretty tame with 230gr Gold Dots or Golden Sabers. The only thing I didn't get was a flush fit magazine. The one that came with the pistol sticks out a bit and has a big bumper on it. It does hold 7 rounds in an Officer's sized frame, but I'd give up one round for concealability and use the longer mag as a reload. I quickly burned 135 rounds through it. Round 89 on the non-factory magazine did not go into battery but otherwise it ran good and I plan to shoot 200 more rounds today. Here she is:

[rjohns94]

Very nice Joe. Looks great.

[Old Ironsights]

Nice looking gun.

I'd still like to get a "CCO" that I don't have to build myself though. Nobody seems to want to do one that's not a $1500+ full-custom job.

Ah well, back to looking for a LW Officer for a lower & a Stainless Commander for an upper...

[GonnePhishin]

"The Shadow" Super nice looking piece. STI was always more expensive but made super quality ones.
May the both of you have a long and satisfying relationship

[AJMD429]

Pretty much any of the 1911's seem to shoot very reliably once you 'break them in' with 500 rounds or so, at least all the ones I've used (Colt, Rock Island, AMT, Para Ordnance).

[1894c]

86er -- that's a real good choice in a 1911...i'm a GLOCK guy too, but i also like the length and feel of an officer model... :)

[Pitchy]

[2ndovc]

Looks good.
Funny thing, I've never had a 1911 that wasn't 100% reliable with good ammo.

jb

[piller]

Only experience with 1911 pistols was in the Army and with my Rock Island Armory 1911. I have only had 1 jam ever with them. Accuracy has always been acceptable at 25 meters, and they fit my hands well. I have only 1 gripe about Glocks, and that is they simply don't fit my hand with any amount of comfort. I don't reload for 9mm or 40 cal, so the potential reloading issue with Glock is a total non issue. My RIA feeds hollow point ammo, so the potential feeding issue with anything other than 230 grain fmj is a total non-issue.

[DixieBoy]

Joe - With the whole piece coming in at 22 oz. is the frame aluminum alloy ? I'm curious. Good looking piece.
I like the bushing-less barrel. They "bull" the barrel to snug fit the slide on these, right ? - DixieBoy

[Old Ironsights]

Joe - With the whole piece coming in at 22 oz. is the frame aluminum alloy ? I'm curious. Good looking piece.
I like the bushing-less barrel. They "bull" the barrel to snug fit the slide on these, right ? - DixieBoy

see, I'm just the opposite. i don't like bushingless barrels. I also don't like "fully supported'/ramped barrels.

Both of those "innovations" caused many of the shooters i competed against in IPSC beaucoup trouble.

My barely modified, drop-in compliant, 1911s (a couple of Norincos even) never gave me a hitch.

[86er]

The frame can be aluminum alloy or scandium alloy, the barrel has in internal bushing and is otherwise bull barrel without the spring bushing. They also feature a lifetime warranty.

[Ysabel Kid]

Cool. Looking forward to hearing how this one continues to perform as you ring her out.

[olyinaz]

STI is top shelf! I suspect you'll be very pleased with that baby.

Oly

[shooter]

I've got a couple of 7 round flush fit magazines for my Officer sized frame Springfield. One of them runs good but the other needs some tweaking to get working right. My 6 rounder works flawlessly.

[kimwcook]

I've now packed some form or another 1911 for work the last 15 years. My primary has always been a full size Government model with my Colt Officer's for backup/secondary. The Officer's Model has considerably more flip and twist and it's an all steel piece. I find the older I get the more I rely on the extra sight radius of the Gov. as compared to the shorter slide of the Officers. I'll never get rid of the two I have right now as they fulfill the roles they were purchased for and they've spent many an hour in the trenches.

The STI line of pistols are high quality and it should serve you well for many years. Give us a full range report after you get it broke in.

[RIHMFIRE]

very nice Joe....good choice
they do make a ton of nice models....

I kinda liked their target model...

[Old Ironsights]

I sent them an email to see if they would put the Lawman 4.0 upper on the Lawman 3.0 (or similar) Lower. Neither Kimber nor Springfield will...

[JohndeFresno]

I admit to being a 1911 wannabe. I like the looks and appreciate the design but I have never gotten along with one....The biggest problem was that they were unreliable...

? ?


