Stephen A. Camp
Moderator In Memoriam
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2002
- Messages
- 2,430
Hello. I bought this 1911-style pistol a while back and have shot it enough now to make some hopefully competent statements and observations. I'll tell you up front that I really like this pistol. I'll also mention that I really hate the forward serrations.
The Pistol: The STI Trojan Long Slide 9mm is 9.5" long, weights 38 oz. empty, and comes from the factory with thin grips/short bushings, a low-mounted Bomar-like adjustable rear sight and a thin post front sight which is 0.11" wide at the rear and dovetailed in place. The barrel is button-rifled and made of 416 Rifle Grade Stainless Steel with a 1:16" twist and has been air-gauged to insure critical tolerances and then vacuum heat-treated and tempered to 40RC. The bushing is also of stainless steel and is solid. The gun comes with an extended single-sided thumb safety, a humped beavertail grip safety, and an A-6 Tool Steel hammer that's wire EDM cut and goes 52-54RC.
This 9mm has a fully-supported ramped bbl as well as "STIppling" on the gun's front gripstrap. The mainspring housing is a plastic checkered thing.
As is common now, it has rear and forward slide serrations and has a 10lb conventional recoil spring on a two-piece FLGR. The trigger is the lightweight STI polymer long trigger.
It is interesting to note that the spring cap, open to allow passage of the FLGR, consists of 2 "Commander" length caps such that replacement springs can be those for standard 5" 1911s.
The gun's available only in blue steel, unless you go the custom shop route, and has an evenly applied matte blue to the forged slide and cast frame. The bbl/bushing are finely bead blasted for an almost "soft" appearance.
Changes Made to this Pistol: These were done simply because I preferred them.
1. Regular length grip screw bushings and regular thickness grips
2. Replaced the plastic M/S housing w/checkered one of SS.
3. Stainless steel grip screws
4. Added a polymer shock buffer
Here's the STI 9mm Long Slide ready to be fired and in the "changed" configuration mentioned above. Recoil is truly nothing!
The post front sight from above showing its shape. The sight is not serrated. It is dovetailed and pinned via rollpin.
...and from the side. You can also see the FLGR, heavy stainless bbl, and solid bushing.
The STI lightweight trigger, short magazine release button, STIppling, and extended thumbsafety are shown in this picture as is the relief cut under the trigger guard.
The low-mounted adjustable rear sight as well as the hammer described above are clearly visible here.
I did not have a trigger-scale, but estimate the clean, crisp trigger at just shy of 4lbs. STI rates them at 5lbs, but this one is lighter w/zero creep.
Slide-to-frame fit is very good with very, very little lateral/vertical movement and NO perceptible movement at all in the bbl-to-slide fit.
Ammunition Used:
Factory:
Winchester USA 115 gr FMJ
Magtech 115 gr FMJ
Federal 115 gr JHP (std pressure "9BP")
Handloads:
Hornady 124 gr XTP
New IMI cases
6.0 gr Unique
Federal SP Primer
LOA: 1.11"
Speer 124 gr Gold Dot Hollow Point
Same as above
LOA: 1.12"
I've not chronographed from this pistol, but from a 6" Browning Competition, velocity for both loads exceeds 1300 ft/sec.
Shooting: Since most buying this pistol are interested in accuracy, ALL shooting today was done from seated position w/2-hand hold and wrists supported on sandbags.
15 Yards: Slowfire and five-shot groups....
25 Yards: Same method of firing, but the group consists of ten shots.
50 Yards: Also fired from a seated, supported position. The group consists of one magazine-full + 5 more or 14 shots.
There were no rapid-fire or defensive-type shooting groups done with this pistol as few would consider it an appropriate arm for such. More on that later.
Continued....
The Pistol: The STI Trojan Long Slide 9mm is 9.5" long, weights 38 oz. empty, and comes from the factory with thin grips/short bushings, a low-mounted Bomar-like adjustable rear sight and a thin post front sight which is 0.11" wide at the rear and dovetailed in place. The barrel is button-rifled and made of 416 Rifle Grade Stainless Steel with a 1:16" twist and has been air-gauged to insure critical tolerances and then vacuum heat-treated and tempered to 40RC. The bushing is also of stainless steel and is solid. The gun comes with an extended single-sided thumb safety, a humped beavertail grip safety, and an A-6 Tool Steel hammer that's wire EDM cut and goes 52-54RC.
This 9mm has a fully-supported ramped bbl as well as "STIppling" on the gun's front gripstrap. The mainspring housing is a plastic checkered thing.
As is common now, it has rear and forward slide serrations and has a 10lb conventional recoil spring on a two-piece FLGR. The trigger is the lightweight STI polymer long trigger.
It is interesting to note that the spring cap, open to allow passage of the FLGR, consists of 2 "Commander" length caps such that replacement springs can be those for standard 5" 1911s.
The gun's available only in blue steel, unless you go the custom shop route, and has an evenly applied matte blue to the forged slide and cast frame. The bbl/bushing are finely bead blasted for an almost "soft" appearance.
Changes Made to this Pistol: These were done simply because I preferred them.
1. Regular length grip screw bushings and regular thickness grips
2. Replaced the plastic M/S housing w/checkered one of SS.
3. Stainless steel grip screws
4. Added a polymer shock buffer
Here's the STI 9mm Long Slide ready to be fired and in the "changed" configuration mentioned above. Recoil is truly nothing!
The post front sight from above showing its shape. The sight is not serrated. It is dovetailed and pinned via rollpin.
...and from the side. You can also see the FLGR, heavy stainless bbl, and solid bushing.
The STI lightweight trigger, short magazine release button, STIppling, and extended thumbsafety are shown in this picture as is the relief cut under the trigger guard.
The low-mounted adjustable rear sight as well as the hammer described above are clearly visible here.
I did not have a trigger-scale, but estimate the clean, crisp trigger at just shy of 4lbs. STI rates them at 5lbs, but this one is lighter w/zero creep.
Slide-to-frame fit is very good with very, very little lateral/vertical movement and NO perceptible movement at all in the bbl-to-slide fit.
Ammunition Used:
Factory:
Winchester USA 115 gr FMJ
Magtech 115 gr FMJ
Federal 115 gr JHP (std pressure "9BP")
Handloads:
Hornady 124 gr XTP
New IMI cases
6.0 gr Unique
Federal SP Primer
LOA: 1.11"
Speer 124 gr Gold Dot Hollow Point
Same as above
LOA: 1.12"
I've not chronographed from this pistol, but from a 6" Browning Competition, velocity for both loads exceeds 1300 ft/sec.
Shooting: Since most buying this pistol are interested in accuracy, ALL shooting today was done from seated position w/2-hand hold and wrists supported on sandbags.
15 Yards: Slowfire and five-shot groups....
25 Yards: Same method of firing, but the group consists of ten shots.
50 Yards: Also fired from a seated, supported position. The group consists of one magazine-full + 5 more or 14 shots.
There were no rapid-fire or defensive-type shooting groups done with this pistol as few would consider it an appropriate arm for such. More on that later.
Continued....