Best Value 1911 on the Market?

Best Value 1911 on the Market?

by Josh Mazzola of AR15Targets

                The 1911 is one of the most prolific handguns on the market.  Loved by so many in the United States and across the world, the 1911 design has been around for more than 100 years.  Despite its claims to the best handgun trigger of any modern gun as well as the upmost precision accuracy, in this modern day of machining, many ask, "can the 1911 stack up against some of the more affordable polymer guns on the market?"  As we all know, the "standard" modernized 1911 (non-government models) normally runs anywhere from 850.00 to 3000.00 in terms of cost.  For a 1911 enthusiast, this might not pose any issue at all, but for a practical shooter, the higher price of the 1911 makes it difficult to warrant a purchase when, for the same monetary value, a shooter can get a striker-fired handgun, some extra magazines, a holster platform, magazine carriers, and some ammo.  There is also the question of reliability of the 1911 platform when compared to the looser fit striker-fired guns.   Although some suggest the 1911 is completely unreliable, the statement must be qualified with "some poorly assembled and fitted 1911s are unreliable."  If you are dealing with a 1911 which has been built and fitted properly, you won't have any issues with reliability, assuming that you show the gun some semblance of cleaning and oiling.  Never the less, the 1911 has some perceivable shortcomings (such as its magazine capacity, weight, etc.) which make warranting a purchase more difficult for practical users. 

              

Enter the STI Spartan.  STI International has a record for producing some absolutely excellent championship winning pistols, and their single stack line is no less impressive.  Most of their product runs at approximately 2K, with some of their single stacks being slightly less.  So what if I told you could get one of these top tier 1911s shipped to you with a fiber optic front sight, adjustable rear sight, blended beaver-tail, skeletonized trigger, and skeletonized hammer for just $640.00 retail!  Yeah, I called bull too when I first heard this; this is the price of the STI Spartan as it ships from the factory.  So, like you, my next thought was, "well what's the catch?"...to achieve such a low price, STI does outsource the production of the frame to  Armscor, a Pilipino company.  However, the rest of the gun (aside from the base frame) is made of all STI parts, and the frame is quality checked at the STI factory before shipment making the outsourcing a non-issue in terms of function.  So for 640.00 (only about 15% more than a Glock or M&P) we have a 1911 from a top tier manufacturer, ready to shoot out of the box without need for any upgrades.  Not to mention, STI also takes the time to polish up the frame where the rounds feed (the barrel has no feed ramp), something which might not seem like such a big deal, but also showcases the attention to detail STI shows to their product. 

So, is the STI Spartan worth purchasing?  Heck Yes!  The gun is ready to shoot out of the box and for under $1200.00 you can get yourself a full 1911 setup rig ready to rock.  Even if you aren't big into 1911s, the pure value of this gun warrants a purchase;  I can only imagine that in the future this gun will only increase in price.   The next issue is whether or not this gun can "replace" the stiker-fired gun that rides on almost everyone's "pracitical" shooting rig.  My answer to this is "no."  But this isn't because the 1911 isn't a suitable platform, and it isn't because the STI Spartan is not a quality firearm.  STI makes some great firearms, and their weapons are touted as being some of the "tightest fitting" on the market.  Most shooters are super excited over this fact, because it means that STI's guns are more accurate and feel more crisp every time the weapon cycles.  But the downfall of having a tighter fit gun is that as it gets dirty, it will fail sooner than a gun with a loose fit.  Although the Spartan I've been shooting is not super tight, I feel confident suggesting that in a pure torture test, the Spartan will begin to experience failure sooner than a high end "combat fitted" 1911 (such as those from Wilson or Nighthawk) based on its accuracy/competition oriented fit.  The Spartan is a great starter 1911 and a great addition to anyone's safe purely in terms of the amount of gun you get for your money; I'd suggest that the STI Spartan is the BEST VALUE 1911 on the market for under $1200.00.

If you are a tinkerer, you might consider the following: 

·         Swapping out the mainspring housing to a metal one or one with a magwell - although there's nothing wrong with the factory part, swapping out the mainspring housing allows you to add a magwell or slightly beveled opening as well as get a more aggressive texture pattern to increase grip stability. 

·         Swapping out the front sight - although the front sight is perfectly fine to begin with, Dawson Precision makes a skinnier, "cleaner" front sight that you can add on to the gun which allows for a more appealing sight picture.

·         Swapping out the magazine release spring to a lighter one.

·         Trying out some lighter recoil springs to see how the gun feels during recoil - I found that the 9mm model needs a slightly lighter spring (8-9lbs) to function reliably with real light loaded 9mm.

·         Polishing the firing pin retainer and the Hammer guide in the slide.  Although the parts fit perfectly from the factory, some added stoning and polishing can produce a real smooth feel when working the guns slide.

·         Adding some grip tape to the front strap of the grip.