I have had maybe 2-3 jams in the 40 years that I have used this piece. I have had one or two jams with Glocks, as well, and I only carried and/or shot them for maybe 3 or 4 years (duty guns) . The only jams I have ever had with my standard Mk IV Series 70 could be attributed to improperly sized handloads or bad magazines (weak spring or bent lips). The same is probably true of the Glocks - bad ammo.

The only non-standard item for my .45 is a Wolff recoil spring, just a pound or two heavier than stock springs, and it has a Crimson Trace laser sight and some custom peep fixed sights. However, I clean it thoroughly at the end of every shooting day. I don't understand why your .45's are unreliable, unless they are so souped up that a dust mote on the feed ramp is too much for the super tight tolerances to handle - ?

For 100% reliability, I have always had a backup revolver, somewhere nearby, that is never discussed. Even then, overly hot handloads can swell and stick in the cylinder, and abuse can tweak the crane so that the chamber locks up and won't rotate or open. In my early uninformed shooter years, I experienced both things happening. So the cylinder is never slammed shut (a la George Raft or Humphrey Bogart) and no nuclear strength, beyond-recommended-Max rounds are used.

[Old Ironsights]

... The only jams I have ever had with my standard Mk IV Series 70 could be attributed to improperly sized handloads or bad magazines (weak spring or bent lips). The same is probably true of the Glocks - bad ammo.

... I don't understand why your .45's are unreliable, unless they are so souped up that a dust mote on the feed ramp is too much for the super tight tolerances to handle - ?

This.

The biggest "problem' with 1911s is that there are too many cheap/nonstandard magazines out there. Glocks have what, THREE magazine manufacturers?

A bad magazine will stop ANY gun. There are just more bad 1911 mags than bad Glock mags. Also, single stack mags are more prone to lip damage from a hard drop than a double stack - since the extra width protects the lips from impact somewhat.

Likewise, the 1911 was designed to operate a specific way with specific (loose) tolerances. Make those tolerances too tight (and I include Bushingless barrels and cut-ramp/fully supported barrels here) and jams happen.

[86er]

The previous 1911's I messed with were factory guns with no mods. I never got past the break-in period (upon taking ownership) because within the first 250 rounds of factory Win or Rem 230gr FMJ i would inevitably get a jam. With 50 rounds of so of Gold Dot or Golden Saber I still had one or two jams. All of the guns were used with Wilson Combat mags of appropriate size for the gun. The guns were a 1973 Colt Combat Commander, Kimber Custom II and Taurus 1911 P. Why me? I don't know. It really frustrated me and turned me skeptical of 1911 platforms. I've seen two of these STI guns run a few thousand rounds without a single hiccup, so I'm giving them a try. I'm up to 185 rounds of FMJ and 30 rounds of mixed Gold Dot and Golden Saber. One FTF at round 89 with non-factory mag using FMJ, so I'll let that one slide (no pun intended). Another couple hundred rounds coming up today - and maybe a cleaning. So far, so good - I am optimistic!

[JohndeFresno]

...the 1911 was designed to operate a specific way with specific (loose) tolerances. Make those tolerances too tight (and I include Bushingless barrels and cut-ramp/fully supported barrels here) and jams happen.

I agree. When I was practiced up for the month, I could score with the top tier of shooters on the combat range (at combat distances - 25 yards and less), and could consistently hit a 50 gallon can at 50 yards. That is what the gun is intended for. When I was having a bad day, a crack shot could take my handgun and score consistent bullseyes.

Maybe today's "standard" .45 just isn't made as well as my Series 70. But unless the .45 is one that is reserved specifically for competitive shooting matches, I never saw the sense of "fine tuning" an already excellent combat handgun, other than perhaps grips, sights, recoil spring, and maybe the trigger. For many years, my .45 was totally stock, and (as I said) when I wasn't "off my feed," I scored among the top, or even first, against other shooters who used .38's, .357's, 9's, or .45's - back in the days when an officer could choose his own firearm.

I have to admit that with Laser sights, I shoot even better now than a few years ago, despite my "mature" situation with the four-eyes syndrome of aging peepers.

