Staccato C Review: The Do-All 9mm 2011?

stac·ca·to

/stəˈkädō/

adjective

1. performed with each note sharply detached or separated from the others. "a staccato rhythm".

adverb

2. with each note sharply detached or separated from the others. "I find arpeggio playing is easily done staccato".

“Detached or separated from the others.” In other words, something unique or different. In the final years of my training company, I could not help but notice the increasing number of high capacity 1911-style pistols I was seeing in class. Most all were in 9mm with slides that were highly ported, grooved, and serrated. While they were certainly a direct descendant of the 1911 pistol I had grown up with, they were their own firearm, directed at a younger generation of shooter who had other ideas about what they felt was required for a carry gun.

Over the last few years, the 2011 platform has spread like a prairie fire, with most major firearm manufacturers — and plenty of smaller shops — offering some version of a double-stack, ported, and serrated pistol with a single-action, 1911-style trigger. These guns are easy to shoot accurately, fast on target, and can be used for both competition and combat. As a matter of fact, many features that were originally viewed as competition accessories, such as magazine funnels, optics, fiber-optic sights, and oversize operating levers, are now consider standard equipment and have been incorporated into pistols intended for everyday carry and law enforcement. While a few of us old timers might question such accessories, it does not matter. The younger generation of shooter has spoken and the 2011 is here to stay.

But in a growing field of pistols offering similar features, how does one stand out in the crowd? How do new products differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack? The answer comes in the quality of the product. The goal is to make a gun that is so much better than the others that the company’s name actually creates an image of superiority in the minds of the buying public. Add to that innovation that sets a tempo its competitors must try to follow. That is exactly what Staccato has accomplished, and their line of pistols sell just as fast as they can produce them.

I have been thinking about buying a 2011 for a while now. I grew up with the 1911 pistol and even carried one while a member of my former agency’s SWAT Team. The only true sliding trigger (all others pivot from the top), the 1911 action is easy to shoot accurately due to the minimal amount of travel that is required to drop the hammer. If you take a moment to look at how your index finger moves back and forth, it is easy to see why a sliding trigger would be easy to manipulate versus that of a pivoting trigger. The pad of the index finger can stay solidly in one place or even “tap” the trigger straight to the rear. A pivoting trigger will always require some degree of “slide across” by the index finger to shoot.

Combine the single action, sliding trigger with the 9mm cartridge and you have a pistol that a wide variety of folks can shoot well. The challenge will come in learning to deactivate the thumb and slide safeties, but this is just a matter of practice. I recommend to those who carry a 1911 to stick with that platform alone, don’t be changing carry guns regularly, because its action is unique. It doesn’t matter if you shoot other guns — by all means, have some fun — but my suggestion for 1911 shooters is to only carry guns with a 1911-style trigger to reduce the possibility of digital confusion when operating the platform.

Staccato offers a fairly extensive line of 2011 pistols with different functions in mind. Some are intended for EDC, some for military and LE, and still others are directed at the competition market. The model I have decided to take a look at, for both review and possible purchase, is their newly introduced Model C, a pistol that Staccato bills as “the all-purpose Staccato.” The Staccato C is a 4-inch pistol intended to be the perfect do-it-all handgun. Small enough for concealed carry and big enough for on-duty use and home defense.” An all-purpose pistol is certainly intriguing, but does the Model C live up to this claim? I intended to find out.

Staccato C Spec’d

The Staccato C offers a four-inch barrel with an overall length of 7.6 inches, a width of 1.45 inches, a height of 5.4 inches with compact grip (5.8 inches with the full-length grip) and an unloaded weight of 26 ounces. The more ergonomic and compact grip modules are designed around Staccato’s new magazine that is purpose built for the 9mm cartridge. The magazine body reminded me of the tried-and-true Beretta 92 magazine, but this might just be coincidence. Many internet mouthpieces are calling the Staccato C a “Glock-19-size pistol,” that is not entirely true. The C is longer and taller than the Glock, but that is mostly due to the 1911-based design. The difference, though, should not stop anyone who wants a medium-size 2011 from purchasing it.

Other features include a fluted barrel with contour cuts on the barrel hood that locks solidly into the slide. The frame is an all-aluminum “wide body” design that is flush to the slide with uninterrupted frame rails that include lubricating grooves to hold oil longer. Other features include a single-notch mounting rail on the dustcover for lights and lasers that is full length to accept a wider variety of units, textured sandpaper-style grip panels, a tool-less recoil system, Dawson fiber-optic iron sights, carry-optic cut that compatible with specific mounting plates, and an external extractor.

I can remember when having an external extractor on a 1911-style pistol was considered pure blasphemy! Purists would scream, “If John Browning had wanted an external extractor on his gun, he would have put it there!” Let’s be honest, internal extractors can be a bit of a maintenance nightmare. I can remember removing them and trying to bend them just a little bit to get more reliable extraction without over doing it. I’m going to go on record as saying I am glad external extractors are standard on the Staccato C.

The slide on the Model C is not overly cut, ported and contoured as found on other 2011 models. It boasts front and rear cocking serrations that offer a solid grasp without being overly sharp. The steel slide is coated in a proprietary black finish that is quite durable while also offering an attractive, business-like matte finish. The color of the slide and frame match perfectly, which is not always the case for steel and aluminum firearms.

