Well, it seems that I have been successfully marketed to, so my Heavy 10 must go. Love the gun, but I see a Springfield 10mm in my future. Some of you may recall the write up I did of this pistol. It's a great gun, and I want it to go to a good home.

I am the second owner of this pistol. It has seen about 1250 rounds since it was built.

The following is a description the original owner gave to me:

"The STI Work Order date as printed on the tag on the factory case is 9-9-15. If I remember correctly. This model pistol was never advertised or listed by STI in the catalog as an available model for sale. I called Zane Maddox at STI Customer Service with the serial number to confirm what the selling STI dealer was telling me before purchasing the pistol. Zane confirmed that only 24 were built and gave me the reason as to why they were built."

Details:
:: Finish is a matte black Cerakote. Nothing fancy, but well done and evenly finished.

:: Heine "Ledge" sights.

:: 5" Government length, full-length dustcover and square trigger guard.

:: Full-length guide rod.

:: Grips are STI-branded wood grips with a coarse checkered pattern [a la VZ "frag" pattern.

I love this gun, but my needs have changed for a 10mm 1911 and I need to put this up for auction in order to fund another one. This is a chance to have a very rare STI that will probably never be built again.

This gun comes with the factory case and one factory 8 round magazine [NOT the 10 rounder in the photos].

Price is $1650 + shipping. Just email me at edcholster@gmail.com or call/text @ 434.242.1067 if you have any questions [I am located in Virginia]. I'm pretty firm on the price, since I am going to turn the funds directly into another 1911... but if you have an offer in mind, feel free to contact me. The worst I can do is politely decline.

There are a couple of members here who expressed an interest in this gun if I were ever to sell, so here's your chance.


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Gen 4 G20 w/ Underwood 135 gr. One spare reload.

I would say about the same. By the end of my session, it was not uncommon to have a three-shot group as one ragged hole. Much of it also is me trying to get used to an optic on a pistol... and me doing my part.

So I was finally able to get some personal time with my new G40 MOS + Burris FastFire 3. And there was much rejoicing!

I promised a detailed report when I really got to wring the gun out... unfortunately, this ain't it: I only had time to zero the gun + run just a handful of drills... not even 100 rounds. However, I will make some time to give it a proper shake down very soon, particularly at distance and under the duress of a timer.

That being said, this first date was definitely a good one. Just for some exposition: my typical carry gun is a Gen4 Glock 20, which I shoot + with which I train quite a bit. There were some expectations on how the XL Glock would handle. Suffice to say, there were few surprises.

It's All About Balance
One of my range buddies admonished me before I bought the G40. "It's too front heavy," he stated, "I didn't like it." I consider my good friend Bob an RKI [Reasonably Knowledgable Individual] in all things that go boom and slice. He is also a big Glock shooter + certified armorer, so his words were not lost on me when I placed my order. He was not wrong. Out of the Tupperware, the big Glock was notably front heavy. It wasn't unreasonable, but it definitely had some weight on the pointy end. However, once loaded with 15 fat, fast and angry rounds, its front-end bias disappeared. Adding the mounting plate + optic made little difference, weight-wise. Besides, for the kind of shooting I do, the weight "penalty" is hardly a liability. I also suspect that many serious 10mm shooters are not necessarily weight-adverse, so I don't really see it as an issue.

Cannon Fodder
I brought three types of factory ammo with me:
:: Sellier + Bellot 180 grain FMJ
:: Double Tap 180 grain FMJ
:: Sig Sauer Elite Performance 180 grain FMJ

Like all my other Glocks, this one ran fine with nary a hiccup. No stoppages or malfunctions; like the proverbial sewing machine. I don't own a chrony, so I don't have any hard numbers for ballistic data. But from a totally unscientific and amateur impression, the Double Tap was the lightest load [surprising], the S+B just a little warmer [but still very light], and the Sig was the stoutest. All things being relative, each load was a complete pussycat. It was like cheating.

I will try some Underwood 200 and HPR 180 next time out and let you know how it handles the really hot stuff. The Double Tap almost felt too soft... it felt like it barely had enough energy to function in the big boy. It did, but it was very light.

Accuracy
After I had the gun zeroed to my liking, I decided to run short-range, trigger control drills from 5-7 meters from the holster. I'm not exactly a space-shuttle-door-gunner-ninja behind the trigger... but for fundamentals, I like to [strive for] consistent five-shot, one-hole groups on 3x5 cards or even running Dot Torture. After a few strings, I stretch out the distance and wick up the presentation speed. I am also interested in intrinsic accuracy. I plan on benching the gun on the next trip and seeing how I do at 25 to 50 meters. I know how I do with irons, so I'm looking forward to trying it with the Burris up top.

Frankly, I'm still more accurate/ faster [on pistol] with iron sights... that's how I started many moons ago. However, I only really ran this gun for an hour or so and I did not have my shot timer. Given some more time and I anticipate that running an MRDS on a pistol is akin to transitioning from irons to an RDS on a carbine: target acquisition, speed and repeatable accuracy goes up, period. As my session wore on, I could feel myself settling into red dot mode as I started getting a more rapid sight picture and thusly, faster on the trigger. IMHO [and taking into account my personal training experience], running a red dot optic gives you a distinct advantage over iron sights, particularly in close quarters or an "action shooting" sport situation. It's certainly arguable and it may not be a 100% solution, but I can't really disagree with my personal results. Besides, all the cool kids run MRDSs on their pistols...

