Although 2011 pistols have been round for years, weapons just like the Staccato P have lately subtle into the mainstream taking pictures and responsibility market. Roughly 15 years in the past, I noticed that modernized double-stack 1911 pistols just like the STI Edge had been in style amongst Limited-class USPSA shooters after I was simply dipping my toes within the sport, however I hadn’t heard of them earlier than getting into that world. Shooters acknowledged that these fine-tuned 2011 pistols had been straightforward to shoot and gave them a aggressive benefit.
Staccato 2011, previously often known as STI, has constructed high-performance 2011 pistols for a few years however exterior aggressive circles, they weren’t well-known. The firm re-branded in 2020, taking up the title and the main focus of its responsibility and protection “Staccato 2011” line. Previously, STI had supplied shut to 2 dozen fashions of 2011 and 1911 pistols, and now Staccato has sharpened their scope to variations of 5 fashions—all in 9mm. Those fashions revolve across the Staccato P, which is their full-size duty-grade pistol.
- Caliber: 9mm
- Capacity: 17+1 or 20+1
- Action: Single-action, hammer-fired
- Barrel: 4.4-inch, bull profile, stainless-steel
- Dimensions: 8.1 inches (L) x 5.8 inches (H) x 1.3 inches (W)(grip)
- Weight: 37 ounces (w/empty 17-round journal) (measured)
- Frame: 4140 billet metal (aluminum fashions out there)
- Slide: 4140 billet metal
- Optics: Cut for optic, makes use of Dawson Precision optic system
- Controls: Right-handed slide cease, magazine catch, ambidextrous security levers
- Finish: Black DLC
- Grip: Polymer grip module, laser-etched stipple texture
- Sights: Dawson Precision fiber-optic entrance, serrated black square-notch rear (drift adjustable)
- Trigger: 1911-style single-action, curved shoe, 4 kilos, 2 ounces (measured)
- MSRP: $2,499
The Staccato P: 2011 Vs 1911
Although 2011- and 2011-style pistols have been rising in recognition, there are nonetheless many shooters who haven’t been acquainted. When speaking a few 2011 pistol, it’s vital to make clear what, precisely, a 2011 is.
The time period 2011 has been used for some time, and trademarked, by STI/Staccato for his or her double-stack 1911-style pistols. Essentially, a 2011 pistol is a double-stack 1911 with a body that terminates just under the highest of the grip. Unlike single-stack 1911’s or older-style double-stack 1911’s, such because the Para Ordnance pistols, the Staccato P 2011 makes use of a separate polymer grip module reasonably than grip scales that connect to every facet of a full-length body.
A 2011 has typically the identical controls, operation, and design as a single-stack 1911 pistol, however they’re all double-stack and most modern 2011s and 2011-style pistols are chambered in 9mm, reasonably than .45 ACP.
Nuts and Bolts of the Staccato P
Anyone accustomed to the workings of a 1911 has a very good begin in relation to the Staccato P. It’s a semi-automatic, single-action, hammer-fired pistol that’s fed from a double-stack journal. The P has all of the bullet-point options that you just’d anticipate in a 1911: hammer, thumb security, grip security, a 1911-style (non-cantilever) set off, and a slide-stop takedown pin.
When you begin peeling again the layers, you’ll see some large divergences out of your battered outdated M1911-A1. For starters, all of the metal components within the Staccato P are machined from billet or round-stock American metal—not solid, forged, or molded. The design and supplies are modernized and optimized for each reliability and efficiency.
Slide, Barrel, and Recoil System
The slide on the Staccato P has a recognizable-but-refined 1911 look and a sturdy DLC end. The slide has each entrance and rear cocking serrations that present wonderful traction for a sweaty hand to control.
I received an optics-ready Staccato P that comes with a Dawson Precision fiber-optic entrance sight and a windage-adjustable rear sight/optic cowl plate. The Staccato P doesn’t include any particular optics plates, so it’s essential order the one you need. The pistol comes with a inexperienced fiber-optic put in within the entrance sight and a black serrated rear, but additionally contains various fiber optic colours like yellow, crimson, white, and black.
The Staccato P has a 4.4-inch heavy bull barrel with two locking lugs and a rotating barrel hyperlink. The extractor and firing pin are like what you’ll see in a traditional 1911, however the recoil system isn’t. A typical 1911 could have a brief information rod that matches contained in the recoil spring. The open finish of the recoil spring matches into the spring plug on the entrance of the slide, just under the barrel. That’s the knurled “button” you’ll see underneath the muzzle on many 1911’s. That plug is often held in place by a barrel bushing, however the Staccato P doesn’t have one.
