The VIP got a new lease on life when consumer feedback and online polling suggested substantial interest from the still-growing civilian concealed handgun market. Current sales are brisk and calibers include 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. Structural options include a stainless slide over clear-coat aircraft aluminum frame, and forged steel frame and slide with blue finish. Available enhancements include hard-chrome plating, tactical adjustable sights, fixed tritium two-dot sights and ambidextrous thumb safeties. The 120mm magazines hold 10 rounds of 45 ACP and 16 rounds of 9mm — substantial payloads for a sub-commander-sized concealment arm.

We decided to take a close look at the VIP, ordering samples in 9x19 and .45 along with a two other compact models sharing several common features. The Ranger II is a Commander-length package, built on the full-length 1911 frame for maximum reliability. The Off Duty is 1911-based sub compact with 3" barrel and a low profile adjustable rear sight. Both of the latter pistols are single stacks with magazine capacities of eight and seven rounds respectively.

The test pistols, in common with the bulk of the STI line, eliminate the traditional barrel bushing in favor of bull barrels coned to the slides. The accuracy and longevity of this set up is well established by more than a decade of use in the action shooting sports. All of the pistols are built to extremely close tolerances and utilize lockwork produced in-house by Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM).

The Recoilmaster recoil system consist of two springs captured on a guide rod requiring a take down tool in the form of a polymer collar to retain the springs under compression for removal/replacement. The current Recoilmasters feature improved metallurgy and heat treatment, a thicker head and a lengthened threaded rod in the head. Bob Londrigan of Brazos Custom Guns is a well-respected builder of IPSC pistols and an active competitor. He considers the current generation of Recoilmaster reliably strong and uses them in some of his custom guns. Since Bob competes alongside his customers, he has a personal interest in reliable equipment.

The VIP

Our sample VIP in .45 ACP is stainless over aluminum, while the 9mm has a steel frame finished in blue. The pistols are a full 1" shorter than a standard 1911. The polymer grip and triggerguard are about 1/2" larger in circumference than a standard 1911 with thin grip panels and the same width as our sample Off Duty with standard grip panels. The total package falls midway between the Commander and Officer’s Model in overall size. The all-steel 9mm is still three ounces lighter than the commander-sized Ranger II, and unloaded, weighs about two ounces more than the sub-compact Off Duty.

The sights are highly visible. The .45 sights are very well regulated while the 9mm delivers its shots about 3" below point of aim.

Both pistols demonstrated fine bench rest accuracy at 25 yards and I found I could shoot them about as well as a full-sized 1911 at the same distance standing unsupported. Several shooters with a range of hand sizes found the deep-checkered 2011 grip entirely comfortable with the pistols quite amenable to rapid target access. Action shooter, Kenny Hunt has a 15-yard falling plate setup consisting of six 9" plates set 6" apart and a pepper popper “stop plate” several feet removed.

I shot both pistols back to back selecting a representative run with each VIP where I had managed to hit all the plates in sequence. The stainless and alloy .45 cleaned the bank in 6.69 seconds with average intervals between shots of 1.15 seconds. The heavier 9x19 came in at 6.29 seconds with average “break” at 1.01 seconds. Three of the intervals with the 9mm were in the 9/10-second range. IPSC shooter, Michael Winston turned the 9mm loose on some 6" plates at 25 yards knocking down eight or nine of them in sequence — a considerable improvement over my performance on the same targets.

Key players in my local brain trust are Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors Parnell McNamara and Charlotte Miller Kosub. Both are well acquainted with the practical use of the handgun. Parnell is a retired United States Marshall while Charlotte confronted and arrested a very active burglar who made the mistake of raiding one of her rental properties. Parnell was enthusiastic about the fine fitting and compact profile of the pistols. He particularly liked the high capacity afforded by the double stack magazines.

Charlotte alternated shooting both VIPs. She was highly enthusiastic about their handling qualities and, while she noted the weight difference and extra torque and bounce with the .45, she never did establish a preference between the two pistols. Both 2011 frames were comfortable and fit her hands well. Her rounds from both handguns were equally well centered on the B-27 target. The .45 uses the “Heavy” Recoilmaster while the 9mm has a more lightly sprung version. Charlotte has minor arthritic changes in her thumbs and found it much easier to work the slide on the 9mm.

In general the two VIPs functioned smoothly with all available ammunition types. The 9x19 produced loosely constituted groups with several brands of generic 115-grain ball, but excellent accuracy with the available JHP loads ranging in weight from 115 to 147 grains. The 9mm produced two premature slide locks leaving the final round in the magazine. Charlotte had one double-feed stoppage with the 9mm pistol. In 300+ rounds from the .45, I encountered about five premature slide locks with several rounds remaining in the magazine at each occurrence. These stoppages were not confined to any particular load.

