I like 1911’s and have carried them personally and professionally for many years. I don’t like 2011’s, because I don’t think they are reliable. Watching USPSA shooters disassemble their mags after every stage, brush them out, and wipe them with dry lube so they might run for the next stage, pretty much turned me off to them. The Army’s attempt a few years ago to make them work for real use only confirmed my position.
Enter the Stacatto CS. It uses a completely redesigned magazine, along the lines of everyone else’s 9mm mags, rather than the 38 super mags of the normal 2011’s. It has a smaller grip because of it too. A redesigned recoil system, lube grooves and a fluted barrel all contribute to improved reliability. But is it reliable enough? I can’t answer that yet, but I can say that it is a great shooter. Soft shooting (it is a 9mm after all, but still), flat shooting (I have never cared about that, but it is true), very accurate, and so far in my experience, totally reliable with ball ammo.
At the Stacatto press event last week, we shot them out to 200 yards in the wind, up close on big steel for pure speed, and then some plate racks and other assorted targets. I shot around a dozen different guns and saw another dozen or more shot. I didn’t see any malfunctions during the 3 or so hours we were shooting, and the Stacatto staff keep us in loaded mags with no delays. Each gun probably shot 1000 or more rds through it in that time, and as far as I could tell, none were re-lubed during the shoot, and certainly, none were cleaned.
I easily shot 400-450 rds in that time, but I probably shot a bit more than many of the other attendees. A friend of mine who was also there, a SWAT officer from the west coast who carries a Stacatto on duty, shot at least as much as I did, plus another several hundred rounds through one of the guns at a mini-class he attended earlier in the day.
The gun handles like a full-size 1911, but has a 3.5″ barrel and a slightly shorter-than-normal grip. The grip has a built-in magwell though, so the overall length of the grip is probably right about equal to a government-size gun. I could be wrong about that as I have not measured, but it seemed that way. I know that sounds unbalanced, but it really isn’t and the gun handled beautifully.
I wear a size small glove usually, but I have no trouble shooting larger framed guns like HK USP45s, or LAR Grizzlies. The traditional Stacatto grip frame is a bit too big for me to manipulate the safety as well as I would like. It is pretty usable with a bare hand, but once I put a glove on, it is much harder. The new CS fits my hand much better, almost as well as a single-stack 1911. Stacatto told me that the new grip frame and magazines will eventually make their way to the rest of the line.
Some guys online have complained about the new magazines for the CS, as they already have a bunch of 2011 mags. I understand the desire to have magazine compatibility with guns you already have, but I can’t agree in this case. Most new guns need new mags. Here, the new mag is giving you a better-fitting, more reliable gun. It seems to me that a gun company is supposed to continually improve its products. The CS now brings Stacatto shooting performance to a wider range of gun owners and gives them a more reliable gun. Some other well-known gun companies took almost 30 years to do the same thing, so I think Stacatto is going in the right direction.
Their new direction is certainly getting them a lot of attention, some not good though. Their sudden departure from supporting their previous guns has earned them the scorn of a significant section of shooters who often spent tens of thousands of dollars on their 2011s, only to see that be a total waste. Will they do the same with these new pistols in a few years too as they chase yet another design?
Also, did you see my post asking about missing targets for download in the Drills section?
I can’t really comment on that stuff, as I don’t really know anything about it. From what I saw at the event and heard from friends whose departments use the P’s, they are still supporting all the old stuff. As with most gun companies, maybe not everyone is getting the same treatment, IDK.
I did not see the drills comment, sorry! Let me look and see what’s up. Which target did you want?
The typewriter target is just one of many that’s unavailable now. I thought I had a folder with all the various targets and drills, but my computer says nope.
As for the support for guns, I know a number of people who’ve tried to obtain support for their STI’s and have been told, nope, we don’t support any of those models anymore.
It’s also not just the “no” but the attitude they got when requesting. A lot of bridges got burned there, across the competition world.
Ok, you are talking about the STI’s. I have mixed feelings there. Stacatto is a different company, run by different people, making guns that use their own improved mags. I’m not sure they have any responsibility to the older STI’s. My understanding is that they will warranty the STI’s for the original owner. Given what people do to those guns, that seems pretty fair to me. I can also see why STI owners might be upset, but it is a pretty standard practice. Ruger won’t sell you parts or work on any of their old models if they haven’t been converted to new model lockwork. That drives me nuts.
Thanks for this great write up! It’s tantalizing that Staccato mentioned the grip module and magazines would “find their way” on to their other guns…I’m looking forward to buying one of these next year (assuming my LGS can get them) but I feel like the CS grips with a C2 length slide would be a really nice combination for concealed carry. The dust cover on the CS frame is slanted but looks to be about the same length as the one on the C2, I wonder if the slides will be interchangeable? Cheers and thanks for all of your insightful articles
Thank you! I agree, the CS grip module and improved magazines means that I have no interest in owning an older Stacatto, but I would prefer a 4″ barrel. Once that happens, I will get a Stacatto.