How do the STI 1911's compare to other production guns? Particularly the Lawman and Duty One types. How do those 2 compare to a TRP? What are the pros and cons of the Lawman and Duty One? I'm looking for a home defense/range gun for right now and once I get orders out of this aweful state (California) then it will be a home defense/range gun/CCW.

I have a Lawman.  Very nicely fitted pistol and is accurate.  Only think I don't like is the ramped bbl.  I personally don't care for the ramped bbls.  FYI, my one experience with their customer service was disappointing.  JD

I have a trojan that I shoot weekly. I feed it a steady diet of reloads and it runs like a sewing machine.

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Iirc the spartan (IMPORT) is the only one that uses a non-ramped bbl.

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I'd say they are every bit as good as a TRP.    They seem to consistently fit their barrels well, which, for me, is the heart of a good 1911 build.  Internal parts are decent enough that there's no real need to upgrade.   Their customer service knows what they're doing.

Thanks for the replies, guys. I have been wanting a TRP for a little while now and just starting looking at STI's products. Now I'm torn and will continue to research and figure out what I want while I talk my wife into getting another gun

haven't heard anything negative about em and am looking to get one myself.

I've got a dozen STI 1911s and 2011s and my experience with their pistols has been outstanding. Granted I'm an STI junkie, but I got hooked because of the quality. Their pistols are built with tight tolerances in the fit (the frames are hand fitted to the slides), have silky smooth cycling, very nice crisp triggers, and are VERY accurate. STI originally made their reputation building high end competition pistols and you see a lot of them (or custom guns built on STI platforms) at IPSC/USPSA matches and that quality and attention to detail runs through all their pistols. It unfortunate that an earlier post mentioned a bad experience with STI customer service. I realize on occasion even the best companies slip, but my experiences with their customer service guys (there have only been a few) over the years have been nothing short of exceptional. They are very proud of the guns they build and stand behind them with a lifetime warranty that travels with the gun. Doesn't matter if you are the first owner or the tenth owner, the gun is under warranty. I also like the fact that they specialize in 1911s and their guns (with the exception of the entry level Spartan) are made from start to finish in Georgetown, TX.

I carry an STI as my EDC as does my son and my wife. I also shoot them competitively in IDPA and in local league matches. There are a lot of good 1911s out there (Colt, Springfield, etc.), but STI has never given me a reason to try anything else.

Check out the STI thread at the 1911Forum.  
http://forums.1911forum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=44

I own a Trojan in .40, and it is by far the most accurate pistol I have owned, very tightly built pistol and smooth cycling with no issues

Thanks for the input, guys! The more I read, the more I want an STI. I've been cruising around the STI portion of the 1911Forum for about a week or so. I'm pretty sure I want to get a Lawman but not sure if I want a 4" or 5" version since this will be my everything pistol (HD/Range/CCW). I'm leaning towards the 5" mostly because I like the looks of the slide:frame length ratio a little better on a 5" 1911.

I'm going to be the voice of dissent, and say that the 1 STI that I've had was a complete lemon; even after sending back to STI. Sold it with full disclosure. No company is perfect, but STI is known to be a good company.



ETA: I do want to stress that the customer service that I receive on the lemon was excellent. If I'd not lost all faith in that pistol, I might have kept it and sent it back to STI to try and get right again.