The Staccato P Project Is Over… So What’s Next?

Well, this is not the update I originally expected to write.

The Staccato P project was supposed to be the next big step in my 2011 journey. The plan was pretty clear: take the iconic Staccato P, build it into either my main competition gun or at least a serious backup to my C2, and really lean into what the platform is known for. It was slated to get the Miller Precision compact aluminum grip, a full porting package, and a full cerakote job to make it something special.

On paper, it made sense.

The Staccato P is one of those guns that has earned its reputation. It is iconic for a reason. It has been successful for a reason. It is one of the pistols that helped make Staccato what it is today, and for a lot of people, the P is the 2011 to own.

But here’s the thing…

After competing more with my C2 and doing a lot of dry fire at home with the P while waiting to move forward with barrel porting, I realized something pretty important:

The Staccato P just isn’t for me.

That is not a knock on the gun. Not even a little bit. The P is still an awesome pistol. But I was reminded during dry fire that I just do not love full-size guns. Given my hand size, how I carry, how I train, and what I actually use my pistols for, compact guns simply fit my lifestyle better.

And honestly, that matters.

It is easy to get caught up in what the internet says is “best.” It is easy to chase the setup that everyone says is the ultimate competition gun. It is easy to convince yourself that bigger, heavier, and flatter is automatically better.

But if the gun does not fit how you actually live, carry, train, and compete, then what are we doing?

For me, compact guns make more sense. They are more aligned with my purpose of use. They fit better into my lifestyle. They are easier for me to commit to as both carry guns and competition guns.

So as of right now, the Staccato P project is officially over.

Done.

We are moving on from the Staccato P.

But that does not mean my 2011 journey is over. In fact, it is really just getting more interesting.

Because I currently have two 2011 projects in the works.

And today, I am unveiling the next one.

Enter the Staccato CS

That’s right.

The small one.

The 3.5-inch barrel Staccato CS.

The one that takes its own 15-round magazines.

Yes, that CS.

This is going to be the next Staccato project, and honestly, I am really excited about it.

The timing is also kind of wild. I picked mine up before Staccato announced that the CS was being discontinued. Staccato has since announced that the CS is being phased out, with limited inventory available while supplies last. So while I did not buy mine because of that announcement, I am definitely glad I grabbed one while I could.

There is always something interesting about owning a gun that may become harder to get in the future. That does not automatically make it better, and I am not buying into the whole “collector panic” thing, but I do think the CS fills a very specific role that makes sense for me.

It is compact.

It is carryable.

It is still a 2011.

And it fits the way I actually use guns.

Why the CS Makes Sense for Me

The best way I can explain it is by comparing it to my M&P 2.0 setup.

I have the M&P 2.0 4-inch compact and the 3.6-inch compact, and I have used both for carry and competition. That setup makes sense to me because they share a similar purpose. They are practical. They are realistic. They are compact enough to carry but capable enough to train and compete with.

That is kind of how I see the Staccato CS fitting into my arsenal.

I already have the C2, which has become a big part of my competition and carry focus. The CS now gives me another compact 2011 option that leans even harder into the carry side, while still giving me something I can work with on the range.

Is it the “ideal” competition gun?

Probably not.

Is it the gun you would pick if you were purely trying to game a match?

Also probably not.

But that is not really where my head is right now.

My focus is shifting more toward competing with what I actually carry. I want to get reps with the guns that are realistically part of my lifestyle. I want to build skill around the equipment I am actually likely to have on me.

If that means running a smaller gun, dealing with less capacity, and having to reload more often…

Yippee.

But seriously, that is part of the point.

Yes, I Know the CS Mags Are Different

I already know what some of you are thinking.

“The CS magazines do not work with the C2.”

You are right.

They do not.

The CS uses its own magazines, and that means if I decide to compete with it, I will need to track down more mags and build out that support system separately.

Is that annoying?

A little bit.

Is it enough to stop the project?

No.

It just means I need to be realistic about what this gun is and what it is not. The CS is not going to be the most convenient option if you are already heavily invested in C2 magazines. It is not going to be the most universal setup in the Staccato lineup. But for what I want to do with it, I think it still makes a lot of sense.

This build is not about building the easiest competition setup.

It is about building a compact 2011 that can be duty-ready, carry-ready, and still capable enough to be pushed in competition.

That is where things get fun.

What’s Next for the CS Build?

I am not ready to give away every detail just yet, but this project is going to be built with purpose.

The goal is not to just make it look cool, although let’s be honest, it probably will.

The goal is to make it more capable. More shootable. More reliable for the way I train. More useful as a carry and competition crossover pistol.

I am excited to share who will be working on it with me and what direction we are taking it. I think this one is going to be a really fun project because the CS already starts from a place that makes sense for me. It is compact, it is high quality, and it fits the exact role I keep coming back to.

That matters more to me than building something just because the internet says I should.

The P project would have been cool.

But the CS project feels more like me.

Ammo Testing Is Coming Too

Another area I am going to be focusing on more soon is ammo.

As I spend more time with the Staccatos and 2011s in general, I want to start testing different ammo options to see what performs best across these guns. Not just what cycles, but what feels best, shoots softest, groups well, and gives me the best overall performance.

That means I will be checking out more ammo options through Brownells.

Brownells has been a great place to look because they usually have a wide variety of ammo options, competitive pricing, and enough selection to actually compare different loads without having to bounce around to a dozen different places.

For these 2011 projects, ammo is going to matter.

Ported guns, compact guns, competition use, carry considerations — all of that can change what ammo makes the most sense. I want to spend more time actually testing that instead of just assuming one load is the answer for everything.

So yes, expect more ammo talk coming soon.

The P Is Out, But the Journey Continues

So that is where things stand.

The Staccato P project is officially over.

Not because the P is bad.

Not because it failed.

Not because it is not worth building.

It is simply not the right gun for me and what I want to do right now.

That is part of the process. Sometimes you buy something, spend time with it, dry fire it, think through the build, and realize it is not the direction you want to go. I would rather admit that now than force a project that does not really fit me.

The Staccato CS, on the other hand, feels like the right move.

It fits the compact carry/competition crossover role that I keep coming back to. It gives me another way to keep learning the 2011 platform. And with the CS being discontinued, I am even more interested to see how this pistol ages in the Staccato lineup.

But the CS is only one of the two 2011 projects I have in the works.

And as a little preview for the next blog post…

The other 2011 project is not a Staccato.

It is much more affordable.

It does not look quite the same.

But from a performance and value standpoint, it might surprise a lot of people.

Stay tuned.