The trigger action on the Model C is short and smooth with just a hint of a wall right before the trigger break. It tipped my trigger scale right at 4.5 pounds which I feel is perfect. While good work can be done with heavier triggers, it is the snags, catches and glitches of many factory trigger actions that confound shooters. I have come to believe that a smooth trigger between 4 and 6 pounds is perfect for most people.

At The Range

My testing would start out with accuracy from a bench rest at 25 yards, but before I did that, I wanted to get a feel for the pistol by shooting one of my favorite drills — the Three Round Fadeback. This was the opening drill for all of my classes back when I had my training company. It is the first thing I shoot during my practice sessions to this day. It requires three rounds fired from 5, 7, 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards at a 3x5-inch rectangle, from either a ready position or the holster. There is no time limit. While it is a pure marksmanship drill, it also gives the shooter the opportunity to focus on their trigger finger, grip, sights and all of the other essential skills, which I certainly did with this unfamiliar pistol. Shooting the drill clean is difficult — doable, but I seldom clean it these days. That said, I did quite well! Especially, considering I had never shot the pistol before. I placed a few rounds high, likely due to not knowing where the sights would hit for me. The Dawson Precision fiber-optic sight system that comes standard on the C is quite good. Highly visible in daylight with a black serrated rear sight that really draws the eyes to the fiber-optic dot. Optic mounting plates with rear sights attached — also made by Dawson — are available as a separate purchase from Staccato. They are made for a wide variety of popular carry optics.

To test for pure accuracy, I used six different popular hollow-point carry loads. I had heard rumors that Staccato pistols were not reliable when feeding hollow points and I wanted to find out if this were true. I used popular LE duty loads with bullet weights from 115 to 147 grains. This benchrest test was not a rapid-fire exercise, but a slow and methodical attempt to get the best groups possible. In truth, it was agonizingly slow, and it is my least favorite part of any gun review. I undertake it because I think the buying public really wants to know what their new gun is capable of. The results were as follows:

Accuracy Results at 25 yards

• Federal 124-gr. HST: 1.5 in.
• Hornady 135-gr. Critical Duty: 2.5 in.
• Speer 115-gr. Gold Dot: 2 in.
• Speer 135-gr. Gold Dot 2: 2.25 in.
• Speer 147-gr. Gold Dot 2: 1.25 in.
• Staccato Match 125-gr. HAP: 2 in.

I was very pleased at the level of accuracy the Model C was capable of. It is certainly more mechanically accurate than I am!

With the remainder of my test, I intended to get 500 rounds through the gun in order to see if it would stop. My son-in-law joined me for this, as he is a huge fan of the 2011 pistol and the thought of getting to shoot a gun he did not have to clean, along with free ammo, was just too enticing. If I am going to shoot, I might as well train, so I shot a number of the drills that I use in my regular practice sessions. Two-inch dots at 5 yards with one-, two-, and three-round strings, trying to keep them all in is one of my favorites. I am also a fan of shooting 3x5-inch rectangles at 7 yards from the holster. When doing this, I am not looking for fast times, but for a consistent path of travel that ensures the gun always arrives on target. While a fast draw is fine, I am much more concerned with an “accurate” draw. Knowing that my gun will arrive where I need it is a huge advantage in a fight.

If I work on reloads and stoppages, I like to do them on the move. If your range facility allows for some movement, why would you stand still for these? Practice moving so that if the real deal happens, your body knows to get off the X and avoid being shot. To facilitate adding ammunition, the Staccato C has a small magazine funnel built into the grip frame. It is nothing too large, but I did find it helped me get a reliable reload while on the move. Regarding stoppages, I had to set them up manually as the Staccato C did not suffer a single malfunction during the testing. It devoured every type of ammunition that I fed into it, regardless of bullet style.

It should also be noted that both the thumb and grip safety were quite positive with the thumb safety offering a very satisfying “click” every time it was engaged either up or down. I don’t know why I find this click reassuring, but I always have and I liked the configuration of the safety lever on the “C.” The grip safety offers a nice “memory bump” that ensures the web of the hand depresses it, even if a perfect grip is not achieved.

Final Test

My final test was a direct result of social media response. I posted on my Facebook page that I would be evaluating the Staccato, and was told by several people “do not drop it.” Since I am not a huge participant in the social media world, I was not sure what they were talking about. My social media savvy son-in-law told me that several internet celebrities had conducted drop tests on different Staccato pistols and they did not always pass. With this in mind, I placed a concrete landscaping block in the grass and covered it with a rubber pad. I wanted to do this in a grassy area as I knew the pistol would bounce off when dropped. I placed a primed empty case into the chamber and dropped it from head height on the muzzle and rear of slide with both the thumb safety engaged and released. No problems with the Model C test gun were experienced.

All in all, I found the Staccato Model C to be a very accurate and reliable pistol. It does everything the manufacturer said it does and it certainly is a solid choice for an all-around carry pistol.

Now, to address the “elephant in the room.” Is the Staccato C worth the $2,600 retail price tag? I can’t answer that, only you can. Some will say it is well worth the money spent, while others will claim they can buy multiples of another gun for the same amount of money. Not surprisingly, my son-in-law felt it was certainly worth the price, and I would not be surprised to see one in his gun safe in the very near future.

Contact: Staccato 2011, 512-819-0656, staccato2011.com

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