STI Trojan - The Best 1911 for the Money
Stats
Manufacturer: STI
Model: Trojan 5.0 (Full Size 1911)
Price: $1100 MSRP
Calibers: 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, .38 Super (Others Available on Custom Order)
Barrel: Ramped Wilson / Nowlin Style Barrel with Standard Rifling
L ayout: F ull-Size Government 1911A1 High Grip Frame w/o Schwartz Safety
Stippling: STI "Chain Link" Front | Checkered Mainspring Housing
Guide Rod: Full Length One-Piece Steel
Spring Rate: 11 - 16# (9mm - .45 ACP)
Safety: External Extended RH Safety with High Grip Friendly Grip Safety
Capacity:
.45 - 7 Rounds Standard, 8 - 10 with Aftermarket Magazines
.40 - 8 Rounds Standard
9mm - 9 Rounds Standard, 9 - 10 with Aftermarket Magazines
.38 Super - 9 Rounds Standard
This is a tall claim, but I believe strongly that the STI Trojan is the best 1911 you can buy for the money. It's a completely US made, hand-built pistol made using quality materials made in-house by STI in Georgetown, TX.
The STI Trojan 5.0 is a standard full-size 1911 built on a government spec frame and slide. The slide and frame are milled from forged steel bar stock by several stages of CNC machining. They are dehorned and finished by hand prior to fitting, where a single gunsmith will fit the slide and frame by hand. Every STI I have handled, as a result, has had a phenomenal slide to frame fit. Very little, if any, deflection and a slick action. The slide glides like glass over the frame and helps to build a quality handling experience.
Yin-and-Yang 1911s ... pictured are my standard blued Trojan 5.0 in .45 ACP and my hard chromed Trojan 5.0 in 9mm Luger. Both are phenomenal pistols and definitely keepers. The hard chrome finish is an extra add-on that I highly recommend for hard-use pistols for IDPA, IPSC, and other competition events. The finish is extremely durable and greatly resists corrosion and holster wear. It's an additional cost, but definitely something to consider.
Normal to modern 1911s, the STI Trojan features a Commander style skeletonized hammer and a beavertail grip safety. The beavertail makes for a more comfortable and controllable shooting experience, while the lightweight hammer aids in reducing lock-time. The safety is single-sided and extended for easy manipulation and a great index point for placing your thumb. The rear sight is an adjustable STI rear sight.
The STI Trojan 5.0 does not have a Swartz safety. The Swartz safety was a safety designed by a Colt employee to prevent accidental discharge by blocking the firing pin from traveling forward when the grip safety was not activated. In the days of superior machining and improved hammer design it's become less and less of a necessity. Removing it gives a more simplistic mechanism of action, and thus, a more reliable one.
One topic of discussion with 1911s is the type of guide rod that is installed. I personally think the full length guide rod is a superior system. By creating a more linear spring compression you will get better life out of the springs and an improved response in spring rate. The downside is that the guns are "more difficult to strip" which I find to be nit-picky. In all honesty, both systems work and neither is prohibitively difficult to maintain. You don't need any additional tools to take apart the full-length system in the Trojan.
The barrel used in the STI Trojan 5.0 is a stainless steel, fully supported unit with Wilson / Nowlin style lugs and a ramped barrel. While most .45 ACP 1911s on the market use a throated barrel profile, STI sticks with the ramped design. The ramp is hand polished to a mirror shine which helps to improve feeding. The barrels offer great case support compared to a Glock or other "combat" style of pistol. This extends brass life, increases safety, and allows you to run marginally hotter loads if you so choose.
STI creates a nice semi-aggressive front "STIppling" that has a good look to it. It's nice to have some front strap texture to help mitigate gun movement during recoil. I personally find the 20 - 30 Lpi checkering to be far more aggressive and far more suitable, but the STIppling offers more than just the plain smooth front strap found on other pistols.
The Trojan, like all STI guns, has a great factory trigger. I've owned numerous STIs and shot a wide range of them and have always enjoyed their triggers. Sure, you can always make one better with some tuning, but for a mass produced pistol, they certainly aren't as hit and miss as say, Kimbers. It's got a little slack, a nice crisp break, and an adjustable overtravel stop integrated into the plastic trigger. Why plastic? ... it doesn't get hot, it's lighter than any metal, and it offers sufficient strength. It also has increased lubricity compared to a metal component which helps to reduce trigger drag at the frame.
One part of the pistol that STI does really well is the materials and production of the trigger components. I think this lends to the pistols having a very long lasting and repeatable trigger feel. Some other manufacturers use a lot of MIM (Metal Injection Molded) parts that are then finished and machined. STI starts with bar stock, and not just any bar stock, but high grade materials like titanium (for the struts) and S-7 tool steel (for the sears). The sear, hammer, and struts are all gold wire EDM (Electric Discharge Machining) cut. The co-usage of incredibly hard materials and finite machining processes is the measure of a great trigger setup.
Also pictured are the nice STI cocobola grips. They are a bit slick for hard use work, but they look good! I plan on replacing them with some VZ Operators or other suitable grips.
