The Continuing Evolution  of the 1911   

Commander-Sized Poly 1911 45s:
Kimber, Wilson, and STI Face Off

In this test, 11 rounds of .45 ACP came in good, better, and best platforms according to price: Kimber Pro Ten II, $875; Wilson KZ 45 Compact, $1125; and the STI VIP, $1725.

The STI VIP is a Very Impressive Pistol, carried in this case by a tuxedo-clad very important person in the form of contributing editor Roger Eckstine. The VIP showed refinements developed on its stablemate, the 2011 full-size handgun.

IF you find the range in prices for the very similar guns described in the deck above to be shockingly wide, then you had the same reaction as our staff. After all, each gun has a polymer body. You know, plastic, the material that was supposed to reduce cost. But atop each plastic grip frame is the 1911 action, and as we have said before, this is a design that requires some real hands-on work to make it accurate and smooth. Even if you replace most of the work with a machine, there is still hand fitting, and those darned CNC mills are pretty expensive as well.

At $875, the Kimber Pro Ten II was the lowest priced of our three test guns. STI, which originally stood for Strayer-Tripp International, offers designs so advanced it refers to its line of Browning inspired pistols as 201 is. The VIP model is twice the price of the Kimber at $1,725. In the middle at $1125 is the KZ45 Compact from Wilson Combat, the first series of plastic guns to come out of the Berryville, Arkansas, shop and also their least expensive model.

Given the price range of these guns and the reputation of their manufacturers, we figured it would be a surprise if any of them malfunctioned. What we were looking for was any substantial difference in performance among the three. Also, we wanted to know if polymer played a key role in the success or failure of these pistols.

The VIP's sub-frame is alloy. This lowers overall weight and keeps metal-to-metal fit. The beavertail grip safety and the thumb safety levers are steel. The grip and trigger housing is one-piece polymer bolted to the frame.

   STI VIP 45 ACP, $1,725   

The STI VIP is a compact version of the 2011 pistol popular in Practical Shooting. The primary difference between Practical Shooting and other handgun sports is that elapsed time becomes part of the competitor's score. This sport does not involve simply standing and shooting at a stationary target within a specified time period. Rather, shoot targets must be identified by the competitor, organized into a pattern of engagement and scored upon in the fastest time possible.

So, what does the STI VIP 2011 pistol offer in the way of improvements over the standard 1911? Fundamentally, recoil control and increased capacity. In the STI system the slide mates to a metal sub-frame.

In the case of the VIP (unlike the STI competition models), this subframe is alloy. This lowers overall weight but still offers the advantage of a metal-to-metal fit. Controls such as the beavertail grip safety and the thumb safety levers however, are steel. The grip and trigger housing is one-piece polymer construction bolted to the frame. (The lower grip screw is strictly ornamental.) With this design the polymer section is subjected to less stress during firing but still offers the advantage of soaking up shock to the hand. Nearly the entire surface of the wide body grip was checkered. Despite having the widest grip in the test, the VIP was judged to be the most comfortable. The other two pistols seemed to draw undue pressure upon the shooter's hands at the front and rear of the grips. This lead to a sensation wherein the Wilson and Kimber grips actually felt hard. We think the STI's grip felt softer because it seated more evenly at all points within the hand. The trigger face itself is polymer to make it lighter and to some degree offers a self-lubricating surface. STI's full-size guns with steel sub-frames come in a variety of lengths including models that extend the dust cover all the way to the muzzle to place more weight up front and fight recoil.

COSMETICS Frame Finish Black Polymer MATERIALS Slide Steel Frame Alloy/Polymer Grip Polymer ADDITIONAL MEASUREMENTS Weight (Empty) 30 oz. Capacity 10+1 Trigger Pull Weight (DA) NA Trigger Pull Weight (SA) 6.0 lbs. Trigger Span (DA) NA Trigger Span (SA) 2.7 in. Safety Span 1.2 in. Width (MAX) 1.4 in. Grip Thickness (MAX) 1.3 in. Grip Circumference (MAX) 5.8 in. OTHER INFORMATION Warranty Lifetime Contact STI, (512) 819-0656 Very Impressive Pistol Could be what VIP Stands for. The STI VIP (center) is a compact version of guns like the STI Limited Division 40 S& W (left) and the STI Open Division .38 Super (right). Nearly the entire surface of the wide-body grip is checkered. Despite having the widest grip in the test, the VIP was judged to be the most comfortable. The guide rod is pushed forward to compress the recoil spring, and a tool is inserted, enabling you to remove this assembly as one piece.

Faced with building a carry gun such as the VIP, a reduction in overall weight became essential. Even when extended to just 0.8 inch from the muzzle the alloy dust cover does not have much effect on muzzle flip. Perhaps it is the weight of the bull barrel, the geometry of the frame, the superior grip, or a special guide rod assembly, but we thought the VIP recoiled noticeably less than our other two pistols.

A special tool is needed to break the gun down. We checked the supplied manual, but instructions specific to the VIP were not included. The VIP came in a little box with the pistol shrink-wrapped to show that no one had played with it since leaving final inspection. Under the foam was a form- fitting shim that was obviously meant to trap the com=pressed guide rod for removal. We found it very difficult to lock back the slide manually without inserting an empty magazine. Putting in a call to STI, we learned that the slot needed to be enlarged at the outer edge A simple flat file would do the trick. Removing the top end to clean and service the barrel and guide rod assembly begins with pulling back the slide to match the slide lock with the breakdown notch. With the lock removed, the slide moves forward off of the frame. The guide rod is pushed forward to compress the recoil spring, and a tool (in this case the custom shim) is inserted, enabling you to remove this assembly as one piece. The barrel can now be removed from the slide for cleaning. Of the three pistols, only the STI VIP utilizes a ramped barrel with fully supported chamber. This makes it better able to withstand higher pressure.

Other features include a flat-topped slide, relieved hammer and (Richard) Heinie snag free rear sight with serrated face. The front sight is dovetailed into place but was left without serration. We felt this made shooting accurately more difficult because the low mount front sight picked up glare from the top of the slide. There is no telling what kind of accuracy we could have  registered with only this simple modification applied to the VIP. As it turned out, the VIP, despite having the shortest barrel and slightly less sight radius, was the accuracy champ of this test. We were able to register several sub 2-inch groups at 25 yards with both the 200-grain Speer Gold Dot and 230-grain Winchester jacketed hollowpoints.

Oddly, our handloaded round produced chronograph results identical in the STI VIP and the Wilson KZ pistols. Velocity from the Kimber was also very close. But the VIP made the most of these rounds, pro ducing groups in the 2.6-to 2.7 inch range. A look at the velocity chart shows the Speer Gold Dot Hollowpoints produced the most muzzle energy in the KZ but the STI VIP nonetheless fired with the most accuracy, comfort, and control.

 Gun Tests Recommends     

• STI VIP, $1725. Our Pick.

Very Impressive Pistol could be what VIP stands for. We'd pay more to get this far up the pyramid of accuracy, capacity and control in a concealable package. Is it too costly? We think you'd be better served replacing your next two inevitable purchases with one VIP.

STI - Designed to Perform    

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