dadoser
Master Class
This question was asked of me on a small private Facebook gun group I help moderate.
Good question that for me has a multilayered over thought take - here was my posted reply -
Coming from a firearms enthusiast (non-professional), here are my thoughts -
I have bought 2 Staccatos in the last 18 months. I bought a P shortly after my mother passed. My parents had way over bought life insurance policies, I ended up with some extra money, and in my only child grief - thought I should buy a Staccato. A local dealer had the one I wanted in stock and I went down and picked it up. If not for those circumstances, I would never have dropped over $3,000 on a firearm.
Last month, my local go-to dealer had a "like new" Staccato C in his consignment case. I had liquidated a couple in the safe and had some cash set back (for some unknown future purchase) and I had a Springfield Prodigy I was just OK with, I could sell. I would not have been able to pick this one up without making moves in the collection. These circumstances made it easier to pick the 2nd one up without dropping 3K in one big chunk.
Circumstances for both Staccato purchases were such that I could pick these up without taking a financial hit - I'm not eating ramen every meal and the mortgage & bills are getting paid. So, is a Staccato worth the money? For me personally they were due the circumstances above. Without those circumstances, would I save/scrape up $3,000+ for a handgun? - Probably not.
Both my C and P are great, quality firearms. Fit and finish are great. They are excellent shooters. I have very limited experience with the 1911 platform and I was never really that into them. Compared to the Prodigy I owned briefly. both Staccatos are nicer - they just feel more solid and quality than the Prodigy. Twice the price nicer?? (maybe, maybe not?) From research, folks seem to put a lot of money and upgrades into the Prodigy to make them more Staccato-like.
At half the cost of a Staccato, I have firearms that I shoot just as well with as much pleasure - the Sig P226 SAO Legion (Staccato P sized) and the Sig P229 SAO Legion (Staccato C sized) are perfect examples. If I didn't have the Staccatos - these would do whatever their comparatively sized Staccatos could.
For even less, I'm very happy with my PDP Pro Compact (C sized) w/ OEM Dynamic performance trigger and added brass backstrap (for weight) as well as an aftermarket DPM recoil system. The Walther PDP Dynamic Performance trigger reset and pull is approaching Staccato-like performance. (Same thing with a Walther PDP Pro Full Size - compared to the P.)
Either the Sig SAO Legions or the Walther PDP Pros can do the job I need them to do - training, range trips; and in the rare chance of it happening - self defense. For my level of skill, I shoot all guns mentioned in this post equal enough. While the Staccato trigger/weight, may hide some bad shooting fundamentals - One still needs to have the fundamentals down to be a decent or really good shooter. Based on this - I did not need to spend the money on Staccatos.
If one really wants to get into the 2011/1911 Double Stack platform, The Staccato seems to be the low end quality/reliable entry.
There are definitely lower priced entry 1911 DSs -
The Springfield Prodigy seems to be the lowest end of acceptable entries into this platform. From what I see, read, and my limited experience with this gun is that folks end up dropping more money into them to get them up to par.....or sometimes need to send their new Prodigy to Springfield to get it to run properly. Additionally there are reports from users on the internet of optic plate issues with the Prodigy.
The other 1911 DS that intrigues me is the Platypus. A 1911 DS that takes Glock magazines. Price is very good and the reviews are very good. I have no experience with this model.
From reading forums, it seems that a lot of folks that start with a Prodigy or other low cost entry 2011/1911 DS seem to eventually get a Staccato. In this case, my thought is save the money and get the Staccato as one's first 2011. Staccato seems to be solid, reliable, and the lowest price 2011 that one does not NEED to modify (Though it seems like a whole lot of Staccato owners do end up going that customization route.) For a reliable, quality, solid entry into the 2011 platform, the Staccato is worth the money.
The last aspect -
While there are a few guns that exhibit cult-like loyalty (I.e. Glock fanboys, etc.) - Staccato is really developing a culture/brand around their product. They seem to have built a "lifestyle" (or identity) around Staccato ownership that is different than other brands. Rightly or wrongly there seems to be a "status" in the 2A community when you own a Staccato. There can be a reaction of "awe" or "that guy must be an 'ass'.....or 'rich'.....or whatever..." I see it as similar to Subaru in the auto industry. We own Subarus - dealership/advertising is all about promoting a lifestyle around the Subaru brand. So, if one is interested in buying into a brand lifestyle/identity - that may or may not be worth the money.