Stats
Manufacturer: STI
Model: Trojan 5.0 (Full Size 1911)
Price: $1100 MSRP
Calibers: 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, .38 Super (Others Available on Custom Order)
Barrel: Ramped Wilson / Nowlin Style Barrel with Standard Rifling
L ayout: F ull-Size Government 1911A1 High Grip Frame w/o Schwartz Safety
Stippling: STI "Chain Link" Front | Checkered Mainspring Housing
Guide Rod: Full Length One-Piece Steel
Spring Rate: 11 - 16# (9mm - .45 ACP)
Safety: External Extended RH Safety with High Grip Friendly Grip Safety
Capacity:
.45 - 7 Rounds Standard, 8 - 10 with Aftermarket Magazines
.40 - 8 Rounds Standard
9mm - 9 Rounds Standard, 9 - 10 with Aftermarket Magazines
.38 Super - 9 Rounds Standard
This is a tall claim, but I believe strongly that the STI Trojan is the best 1911 you can buy for the money. It's a completely US made, hand-built pistol made using quality materials made in-house by STI in Georgetown, TX.
The STI Trojan 5.0 is a standard full-size 1911 built on a government spec frame and slide. The slide and frame are milled from forged steel bar stock by several stages of CNC machining. They are dehorned and finished by hand prior to fitting, where a single gunsmith will fit the slide and frame by hand. Every STI I have handled, as a result, has had a phenomenal slide to frame fit. Very little, if any, deflection and a slick action. The slide glides like glass over the frame and helps to build a quality handling experience.
Yin-and-Yang 1911s ... pictured are my standard blued Trojan 5.0 in .45 ACP and my hard chromed Trojan 5.0 in 9mm Luger. Both are phenomenal pistols and definitely keepers. The hard chrome finish is an extra add-on that I highly recommend for hard-use pistols for IDPA, IPSC, and other competition events. The finish is extremely durable and greatly resists corrosion and holster wear. It's an additional cost, but definitely something to consider.
Normal to modern 1911s, the STI Trojan features a Commander style skeletonized hammer and a beavertail grip safety. The beavertail makes for a more comfortable and controllable shooting experience, while the lightweight hammer aids in reducing lock-time. The safety is single-sided and extended for easy manipulation and a great index point for placing your thumb. The rear sight is an adjustable STI rear sight.
The STI Trojan 5.0 does not have a Swartz safety. The Swartz safety was a safety designed by a Colt employee to prevent accidental discharge by blocking the firing pin from traveling forward when the grip safety was not activated. In the days of superior machining and improved hammer design it's become less and less of a necessity. Removing it gives a more simplistic mechanism of action, and thus, a more reliable one.
One topic of discussion with 1911s is the type of guide rod that is installed. I personally think the full length guide rod is a superior system. By creating a more linear spring compression you will get better life out of the springs and an improved response in spring rate. The downside is that the guns are "more difficult to strip" which I find to be nit-picky. In all honesty, both systems work and neither is prohibitively difficult to maintain. You don't need any additional tools to take apart the full-length system in the Trojan.
The barrel used in the STI Trojan 5.0 is a stainless steel, fully supported unit with Wilson / Nowlin style lugs and a ramped barrel. While most .45 ACP 1911s on the market use a throated barrel profile, STI sticks with the ramped design. The ramp is hand polished to a mirror shine which helps to improve feeding. The barrels offer great case support compared to a Glock or other "combat" style of pistol. This extends brass life, increases safety, and allows you to run marginally hotter loads if you so choose.
STI creates a nice semi-aggressive front "STIppling" that has a good look to it. It's nice to have some front strap texture to help mitigate gun movement during recoil. I personally find the 20 - 30 Lpi checkering to be far more aggressive and far more suitable, but the STIppling offers more than just the plain smooth front strap found on other pistols.
The Trojan, like all STI guns, has a great factory trigger. I've owned numerous STIs and shot a wide range of them and have always enjoyed their triggers. Sure, you can always make one better with some tuning, but for a mass produced pistol, they certainly aren't as hit and miss as say, Kimbers. It's got a little slack, a nice crisp break, and an adjustable overtravel stop integrated into the plastic trigger. Why plastic? ... it doesn't get hot, it's lighter than any metal, and it offers sufficient strength. It also has increased lubricity compared to a metal component which helps to reduce trigger drag at the frame.
One part of the pistol that STI does really well is the materials and production of the trigger components. I think this lends to the pistols having a very long lasting and repeatable trigger feel. Some other manufacturers use a lot of MIM (Metal Injection Molded) parts that are then finished and machined. STI starts with bar stock, and not just any bar stock, but high grade materials like titanium (for the struts) and S-7 tool steel (for the sears). The sear, hammer, and struts are all gold wire EDM (Electric Discharge Machining) cut. The co-usage of incredibly hard materials and finite machining processes is the measure of a great trigger setup.
Also pictured are the nice STI cocobola grips. They are a bit slick for hard use work, but they look good! I plan on replacing them with some VZ Operators or other suitable grips.
