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STI TRIO
Defense, Target And Tactical!

SEE THE STI 1911!
Roy Huntington reviews a trio of
1911's from STI for
americanhandgunner.com
CLICK HERE

By Roy Huntington • Photos By Ichiro Nagata

Early Days

Originally called “Tripp Research, Inc.” STI began life making quality 1911 pistol parts using CNC and EDM processes and working on the design of what would become known as the “2011 Modular Pistol Frame.” Get it? It’s like “1911” but add one. For a brief period, the company did business as “Strayer-Tripp, Inc.” but was re-named “STI International, Inc.” after the original owner, Virgil Tripp, assumed 100 percent control again.

During 1994 to 1995 Dave Skinner came aboard and transitioned into the new owner’s slot, operating STI on the head-long success rush it has been on ever since. In 2006, the company transitioned into 100 percent employee-owned, with Dave still at the helm with operational control. Since the employees actually own the company, the guns are all produced by an “owner” of the company, with the corresponding sense of personal commitment to quality and customer service I’ve come to expect from STI.

An interesting part of STI’s business is their OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) of parts for other gun companies. “Over the course of the last five or six years we’ve produced our parts, including frames, under other company’s names, or produced their parts for them under their own names,” explained Dave. “We’ve done this for about a dozen companies, and one year we even produced more frames and slides for one of the big names than they made themselves!” But, with STI’s quality, it’s easy to see why big name makers reach out to them for their OEM work.

The Guns At Hand

I thought it important you know a bit about the company and the people behind it. Too many gunzines simply regurgitate catalog copy about dimensions and calibers and steel types. That’s nice, but what about the people behind the gun — the life-blood, so to speak? Otherwise, these pretty pictures merely represent pieces of cold steel, wood and plastic. This not only helps to put some history behind what you see, but sets the tone. Now you know the answers to some of the “Where did they come from?” and “Why this design?” questions. Besides, I know the STI people and they are, simply put, great people to do business with.

The Escort

Six new guns were introduced at the 2006 SHOT Show by STI, and the Escort (the tiny 1911) was an immediate hit. And, much to Dave Skinner’s surprise, .45 ACP was not the only caliber in demand.

“At the show, a distributor said he wanted to see the Escort in 9mm,” said Dave. “And then signed an order for 100 to make his point!” According to Dave, the fellow was right, and now sales are running neck-to-neck, with the 9mm and .45 at a dead heat in total sales.

Our test gun exhibited the typical STI penchant for detail, showing superior fit and finish. The slide ran smoothly, trigger pull was crisp and reliable at about 4.5 pounds or a bit heavier (perfect on a tiny defense gun), and some of the other engineering features made it feel very comfy in my hand.

STI engineers have undercut the trigger guard for a higher grip, STIppled the front strap (a cool kind of anti-slip that doesn’t bite) and came up with a particular “Recoil Master” recoil spring system. This accounts for both the “deep in the hand” feel of the pistol, and the surprisingly light recoil. Frankly, anyone can shoot this gun without fear of recoil issues. Especially in the 9mm version.

While you might be able to find a small 1911 at a slightly lower price, STI uses a forged alloy frame rather than cast, which not only increases cost some, but also delivers the kind of performance you’d expect in a forged product. I doubt you can wear this gun out, and if you try, you may run out of ammo long before anything breaks.

Lately, we’ve tested several models of small 1911-style handguns, so are well-versed with “what’s out there” in the market. At the range, the Escort handled smoothly and predictably with no surprises. The genre has a tendency to be picky about ammo, and due to the fast slide velocity delivered by high-performance loads, can often malfunction. It’s also important to keep a very stiff wrist for the pistol to recoil against.

The Escort didn’t exhibit any particular gripes, and handled Federal 185 high-velocity loads with aplomb. Ball, surprisingly often a trouble-maker, ran fine, as did some standard velocity self-defense loads from Black Hills. We cleaned and oiled the gun well prior to testing, shot it with a strong stance and good wrist-lock, and simply put, didn’t have a single problem with the little gun. We liked it lots. And, at 15 yards, it delivered ragged, largish one-hole groups and I dinged the 50 yard gong off-hand easily. I’d go jack rabbit hunting with this gun and any rabbit out to about 50 yards had better be running fast, not sitting still.

The Targetmaster

According to Dave, the Targetmaster was, “One of those fortuitous happenstances occurring when you’re out there amongst ‘em.” They had attended a couple of PPC National Championships (cops shooting targets with target pistols at ranges up to 50 yards) — and it’s a game that’s been around for a zillion years. Dave decided they didn’t have a single product that would work for these fellows, and besides, the market probably wasn’t that big anyway.

Then, while at the IWA Expo in Germany (Europe’s SHOT show), one of Dave’s buds who shoots IPSC in Europe told him about a precision shooting sport growing in popularity in Europe. He told Dave, “If you take your 9mm 6” Trojan, add some weight up-front from the factory, install some tri-level adjustable sights, provide it with some bells and whistles and don’t charge a billion US for it, there will be a decent market for it in Europe.

Well, STI did — and there was. In it’s second year of production it leapt to third on STI’s hottest-seller list and has been in the top five ever since. They introduced it simultaneously in 9mm and .45 and its acceptance immediately jumped the Atlantic to this country and has become very popular with those same PPC shooters Dave chose to ignore in the first place. As Dave said, “So much for our ability to spot an emerging market!” And, it turns out, plinkers have become enamored with the Targetmaster since it shoots tiny groups and can kill cans “way out there.”

The sights are stupendous, the trigger pull around three pounds, crisp, and might even be a bit less, but reliable. The slide “slip-slides” and the checkering, fit, finish and feel with that “weight out front” wants it to hang there solidly. A specialized gun for specialized things — like having fun.