The Staccato P has a full-length information rod and a spring plug that can’t exit the entrance of the slide. Takedown is sort of a 1911, however to take away the spring, plug, and information rod, the Staccato P has a helpful spring-retaining characteristic. Older STI pistols required utilizing a paper clip or different instruments, and information rods like these discovered on the Springfield Prodigy require an Allen key to take aside. On the P, merely press the information rod from the rear to compress the spring till you may depress a lever that holds the plug and spring in a compressed place—then it comes proper out of the slide.
Frame and Grip Module
As talked about, the body of the Staccato P is just like the higher a part of a 1911 body however terminates just under the highest of the grip. The body homes the thumb security, disconnector, hammer elements, and contains a single-slot accent rail ahead of the set off guard. It sports activities sturdy slide rails, and the ejector and disconnector will look acquainted to any 1911 shooter.
The polymer grip module homes the mainspring and sear spring and has an aggressive laser-etched stipple texture. The grip security is raised on the backside for simple activation, and it has a beavertail to guard the shooter from hammer chunk. The journal catch button is non-ambidextrous, and never over-sized, but it surely’s prolonged barely for simple activation. The curved set off shoe is polymer and the set off’s floor has a barely raised checker-texture for a exact really feel and management. The grip module is capped with a medium-sized aluminum magwell that aids with speedy reloading and has facet cuts for peeling out a caught journal.
Magazines
The Staccato P comes with three magazines: two 17-round and one 20-round. The magazines have metal our bodies and simply detachable aluminum baseplates—the identical magazines are suitable with different full-size Staccato Pistols just like the XL and XC. They’re additionally cross-compatible with many different 2011-style pistols. Because the body and slide are solely as vast as conventional single-stack 1911’s, the magazines are bottlenecked from double- to single-stack on the prime. Extra Staccato magazines are costly, however they’re high-quality, serviceable merchandise.
During testing, I discovered Springfield Prodigy magazines to operate completely within the Staccato P, and I famous that each Staccato and the Springfield magazines had been straightforward to seat underneath a closed slide when totally loaded. Some pistols require vital pressure to seat loaded magazines, and having {a magazine} fail to seat correctly can price treasured seconds. That’s not a difficulty with this pistol.
Fit, Finish and Function
The Staccato P is a premium pistol that’s priced accordingly. Because of you could, and will, anticipate a excessive customary for match and end. The P isn’t flashy, however its DLC end is uniform and sturdy. After testing, I can select solely the slightest end put on on the accent rail from my Streamlight TLR-1, and a bit of little bit of end put on contained in the rail channels on the slide; that’s it.
When the pistol was new, I instantly famous the ultra-tight, glassy match between the slide and body. It’s constructed so tight the truth is, that it’s essential lubricate it correctly—particularly in the course of the break-in interval. After firing roughly 1,350 rounds by my Staccato P, I nonetheless can’t detect any slop or play between the slide and body. I’ve shot various 1911’s that rattle like a panhandler’s assortment can after a pair hundred rounds—that’s not a difficulty with the P.
A Secure Grip
The grip on the Staccato P is strong, which is usually a double-edged sword. Lots of grip actual property permits your palms extra contact with the gun, which might imply a safer grip, however it could possibly make controls tough to achieve for shooters with smaller palms. For my palms, it doesn’t get significantly better. The grip matches properly, is straightforward to index repeatable and constant hand placement, and it’s not going to slide with that stipple texturing.
Controls on the P are match properly and easy working. The thumb security is ambidextrous, and it flips on and off with a delicate, however tactile and audible click on. There’s no slop or sponginess within the security levers at any level. The security levers on many pistols are straightforward to disengage, however stiff and tough to re-engage; the Staccato P’s security is excellent.
The solely management that could possibly be a problem to achieve is the slide cease lever. I can attain it with out breaking grip, however some shooters will doubtless need to use their help hand thumb to chop the slide unfastened after loading a contemporary journal. I famous that the underside floor of the slide cease lever is scalloped out to supply a pleasant edge that offers buy whereas manually locking the slide open. That’s a pleasant contact.
A Crisp Trigger
Although heavier than these of a few of Staccato’s competitors fashions, the set off on the P is nice. It’s weight of 4 kilos, 2 ounces is by design; the heavier set off weight permits it to qualify for legislation enforcement use and cut back the possibility of a negligent discharge. The set off has a small little bit of motion earlier than hitting inflexible resistance, then it breaks clear. The reset is brief, crisp, and has good spring stress to drive the set off ahead.
