A brief background….
STI International’s history pretty much makes it the Eric Clapton of firearms. STI International is a company formed by innovative, if sometimes ephemeral collaborations; some product design and refinement, some manufacturing technology and lots of business and market development. Each iteration of ownership, each change in leadership or key influential involvement appears to have resulted in moving STI continually forward.
Innovative IPSC gunsmith Virgil Tripp was joined at Tripp Research by design engineer Sandy Strayer. Together they developed a modular, double stack polymer grip that accepted a metal frame, filedpatent application #844392 on March 2, 1992 and changed the name of the company to STI. Patent number D347,256 was published on May 24, 1994 and a month later Strayer left STI to form Strayer Voigt Inc. Tripp remained at STI and was joined in late 1994 by friend and fellow shooter David Skinner, a retired, successful electronics business owner.
By 1997, Skinner had acquired STI from Tripp, changed the company’s name to STI International to reflect its burgeoning export business and Tripp left to resume operation of Tripp Research. In 2005, the employees of the STI purchased its stock and collectively assumed ownership of the company. In 2010, David Skinner retired from STI naming Tim Dillon, a proven business manager who formerly headed up Brownells law enforcement group, as his successor. Dillon remained in place until 2014.
The current company is still Georgetown, Texas based, still employee owned by a group that not only brings its unique skill sets to the company, but also has been instrumental in securing the right leadership to carry the company forward. STI International’s Chairman of the Board, Ralph P. Stow, is the Managing Partner of Stow-Miller Holdings, a Texas-based private investment firm. STI International’s President and CEO, as of 2014, is Greg Mooney; a seasoned industry business manager and prior Vice President & General Manager of Benelli USA.
Working on three fronts… In short form
The STI 2011 product line is based on STI International’s patented modular, double stack polymer grip and metal frame. There are thirteen models under this product line ranging from the $2,099 5″ Eagle to the highly refined and very artfully executed $3,699 DVC Open race gun. Depending on model, the STI 2011 is available with steel or aluminum frame, 4.15″ to 6″ barrel, various combinations of mechanical or electronic dot sights, and chambered for the 9mm, 38 Super, 40 S&W, 10mm Auto, or 45 Auto cartridges.
The eleven models that constitute the STI 1911 product line are single stack and metal framed. STI 1911 models range from the $1,299 Guardian and Trojan models to the $1,999 Tactical and Sentinel models. Depending on model, they are available with cast or forged steel or aluminum frames, 3″ to 6″ barrels, various combinations of fixed or adjustable sights, and chambered for the 9mm, 38 Super, 40 S&W, 10mm Auto, or 45 Auto cartridges.
The third STI International product component is parts, lots and lots of exceptional pieces that go into the STI 2011 and STI 1911 products that can go into a custom build, many pieces that can enhance any spec 1911 or build from the ground up 2011 type. Frames, slides, barrels, safeties, triggers and hammers, and other small subsystems and parts. I know that to be true as, over the years, Brownellshas received a good deal of our shop’s financial resources in exchange for upgrade STI components for our 1911 type project work.
Becoming acquainted with the STI 1911 Trojan…
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STI International 1911 Trojan |
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| Manufacturer | STI International |
| Point of Origin | Georgetown, TX |
| Type | 1911 |
| Caliber | 45 Auto |
| Magazine Capacity | 7 |
| Barrel Length “ | 5.0″ |
| Rifling | 1:16″ 6 Groove |
| Overall Length” * | 8.75″ |
| Overall Height ” * | 5.25″ |
| Weight Oz. * | 39 Oz. |
| Sight Radius * | 6 3/4″ |
| Trigger Pull * | 4 Lbs 11 Oz. |
| Rear Sight | LPA Fully Adjustable |
| Front Sight | Dawson Fiber Optic |
| Barrel Material | 416R Stainless |
| Slide Material | 4140 Carbon Steel |
| Frame Material | 4140 Carbon Steel |
| Safety | Grip and Thumb |
| MSRP | $1,299 |
| Typical Retail | $1,199 |
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* Actual, not nominal |
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The 1911 Trojan, like all other current STI pistol production, is manufactured in Georgetown, TX. Coincidentally, 10 miles from my eldest son’s family home in Round Rock. Nice area and nice people. When I say manufactured, I don’t mean assembled from a box of imported parts, I mean people, machines, metal chips, and skilled labor. Shooting U.S.A. produced a very good segment on STI operations that originally aired on The Discovery Channel that has since been posted to YouTube. Interesting, informative, good insight and definitely worth a look.
