STI's Target Master

The name “STI International” should be a component of every handgunner’s vocabulary. The company’s products are prominent in practical pistol competition events and they serve range dwelling paper punchers, literally, the world over. STI handguns fill law enforcement holsters and they provide peace of mind to civilians exercising their Second Amendment rights. Pictured below, the STI Target Master 6″ long slide.

 

Prior to gaining experience with the company and the company’s firearms, I always associated STI with exotic and very expensive competition hardware. That perception changed with Real Guns’s reviewed the company’s STI Trojan model, pictured below, and after spending some time researching STI International’s business. Both current product manufacturing and the company’s formation are interesting stories that are covered thoroughly in a video that originally aired on the Discovery Channel as well as in our original coverage.

There are approximately twenty four STI handgun models, most with multiple configuration options. Single stack and double stack guns, varying with model, are available in 9mm Luger, 38 Super, 40 S&W, 10mm Auto, and 45 Auto. Frames are forged or cast as noted in the company’s product descriptions. All slides are CNC milled from pre-hardened 4140 bar stock, each breech face is wire EDM cut. Barrels are button rifled, fabricated from 416R stainless in lengths from 3″ to 6″, in bushingless and bushed forms. Fixed or adjustable sights are mounted that are appropriate for each respective model’s intended application.

The STI Target Master

STI Target Master
Manufacturer	STI International
Point of Origin	Georgetown, TX
Type	1911
Caliber	45 Auto
Magazine Capacity	8
Barrel “	6.0″ Bull – Ramped
Rifling	1:16″ 6 Groove
Overall Length” *	9.75″
Overall Height ” *	5.75″
Weight Oz.	51 Oz.
Sight Radius *	8″
Trigger Pull	3 Lbs 12 Oz.
Rear Sight	Aristocrat Tri Set
Front Sight	Undercut Blade
Barrel Material	416R Stainless
Slide Material	Blued 4140 Carbon Steel
Frame Material	Blued 4140 Carbon Steel
Safety	Grip and Ambi Thumb
MSRP	$1,699
* Actual, not nominal

STI offers two single stack target models, the 5″ barrel Range Master and the subject pistol 6″ barrel Target Master. The 5″ and 6″ versions fit into some different and some overlapping classes of PPC competition. The 6″ barrel is intended to bump in velocity for improved 50 yard performance and to provide a longer sight radius for enhance aiming.

The STI Target Master was shot alongside of a Colt 70 Series Gold Cup. They are two quite different firearms, intended for two different types of competition, but the known quantity Gold Cup provided a baseline to gauge accuracy of the Target Master and, with the aid of a chronograph, a comparison of 5″ to 6″ barrel velocity.

The Gold Cup was purchased years ago for self defense and recreational target shooting. It was also used to teach family members firearm safety and marksmanship. Attributes that made the Gold Cup accurate and reliable made it suitable for many application with appropriate recoil spring and ammo.

A bit of a personal agenda, the Colt is being retired, before it gets too tired. Looking for a replacement to service the same demands, it seemed the features of the STI Target Master that make it a good choice for PPC events would also make it a good fit for serious recreational shooting, home self defense and perhaps a good side arm when hunting.

Starting with the last page of the book

Initially, two 3 shot groups were fired with handloads; Hornady 185 grain SWC bullets, Remington nickel plated brass, 6.1 grains of Power Pistol, 1.135″ COL. The recorded 6″ barrel STI muzzle velocity was 826 fps. the 5″ barrel Gold Cup, 811 fps. These are light loads that worked well with the Gold Cup’s 12 Lb spring, but naturally did not cycle with the Target Master’s 16 Lb spring. A 12 Lb spring was installed and the Target Master reliably cycled with the target ammo.

At 25 yards, clamped in a Ransom Rest, the STI shot 3/4″ (#1) the Gold Cup shot 1 1/8″ (#2), again 3 shot groups… the effect of spending way too much time handloading and testing hunting rifles where 3 shots are a more accurate portrayal of hunting circumstances than 5 shots. At least they should be.

 

In consideration of the other applications under consideration, home defense and field carry, I switched to Remington 230 Grain Ultimate Home Defense Ammo; Golden Saber bullets, nickel cases and installed 16 Lb recoil springs in both the Target Master and Cold Cup. The Target Master is approved for +P ammo, however, the standard pressure Remington ammo delivers the trajectory, terminal energy and expansion desired… No need to beat on the firearm and shooter unnecessarily.

Muzzle velocity was 844 fps with the 6″ gun and 817 fps with the 5″ gun; a greater, but still modest separation in velocity compared to the target load. I’ve read in gun forum chatter where someone suggested that a 6″ barrel, compared to a 5″, would push a bullet beyond its design constraints. Obviously this is not the case.

