gun review STI International Tactical 5.0 feature
allows for placing a tactical light in one of six diff erent locations. I found this excep- tionally useful, since I have long fi ngers and don’t like my light right up against the trigger guard.
T e front and back straps are aggres- sively checkered and complement the G10 synthetic grip panels. Some shooters com- plain that good, aggressive grips like this hurt their hands. I have the soft hands of
a police administrator, so I like grips made this way. T e fact is, when things get ugly, positive friction between hand and gun is a benefi cial concept. T is STI .45 provides exactly that. T e Tactical SS has a fully supported, ramped bull barrel. It’s a serious hunk of steel with its bushingless system. I’m not one who places any value on the in- timidation factor of a defensive gun, but this is the scariest muzzle I’ve ever seen. If the business end of this pistol could talk, it would sound like James Earl Jones barking, “Don’t!”
The slides and frames of the Tactical SS series are notably beefi er than a typical 1911 platform pistol.
Heinie sights are standard issue with the Tactical SS. T ose experienced with Hei- nies know they are just as useful for quick and close shooting as they are for longer, more precise work. A two-dot tritium com- bination is optional at an additional cost. One of the fi rst qualities to look for in a good 1911 pistol is the slide-to-frame fi t. It is obvious that someone spent a lot of time with this gun to make it tight and slick at the same time. Another equally important consideration is the gun’s trigger. T e Tac- tical SS’s trigger broke consistently at fi ve pounds. It had a little more creep and over travel than I expected. Still, several shooters had almost no trouble hitting an IPSC steel target at 50 yards standing unsupported after we learned to hold to the right a little (more on that later).
I did one of those things that thing we all
hate so much; I actually read the instruc- tion manual. I was further guided to one of STI’s online instructional videos that cov- ered adjustment of the trigger for creep and overtravel with the included hex wrench. T ere was much improvement once opera- tor error was eliminated. T e pistol’s fi nish is listed as blue matte, but it’s what most of us call black. T e STI’s lines are clean and there were no blemishes on the pistol until I got my hands on it. T is is a defensive handgun that will see use, so the inevitable dings are merely signs of character.
The Tactical SS pistols are equipped with ambidextrous thumb safeties.
12 The Police Marksman May-Jun 2014
Unusual Takedown T e Tactical SS 5.0 comes with the Recoil Master spring assembly. T e dual spring system truly reduces felt recoil and helps the shooter get the sights back on target quickly. However, this is the most dif-
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