The Trojan frame is heat treated, cast 4140 steel. Other STI 1911 products are made of forged steel or aluminum. I’ve owned and assembled 1911s from cast and forged frame and I’ve not been able to tell the difference is finesse finishing or durability.
The undercut trigger guard extends effective grip length for increased finger support and shifts the bore centerline closer to the hand’ both improve control control. The front strap stippling and texture, below, is a close match to the Trojan’s nylon mainspring housing… which I don’t like. What appears to be sprue shave marks at the grip end of this very nice pistol takes on the presence of a moustache on the Mona Lisa. Functionally, the part is more than good, but I am a relic, set in my ways and I still have an appreciation for things made of metal.
The Trojan is fitted with a long style trigger that is adjustable for overtravel. The trigger bow is EDM cut stainless steel and the trigger is made of glass filled nylon for light weight to minimize trigger bounce. Take up checked 0.040″, creep was very slight, but the break was a little heavy; none significant enough to hamper accuracy. I probably just spend too much time shooting 1911 types with triggers that have been worked too light, and sear engagement too shallow, for a carry gun. My guess is that this STI trigger would clean up as the “new” wears off a bit.
The Commander type hammer is made from A-2 tool steel, EDM cut, precision ground and polished. The EDM cut hammer strut is light weight titanium. The sear is EDM cut from S-7 tool steel. All very nice pieces that should offer longevity of use and a hammer and sear that will hold onto a trigger job.
I like the single side thumb safety. I am not ambidextrous and therefore resent a safety with greater capabilities than my own. The fact that this thumb safety has a narrow profile is appreciated as it has plenty of contact surface, but it stays tucked in and out of the way. The mag catch releases cleanly, but I have average to large size hands with freakishly short thumbs so dropping a mag is a stretch as it is for me with virtually every 1911. STI makes an oversize button mag catch that would probably make me happy. Again, picky, picky, picky.
The memory pad on the grip safety makes for positive release even with a high grip. The slide cocking serrations are a bit sharp, but I suppose I can be more of a man about it and give credit for a slide that can be racked under pressure without worrying about sweat or humidity and slippery hands. If I owned a set of these Cocobolo grips and socket head screws, I might be tempted to buy an STI just so I had something nice to put them on. They are comfortable, they set the right grip width, they are easy on the hand under constant recoil, and they look good.
The fully adjustable rear sight and 0.110″ front sight with fiber optic element make a good combination; highly visible and easy to find on a target. The face of the rear sight is horizontally striated to kill glare. Adjustment is positive and sights stayed put after being hammered under heavy use.
The STI Trojan is a 70 series type pistol; no firing pin plunger, plunger lever or associated springs which is greatly appreciated. While I can live in denial by stating and restating that the plunger on 80 series type guns make no difference, my trigger finger is firmly anchored by its own reality. Once it finds that little feel of spring compression, it just won’t let it go, so its absence on the Trojan as appreciated.
Not a whole lot of surprises under the slide. A full length guide rod holding an 18 lb recoil spring. A tight slide to frame fit that was uniform in resistance from one end of travel to the other. The bushing was a close fit to the barrel and slide, the barrel link was tight and a close fit to the slide stop. Lug contact between slide and on the barrel suggested full engagement and proper release. Everything in view was cleanly finished, free of burrs and tool marks. Nice prep and assembly work. The Trojan’s barrel is made of 416R forged billet, button rifled and air gauge verified. Barrels are heat treated and tempered to 40 Rockwell prior to final machining for precise dimensional control.
The Trojan had no perceptible barrel squat (1) or downward deflection of the barrel at the ejection port from a closed breech position. The barrel hood to slide is a close fit; 0.432″ hood width and 0.435″ slide. The end of the hood just kissed the breech face with no visible gap Looking at the gap between slide and dust cover (2), the gap is symmetrical suggesting the slide runs true to the frame rails (3).
