With
the introduction of the Texican
Single Action Army revolver, STI Inc. broadened
its already wide footprint in the world -wide shooting industry.
Company founder Vergil Tripp pioneered the use of
Electric Discharge Machining
(EDM) for production of the lock components of the 1911 pistols
that dominate the International
Practical Shooting Conference (IPSC) action shooting game.
He also developed the modular 2011 frame selling kits to the
foremost custom gunsmiths and eventually producing
competition-ready complete pistols.
Under the leadership of President and CEO, David
Skinner, STI has become a dominant force in the growth of
action shooting sports world-wide. The watch words, "Power,
Speed, Accuracy", make IPSC competition a harsh
crucible for the equipment involved. The practitioners of the
sport and other action shooting venues are likely to fire 30,000
rounds and more of high intensity cartridges in the course of a
year. Rapid and sustained fire are the order of the day and
money and reputations ride on the reliability of the chosen
handguns.
There
is much cross- pollination in the handgun community and
inevitably the reputation earned by STI carried over to the
police and military arenas around the world. About five years
ago STI began a concerted sally into that realm, introducing new
models geared toward the most sophisticated elements and even
branching out into concealment arms for the discerning private
citizen.
The
excitement generated by the prospect of a traditionally styled
single action from a company noted for ultra-precision
manufacturing standards motivated me to contact company rep, Rabbit
Boyett who extended an invitation for a factory tour. The
more hot-shot of the gun scribes had gobbled up all the
available column inches vis-à-vis the Texican but Jeff Quinn
gave me a push down Interstate 35 for a side bar on the STI
operation. The main industrial plant housing the 1911 and 2011
production facilities is located in Georgetown, Texas - just
north of Austin on the Interstate 35 corridor, now a tentacle of
the Central Texas Urban/Industrial Dimerge for those rare,
twisted individuals who like to read urban sociology texts. It
is ideally located vis-à-vis a large, high-quality labor force,
business-friendly political climate, an active shooting
community and a brain trust of skilled artisans either actively
aligned with STI or following their own, but none the less
beneficial, trajectories.
Rabbit
met me at the front door and spirited me on an excursion
beginning at the loading dock door and culminating in the office
of the company president where I able to launch inane questions
at Mr. David L. Skinner. Along
the way, we were joined by Donnie Robbins, shop
supervisor and a graduate of the aero-space industry, Freno
Worley, EDM magician and overseer of the 2011 operations and
a large community of personable, skilled and highly motivated
owner-employees. STI is a profit-sharing enterprise and every
member of the staff is fully invested in the profit motive and
enjoys the sure knowledge of accomplishment that comes with
employing personal skills in a productive environment.
Raw
material arrives in rectangular billets of 4140 steel, is cut to
length, surface ground to precise dimensions and heat-treated
after minimum machining. Some
of the tooling dates to the World War II era but current EDM and
Computer Assisted Design and Manufacture are at the heart of the
operation. Quality
assurance is visible at each stage and each operator is
responsible for assuring that the major substructures are within
specifications as they move from one operation to the next.
Micrometers, calipers and gages are much in evidence at every
stage. Quality control supervisors monitor the major shops and
the completed firearms are inspected and test fired by the
quality control department. Where the manufacturing processes of
the 19th and 20th centuries tended to
marginalize the human component, the modern system brings the
elements of intellect, hand, and eye back to the forefront.
Setup, monitoring and operation of the CNC machinery and
hand-work with low-tech tools are equally essential to the final
outcome.
There
is minimal outsourcing. The parts including frames, slides
triggers, hammers and sears are manufactured in-house as are
finish polish/bead blasting and bluing. The founder, Virgil
Tripp applies industrial hard chrome at his facility in Alpine,
Texas. Frame
construction includes some castings of the 1911design and
in-house forging of steel and aluminum 1911 and 2011 modular
frames. STI makes its own double stack magazines for the 2011 framed
pistols. These very
strongly constructed magazines hold between 12 and 22 rounds of
ammunition depending on overall length, caliber and, per the FAC
window at www.stiguns.com,
the thumb strength of the individual user.
Double wide over most of their length, they taper to a
single column at the top. This
provides enhanced reliability over traditional double stacks
and, very likely, contributes to the durability of the feed
lips.
STI
has distributors on all continents and several islands. I
counted thirty- seven countries, some with multiple
distributorships, and 49 of the 50 United States (excluding only
California). There is now an
arrangement with Armscor of the Philippines for cooperative
manufacture of the economy-priced "Spartan" and a
distribution relationship with a Slovak company that builds a
quality double action pistol.
Pauletta Skinner is the Sales and Export Manager,
and it is painful to imagine the legal and bureaucratic
labyrinth she confronts every day. With STI projected growth of
48 % by the end of 2007, it is a sure thing that her work is cut
out for her.
For
a complete company profile and products information see:
http://www.stiguns.com/
Mike
Cumpston
Got something to say about this article? Want to agree (or
disagree) with it? Click the following link to go to the GUNBlast Feedback Page.