Just some thoughts in my head I wanted to put into writing.
Good question that for me has a multilayered over thought take - here was my posted reply -
Coming from a firearms enthusiast (non-professional), here are my thoughts -
I have bought 2 Staccatos in the last 18 months. I bought a P shortly after my mother passed. My parents had way over bought life insurance policies, I ended up with some extra money, and in my only child grief - thought I should buy a Staccato. A local dealer had the one I wanted in stock and I went down and picked it up. If not for those circumstances, I would never have dropped over $3,000 on a firearm.
Last month, my local go-to dealer had a "like new" Staccato C in his consignment case. I had liquidated a couple in the safe and had some cash set back (for some unknown future purchase) and I had a Springfield Prodigy I was just OK with, I could sell. I would not have been able to pick this one up without making moves in the collection. These circumstances made it easier to pick the 2nd one up without dropping 3K in one big chunk.
Circumstances for both Staccato purchases were such that I could pick these up without taking a financial hit - I'm not eating ramen every meal and the mortgage & bills are getting paid. So, is a Staccato worth the money? For me personally they were due the circumstances above. Without those circumstances, would I save/scrape up $3,000+ for a handgun? - Probably not.
Both my C and P are great, quality firearms. Fit and finish are great. They are excellent shooters. I have very limited experience with the 1911 platform and I was never really that into them. Compared to the Prodigy I owned briefly. both Staccatos are nicer - they just feel more solid and quality than the Prodigy. Twice the price nicer?? (maybe, maybe not?) From research, folks seem to put a lot of money and upgrades into the Prodigy to make them more Staccato-like.
At half the cost of a Staccato, I have firearms that I shoot just as well with as much pleasure - the Sig P226 SAO Legion (Staccato P sized) and the Sig P229 SAO Legion (Staccato C sized) are perfect examples. If I didn't have the Staccatos - these would do whatever their comparatively sized Staccatos could.
For even less, I'm very happy with my PDP Pro Compact (C sized) w/ OEM Dynamic performance trigger and added brass backstrap (for weight) as well as an aftermarket DPM recoil system. The Walther PDP Dynamic Performance trigger reset and pull is approaching Staccato-like performance. (Same thing with a Walther PDP Pro Full Size - compared to the P.)
Either the Sig SAO Legions or the Walther PDP Pros can do the job I need them to do - training, range trips; and in the rare chance of it happening - self defense. For my level of skill, I shoot all guns mentioned in this post equal enough. While the Staccato trigger/weight, may hide some bad shooting fundamentals - One still needs to have the fundamentals down to be a decent or really good shooter. Based on this - I did not need to spend the money on Staccatos.
If one really wants to get into the 2011/1911 Double Stack platform, The Staccato seems to be the low end quality/reliable entry.
There are definitely lower priced entry 1911 DSs -
The Springfield Prodigy seems to be the lowest end of acceptable entries into this platform. From what I see, read, and my limited experience with this gun is that folks end up dropping more money into them to get them up to par.....or sometimes need to send their new Prodigy to Springfield to get it to run properly. Additionally there are reports from users on the internet of optic plate issues with the Prodigy.
The other 1911 DS that intrigues me is the Platypus. A 1911 DS that takes Glock magazines. Price is very good and the reviews are very good. I have no experience with this model.
From reading forums, it seems that a lot of folks that start with a Prodigy or other low cost entry 2011/1911 DS seem to eventually get a Staccato. In this case, my thought is save the money and get the Staccato as one's first 2011. Staccato seems to be solid, reliable, and the lowest price 2011 that one does not NEED to modify (Though it seems like a whole lot of Staccato owners do end up going that customization route.) For a reliable, quality, solid entry into the 2011 platform, the Staccato is worth the money.
The last aspect -
While there are a few guns that exhibit cult-like loyalty (I.e. Glock fanboys, etc.) - Staccato is really developing a culture/brand around their product. They seem to have built a "lifestyle" (or identity) around Staccato ownership that is different than other brands. Rightly or wrongly there seems to be a "status" in the 2A community when you own a Staccato. There can be a reaction of "awe" or "that guy must be an 'ass'.....or 'rich'.....or whatever..." I see it as similar to Subaru in the auto industry. We own Subarus - dealership/advertising is all about promoting a lifestyle around the Subaru brand. So, if one is interested in buying into a brand lifestyle/identity - that may or may not be worth the money.
Just some thoughts in my head I wanted to put into writing.
