First Look: STI International Costa VIP Pistol

by
posted on July 13, 2017
sti-international-costa-vip-pistol-f.jpg
STI International, based in Georgetown, TX, announced the launch of the brand-new Costa VIP personal-defense pistol in the Costa series, which is designed with the input and assistance of self-defense expert Chris Costa.

The Costa VIP pistol is constructed particularly for the concealed-carry market. The company's VIP pistol models are constructed with a shortened grip in order to facilitate easier concealed carry, and handling is improved with the company's TreeBark stippled grip. The gun also features a 4.15-inch bull barrel, a tritium front sight and a fixed-ledge rear sight that can be used to rack the slide off a solid, level surface. The pistol is also built with a Picatinny rail machined into the dust cover on the frame, giving users a mounting surface for lights and lasers.

The pistol is finished with STI's Diamond-Like Carbon finish, which gives the pistol a black, low-profile look. The gun is built on the company's 2011 platform, which provides users with a double-stack magazine in a 1911-style pistol, giving them added capacity while still retaining the controls and feel of a traditional 1911.

In addition, the 2011-style pistols offered by STI provide a flatter recoil impulse, which allows shooters to better control the handgun, stay on target and fire faster follow-up shots. The gun is equipped with an ambidextrous safety lever, so it can be used easily with both hands or by left-handed shooters. The Costa VIP pistol comes out of the box with a fine-tuned trigger that features a 3.5-pound break.

The gun is available in both 9 mm and .45-ACP-chambered models and ships with two 120 mm magazines, which provides a magazine capacity of 15 rounds in the 9 mm model, while the .45 ACP model features a magazine capacity of nine rounds.

The suggested retail price on the new STI International Costa VIP pistol is $2,599.

Latest

Federal .32 H&R Mag. JSP Ammunition
Federal .32 H&R Mag. JSP Ammunition

First Look: Federal .32 H&R Mag. JSP Ammunition

A new defensive round for an increasingly popular cartridge.

Shotguns: Out of Its Shell

Which is better: 2 3/4- or 3-inch shotgun shells?

I Carry: Rost Martin RM1S 9mm Pistol in a Crossbreed Holster

And we're carrying along a CRKT M16 pocketknife.

Study Finds Armed Civilians More Effective at Stopping Active Shooters than LE

A dispersed response works very well against a dispersed threat.

First Look: Silencer Central Banish 30-V2 Suppressor

Now available with the HUB mount for greater flexibility.

First Look: CZ Shadow 2 Carry

A variant of the classic CZ-75 that's meant to go with you wherever you go.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Illustrated delivered to your inbox.