*Miss*
*Miss*
*Miss* 🙁
An array of 4×10 steel poppers stood stoically despite the rain of gunfire intent on knocking them from their perches. The shooter, a friend of mine, had boasted that he was going to beat me on this run. Now, his inability to clear what was only the beginning section of the 3-Gun stage was leading to frustration, and that frustration was leading to embarrassment. The more he shot and the more he missed, the more acutely he felt these emotions and this, ironically, was what was preventing him from recovering. Worse yet, he was running out of ammo and would not have enough to finish the stage. Realizing this, he moved on, leaving the steel targets standing triumphantly. “My sights must be off,” he said sheepishly. I grinned, knowing that he had been pulling his shots, just barely missing the steel.
My turn. I stepped up to the line. “Is the shooter ready?” barked the safety officer. I nodded. “Shooter ready! Standby!”
*BEEP*
I pushed off the starting line while simultaneously drawing my Staccato XL. The five 4”x10” steel poppers were standing at ranges from 15 to 25 yards. At that distance, they appeared incredibly narrow. Any amount of trigger jerk would cause a miss. I lined up my sights which was made even more difficult because the front sight post literally covered the width of the target. Squeezing the trigger lightly, I felt it break and then reset before squeezing again. Five shots rang out. Five satisfying rings as the steel was knocked over. With that array conquered, I sprinted on to the next section to finish the stage with a top 10 finish.
Later, when practicing with that friend, we reminisced about that particular stage. How was I able to easily hit them when he had so much trouble? Plenty of practice to be sure , but I pointed out the trigger of his, *ahem* “tricked out safe-action pistol.” The long take-up distance and the heavier draw weight was clearly pulling his shots low and left as heavier and longer triggers tend to encourage. On normal size targets, it generally is not a big deal, but on narrow specialty targets, there is not the room for error. We set up a similar drill and I let him try the run with my Staccato. He was able to hit the poppers this time.
Since Staccato rebranded in 2020, it has introduced an entire line of 2011s which run the gamut from compact carry pistols, to more “practical-tactical” builds, to competition race guns complete with red dots, compensators, and enhanced magwells. Taking the time-proven design of the 1911 and building upon the lessons learned from several decades of experience with the 2011 platform, the Staccato lineup feels clean, slick, and much more consistent than many of their competitors.
Different models allow the choice of different options, which customize your Staccato to your preference. Models like the C, CS, and C2 rock duty 4.5lb triggers, have more concealable 3.5”-4” barrel lengths, and have shorter grip lengths. The P, being their standard full-size workhorse, fills the role of a jack of all trades which is capable of both concealment and performance with a standard 4.5” barrel length. If you are looking for style points, the XC features a 5” barrel with an island comp, a lightened 2.5lb trigger pull, and its cut-down, tactical magwell. My favorite of the bunch is the XL, Staccato’s flagship model for IDPA, USPSA, and 3-Gun competitors, with that lighter 2.5lb trigger, a longer 5.4” barrel for a better sight radius, which really helps with distance shots, all above a competition magwell. It feels nearly impossible to miss.
Despite the differences between these models, they all feel as if they belong to the same family of firearm. The grip, whether the full size or the compact modules, feels great in the hand and isn’t overly thick like many double-stack guns can be. The grip texture is grippy without being overly abrasive and it performs admirably with the sweat that accompanies shooting in the summer heat.
Speaking of double-stacks (editor’s note: were we speaking of double stacks? Hm… we are now…), the magazines, which are uniquely made in-house, are solid. Historically, most 2011 magazines had a reputation for being finicky and temperamental. I have not had any issues, feeding or otherwise, with the Staccato branded mags. And oh, I tried. Whether through dropping them or getting them filthy, they kept on feeding through the abuse. As a habit I developed years ago, I do regularly wipe them down with a silicone cloth, but I am confident that that habit is overkill. As far as capacity is concerned, this is where the 2011 really shines over its 1911 ancestor. The magazine capacity is phenomenal. Full size Stacccatos have the option between 17rd flush, 20rd extended, or 26rd EXTENDED magazines. The compacts vary between 15-17rds depending on the model.
