STI day at the range

Here at The Gundivas, we strongly believe in try before you buy.  Sometimes that is not always possible, but some days you get lucky and your local range has a dealer demo day, where a manufacturer comes out to allow you to try their products.

Today was that day.  My local range, Trigger TimeGun club had STI out to display their wares.  We the customers were able to shoot several different models. 

Who is STI?  STI is the manufacturer of high quality 2011 handguns with an emphasis on quality.  They have models for the everyday shooter to high-end competition guns. 

For those who may not be familiar with the 2011 handgun, it is the same as a 1911 but has a double-stack magazine for increased capacity, thus the frame is wider to accommodate the wider magazine. 

STI brought out a wide selection of handguns to try.  From their entry level carry guns to their high-end competition race guns. 

So far my favorite is the Tactical model, a nice balance between size and performance. 

DVC Steel (top).  DVC Limited (bottom)

Competition/Race Guns

Tactical model with red-dot (top)

DVC Carry with red-dot (bottom)

Can be purchased without red-dot sight

DVC 3-Gun (top)

Edge (bottom)

What sets STI apart from other manufacturers?  First is their quality.  Every gun is made with precision parts then hand fitted by a professional gunsmith that ensures the firearm meets all quality standards and will perform as intended.  Next is their unique two-piece frame.  By separating the frame into two pieces they can;

•        Reduce weight by making the grip portion out of high strength polymer. Instead of steel or aluminum.
•       The grip is smaller in width and diameter than competitor’s 2011 handguns, which makes the gun easier to hold onto, especially if you have smaller hands.
•      Better recoil management, as the recoil is primarily driven straight back through the steel (or aluminum) portion of the frame, whereas in a traditional once piece frame you have more of a moment arm that increases muzzle flip during recoil.  (This also helps you shoot faster)
• 
  

Overall, I am very impressed with all the models I tried.  The fit and finish is excellent.  The action is very smooth.  The trigger is light with a crisp break and excellent, positive reset.  Though the frame is a wide, double-stack configuration, it is still narrow enough that I can get a firm grip on the handgun and control it.  Accuracy was excellent.  Where I aimed is where it went. 

Making rapid-fire shots with the STI 2011 is easy and so is keeping all your shots on target. 

Ignore the operator error on the left side. (getting used to a new gun)  The important part is the large ragged hole in the middle.  7 yards, rapid fire.  Two different models, one with micro red-dot, the other with iron sights.  (once I figured out the gun/sights, both shot exactly where I aimed as fast as I can pull the trigger)

One thing I did notice is the two-piece frame really does help manage recoil.  The muzzle flip was noticeably less than with other handguns.  And the models with compensators on them had even less. 

Standard one piece frame on top.

STI two-piece frame on bottom.

STI two-piece frame assembled.

Now for the downside of STI, their guns are not cheap.  Pricing starts around $1500 and goes up, upwards of $4000 for the high-end competition guns.  And if you want custom modifications, they can do it, for additional money. 

That is the bad news.  But quality costs money.  And if you want one of the best, then you need to spend the money. 

In my opinion, I am highly tempted to trade in several of my generic guns just to buy one STI.  Yes, I think they are that good and that nice.  There is nothing wrong with Glocks, or Smiths or Rugers or any other brand.  They are just generic and there is only so much modification you can do before you are just wasting money.  Sometimes you just need to splurge, upgrade and buy the best.  Buy once! Cry once!  (Are you OK driving a Honda, or do you really want that twin turbo Porche?)

This is my take on the STI 2011 pistols.  Definitely worth the money!  They will perform as promised, just at a price.  

Finally, thank you to STI for coming out to display their products.  Especially Buck, for answering all my dumb questions.  And a big thank you to Trigger Time Gun Club for hosting the event.  It is always great to try before you buy, especially higher end products.  

Final thought:

Buck did mention STI is working on new products for 2019.  As they are not released I won't go into detail about what is coming in the near future.  These details will have to wait until SHOT Show 2019.

By: Mez

9/8/2018

The New AR

I mentioned in my last post that my best friend and I snuck off to the range last weekend to sight in a recently completed AR.