The breech face, checked with a steel rule edge and light was perfectly flat 1). Of course you say? Not really. We have had two new firearms come into our shop during the past couple of months with a seriously stepped cut across the breech face that actually coined the stop in case heads. Lug cuts in the slide were clean and 0.052″ deep. Barrel lug recesses measured 0.048″, but I did not clay check actual depth of engagement 2). There was no sign of lugs dragging out of engagement. There were no sharp corners or edges to be found, even at the corners of the barrel ramp. It appeared a good deal of hand finishing and finessing went into this firearm. The barrel bushing has a raised internal band to prevent barrel bind while maintaining a close barrel/bushing fit 4). In this case, the bushing ID was 0.582″ and a bit and barrel diameter at the bushing measured 0.581″ and a bit… close.
The only reason I mentioned any of this is because some of the nicest appearing pistol of late, have had the crudest innards. Mostly a function of toss together parts and attempts at letting machines final finish a product. In the case of the Trojan, the hand fitting and finishing done by STI delivers a firearm to a customer that does not need a trip to a gunsmith for clean up. For anyone planning custom work, money saved by not having to bring a new gun into spec could be directed at more specialized work.
Wake up… we’re at the good part
The best way to make a firearm fun to shoot is to make it reliable and easy to shoot accurately. I laid out my shooting plan, stacked ammo accordingly, set up the chronograph, got caught up in shooting and promptly forgot to jot down readings or mark notations on targets. So I moved the informal shooting up on the schedule and pushed out the fixed rest and chronograph work into the afternoon and just took the time to enjoy shooting the STI.
The range session went well. The pistol of course has the typical form and balance of other steel 1911s. The controls were crisp and positive in operation/actuation and the Trojan cycled and fed anything loaded into the magazine, even mixed ammo types. At seven to ten yards the sights and my eyes were simpatico. Beyond that point, not so much. Not a problem with the sights on the Trojan as much as too many hours staring into a computer screen. So to give fair treatment to the pistol and to better assess its mechanical accuracy, the STI was mounted in a Ransom Rest, some settling shots were fired and 25 yard data was collected.
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Ammunition |
Type | Bullet Weight | Rated FPS |
Recorded FPS |
3 Shot Group “ |
| Federal Personal Defense | JHP | 185 | 950 | 971 | 1.6 |
| Speer Gold Dot | JHP | 185 | 1050 | 1003 | 1.4 |
| Hornady +P | HP/XTP | 200 | 1055 | 1028 | 1.7 |
| Remington Ultimate HD | BJHP | 230 | 875 | 826 | 1.3 |
| Remington UMC | FMJ | 230 | 835 | 821 | 2.1 |
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Ransom Rest 25 Yards 3 Shot groups |
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On the internet, where everyone shoots single hole 10 shot groups off hand at 100 yards, the STI International Trojan is only moderately accurate. However, in the real world with the influences of gravity, atmosphere and witnesses, I’d say the Trojan’s accuracy is exceptional. Where competitors tie 1″ 5 shot group conditional guarantees to $3,000 price tags, the STI 1911 Trojan is a bargain and it would not take much effort for the Trojan to shoot as well.
Write something insightful, Joe. Sure, “Something insightful”….
I sense my wife is standing just outside of my peripheral vision. I know that her arms are folded across her chest and she is taping her right toe to form the International symbol for impatience. She is a sweetheart who has locked onto the fact that I am a week late putting the mowing deck back on the tractor. When I stop typing, I will become just so much slow moving, unpaid labor… so let me close with these thoughts…
The STI 1911 Trojan is one of the best performing pistols of this type we’ve had in the shop for the past couple of years. Within a group of premium grade autoloaders, STI product is a standout and competitively priced. I do not participate in quad gun, barricade jumping, run like you mean it, camo wearing competition, however, I would buy the Trojan… and maybe the Nitro Ten model, just to assure home and personal safety, good range days and to make my handloads look good.
Going through the STI web site and catalogue, there are enough STI 1911 choices in frame material, barrel length and sights to meet just about anyone’s personal preferences and applications. I only had time to touch on the STI 2011, but for competitive shooters and fans of high capacity and high performance, there are many configurations to choose from within this product line.
For folks who like to build or modify their own, STI offers an extensive line of quality pieces, sold through the company’s network of dealers. To locate a dealer near you, visit the “Find a Dealer” section of the STI International web site.
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