The Ranger II weighs 33 ounces and is shorter than the standard 1911 by about 1/2" with its 4.15" barrel. The weight reduction is perceptible in my Milt Sparks VMII IWB holster. As further nods to concealability, the Ranger II has a single side thumb safety and wears STI house-brand thin rosewood grips. The front of the grip frame is stippled and the high-rise grip safety and relieved triggerguard combine to provide a firm and repeatable purchase.
My first 25-yard bench group with this pistol measured 1" with the Black Hills 230-grain JHP. Subsequent groups were very good, but I never did match my first one. In overall functioning, and accuracy, it showed no particular preference among the loads on hand.

The nominally “fixed” rear sight is actually adjustable for windage but on this example, a lower front sight or taller rear would be in order as all of my groups hit about 4" below point of aim. Traditional wisdom says the full-sized government model is the most reliable of the 1911 pistols. For this reason, the Ranger II employs a full-length frame under the 4.15" slide.

The ACT brand magazine supplied holds eight rounds. The same capacity is listed for the .40 S&W version with the 9x19 holding nine.

The Off Duty

The sub-compact Off Duty is about 1/2" shorter than the VIP with other measurements being essentially the same. Grip circumference is a 1/4" less than the 2011 double stack, but grip thickness at 1.3" is the same. Our sample chambers .45 ACP and the Off Duty is also available in 9x19. The tactical adjustable sights on our sample were set two clicks above the frame and, so set, landed all loads tested, regardless of velocity or bullet weight very close to point of aim at 25 yards. The overall profile of the sights was very visible as was the three white dot arrangement. On one range trip, I forgot my reading glasses and was still able to use the sights effectively and get satisfactory hits at 25 yards and beyond.

I used the Off-Duty to check out the CorBon 165-grain DPX load intended for home defense and the Speer 230-grain Gold Dot load using the “Short Barrel” configured bullet. I fired both loads into a doubled beef brisket 6" to 8" thick backed by two 1-gallon water jugs for each load. I recovered both bullets in the bottom of the second jug expanded to within a couple of thousandths of 70 caliber in both cases.

My best 25-yard bench groups with all loads ranged from 2.8" to 4.2" with no group exceeding 4.5". During hand cycling, unless I released the slide with a definite snap, all loads and particularly the jacketed hollowpoints would nose dive into the near-vertical feed ramp and stop the slide. From the bench, with the magazine loaded for 5-round groups, function was reliable. From standing, unsupported positions, function with all loads became problematic.

Adopting a modified “Weaver” stance allowing full extension of my shooting arm and backward tension from the left arm and fully flexing my chest shoulder and arm muscles, I could achieve full reliability with the Black Hills 230-grain ball ammunition. This was with the Off-Duty clean and well lubricated. After a couple of hundred rounds, I found I could relax the muscle tension to some extent and still get full function. I should probably add I am still fairly muscular for something hatched in the early dawn of the Baby Boom.

I fired a couple of magazines one handed with a consciously rigid hold and emptied both without malfunction. At no point did I arrive at full reliability with any JHP load including the usually feed-friendly Remington Golden Saber. The measure of success I had shooting the JHPs from the bench suggest that, over time, the pistol will likely settle in and become reliable with at least some of those loads.

With the proper musculature engaged, I found the Off Duty quite a shootable piece. I made a run through the falling plate rack, sans timer, and cleaned the course with fair rapidity noting the near-30-ounce weight of the gun combined with my isometric stance, made for seamless transition from one plate to the next. I was able to keep all shots in or close to the 9, 10 and X rings of the B-27 target at 25 yards and when I backed up to 35, two of seven shots crept up into the seven ring well centered high in the chest.

The frame of the Off Duty has the accessory rail for mounting of the usual run of tactical flashlights. I was unable to find any Laser sights made specifically for the Off Duty but Rabbit told me the Insight X2 sub compact flashlight works very well.
STI handguns I have handled in recent months include the full-sized Edge and the Guardian on the Officer’s Model frame and the Rogue built on the ultra-small LS frame. All proved totally functional throughout a considerable amount of shooting and the level of accuracy exceeded any reasonable expectations. The Edge, with its 2011 frame is the firm’s best seller and is popular with competitive shooters and specialized military and law enforcement organizations.

The Guardian mates the single-stack sub compact frame with the 3.9" slide/barrel comparative to the VIP and several other STI products. I found it entirely reliable with the full range of .45 ACP loads. If I were looking for a significantly downsized carry gun, this one would be a major contender. The Rogue is a true subcompact 1911-based 9mm built on the company’s smallest frame — the forged aircraft aluminum LS. The sights, fixed and integral with the slender slide, were perfectly regulated on my sample gun. The 3" barrel launched the 124-grain Speer Gold Dot and 115-grain CorBon DPX into the mid-1,000 fps range where they displayed full expansion in my chosen medium.