If you’ve read my articles over the years you know that I am a 1911 fanatic. If it’s a well-built pistol, then it has my complete attention. I have scores of Kimbers, Colts, and Paras, and I enjoy them all. But, with quality comes price and while most of my guns were a good value for the money, none of them were cheap. So when I saw what I thought was a pretty good-looking 1911 at a recent gun show priced at just $660, it was enough for me to stop and think for a moment about it.

I was holding an STI Spartan pistol and was intrigued by the quality of its fit and finish. But I was equally intrigued with the frame marking that read “Armscor Philippines.”

I’m very familiar with the STI line of pistols and actually shot one of their guns while I was actively competing in IPSC. Dave Skinner, the owner of STI, is an old friend and knowing his compulsion to build perfect guns, I did not believe that he would put his company name on anything that did not meet his stringent expectations. Dave is not the kind of guy that would sell out for a buck.