STI TITAN 5.1 - KSC

Most people think of WA's excellent Infinities when considering a double stack 1911 target pistol, but for a number of years KSC have made a very similar STi range.

This gun came my way in a non-working condition, but I decided to review it, excluding the shooting impressions.

In the Box

This STI came without a box, but from what I have been able to find out, the standard box looks pretty much like any other KSC box, prior to the S&W 945/Beretta M93RII era.

The above photo shows the box and accessories with the 5.5" Hybrid, which is part of the same range.

First Impressions

First impression is of how similar to a Strayer Voigt the STi is.

There's a simple reason for that. F or several years now,the wide-body 1911 pioneered by Fred and Virgil Tripp and Sandy Strayer have been the hot ticket in IPSC circles. When the Strayer-Tripp partnership broke up in 1994, Strayer formed Strayer-Voigt and Virgil took over what was then STI.
If you want the full story look here.

The KSC STI is, like WA's SV Infinity, the only gun in their range with a metal frame as standard (Actually, there is a full metal CZ75 from KSC, but that is a exception). This is mated to the familiar (to anyone who has seen an Infinity, anyway) double stacker grip and topped off with a 1911 style slide.

The quality of finish is, as expected of KSC, high. The metal frame is especially good, probably better than most of WA's.

Metal parts abound, with a polished outer barrel, hammer, grip safety and thumb safety, plus black finished mag release, recoil rod, slide lock, trigger and sights.

Closer Look

This particular gun replicates STi's Titanium framed model, the TITAN 5.1 (not that I can find such a model on STi's website).

The fit and finish is good, especially the metal parts, although the slide looks a little plasticky, especially by comparison with the rest of the gun.

The TITAN 5.1 features a standard length 1911 frame, mated to a 5" slide. The closest WA would be the 5" Std hicapacity Infinity, which is the same as the 5" Ltd except for the shorter dustcover.

Whilst a WA Infinity is one of the most understated guns in terms of markings, KSC have not spared the engravers to provide the STI Titan 5.1 with its full complement of markings.

The left side of the slide is marked EAGLE 5.1 with an eagle logo. Further back is the STI logo. The left side of the frame is unmarked.

The right side of the slide is marked with the STI logo again, with STI and International and a star logo, within a box, just ahead of the extraction port. The chamber cover is marked STI .45 ACP. The right side of the frame is marked 2011 and TITANIUM 4 over the trigger and there is a serial number, XI300847 at the front of the frame.

The underside of the frame is marked "STRAYER TRIPP INT'L"/"AUSTIN TEXAS USA" over two lines, whilst the grips bear STI logo medallions.

The Novak rear sight is actually marked with Novak trademarks, too.

The highly polished hammer and grip and thumb safeties of the STi TITAN are exceptionally well finished, with no pitting and a very smooth, shiney finish.

As I mentioned earlier, the metal frame's finish is truly excellent. Without much knowledge of such things, I would guess it is anodised, rather than painted, as the WA frames are. This gives it, to my eye, a more professional appearance and, somehow, looks better quality.

The magazine is black in colour and has a plastic bumper (not a rubber one, like the Beretta Elite) on the bottom.

Shooting Impressions

As the gun had a broken blowback unit, this section will have to remain blank, unless I can source parts to repair it, which, so far, has proved impossible.

One test I was able to carry out, however, was the trigger pull weight. This gun has a trigger pull weight of just 390g (13.7 ounces), which is exceptionally light.

Take Down

Take down is just like an Infinity.

With the magazine out, push the slide back until you can push the slide lock through the frame. This done, slide the slide, barrel and recoil rod/spring off the front of the slide.

To strip further, you must separate the two parts of the recoil rod, pulling the front section through the front of the slide and then drop the barrel, chamber and recoil spring down from the underneath of the slide.

Conclusions

Overall, the KSC STi looks and feels a great gun.

Unfortunately, I cannot say how well it shoots and, with parts seemingly impossible to obtain, there is no reason to recommend it over the Western Arms SV alternative, which has such an extensive aftermarket support.

Tokyo Marui are about (June 2004) to enter the fray with a metal framed, double stacker 1911, so that may provide some competition for WA.

Weight : 670g

Realism : ****
Quality : ****
Power : N/A
Accuracy : N/A

More on STi's guns
STi's website
Real Steel link at World Guns