STI International - Guns & Ammo Dec. 2003

Webmasters Note:

On November 20, 2003, STI International, Inc. acquired all of the physical and intellectual assets of Lone Star Armament. Click to read more

All parts mentioned in the Guns & Ammo December 2003 article will be upgraded to STI parts at no extra cost.

It was at the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers in Fort Worth, Texas, that I first laid eyes on the Lone Star Armament line of .45 autos. The particular specimen that caught my eye had obviously been designed to do just that. It sported a baked-on, two-tone polymer finish-light brown on top and olive drab on the bottom.

On top of that, it was loaded with the types of extras you'd expect from a 1911 in its Wilson-y price range - Nowlin match-grade barrel, McCormick beavertail grip and thumb safeties, presentation rosewood grips and Novak three-dot combat sights. And like most high-end 1911s out there, it featured a guide rod instead of the old plunger arrangement.

When I finally got a test sample of the same gun I was ogling at the NASGW Convention (it came, incidentally, in a nice wooden presentation case), I rounded up a bunch of .45 ACP ammo for the inevitable trip to the range. My final selection included Federal 165-grain FMI Expanding, Winchester Supreme 230-grain SXt; Black Hills 230-grain hardball and remanufactured "Blue Box" 200-grain SWC and Speer 185-grain GDHP.

The Lawman was a delight to shoot, featuring excellent sights and a very crisp trigger.

After setting up targets at 25 yards, I proceeded to shoot a series of five-shot groups with everything I had from a sandbagged rest. Although a Ransom Rest might have given better results, I value my range time too much to deliberately deal myself out of the shooting equation. Even so, I was mightily impressed with the Lone Star Lawman.

The best performers were the Federal, Winchester Supreme and ~Blue Box" Black Hills stuff. The Winchester Supreme and Federal loads stayed at around two inches or slightly under - always featuring three- and four-shot one-inch clusters. The Black Hills SWCs weren't as tight in aggregate, but they gave me enough "multiple shot" cloverleafs that I trued them at 50 yards and was rewarded with four-inch five shot-groups that invariably contained three-shot clusters at slightly more than an inch. Although I was obviously cursed by fliers, I was pretty happy with the gun's performance. The company guarantees 1 1/2-inch groups at 25 yards, and despite my failure to achieve that average, I don't doubt that mine would be capable of that in more capable hands (or from a Ransom Rest).

The trigger on my test sample, incidentally, broke at an exceptionally crisp four pounds with minimal take-up. That, combined with the justifiably popular Novak sights, contributed greatly to the results.

During the course of nearly 150 rounds, I experienced only two feeding mafunctions-both with the 165-grain Federal FMJ Expanding stuff. Neither appeared to be the fault of the eight-shot McCormick Power Mag; the gun was a bit tight and probably needed a more extensive "shoot-in" session than I was able to give it.

In a tactile sense, the fine frontstrap and backstrap checkering plus the flat housing configuration provided an excellent hold, and the extended beavertail spared me from hammer-bite (which I am very much prone to; double-action revolver shooting has left me with a propensity for the highest hold I can manage).

Three loads gave very good results at 25 yards-Winchester Supreme 230-grain SXT, Federal 165-grain FMJ Expanding, and Black Hills 200-grain SWC. The Black Hills loads also grouped well at 50 yards (above).

The Lone Star Lawman is in a class with the wilsons, Browns and high-end Kimbers and Springflelds. It's an exceptionally attractive 1911 that shoots.

-Payton Miller