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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
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Click pictures for a larger version.
STI
is a major sponsor of world-wide IPSC competition. The pistols
or custom guns made from the 2011 frame kits have the lion's
share of the market among the top competitors. This demanding
nature of the sport amounts to an on-going torture test.
STI does much of its market research at the matches
soliciting competitors' comments on project and current
products.
The
shooter is the noted Lee Dimaculangan, an ISPC master
currently shooting for the Army Marksmanship Unit.
Shop
Supervisor Donnie Robbins meets a shipment of 4140
steel at the front door. First step is to cut the raw material
to proper lengths for the various slides.
The
upscale "Executive" is comparable to the popular
"Edge"- a long-frame, full length dust cover
variation on the 2011 frame theme. The front sight is one of Dave
Dawson's fiber optics. The modular frame is a forged metal
upper melded with a glass-filled polymer grip.
Salient points include compatibility with double stack
magazines, reduced weight and a very user-friendly checkering
pattern.
At
the heart of the operation are these CAD/CAM milling machines
that perform complex machining task with
ultimate precision. Target production calls for 38-42 complete
slides and 8-12 forged frames per day. A significant portion
of the production is done on contract from other gun
manufacturers who put their names on the final product.
Several
frames loaded into the computer programmed mill.
Gunsmith
gauging the lug depth on 1911 barrel. Quality assurance is a
pervasive priority at all levels of the manufacturing process.
All guns are test fired and subjected to final inspection
before leaving the plant.
Computer
driven machinery is not equal to some intricate tasks. There
is no ultimate substitute for human intellect and manual
skill. Here
adroit workers remove tool marks from frames-in-progress. In
the lower frame, a skilled gunsmith in final assembly checks
the fit of a ramped barrel to a completed frame.
The
high-cap mags come off a WWII-era multi-ton press, and the
halves are joined on this high-tech welder.
Magazine
bodies are heat treated on site.
There are several heat treating setups throughout the
factory and even the slide billets are machined after
hardening to prevent shrinkage.
Mike
Cho is a fifteen year owner/employee of STI.
He supervises the magazine department.
Here, he removes internal weld flash from a double
stack magazine.
In
the final stages, skilled gunsmiths are very much in evidence.
They assure proper fit of the lockwork and proper installation
of the safety.
David
L. Skinner, President and Chief Executive Officer. His
business acumen and vision brought STI to the forefront of the
high-tech handgun trade.
This
is one of Bob Londrigan's (Brazos Custom Gunworks),
interpretations on the 2011 pistol.
He
is an STI factory distributor, active competitor and major
supporter of IPSC shooting.
Brazos
Custom Gunworks
11348 FM 56
Morgan, TX 76671
Phone: 254-622-2245
http://www.brazoscustom.com
http://www.1911store.com |
