1911:Observations from my vacation

[Sapper771]

While on vacation in the mountains, I got a chance to shoot my STI Trojan 1911 in 45 acp..
I set up some body targets and started some drills. By the time I was finished, I had ran through 320 rounds of 45. I had not oiled my 1911 in a couple of weeks so I shot it dry. The Trojan did not jam at all. My last two rounds were at 20 yards standing. The two rounds went into the sweet spot in the head of the target. I was impressed, it was dirty as could be, and it was still accurate! The Trojan didnt act like it was going to slow down either, but I didnt want to shoot all of the ammo I brought.

While I was on vacation , I went to several gun shops in the area. I had an itch for another 1911, so I was on the hunt. I looked at several different ones: SA TRPs, SA Operators, SA Loaded models, Colts , DSC's new 1911 , etc.. I just could not find one that was of quality. The two new TRPs($1500) that I looked at were not very impressive. I took one of them and pulled the slide all the way back and it locked on its own, the slide catch was not engaged. The trigger on it was very heavy and coarse, I estimated the locking TRP at 8 pounds on trigger pull . The other TRP was only slightly better. I have always wanted a TRP , but not after looking at those two.
Both of the TRPs had oil oozing out of them from every crevice.

Question : Are they all like that new from the box ? I do understand that some have a break in, but these TRPs felt like junk. Several years ago I got to fondle several TRPs at a gun show, and I dont recall them being like these.

The 4 SA operators ($1000-$1200) that I played with were decent. The slide to frame fit was tight, but was rough. It felt like there was dents,dings, or burs in the slide. The one MC Operator felt as if sand had been thrown in its guts. I wasnt impressed with them either. I use to own a SA MC Operator and it wasnt the greatest , but it was nicer than these.

The Double Star Corp. 1911 was nicer than the others and it toted a $1199.00 price tag. I beleive they have dubbed this one the dragon, but I am not sure. It had a good slide to frame fit that was smooth. The trigger was at a clean 5 pounds. I was interested in buying it til I read the warranty section of the owners manual.......they only offer a one year warranty. I didnt like that too much. I want a company to stand behind their product for the life of the product , or its user. Thats just me though. They are new to the 1911 world and I havent read much about them yet to be convinced to jump on it anyway.

I just couldnt find anything that I felt was worth my money. I started thinking : "Am I a gun snob now?" LOL. I own a Wilson CQB and it is very nice. I also own the STI Trojan, which is equally nice. I think these two 1911s have spoiled me and made me a snob.

My thoughts were solidified while at a gun show. A guy at one of the tables was trying to sell me all kinds of different 1911s. He produced a colt defender, I told him that I dont like short barrels on 1911s. He produced a Kimber TLE, I told him that I dont like Kimbers. He then produced a bollester-molina (sp?) 1911 that looked like it had been drug behind a truck, and I told him that I wasnt interested. He shook his head and asked me what I was looking for. I told him..........he looked at me and said "oh , your one of those gun snobs arent you ?" All I could do was laugh and say "Yes Sir !"

I left the gun show and still had the itch. I decided to go to one more gun shop and look at their selection of STI 1911s. I figured that the Trojan I have has been such a great pistol so far, why not get another STI if I can find one I like. I ended up getting the STI Lawman. It had an excellent fit and finish. The slide to frame fit was tight, with very little play , plus it was smooth as silk. The trigger was at 5 pounds or a little under. Here she is :



You guys were right, it is an addiction

With the SA 1911s that I was able to inspect, it looked and felt like quality had went down. This just may be my experience/observation while out and about, but I was shocked. Of course, I guess I am a gun snob now.

Has anyone else noticed this with SA or any other company?

 

[Quack]

compared to my STI, Brown & Wilson, the TRP feels a little gritty and my 9mm Loaded feels worse. when i bought the TRP 8 years back it was alot better than the loaded that it replaced. My EMP feels better than the TRP & Loaded. I Guess i'm a snob too ever since buying my STI, the Wilson and just last week bought a Brown, i prefer better quality/ craftsmanship.
the trigger on my TRP breaks at 4.5lbs, but isn't as nice as the others.

 

[JTQ]

Sapper771,

Congratulations on your vacation pick up. It looks like you made an excellent choice.

Please compare the feel of the Trojan vs the Lawman for me. I know the Trojan has the thin grips, high cut under the trigger guard, and STIpling, while the Lawman has the Ergo grips (I know the new models have changed to different grips), normal cut under the trigger guard, and checkering on the front strap.

Both are on my short list for my next 1911, but I haven't handled either. Have you had the new Lawman long enough to have an opinion one way or the other?

Thanks,

Jim

 

[Sapper771]

JTQ,

I have only had the Lawman for 2 days now, but I have seen some differences between the two.

