Well, I completed the 1911 section of my gunsmith training, and my head is now crammed with more information about the 1911 than I thought it could hold. I've talked before about the problems I had with my Taurus PT1911. Well, I turned my new found knowledge on it, and I wasn't happy with what I started finding out. Of the various function and safety tests taught in the course, my PT1911 failed several. Including some serious ones. So, I packed it up and went shopping.
You may think I'm crazy for trading a gun I've never even fired, but after all the troubles I had with it right out of the box, and the bad experience I had with what Taurus calls customer support, this was the last straw. I've simply lost all confidence in the gun. Now I know, and have spoken with, a number of people who have PT1911's and are very happy with them. That's why I bought it. I don't know. Maybe I just got a lemon. Maybe it was just a bad batch. Or maybe the guy who made it down there in Brazil was sucking up too much jungle juice that day. Doesn't matter, I decided it had to go.
I've made no secret of the fact that I'm a revolver person. They are just inherently more reliable. Fewer things to go wrong. But I've always wanted a 1911, and was determined to replace the PT1911 with another model. Now that I've had this years encounter with 'you get what you pay for', I checked with the accountant (wife) to see if there were adequate funds in the budget to bypass the cheap guns, and get something good.
I went to this one particular local gun store, because the owner there has a reputation for giving fair value on trade ins. He's not looking to rip people off. I looked at several 1911's they had in stock. A Smith & Wesson, a Para, and a couple of others. But one in particular grabbed my attention. They showed me an
STI Ranger II. This gun impressed the hell out of me. It passed every test I ran on it, with flying colors. Of course, the other thing that opened my eyes was the price tag. But then, I was determined to buy a GOOD gun, and it wasn't that much more expensive then the other higher grade guns. It came down to how much they'd give me for my Taurus door stop. I was presently surprised when he offered me $425 for it. More than I expected to get. I only paid $490 for it new,so my net loss was $65.
So the I came home with the
STI. As I said, everything about this gun is impressive. The fit and finish really catches your eye. It screams precision. The slide is so tight, there is no perceptible play in it. Yet it moves like glass. On the Taurus, when I'd stick a dowel in the bore and wiggle it around, the barrel and the bushing slopped all over. On this gun, there is NO motion whatsoever. It acts like the barrel is welded to the frame. And what a barrel. Look at the pics and you'll see that the barrel is nearly 3/4 inches at the bore. You'll also note it's a bushingless design, with STI's RecoilMaster two stage recoil spring assembly. Reportedly this really tames felt recoil. Closer examination yields other differences from the
GI standard pistol. The barrel has an extended, one piece feed ramp, which is polished like a mirror. The area where the lower feed ramp normally lives in the frame of a conventional 1911 has been cut out to accept it. Then I got the action. I put my trigger pull gauge on it. 3 1/2 pounds. Over and over. And no felt creep. None. Apply pressure and it simply breaks. Yet the sear engagement is positive and it remains solidly coked no matter what you do to it. The polymer trigger virtually eliminates any chance of hammer surge. I've read where some people complain about the
STI guns having 'cheap' plastic triggers. Who cares? For a 3 1/2 pound trigger pull out of the box, I'll take it. My Taurus was 6 pounds by the way. Can't wait to shoot this puppy. Which of course will be the true test. I know for a fact that looks can be deceiving, so I won't be able to really pass on it until its seen some action. But the expectations are high.
If I sound like a kid with a new toy, you're right. I am distinctly NOT wealthy, and my gun collection is small. I've never owned a piece in the class of this gun. It's like someone who's used to driving Yugo's their whole life getting their first Mercedes.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that
STI guns are American made, down there in the Lone Star State. Except for trivial parts like pins and springs, they are made 100% in house at their Goergetown, Texas facility. This is becoming more and more of a plus for me these days.