Field stripping and disassembly may be a weak point for the Staccato, not because it is overly difficult or different from any other 1911 or 2011, but because much of the industry has really simplified this process in their designs. It comes apart and puts together much like any 1911. If you are familiar with that process, you will be right at home here. If you are more familiar with something more simple lie a Glock, the process is a bit more involved. Fortunately, there are very good instruction videos all over YouTube which are more than able to get the greenest neophyte up to speed quickly. With just a little practice, you will be able to disassemble and reassemble this platform with the best of them.
The safeties on the Staccatos, much like those on the 1911 before it, are a strongpoint. The ambidextrous thumb safety is one of my favorite features. Developed as a failsafe to protect accidental discharges while the shooter was in a saddle (yes, 1911s are actually that old), the thumb safety has evolved into an incredibly ergonomic design since its inception. The way it is positioned, the strong hand thumb sits naturally on top of the safety and snaps it into the fire position when the grip is acquired. This makes gripping the pistol and disengaging the safety one move that requires little thought. That second nature disengagement can mean all the difference when time is of the essence, but the peace of mind it brings while the pistol sits in its holster or bag is an excellent bonus.
The grip safety is also a great, functional feature, designed to prevent the gun from going off without getting full purchase on the grip, also adding a level of safety when the pistol sits in a holster or bag. That being said, I do know some race shooters who despise grip safeties. Much like the driver who buys a fake buckle to put into the seatbelt receptacle to avoid wearing it without that mind-numbing beeping (I personally don’t even notice it anymore), they pay to have it pinned in place so that it never needs to be deactivated. Over roughly a decade of experience shooting 2011 style guns, I have NEVER had my pistol not fire because I did not depress the grip safety. It seems to me to be a silly concern and I would never entertain its existence as a legitimate issue.
Finally, my favorite feature of the Staccato: the trigger.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a trigger snob. When I began competing as a young man, my father taught me on a Glock 17 with a factory trigger. I will forever be grateful for that experience as it taught me the fundamentals of grip, trigger control, and pistol manipulation. Once I mastered those things however, I was ready to take my equipment to the next level. My father also had quite the 1911 collection, so I was very aware that my Glock trigger did not hold a candle to the design which John Browning had dreamed up over a century ago. I spent hundreds of dollars trying to chase that weight and reduced pull, but nothing came close.
After playing with a friend’s Staccato, I immediately fell in love with it. There was no gritty feeling in the shortened pull, the trigger broke lightly and crisply, and the reset was slight, yet there was a positive click that you could not miss. I would not have believed the difference it made in my shooting. Where before I had to really focus on my trigger control in order to hit targets accurately, especially while moving, now much of that processing power was freed up to worry about footwork, tracking round counts, and other relevant concerns. Like the story at the beginning showed, it made shooting smaller targets at distance far more manageable. Put in the hands of one who has mastered trigger control, it is capable of a great accuracy of which most handguns could not dream.
All this might sound great, but none of those things matter if it ends up being finicky. How does it perform? For my XL, after several thousand rounds of whatever practice ammo I could wrangle up on the cheap and a great deal of match ammo for, well, matches, I can honestly say it runs like a sewing machine. Out of all that shooting, I could count the number of malfunctions I had on one hand and they occurred exclusively when I didn’t keep it oiled. Surprisingly enough, as long as it was oiled, it did not need to be cleaned. I easily shot 1500 rounds without cleaning it a single time and I couldn’t tell the difference between then and after a fresh clean. I mean, you could tell it was filthy, but it performed like a champ.
I have both been a semi-professional competitive shooter and have worked in the firearms industry for over a decade. I have very high standards for pistols and very rarely find them met. I can honestly say that the Staccato line is one of the few which meets those standards. From its slick historically inspired design to its 21st century upgraded features, the Staccato sets the standard for 2011s, and handguns in general, in today’s market. While it is on the pricier end of the spectrum, it clearly delivers an experience which budget pistols simply cannot deliver. If you are in the market for a new carry piece, a competition pistol, or just something to show off to your friends at the range, you would be hard pressed to find a better purchase for the money than the Staccato.
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