Like you said , the Trojan has the thin grips, which I got rid of quickly. You will have to get standard length grip bushings to replace the short ones, then you will have to get your flavor in grip panels. I have Canvas Micarta VZ grips on mine and I love them.
The Lawman comes with black rubber ergo grips that have a sand paper texture on them. The ergo grips are much better than the factory slim grips on the Trojan.

The Under cut trigger guard on the Trojan is a plus , but I cant tell a lot of difference between the undercut and the non undercut on the
Lawman.
The STIppling on the Trojan irritates the interior portion of my fingers due to the callusses. I took a piece of intertube and covered the STIppling with it, which made it much better. The Lawman has what looks to be 25 lpi checkering on the front strap, I prefer it over the STIppling. The checkering doesnt irritate my hand as bad.

The Trojan's trigger (from factory) is lighter than the Lawman's. I dont know if this was intentional or not, but I do not like ultra light triggers, give me 5-6 pounds and make it crisp. I adjusted the sear spring on my Trojan to up the pull weight a little to where I like it. I will probably leave the Lawman"s trigger pull weight where it is.

The Trojan has the Bo-mar style target sights which will do what they are intended to do. I removed mine from the Trojan and put a set of the STI Bo-mar night sights on. The tritium is super bright. The sights on the Lawman are the T.A.S. ( Tactical Adjustable Sights). They are basically adjustable novaks. They seem sturdy, but only time will tell. I will probably replace them with XS 24/7 sights, but I dont know if I want to compromise the Lawman's excellent accuracy by putting combat sights on it.

The trigger on the Trojan is the long plastic/polymer one. It works, but it is plastic. The trigger on the Lawman is the long aluminum type, and I prefer it, it feels like a trigger should.

Of course the Slide on the Trojan has the wide cocking serrations and the flat top, which makes the trojan stand out. I like the cocking serration pattern, they are easy to grip , even when the hands are wet.
The Lawman has the traditional round top slide and thin standard looking serrations. The serrations are sharp and they have good purchase to the hand.

Both of the pistols have the STI ramped barrel. I did notice one difference in the Lawman. On the frame, where the barrel ramp sits in the frame, there is another ramp polished into the frame below the barrel ramp. I dont know if it was a mistake, but it is polished and shiny.
While I was shooting the Lawman, I loaded the magazine full of some of my reloaded hollowpoints. These hollowpoints wont feed in my trojan when I load a full magazine. They fed great in the Lawman. I have no idea why they will feed in the Lawman and not in the Trojan.

One thing to note about both the pistols, if they are going to see the elements, they need to have an aftermarket finish. I got caught out in a monsoon on day. When I finally got to my friend's house, I took my pistol out of the holster and the nose of the slide had rusted all over it. So, I had my Trojan cerramacoated. It looks good and it wont rust as easily. The Lawman will be getting a paint job soon, but I am not sure what color scheme I will go with.

Either way , you cant lose. If I could go back and do it again, I would probably get the Lawman first, but I am not complaining, I am happy with both. Once I throw some more rounds throught the Lawman, it may become my primary carry.
Let me know if you have anymore questions, I will try to answer them as best as I can.

 

[beltfed74]

No I havent noticed the TRP's going "downhill". Quite the contrary actually, I bought mine 3 yrs ago I think. Great pistol for the money, good trigger w/o the ILS. The back of the slide and frame all fit together perfectly. Barrel fitting etc just shocking its as good for the money quite honestly.

Accuracy @25 with garbage WWB


Cant wait though to check out an STI. Never seen them in person in my neck of the woods. Congrats on your purchase.

 

[JTQ]

Sapper771,

Thanks for the feedback, an excellent comparison. My thoughts were to put the Lawman higher on my list to begin with and you reinforced my preference.

Thanks.

 

[DAVIDSDIVAD]

Isn't the trojan just a Rock island 1911 with an STI slide?

 

[Beagle-zebub]

Isn't the trojan just a Rock island 1911 with an STI slide?

Nay, you're thinking of the Spartan. "Spartan," as in no-frills. The Trojan model definitely has frills.

 

[Sapper771]

HTQ,
Your welcome. Like I said , you cant go wrong with either of them, but the Lawman definitely shows first place.


The Spartan is worth a serious look . If you have ever looked at one, they are a little rough around the edges, but they do have some frill to them. They are accurate, very accurate. They are not put together as well as a Trojan, but they get the job done. If you are looking for a good target 1911 that wont break your budget, I would look at the Spartan. If something goes wrong with it, it is covered by STI's warranty. I was very impressed by it when I shot one.

 

[DAVIDSDIVAD]

Ahhh, I see.
Thanks for the correction, Beagle.


I've long been curious about STI, and it'll probably be my next brand of 1911.