The Firearm Blog

STI International recently announced that their 1911 Off Duty, Guardian and Escort pistols will be soon be available in .40 S&W. They were all previously chambered in both 9mm and .45 ACP. This is a logical move for STI as the .40 S&W nowadays is as ubiquitous as the other calibers they were offering.

STI's compact Escort

This year STI introduced a nifty aluminum grip for their 2011 pistols. It is a drop in replacement for regular polymer 2011 grip.

There is no decoration so that shooters can add their own designs or checkering. The MSRP is $410.

More info here.

The STI Eagle 5.0 and Eagle 6.0 2011 pistols (not to be confused with the Desert Eagle pistol) will be offered chambered in .357 SIG.

STI Eagle 5.0

According to the latest STI newsletter, they got a lot of request for this caliber at SHOT Show ‘09. I am surprised, I did not know that this round was that popular. The .357 SIG was developed in 1994 to replicate .357 Magnum performance in a rimless case suitable for semi-automatic pistols.

.357 SIG cartridge.

STI International are the latest addition to brethren-of-ar-15-manufactures, joining fellow 1911 pistol makers such as Wilson Combat and Para Ordnance (the Para TTR is based on the AR platform).

The Bane holding the new STI Tactical AR-15. Video is here.

Two models will be available. The Tactical / sporting model features:

Chambered in 5.56mm NATO, the 16-in. 410 SS barrel features a 1:8 twist with a mid-length gas system. Featuring a Nordic Tactical Compensator and JP Trigger group, this rifle also includes a custom STI Valkyrie hand guard and gas block.

Specs:

Trigger: JP Trigger group
Barrel: 16″, 410 stainless steel, 1 in 8 twist, 1/2″ x 28 thread for the compensator
Compensator: Nordic Components Tactical Compensator
Gas Block: Custom STI Valkyrie Gas Block
Handguard: Custom STI Valkyrie Hand Guard
Sights : none
Overall Length : 36″
Weight: Competition: 6 lbs., 10 oz. Tactical: 6 lbs., 7.8 oz.
Finish: Black Teflon Coating over hard anodize
Competition Approvals: USPSA

STI Tactical model.

The competition model features:

The STI Valkyrie Competition hand guard has all the same great features as the Tactical model, with a 12″ OA length for increased stability for the competitive Shooter. The STI Valkyrie Competition Gas Block is light weight and concealed under the hand guard. The entire rifle has an anodized finish with black Teflon coating.

STI Tactical Competition model.

I am not sure what the pricing on the competition model will be.

More info at STI.

An observant forum poster, warhawke, noticed that “new” STI GP6 pistol bore a striking resemblance to the Slovakian K-100 Grand Power pistol. They are in fact one of the same, although there is no mention of the pistols’ heritage on the STI website (here or here).

The STI GP6

The K-100 Grand Power pistol

I assumed it was a clone by Wikipedia shed some light:

The K100 was designed by Jaroslav Kuracina, a former weapons officer in the Slovak Army. Kuracina sketched drawings of the K100 as early as 1992, but manufacturing activities were highly restricted during the Communist era. Kuracina would be forced to wait until 1996 to continue development of his design. Grand Power has recently announced a deal to produce 100,000 units for the US market.

Now we know where they are sending those pistols! This was further confirmed as I dug around the Grand Power website and found STI listed as the North American dealer.

I certainly do not have a problem with STI rebranding the pistol, but inferring it is a new design and not mentioning its heritage is wrong, in my humble opinion.

UPDATE:

It appears that they did disclose this on a “Skinnergrams” (STI newsletter). Read the comments by S Carruth below.