Hitting the Range with the Staccato P
The greatest declare that Staccato makes concerning the Staccato P is that it’s not simply correct, however straightforward to shoot precisely. Those are two very various things. Shooting any handgun properly is a perishable ability, and if you happen to shoot a wide range of handguns, you’ll rapidly discover that some are merely simpler to shoot properly than others. A pistol can really feel nice on the gun retailer counter, however you actually need to shoot it earlier than passing judgement. For me to justify the value of as pistol just like the Staccato P, I’d rattling properly higher be capable to really feel a tangible distinction.
The Staccato P is a Smooth Shooter
I gained’t sandbag issues; the Staccato P is likely one of the most shooter-friendly pistols that these tender palms have held. It’s spoiled me in relation to duty-grade taking pictures irons. The wonderful ergonomics and grip angle make it level quick and straightforward, and the recoil cycle is smoother than soft-serve ice cream. With a very good grip, the sight or dot falls proper again to the place it was when the set off broke. That makes it an extremely quick and enjoyable pistol to shoot. When taking pictures it alongside mainstay responsibility pistols just like the Glock G19, the new G47 MOS, and the Sig P320, the Staccato P is plainly simpler to shoot quick and precisely.
As a matter of sensible accuracy, the Staccato P is a winner. Keeping hits within the A zone on an IPSC/USPSA goal at 50 ft whereas pausing solely to catch the reset is simpler than any of the outdated STIs I keep in mind taking pictures. At the widespread drill vary of seven yards or 21 ft, slapping fast doubles normally yielded heart A-zone impacts solely an inch or two aside. One-to-fives and Bill drills received me yelled at within the native indoor vary, however the impacts seldom left the A-zone.
To guarantee I wasn’t merely starstruck, I had a inexperienced beret buddy—who on one deployment made it a private mission to by a complete connex filled with 9mm ammo together with his Glock G19—strive the Staccato P. After a pair weeks of reflection, he couldn’t get it out of his head and instructed me that it’s received to be the nicest-shooting pistol he’s ever fired.
Shooting Groups
Practical accuracy and the way straightforward a pistol is to handle are of main significance, however for an costly bull-barrel 1911, I needed to see what sort of accuracy I might get too. I fired 10 5-shot teams with Federal Premium 124-grain HST from 50 ft at a B2 50-foot NRA bullseye goal. I fired from a supported place utilizing iron sights, and the teams averaged 1.15 inches. Taking the bullet diameter under consideration, that’s sufficiently small to maintain all of them reducing the 10-ring.
Reliability and Longevity
A important issue for any duty-grade pistol, particularly an costly one, is reliability. It’s one which Staccato stresses for his or her pistols—particularly the P. A degree of satisfaction for Staccato is that the P is authorised for responsibility use by over 900 legislation enforcement companies and is at present in service with a number of high-profile companies together with the Austin, Dallas, Miami Dade, Long Beach, and LAPD SWAT groups.
Read Next: Best 9mm Pistols
If I’d had a criticism or commentary concerning the older STI pistols I’d shot or that mates shot in competitors, it’s that they could possibly be finicky. Requiring tremendous tuning is one factor for a contest gun, but it surely’s not an choice for an obligation or carry gun. With their sharper deal with these fashions, Staccato appears to have homed in on high-performance shootable weapons which are additionally very dependable—and that proves to be the case with the gun I’ve been taking pictures. It’s functioned flawlessly.
The solely caveat I can see that considerations the reliability of the Staccato P is that there’s no free lunch, and the tight match and improved efficiency would require the next degree of upkeep and lubrication than your common striker-fired pistol.
For some further enter on the longevity of the platform, I requested OL contributor and USPSA Grand Master shooter Sean Murphy about his expertise with the Staccato P. “They only get better once you get a few thousand rounds on them,” he instructed me. Murphy stated one among his Staccato P pistols has 20,000 rounds by it and remains to be going sturdy.
What the Staccato P Does Well
The Staccato P is a superb mixture of high quality components, good match, and supreme shootability. If I might solely personal one full-size 9mm, this is able to be it.
Where the Staccato P Could Be Better
The solely downsides I can give you on the Staccato P is that some shooters should use their help hand to control the slide cease lever, and that typically, the 2011 might be a higher-maintenance gun than one thing like a Glock. It’s extra refined and fewer of a blunt object, but it surely must be well-lubricated.