Joe Grine and I visited the STI Guns booth at SHOT Show Range Day and put a few rounds downrange. Naturally, the Costa Carry Comp was a big draw. This one’s a “sight tracker” 9mm 2011 (double-stack 1911), and it’s apparently the first of four Costa Ludus specials. More Costa Carry Comp and other STI photos, plus shooting impressions follow . . .
The front sight is attached to the barrel instead of the slide, so it hardly moves. This makes it easier to keep track of while shooting.
Not that a compensated 9mm 1911 (or 2011) has a lot of muzzle movement anyway.
Case in point:
On the range, it was smooth as butter and recoiled like a .22. Great sights, great trigger, and accurate.
Though with STI, even the “standard” guns are decked out.
Annnnnnd, what’s the difference between any custom built STI or Infinity to the customer’s specs?
Probably nothing.
Except up-charging for the name “Costa” on the slide.
I currently have a 2011 build in progress, I’m going to have them engrave “Costco” on the slide with nearly the same build specs.
I should add that barrels are wearable items. Having the sight mounted on a barrel not only increases the overall cost but I’m skeptical of having FO rods on there. The heat transfer from my compensated G34 easily melts the FO rod if shooting continuously.
Please dont put STI and SVI into the same category
Did I? Where? I simply rebuked unnecessary cost passed onto the consumer.
FWIW, I have Infinity guns.
My goal is some day to be able to say that as the answer to “How many guns do you have?” “I have infinity guns.”
Chuck Norris once counted to infinity twice.
Costa mucho?
Looks neat, and I’d like to try out the grip with the undercuts around the trigger guard, but otherwise, I’ll stick with my 2011 Tactical 4.0.
Under what possible circumstances would I want an STD gu…
Oh, I… STI gun… Never mind.
Actually, “STD” isn’t the go-to jargon anymore and the most commonly-used/accepted term is now STI hahaha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexually_transmitted_infection
Also a bane to Subaru owners everywhere.
Brings new meaning to the term “turbocharged STI.”
So… Assualt STIs.
An ‘Assault STI’ is as WRX STI with a stupid ‘fart pipe’ instead of a proper low-restriction muffler… 🙂
Yeah, kid, you’re really kEwL…
If I am going to get a celebrity version of a gun, it would be the Carl Spackler 700 with the big light.
oh man, the 1911 with the frame being like, 2 or 3mm longer than the slide. it just. you know. bugs the hell out of me and makes me ignore all the cool guy stuff on it.
Wonder if STI still gives tours at their Georgetown facility?. I went on one, several years ago and was impressed by the workmanship that goes on in assembling their pieces, in comparison to several other firearms manufacturers I have visited. I purchased an STI, shortly after the tour at a shop just down the road from their plant that almost seemed to be a factory outlet, but I don’t think it was. After thousands of rounds through it, it’s still silky smooth.
These pistols look hot. Reminds me of something I saw in Playboy magazine or ….
Have to admit, I’m a bit disappointed in this article. I was expecting a bit more of a thorough report and picture set on the Carry Comp…
I believe STI did mention at SHOT that a non-Costa-branded version of the Carry Comp pistols will be available – Can anyone confirm this?
7 photos wasn’t enough? Joe and I each put like 10 rounds through it, so I’m not prepared to write a gun review here. But it’s a race-tuned 2011. It’s in 9mm so the recoil spring is really soft and it kicks like a .22 thanks to the fact that it’s a 2011 in 9mm plus the compensator. The trigger travels like 2 mm from on the sear to against the overtravel stop, and 2mm forward again to reset. Pull weight was probably 3 lbs. Great sights. It was dirty. It shot straight. Lockup is not anywhere near as tight as most high-end 1911s. Probably due to the fact that it’s a race gun so it’s a bit loosey, and I really don’t know what’s going on at the front in terms of barrel bushing situation and how snugly the slide and barrel lock together. Again though, it was accurate enough to peg small steel plates in rapid fire.
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