STI Spartan III & IV questions

[claricSTi]

Well I am on the hunt for a new handgun and am seriously considering a spartan. I originally wanted to buy a m&p shield but decided to wait until they are more readily available. I have always wanted a 9mm 1911 and know STI has great customer service. Since I will be using this for a ccw as well, I figured the 4" would be a good bet. I had no idea they even made a 3" until today. I have always heard that the 3" 1911s were troublesome but that short barrel does intrigue me.

You folks have any inight on this? Will the 4" be more reliable than the 3"? It seems the spartan in general gets really great reviews

 

[1911master]

I had a Spartan 3 inch 9mm. Before I let it go I shot 150 rounds of different HPs. The only problem I had was 3 failures to feed and all were solved by hitting the magazine base really hard. I liked the pistol just something else came up like a Springfield XDs. You got to love the 45.

 

[grwd]

the 9mm spartans are a lil sloppy.
1911master is right; If Im EVER going to trust my life to a $500 1911, it will not be in anything other than 45acp due to reliability of the cartridge as compared to others.

 

[JD8]

If you want a short 9mm 1911, get an EMP. You won't be sorry.

 

[claricSTi]

I would love to get an EMP but they are way out of my price range.

I have also had multiple xd's, m&p's and a few RIA's. 1911master, sadly I do enjoy .45's but I just can't afford to shoot as much. The cost of ammo has led me to sell off any .45 that I have owned so I will not be making that mistake again. For the amount of rounds I like to shoot, a 9mm is my only option. I typically go shoot every week and the cost of .45 was getting rediculous.

I wish .45 was more wallet friendly because there is a ton of great options in the 600-700 range.

I have also seen that kimber makes a pro carry ii in 9mm which can be had around $700 depending on where you buy it.

So maybe a 1911 isn't in my cards. I have used them extensively and really prefer the layout but refuse to buy another .45 and have it sit around the house. Hmmmm

I have always liked cz's and can always grab a p-01 or the likes but would really like to get back into another 1911. I just like the way the handle, shoot and the customization aspect of the platform. I will still be picking up a shield when they aren't priced higher than msrp and are readily available.

Thanks for the heads up guys, I know 9mm 1911 can be finicky but had seen mainly all positive reviews on the spartan as long as it was mated with the right mag

 

[Roarak]

You may consider taking the money from your next gun purchase and invest in a reloading setup. You could get a nice progressive press and be all setup for 9mm and 45acp for under 600.

I do like the Spartans though. Never played with a 3 or 4 inch.

 

[claricSTi]

Man, I am really up in arms now. I am seeing some nice p229 elites for not much higher than $700 and know that the kimber pro carry ii's run around that.

There seems to be so much back and forth info on 9mm 1911's and some love and hate the combo. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that 1911's are made for .45, so that is sticking in the back of my mind. I do not currently have a handgun that I would defend myself with and while I do plan to buy a shield down the line, I would like to know that any gun I owned was reliable.

I would love to reload but my time is cut very short these days (work full-time, still take online college classes and am lead singer in a gigging band). Hopefully one day when things calm down I could start reloading. There are some absolutely gorgeous sig 1911's around $700 that really temp me to go with a .45, I just don't want another gun that sits there and gets looked at instead of shot.

I guess I could always buy another .45 and also buy the shield down the road and then I could esentially have the best of both worlds. I have no problem shooting .45 and always liked the caliber and know it is a solid self defense round. Just not sure which way I want to go now.

Choices so far would be
STi Spartan IV- 600
SIG P229 Elite- 700+
Kimber Pro Carry ii- 700-800
CZ P-01 - 575

Those are all 9mm, if I did decide to switch my thinking and go back to a .45 then a whole line of different guns would come into play. I have to be honest, lately I have not been shooting as much so maybe a .45 wouldn't be too bad and I could still get a 1911 like I've been lusting for. I have been hearing good things about the .22 conversions.

 

[gunmut]

I have two Spartan IVs in 45 and one Spartan III in 9mm, they are all very good 1911s. The fit of frame to slide is good and I really like the trigger and hammer.
I paid $650+ for each of them and I am not sorry...