Moving up to 5 shot groups resulted also in (#3) 3/4″ for the STI and #4 1 1/8″ for the Gold Cup. While the group sizes remained the same, which was not expected, point of impact shifted a few inches, which was expected. The PPC class STI Target Master more than kept pace with the Bullseye class Colt Gold Cup.

A Ransom Rest was not required to achieve accurate results. In fact, the STI Target Master made me look good when shooting offhand or from a bag rest. That additional sight radius did wonders for my shooting. However, I think readers would be more interested is a firearm’s mechanical accuracy rather than its performance through mature eyesight and with only minor amounts of experience with a particular firearm.

A little closer look at the STI Target Master bits and pieces

The Target Master is fitted with a 6″ stainless bull barrel, as seen below along side of a standard weight 5″ barrel. The Target Master has no bushing while the Colt has an original collet type bushing. The Target Master’s slide is cut to accept a conventional bushing and STI does manufacture 6″ bushed replacement barrels. The Target Master has a fully supported chamber and an integral ramp, the Gold Cup does not. Both fed and cycled with absolute reliability, both shot accurately.

The STI Target Master uses a two piece, full length guide rod, a spring plug fashioned for the 6″ slide, and 16 Lb recoil spring. The spring plug has an internal seat that sets the recoil spring installed and compressed lengths essentially the same as a 5″ gun. Subsequently, the Target Master uses standard, full length recoil springs. Standard full length recoil spring system shown for comparison.

The Target Master has a long 6″ slide, which puts the pistol into a variety of PPC organization classes of competition. The rear Aristocrat TS-45 Tri-Set sight may be used as a traditional adjustable sight, however, it has a feature that makes it particularly useful for competition.

Windage adjustment is traditional, as is finesse elevation, however, the tri-set feature permits each of the preset screws to be adjusted for 7, 25 and 50 yards and the setting of a three position cam quickly determine which preset is in active. Nifty.

Pictured above, the STI undercut sights offer sharp contrast against a target. The Aristocrat sight is made from bar stock and all contact points for adjustment are hardened. The Gold Cup Elliason sight is a good adjustable assembly, however, experience tells me it has a fear of commitment when it comes to staying in place on its slide. The STI sights greatly improved my performance and they stayed put in adjustment and on the Target Master.

Top down view of the Target Master’s forged steel frame. A 1911 is a relatively slender pistol making it easy to grip and the grip angle makes for a natural point. Here we can see the absence of firing pin plunger linkage in the 70 Series style firing pin system and the ambidextrous thumb safety that comes in handy in competitive shooting events.

Ultimately, the STI Target Master is a 1911 simple but genius design. Other STI competition touches; light weight bounce free trigger, flat faced trigger guard for a gripping or resting surface and undercut to move the gripping hand closer to bore centerline and natural trigger finger alignment. The Target Master also has an extended mag well to facilitate rapid reloading, extended and slab sided dust cover and 30 lines per inch checkered on both front and backstrap.

But what it is like? Interesting

The 6″ balance is good and the extended sight radius makes critical alignment of sights on a target much faster than a 5″ gun. The slight bit of additional muzzle weight is steadying. The extra  5 ounces of weight over an equivalent 5″ gun overall isn’t noticeable as heft and I could not perceive a reduction in felt recoil… perhaps the added reciprocating mass offsets the modest reduction in slide velocity making the difference in slide energy a wash? No, I’m not sure I know what that means either, but you can email me if you do.

 

The Target Master is an exceptional piece of machinery. Racking the slide is met with smooth resistance; a little tight, but it feels as though it is moving on roller bearings. No rattles, no binding, the finish is an even dark black. Tthe stainless parts are uniformly finished. The grip safety contour is ideal, the “speed bump” assures release when gripped. Consistent with the old cliché, the Target Master felt like an extension of my hand. I live in denial when it comes to the advantages of premium priced guns. It would be nice to conclude that low end 1911’s are as good, but they are not and the longer I shoot and the more experience I accumulate, the more self evident that truth becomes.

Were there any aspects of the STI Target Master that could be improved? A couple, but very minor. The trigger was a bit heavy and with just a slight amount of creep. I am a big fan of sharply breaking triggers on 1911’s, but then my perspective is based on pistols set up for paper punching. Perhaps the creep would have disappeared with a couple of more boxes of ammo. The second issue is the hammer shape and size. With stubby, desensitized thumbs, it took focus to get between rear sight and hammer to manually cock the pistol. Other STI models get rear sights that leans forward on the slide and away from the hammer or they get a rounded Commander type hammer. Perhaps for the Target Master’s intended application this in not an issue? Again, I am not a PPC event shooter.

At a time when most firearm manufacturers are wandering down the path of “low cost is good and no one will notice the difference”, STI is making a truly superior product and they are doing it in Texas.  As soon as I make up my mind if the 6″ Target Master or 5″ Range Master is optimal for me, I am going to own one. I need a replacement for the Gold Cup that will endure and perform.