Being the sole provider for my family and coming off the second lay off in 3 years, I am a bit "gun poor". I actually started building this AR a couple years ago after the first lay off when I picked up a basic Aero Precision Gen 2 stripped lower receiver. If you're not familiar with Aero Precision, they make some very good components for ARs. The Gen 2 lower in particular is nice as it has the addition of an adjustable polymer set screw in the rear of the receiver to help stabilize the upper. It takes the place of an aftermarket accu wedge. 

Accu Wedge

Aero Precision Gen 2 Lower - polymer set screw

Anydigression, the lower was finally completed earlier this year. For those interested in the specs, here is the rundown of the parts selected:

Aero Precision Gen 2 Stripped Lower
CMMG lower parts kit
Magpul MOE FDE pistol grip
Magpul CTR FDE Mil Spec adjustable stock
Aero Precision Mil Spec 6 position buffer tube, buffer, end plate and spring set
CMC 3 lb. single stage flat trigger

Total cost in parts was $383 and change including tax.

A brief word about assembling the parts. It's not hard. There are plenty of  videos out there to help you figure out the process. Anybody can do it. Having said that, it is infinitely easier to do if you have or can borrow the right tools for the job.

So, when I landed my current full time job, I was in the process of thinking it was high time to gather the parts for the upper when I get a call from my best friend. "I got something for you.", he says. Low and behold, it was a complete upper. It's good to have nice friends. He gifted me, as a "congrats on the new job" gift, a SOTA Arms (SOTA stands for State of the Art, BTW) 16 inch, .223 Wylde chambered, 1:7 twist heavy barrel upper with a mid length gas system, a KeyMod forend and a standard A2 birdcage flash hider.

Did I mention I have a really great best friend?

I had a Hawke 3-9x40 AO IR scope on hand for an optic (I may eventually replace that with a red dot...I might not) which we mounted up without too much trouble (a scope mounting level really helps a lot), and it was off to the range to sight in and see what it can do.

Another mini digression about ammo selection. I had some American Eagle 55 grain .223 Jacketed Boat Tail on hand. Best friend had the same in addition to some 68 grain Magtech .223 that he had picked up somewhere. Those familiar with twist rate and bullet weight pairing will recognize that the 55 grain/1:7 twist combo is "not ideal" for maximum accuracy according to the experts.

3 Shots - 1 inch square - 50 yards

Meh. Experts...smeckperts. Those look like they stabilized just fine to me. I didn't have calipers with me to get a precise measurement, but the Mark 1 hairy eyeball guestimates that at roughly 3/4 of an inch at the widest which maths out to 1.5ish MOA at 100 yards. That's with a mediocre shooter and non-match ammo out of a non-match barrel.

I'll take that.

Range Day with Mez

It's been a couple of weeks since I've been to the range, so I was really looking forward to getting some gun powder therapy. I had a new drill I wanted to try and it was going to be much easier to do at an indoor range than an outdoor one, where I'd have to keep moving the target.

Mez took me to a really, really nice range in the city he lives in and in the excitement, I forgot to pick up the target I needed to shoot the drill, so I pulled my training book out of my bag and fell back to the dreaded-but-much-loved Dot Torture.

I had done some sort-of training with the G42 to make sure I could hit the broad side of a barn (or a torso-sized target), but I haven't done a lot of training/practice with it. When I'm just out farting around at the range - not doing any drills - I shoot primarily strong-handed (in my case, right-handed), but when I'm doing drills and focused practice I always run the drill both strong- and weak-handed.

It was a good decision to go to the Dot Torture instead of the other drill, which requires your first five shots to be at 25 yards. With the Para, I have full confidence I can hit at that distance. However, with a pocket pistol ... well, it would have been iffy.

Right handed

Left handed

There are times, like today, when I feel like I should just switch to shooting left-handed. And there are times, like today, when I wonder if I'll ever be able to shoot this damn thing clean.

But then I remember, I'm doing it with a pocket pistol and while I didn't shoot it clean, I did complete the strings of fire and I can only improve. I just need a lot more trigger time. A lot more.

And when I do finally shoot it clean, there will be much celebrating!