Posted: 12/27/2009 3:21:51 PM EDT
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Which one should I go for? Both are virtually the same price for what I've found them offered for. I could either grab the Springfield from the shop tomorrow, or I can order the STI Spartan, and then along with it, a new slide and tritium night sights upgrade. I've researched and read good things about both, and right now about the only differences I can see are the sights, slide, finish, and beavertail.
Performance-wise, which would you say is a better buy? |
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That is not an apples to oranges comparasion.
The STI is a match grade gun with all the bells and whistles. 4 pound trigger pull, adjustible rear sight, fiber optic front. Which I too thought I would hate, but wait till you try it out in low light. 
vs the GI with a gi trigger pull and nothing on it. 
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I meant between the two guns, the beavertail was different.
Why change the slide? Because on the STI Spartan, I'm really iffy about these sights: 
So I'd much rather buy a new slide with the right cuts and throw on these sights to replace them: 
I plan on buying that exact 2011 later on anyway, but for now I'm only going with the single stack. I like how solid those sights in the second picture look, and I can get them with the tritium sights also, ending up with something like this: 
(While I'm at it, how the hell do you order shit from STI's site anyway? Every product page says "Find an FFL near you," even for parts you wouldn't need an FFL for.) You guys can continue with the comparitive notes between the SA and STI. I'd been set on the STI anyway, but the SA is readily available right from the shop. |
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Spartan has everything you need already installed.
Harrison Custom makes a fixed "hard use" rear sight to replace the Bo-mar style on the Spartan. But there's nothing wrong with the adjustables. The Mil-spec will need Novak Lo-mount sight cuts before you can use the sights you're wanting. |
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I've been running bo-mars for years on my Ltd gun. Never had them fail. I know some had to replace the "hinge pin" with a piece of drill rod.
You can get fixed sights that will match the Bo-Mar cut. edit one other thing the frame on the spartan line is cast. Which = a little less rounds down range before the frame is shot. |
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Quoted:
one other thing the frame on the spartan line is cast. Which = a little less rounds down range before the frame is shot. Elaborate please. The frame may give out at 80,000 rounds instead of the 100,000 rounds a forged frame might go. In my experience, the slide will usually crack long before the frame ever becomes a problem. |
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Frames are steel. They wear. Cast frames wear out a little faster than forged ones.
Slide to frame fit opens up faster on a cast frame over a forged unit. Now you can coat the frame and slide in something like hard chrome or ion-bond to extend the life a long time. How many rounds does it take I have no idea, I'm just going off of some older posts I read on BE. |
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I seriously doubt that today's cast frames have any appreciable shorter life than a forged frame does.
Cosmetically, they are not quite as pretty, but I tend to Gun-Kote everything these days anyways. I do understand that cosmetics means a lot more to some people than it does to me. All Caspian offers these days is cast frames. Most Hi-Power fans prefer the new cast frames. Other than cosmetic reasons, a cast frame is every bit the equal, if not superior to a forged frame. Shame it doesn't work that way for slides. |