[Old Ironsights]

The previous 1911's I messed with were factory guns with no mods. I never got past the break-in period (upon taking ownership) because within the first 250 rounds of factory Win or Rem 230gr FMJ i would inevitably get a jam. With 50 rounds of so of Gold Dot or Golden Saber I still had one or two jams. All of the guns were used with Wilson Combat mags of appropriate size for the gun. The guns were a 1973 Colt Combat Commander, Kimber Custom II and Taurus 1911 P. Why me? I don't know. It really frustrated me and turned me skeptical of 1911 platforms. I've seen two of these STI guns run a few thousand rounds without a single hiccup, so I'm giving them a try. I'm up to 185 rounds of FMJ and 30 rounds of mixed Gold Dot and Golden Saber. One FTF at round 89 with non-factory mag using FMJ, so I'll let that one slide (no pun intended). Another couple hundred rounds coming up today - and maybe a cleaning. So far, so good - I am optimistic!

Monday guns?

I dunno. I used to annoy the $$$ (non-pro) competitors when I would show up with a bone stock, no series 70, norinco 1911A1 with a drop-in Bushing Compensator, beat them, and do a 1K+ rnd weekend with no hiccoughs.

I'm pretty sure my RIA 1911A1 would run the same way with as-designed 230gr ball ammo.

[Charles]

The father folks move from John Brownings original design using the original ammo, the more problems crop up. The 1911 is a simple design for a simple purpose. Improvements are most often not.

[Old Ironsights]

That's been my take in Carry & Competition.

I've never been comfortable with the 3" guns because of the way that the shorter slide/barrel changes the angle of release for the lockup.

4" is as short as I'm really willing to go.

Likewise adding extra metal to a barrel that is supposed to move separately from the lower receiver (as is done when putting in a fully-supported/ramped barrel) changes the timing as well.

With a standard-bushing 4" barrel i can grab any GI drop-in barrel from 7" to 4" long and the gun will work without fitting. IMO that's the way it should be. It's an Armorer thing.

(FWIW, I like the way that you most certainly do that with Glocks... and I have. Glocks are fine tools too... if you don't mess around with them too much. Designers design things in a specific way for a specific reason. As Glock says, don't mess with Perfection - and it applies to 1911s too.)

[Chuck 100 yd]

Nice looking piece!!
Congrats !!
Here is my latest toy. ( photo from Ruger .com )

I picked it up two weeks ago and have yet to fire a shot.
Tis the season that keeps me hoppin!

[Old Ironsights]

I really like the looks of the Ruger, but I have a Full Size. I want a Mid Size. Lop 1" off both the Front and Frame & I'd be a really happy guy.

[86er]

I like that Ruger! Well, the STI Shadow is now over 350 rounds of ball and defense ammo including RN hard cast intermixed in magazines (factory and non-factory). Three different shooters have had a go. I've not had any issues so I am beginning to trust it. It'll have 1000 rds by the end of the weekend. If it continues uninterrupted, I'll carry it with faith.

[Chuck 100 yd]

WOW !! That`s great.

[Hobie]

I have the standard, Commander (combat and lightweight), and now an Officer's Lightweight ACP. I've shot beaucoup of the old "worn out" military guns before they were replaced by the M9. ANY feeding problems I had could be traced to:
1 - the flying ashtray, those big wide-mouthed hollowpoints once all the rage
2 - improperly seated bullets in my reloads

I was wary of the 3" guns and see no value of the all steel version over a LW Commander. I do love my LW Officer's. 50 yards is truly its limit but that isn't what it is for.

[MrMurphy]

STI tends to make more competition guns than anything, but they do make good ones.

Lot of the local LE who have the ability to around central TX carry STIs in various flavors.

Keep a double handful of Wolff recoil springs around. "shorter than Commander' 1911s tend to go through springs like Rosie O'Donnell through a box of Krispy Kremes. Change them every 500 rounds or if you get malfunctions.


I'm a Glock guy, but i have a non-modified Springfield Milspec 5" in the safe for the days I want a full size all steel piece in the hand, and a 92FS for the days I have bad memories. Between the three I can handle just about anything, though the Glock and 92 are my go-to guns first due to the amount of training I've had on them.....even after a lifetime of shooting 'other people's 1911s" i don't have nearly the repetitions on a 1911 to make it subconscious-level for manipulating the gun. I can run any Glock or the M9 without any thought involved.

[shooter]

I really like the looks of the Ruger, but I have a Full Size. I want a Mid Size. Lop 1" off both the Front and Frame & I'd be a really happy guy.

I just got a Springfield like you described. Commander length barrel, Officer size frame. I didn't know if I'd like it, but it's one of the handiest pistols I've ever shot. You wouldn't like the bushingless barrel, but other than that it's a winner.