Handling
I was working from a Kydex AIWB rig that I fabricated myself [my typical mode for concealed carry]. Interestingly, the G40 is passable as an EDC if you are committed enough. It wore fine and it's not like there's a concealment penalty because of the full-sized grip. Would I recommend it? Probably not. That is one long gun and that extra length down your pants would get pretty old, pretty quick. Since most folks tend to carry strong-side OWB, I would say that it is doable, but not necessarily practical [depending on one's day-to-day routine]. I could totally see it as a trail gun in the boonies, though. YMMV.

However, the target acquisition speed is where the MRDS shines. I will run a timer on the next range trip and see how I do. To be fair, I am still learning this gun/optic combination, so I know my times are/will be slower at first. Currently, with my G20, I average about 1.60-1.75 seconds from concealment and putting a round in the "A" zone of an IDPA target at 7 meters. I suspect that those times will drop sooner rather than later, so I am interested in the learning curve.

Summary
Overall, I would recommend this set up if someone is thinking about it. It is quick handling, accurate and speedy. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it has some real advantages over iron sights and it's a surprisingly practical setup. If you have been thinking about going this route, it's worth consideration. There may be some learning involved, but it will be knowledge well-earned.

I have no experience with RIA, but I've heard good things... especially for the $$$. It's hard to argue with the price. The single stack STI Nitro 10 is a good one; they can still be found for about $1500 on GunJoker. STI makes a very good 1911.

The Sig TacOps 10mm is around $1k. I was very close to buying one before I found my STI.

Good hunting!

Ta-Daaaa!!!! It has arrived...

One of my friends owns a gun shop, so I just went ahead and ordered one [at cost!]. Picked up the Burris FF3 directly from Burris through their Industry Discount program [50% off MSRP if you are an NRA-certified instructor]. I have an Eotech MRDS [which is what I really wanted to put on there], but the power button is occluded by the rear sight... so no joy there. I like the Burris so far, but time will tell how it holds up to repeated use.

I also fabbed up an OWB holster for it w/ a SF X300U [I'm such a tacti-nurd], because I want to want to drill with the gun and see how I like using a RDS on a pistol [I use them on my carbines, so I figured... why not give it a try? All the cool kids are doing it ]. My primal fear is that I will really like it... and we all know where that leads.

For shits + giggles, I also fabbed up an AIWB rig for it [senseless, as I never intend to carry it]. Surprisingly, it carries rather well... it's not much worse than carrying a full sized 1911 [which I will do for awhile, until I regain my senses and put my Glock back on ]. It definitely makes its presence known [saying "Hello" to Larry, Moe and Curly down there]. But even with the optic, it can certainly be carried well. I probably wouldn't advise it, but hey... it's 'Murica.

Sadly, no range report yet... I will be out of town the rest of the week with family and there will be no time/opportunity to shoot. However, I hope to run the gun hard in the next couple of weeks and will have something to report. I can admit that I'm totally like a little kid that gets the new toy, but can't play with it yet.



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Quote from: Detour66 on August 29 2016 09:36:51 PM MDT
Just got my FF3 mounted on my Glock 40 MOS 10mm lastnight.  Mounting was dead easy.  Took it to the range today and the groups I shot at 30 yards were amazing.

Hey Detour,

Did you need to do anything special to get your FF3 mounted (shortening screws, etc.), or did you just use the supplied hardware and plates? Thx!

Welcome! Good people on here, C-1!

Excellent choice + welcome to the world of 10mm.
The Gen 4 G20 is a great pistol; enjoy!

Gen 4 G20 + G29, fully stock.
No issues... weaker stuff or Underwood, it all runs.

:: Gen 4 Glock 20 (in Unruly Khaki) in an AIWB Kydex  rig of my own design (edcholster.net)
:: spare mag, support side
:: Underwood 135 gr.
:: SureFire Backup
:: el cheapo Buck folder, support side (for mundane cutting chores)
:: Emerson CQC Stubby, strong side (for social interaction)

This thread makes my wallet hurt...

Very good read. Thanks!

Quote from: dred on March 14 2017 06:53:39 PM MDT
Ron,

Embrace your hate of all things 1911.  It is ok to hate.  I can help.  When you are overwhelmed with self loathing and cleansing is your option ... send her to me.  I will hide them away in my 1911 Refugee Camp.  Then you can ridicule me for being ... one-of-them.

Thanks for the write-up.  Being unfamiliar with the Heavy 10, I had guessed it was a double stack.  And, seriously, if you can't find a way to love this pistol ... let me help.

I'll keep that in mind, dred! How magnanimous of you, lol.

Bat Rastard,

Are you sure you want to cut on the holster body? A few passes with a heat gun will open up the muzzle end of the kydex body, allowing you to slide the 40 in easily. Unless you want it shorter, of course. Also, I'd recommend a band saw for any cutting chores... it's more precise and gives you a bit more control.

Hth,
Ron