Teach me about STI guns

[NGCSUGrad09]

Let's talk followers for STI mags. I picked up some Gen 2 magazines, but they had the older followers. As STI guns have mainly been competition guns before, locking the slide back wasn't always the biggest priority.

As I discovered, these new mags were extremely inconsistent with locking and holding back the slide compared to the three that came with the gun. Upon further discovery there is a Gen 2 follower as well, which is supposed to improve locking the slide back.





After taking a new mag and old mag apart, I can immediately see the difference. A few days later the new followers made it and so far seem to be working ok in locking the slide back.

Can you spot which one of these is not like the others?

[OldRunner/CSAT Neighbor]

Dead center NGCSU & TY for the update.

[NGCSUGrad09]

Over 2500 rounds already and still in love. It is very easy to just keep shooting and shooting and shooting. I cleaned after about 1200 rounds but am going to keep going to see if it gets bad (but will add a little lube as needed).

I did order a replacement rear with a tighter gap to try, as the thinner front sight leaves a lot of open space up front. Will try it out once it arrives and report back.

[porkster]

Been curious about the basepads on the 126mm magazines. I see some with the scallop cut and some with lines/ridges.

Buddy of mine picked up a 2020 Staccato P with 10 round 126mm mags and all of them came with the lines/ridges.

Not a big deal but he preferred the look of the scallop cut with the matching cut in the magwell.

I didn't see where you could pick up different factory baseplates either.

[RAM Engineer]

Quality & Reliability aside, all these rolling changes with their compatibility issues have made me hesitant.

[Artemas2]

Quality & Reliability aside, all these rolling changes with their compatibility issues have made me hesitant.

As far as I am concerned, the 2020 staccato is a different gun than what was tested and promoted last year.

[RAM Engineer]

As far as I am concerned, the 2020 staccato is a different gun than what was tested and promoted last year.

But they're still changing baseplates and mag releases, and probably other parts as well. I get updating parts. Every company does it. But there sounds like a lot of compatibility issues between generations of guns, followers, mag releases, mag wells, base plates, etc.

[theJanitor]

But they're still changing baseplates and mag releases, and probably other parts as well. I get updating parts. Every company does it. But there sounds like a lot of compatibility issues between generations of guns, followers, mag releases, mag wells, base plates, etc.

I have a hard time believing that all the changes (the names, even) in the past year or so is just marketing. There are too many changes to a "duty ready" group of pistols to make me feel confident.

And there are a flurry of builders who, all of a sudden, say they can build a reliable 2011. Is the magic in the mags, or with the gunsmith? If it's in the mags, then putting new mags in old 2011's should make them run, or paying Chambers, NH, or Atlas to build a pistol is a waste. If the magic lies with the gunsmith, then why haven't they been able to make them run in the years prior? If there needs to be changes to both, then the old 2011's are useless? There are just too many scenarios that discount proven gunsmiths or current production claims.

With 1911's, I use Wilson or Tripp mags as the gauge. If the gun won't run with those mags, the gun is wrong. It's a nice place to start evaluating the pistol. Looking at @Duke 's pile of mags makes me thing there's no good starting point with the 2011.

I still want to get on this train. but I guess I'll wait, like I have for years

[psalms144.1]

I started out with a Staccato C Duo, primarily because I wanted a smallish, carry-ready 1911, and I just wanted something different from my DW CCO. Took mine to the range the last two weekends, round count at this point is about 600, mostly M882 ball, with 100 rounds of older Federal "Classic" 147 JHP, 50 rounds of Speer G2 147 gr, 50 rounds of A260 147gr JHP, 50 rounds of Winchester Ranger 147 bonded JHP, and 50 rounds of Speer 124 Gold Dot +P. It shoots flat and soft, as one would expect in a 28 ounce 9mm.

Accuracy is fine, though I feel like having shot exclusively 1911s for the last several months has spoiled me to the point where I'm not as "wowed" with the accuracy as if I'd just come off a stint of shooting Glocks. Reliability has been 100% with three factory mags and two Wilson 10 round "compact" extended mags.

The factory IWB holster is meh at best - excessively bulky due to it being "ambidextrous," and the adjustable cant has a limited range of adjustment. Once I decide on a light to mount (torn between the TLR7A and TLR8A-G), I'll pay to have a real holster made, for now I'm making due.

My only grip about the gun is the coolio tactical relief on the trigger guard, ostensibly so one can get one's support hand 1/16" higher on the grip. For ME, this leads to a very sharp point that frequently stabs my strong hand social finger on the draw. If this were a Glock or other $400 gun, I'd take out my flat files and sanding block and make that point go away, but I'm not going to do that on a $1600+ gun before I'm sure I'm keeping it forever.

All in all, it's a really good pistol, I'm just not sure it's $400 better than a DW Vigil CCO. I guess the optics mounting system makes up that price; I just haven't jumped into the pistol RDS boat yet...

[jbrimlow]

I have a hard time believing that all the changes (the names, even) in the past year or so is just marketing. There are too many changes to a "duty ready" group of pistols to make me feel confident.

And there are a flurry of builders who, all of a sudden, say they can build a reliable 2011. Is the magic in the mags, or with the gunsmith? If it's in the mags, then putting new mags in old 2011's should make them run, or paying Chambers, NH, or Atlas to build a pistol is a waste. If the magic lies with the gunsmith, then why haven't they been able to make them run in the years prior? If there needs to be changes to both, then the old 2011's are useless? There are just too many scenarios that discount proven gunsmiths or current production claims.

With 1911's, I use Wilson or Tripp mags as the gauge. If the gun won't run with those mags, the gun is wrong. It's a nice place to start evaluating the pistol. Looking at @Duke 's pile of mags makes me thing there's no good starting point with the 2011.

I still want to get on this train. but I guess I'll wait, like I have for years

How much of the 'new builders' is just more visibility by aiming at new markets? There are (and have been) lots of good competition gun builders out there. Atlas's claim to fame has always been building reliable competition guns without a super long wait. Lots of others are just starting to focus on the tactical/(high end) duty market. NH and Chambers haven't been doing competition 2011s AFAIK.