Any of you have them? How do you like them? Post up some pics. I’m trying to decide on one.
This is my Limited gun, it was first built as a very heavy 10mm by pistolsmith Tim Bacus of Bacus Custom. Later the original owner then built it into a .40S&W and used a Schuemann AET barrel. When I bought it from the original owner that’s how it was configured. I shot it that way for a little while. Later I developed ‘tennis elbow’ in my left elbow. So then I started shooting much lighter weight guns like Glocks and M&Ps in competition. I later had pistolsmith Kevin Greeley of www.greeleycustom.com do some drastic work on it. He shorted the frames dust cover, did the Browning Hi-Power type cuts on the muzzle end of the slide, milled lightening ports on the top of the slide and milled off all the cocking serrations. He then milled some cocking serrations of the very back end of the slide. It shoots very flat even flatter than a 9mm Glock 17 when using my 180gr Atlanta Arms .40 long ammo (OAL=1.180") which does make Major power factor for USPSA. I’ll be ditching the fiber front sight soon, I’m finding that I shoot plain black sights more accurately than I do fiber w/o being any slower especially since now the muzzle barely lifts while shooting. With fiber I sometimes see the dot and pull the trigger too soon resulting in high hits on the target because I’m focusing on the dot and not the sight alignment of the metal of the sights.
I owned a custom STI 2011 built by the top pistolsmith of that genre. Mine was set up for defense but unfortunately it proved to be the worst gun I have ever owned. After multiple trips back to the builder and lots of wasted time/money at the range, it never ran right and had multiple issues. On the bright side, it was a really racy looking single shot pistol!
That said, many others I have been around have had great service out of their STI’s. I may have just been the victim of tolerance stackups since mine was built from the parts of two low mileage donor guns. Allegedly, this should be a non-factor but I remain skeptical. With either, I would be prepared to do some tuning and troubleshooting to get it perfect.
I have four STIs, all 9mm Tactical Light models with the alloy frame, two with 5" barrels and two with 4.15" barrels. I understand that STI makes this model only with a steel frame now. Two or three of the four had to go back to Dawson Precision for work on extractors and chambers, but then came back perfect. The four each have anywhere from 2000-3500 rds through them. I trust them as carry/home defense guns.
I just wish the mags weren’t so expensive (about $64, even more if they’re tuned). Also the OEM mag springs on mine seem to weaken quickly. I’ve replaced them twice in 3 years.
These guns are capable of great accuracy even at speed relatively speaking.
But based on my experience, if you expect them to work perfectly out of the box, you may be disappointed.
What is your anticipated use if you buy one?
And which model are you considering? I think all the 2011s are made in-house in the Georgetown, Texas plant, but some of the single-stack models (and other guns) are made by other folks in other places and are then sold as STIs.
I had the “Semi-Custom” from Brazos Custom GunWorks and shot Limited and L-10 with it for three years & 22,000 rounds. Not exactly a factory S_I. I got rid of it to help fund a couple AR’s, and a slight change in my shooting “philosophy.”
That thing was smooth as a baby’s bottom. The only problem I ever had with it was that I kept breaking the front sight off. It digested everythin I fed it with no hiccups.
I didn’t do anything special to it except for Bob’s grip tratment. Even though three years later the stippling was still very nice, I probably wouldn’t drop the extra $$ on it now. I just like the feel of Tru Grip that much more.
Unfortunately I don’t have any photos with me but it looked like the one on his website. When I finally did sell it it was still shooting 1-ragged-hole groups at 50 feet with my reloads.
Here is the 9mm 2011 that I built:
That is an older picture, before I fit the grip safety and ambi safety.
It is probably the most accurate centerfire pistol I have. It is a fast shooter and has been 100% once I worked out which recoil spring to use.
If you want a gun for games, you can get a gun that was designed for playing games.
If you want a gun for fighting, get a gun that was designed for fighting. The 2011 does not meet that standard.
I 100% agree. The STI is like a Indy car. It’s great on race day, but it doesn’t make a good reliable daily driver. 
I dated some chicks like that in college …
I can’t stand those huge magwells on the 1911’s.
My neighbor has about 15 of em in damn near every configuration imaginable, and for every type of competition out there. That is all he will shoor for pistols. He refuses to shot anything polymer cause it “gives him a rash”, which is fine by me as I am getting a G34 with custom stipled grip (along with a ton of other internal work) and 6 17rnd mags for $600 and a M&P9 FS with four mags and a burwell trigger for $400.
-DM-
I enjoy my SV limited gun and my STI open gun.
Having said that, they are indeed game guns and I would never rely on them for defense purposes.
STI just brought out 2011 6inch tactical model in 10mm! As a thought excercise it sounds good;
Most powerful cartridge: 10mm
Longest barrel: 6 inches
Tactical feature: Light Rail on full dust cover
Mag capacity:17 to 22 rounds
All together it looks kind of odd.
To me it does look better than regular dust cover 6inch 1911s. They just end up looking too long in the nose.
I have both an SV and an STI race gun. Have to agree with everyone that these are purpose built guns for racing. Their reliability when they get real dirty starts to go down in a hurry making them less than desireable for a self defense gun. For fighting guns, I’ll stick to my Glocks 1st and foremost with a 1911 not far behind.
I have my Glocks 9mm, .40, 10mm and a XD45 so I have most of my self defense guns. I want to start shooting comp and would like to have fun playing with the big stuff.
I have two SVIs, and love them. If you have the cash, then I would highly recommend ordering directly from SVI. They build it exactly the way you want it, and their customer service is excellent. Most of STI guns are pretty standard, you will have to see a smith for any custom work. The STI route may be a little cheaper. If you decide to go that route, you should contact this guy:
He does not sell STIs, but will work on them. His prices are extremely reasonable, and his turnaround time is pretty fast.
FWIW,
I have owned about 6 different SVI’s.
They were all built by Sandy Strayer to Terran Butler’s specs that he gave to Sandy.
They are “HOSE MONSTERS” especially w/ 140 MM tubes and ARREDONDO +2, BUT I would not use them in Combat.
I have a Tripp Research gun built by Larry Vickers, when i showed him the gun at a recent class his first words to me were “Dude,does it run”. The short answer is no. This is an extremely accurate gun and works great in a clean environment but running it hard in a class revealed its short comings. In subsequent classes i have run a Glock 19 with no problems and Larry just gave me a knowing smile. 
Cheers Larry.
Nevermind this post.
Nice looking pistol.