So, while at the range, just out of curiosity, and as a former PPC shooter from the old days, I set up a 50-yard paper target. Our test gun was a .45 so I loaded it with various kinds of good quality ammo and blasted away. If I behaved, 3" was easy. If I really behaved, I could chase 2". I shudder to think what this thing would do in a Ransom rest or in the hands of somebody who can actually shoot. And just for fun, I killed an aluminum can at 50 yards. Then did it a few more times. Scary. And all this from a “factory” gun. I can only think of only one other “semi-production” gun that can do that, and we’ll feature it in the next issue. You’ll have to wait.

The Tactical

Dave said this was one of those, “ … well thought-out, plotted and strategized introductions, a can’t-miss idea entrepreneurs are famous for.” STI had their all-time number one selling product, the “Edge” on the market for several years by the time light rails became popular. So it seemed the “Tactical” was a natural, a no-brainer, as it were. Widen the frame a bit so rails would fit and then immediately hit the market with the best-balanced, highest capacity LE and military-type gun on the market.

Should have been a slam-dunk, except for one thing: exactly nobody made holsters for it. “We got to listen to cops and military-types (many who were carrying Glocks at the time) tell us nobody will want a polymer for real shooting,” laughed Dave.

STI sold just enough of the Tacticals for a number of years to competition shooters to keep the model alive as a product line filler. It seems many competitors liked to compete with the gun, then when at home, turn it into a home defense gun with a light.
But how the tide does shift. Over the past couple of years, STI has sold decent numbers of the Tactical to both domestic LE agencies and special military units in this country and three others. “The Tactical will be in the top three for sales for us this year,” Dave added with a grin.

The Tactical is essentially a thoroughbred, high-cap competition pistol, built for tens of thousands of competition rounds yearly, turned into a genuine fighting pistol. A cop or soldier gets target-grade accuracy, stone-cold reliability, light weight, a target-grade trigger, action and features, combined with a light rail and a proven history of performance.

If you’re familiar with STI’s competition pistols, you would understand the Tactical immediately. It’s fast-handling, predictable and even though it is a high-cap grip frame, still fits the average shooter’s hand fine. There’s a reason the parent pistol, the Edge, was and is popular, and the Target just extends that versatility even further.

I ran some magazines through it and found it able to simply hit whatever I was aiming at if I did my job, regardless of the distance. The 50 yard gong got tired of being hit, paper targets kept showing centered hits, and even that 50 yard can got chased. I handed it off to a couple of “Gee whiz, what you got there?” shooters on the range, guys who had been shooting entry-level 1911s and mostly hitting the target at 15 yards. Mostly. After touching the Tactical off, the first grinned, hunkered down, then centered the target decently, actually getting something resembling a group. “Wow, that trigger really makes a difference, don’t it?” Yup, it do. Dave, I gave them your phone number.

The light rail accepted a cross-section of gun-lights from the likes of Insight, Streamlight and Sure-Fire and even Lasermax’s new Uni-Max flat, rail-mounted laser system mounted neatly. The Uni-Max also allows other accessories to be mounted underneath it, so doesn’t take up the rail all to itself. By combining the lighting and sighting tools you want, the Tactical easily becomes an “ultimate” entry or SWAT-type auto, a uniform duty gun or home defense handgun. And unlike the early days, today there is a wide-range of holsters accommodating the Tactical. If you’re contemplating transitioning to a 1911 carry pistol on-duty, why stop half-way? Look at the STI Tactical, especially if you’re already a competition shooter or well-versed in the 1911 platform. It’s truly a “gunner’s-pistol.”

How To Get One?

While STI is still working on a broad dealer network, if you go to their Web site, they can supply you with a list of dealers who either stock STI guns or have dealt with them in the past. There is also a list of distributors who stock from two to a dozen models at any one time. Any dealer can order from these distributors.

What’s on the horizon? “We’ve recently partnered with an Asian firearms manufacturer for support building a less expensive, though pretty damn good, 1911,” said Dave. “And, we’re also working with a factory in one of the old Warsaw Pact countries for production of a state-of-the-art hi-cap polymer, DA/SA pistol with some really neat features.”

In a nutshell, I’d look at STI as almost a boutique manufacturer of high quality pistols. While not a custom shop, their employee-owned attitude makes them personally-invested in the final product. And you often can’t say that about even some of the one-man high-end custom shops.

For more info: STI International, Inc., (512) 819-0656, sales@stiguns.com, www.stiguns.com.

ESCORT
Caliber:		9mm, .45 ACP
Grip:		Standard thickness
Slide:		3.4" Carbon steel
Barrel:		Fully supported, 3.4" ramped bull
Sights:		Tactical Adjustable Sights 3 dot
OAL:		7"
Weight:		22.8 oz.
Finish:		Duracoat frame, blued slide
Price:		$1,024 MSRP
TARGETMASTER
Caliber:		9mm, .45 ACP
Frame:		STI Single Stack steel government length
Grip:		Standard thickness
Slide:		6" Classic, flat top
Barrel:		Fully supported, ramped bull
Sights:		Aristocrat adjust
Mag Well:		STI single stac
OAL:		9.5"
Weight:		44 oz.
Finish:		Matte blue
Competition Approvals:		PPC
Price:		$1,440 MSRP
TACTICAL
Caliber:		9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP
Frame:		STI Patented Modular Steel, Long, w/rail
Grip:		STI Modular Polymer with Alum. Mag well
Slide:		5.0" 4140 Steel
Barrel:		Fully supported, ramped bull
Sights:		STI front w/STI fixed rear
OAL:		8.5"
Weight:		35.1 oz., Steel Model
Finish:		Flat Blue
Competition Approvals:		IPSC, USPSA
Price:		$1,922 MSRP

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