New SVI Infinity Sight Tracker .40S&W

[bernt]

I have now sold my Open blaster and ordered a brand new SVI Infinity Sight Tracker .40S&W for standard class.

Awaiting delivery with great anticipation

I ordered the non AET version, I have heard AET barrels are more choosy of bullets and I intend to use cheap bullets.

Anyone have experience with the sight tracker setup?

Regards,

Bernt

[splashdown]

Yours is a heck of a lot like mine except mine is hard chromed, flat top/serrated, fluted, and has the AET. I love the sight tracker, but it is the first single action gun I've owned. I've shot a couple of other "STI Edge" type custom guns and I like mine a whole lot better.

[Kingman]

I am in the process of building one. I am sort of getting antsy to shoot it.

[Josh Biondi]

I havent test this kind of gun until now, but im trying to find one owner to test his gun for the Italian magazine Armi&Tiro. When I done it I'll be able to tell my impressions. However I presume that this gun with the ribbed barrel will give to the shooter a better sight tracker. About the AET barrel the only thing I heard is that the barrel is hard to fit with the frame for the gunsmith which must do the mating job.

[Rob Boudrie]

I have now sold my Open blaster and ordered a brand new SVI Infinity Sight Tracker .40S&W for standard class.

Talk about mixed metaphors "Standard" is a division, not class. Also, USPSA does not have a "Standard" division - just Open, Limited, Limited 10, Production, Revolver and Single Stack.

[Jaxshooter]

I have two SV Sight Trackers. Both of mine have AET barrels and are very accurate with my load of 5.0 gr N-320, Zero 180gr JHP, WSRP loaded to 1.170. I do not vary the load so I don't know if the AET barrels are picky about bullets.

[Mick]

When I rebuilt an SV the last time I had an AET barrel put in it to see if I could get more barrel life. I think the AET is a good idea and should give me more rounds than an uncoated barrel before wear causes a loss of accuracy. I'm talking 50,000+ rounds. I have an uncoated Schuemann in the other SV that had 54,000+ rounds and accuracy is going away but should last awhile longer. They way we heat guns up in practice and the type of shooting we do makes the AET & TiN coating a good deal.

Sandy now has another coating he uses on a carbon steel barrel that may even be better and is a silver color.

I stayed with brass jacket alloy bullets as they shoot better in the older barrels (they are harder?) and the AET should handle them longer.

I've been using 5.0 grains of N320 under a 180 @ 1.160" since '96 (adjusted for the changing power factor) and a VV tech checked the load back in the 90s and found it to have good density, pressure, SD, and temperature. VV just won't recomend N320 with a 180 in their reloading book because they feared you could double charge a case.

[scirocco38s]

I purchased my first Sightracker back in october and like it alot. It is a slightly different feel than a standard limited or long dustcover gun, but not significantly. Since then I picked up another that a friend needed to unload for personal reasons. They are actually about the same age within a month or so, and have different slide cuts(1 is tritopped). Both react almost identical and are not finicky about ammo as far as feeding and shooting, but they dont seem to like 200gr. plated bullets( I have tried Berrys and Rainiers) and they seem to keyhole. They dont exhibit this problem with 180 plated or any weight jacketed. It seems that when I shoot up this 3k of 200rainiers then I will be back to zero or Montanas only for this gun. My Dawson signature gun or my older SVI dont have the problem with the Rainiers but the sighttrackkers do. I wonder if it is the Titanium nitride coating or the gain twist rifling that is creating the problem? Annyway, they are great guns, great fit and finish and they treat customers with the respect they deserve for buy a $2500+ item.

[Jaxshooter]

I had a conversation with Wil Scheuman about the plated bullets in the AET barrel. He said they would not stabilize the plated bullets because they are soft.

[Mick]

I've noticed the same problem with the "coated bullets" as I got alot of keyholing but couldn't blame it on the bullets. They shot well in a non-AET barrel. I've stayed with the Armscor or MG brass alloy bullet for this reason.

[Bird_Dog0347]

I have the AET barrel in my sight tracker (non coated AET) and I shoot Precision Bullets (coated) 185 & 200 grain bullets with 4.2 grains of titegroup for now. I plan to switch back to N320 though as I hate how dirty titegroup is. Sweet guns though for sure, you will love yours.

[Radical Precision Designs]

Speaking of new Infinity Sight-Trackers. It is my understanding they are manufactured in both 5" and 6". I have seen mostly the 5" models, and a lot less of the 6" version. I noticed that the Sight Track portion of the barrel is the same size on both.

Of course, there are quite a few Sight Tracker style pistols that are built by custom builders. Sometimes, if there are no custom builder markings you have no way of telling if they were not built by SVI/Infinity. Should I assume that both the 5" and 6" versions are legal to use in the Limited/Standard Division of USPSA/IPSC ????? With the surging interest in the 6" Limited guns, this is a good candidate/contender ...

[trevoro]

I've had 10k + rounds of Bear Creek 180g molly through my plated AET. I have never had reason to complain about the accuracy. It has been great, but I've never tried any other load. I use 4.6 of Titegroup.

As for the way the gun feels...I went from an Edge to the sight tracker with accelerator cuts. The first shot I took out of the new gun was a big disappointment because the gun really jumped in my hand compared to the Edge. I was ready for "the flattest shooting limited gun, period!" After a few mags though, I started to love it. It does have a lot of snap to it, but the sights return really quickly also. I think it just depends on what you want to feel. I've now gotten used to the snap, where before I was used to a softer but more drawn out recoil feel.

If you like lightened guns, you will like the sight tracker (it obviously has a pretty huge chunk of metal taken out of the slide). If you are accustomed to and like shooting something like the Edge, you probably will not like the sight tracker at first. I don't know which gun is really better for shooting fast because I never did a timed comparison, but I LOVE the SV, and that counts for a lot.

[Jaxshooter]

Venry, I don't think you can use a 6" gun in IPSC. I think I read somewhere that Rob was shooting his 5" gun because he could not shoot the 6" gun in IPSC matches.

[splashdown]

I had similar thoughts for a while there Venry. SV does build a 6 inch sight tracker and you're right, the rib is the same length as that of a 5 inch barrel. But, have they submitted documentation to USPSA that says they've made 500 of them? 500 produced is the requirement for Limited division, IIRC. But wouldn't that 6 inch bull barrel be pretty heavy? I think the Fat Free concept is probably the way to go in a 6 inch. Just my thoughts without any real hands on proof to back it up. But if Benny Hill used to flute bull barrels and decided it wasn't light enough, I'm sure I'd stick with a classic bushing barrel if I ever go with a 6 inch.

[Radical Precision Designs]

Jaxshooter brings out the point about USPSA rules versus USPSA. Sometimes these differences can be subtle, while other times they can be a pain in the arse. Thank goodness most of my shooting falls under USPSA.

Presently I have a project going for a 6" Sight Tracker. A couple years ago Wil Schuemann sent me one of these barrels in 6" (.40S&W)and another 5" Side Tracker in 9mm. Both of these barrels have been waiting patiently for a gun so that they can go out and play. Right now SVI/Infinity is making me an interchangeable breech face 6" slide for the 6" Side Tracker without the bushing cut. I asked "Tami" about the legality of the 6" Sight Tracker. She was not sure then, but the next time I talked to her she relayed that Brandon mentioned tha it may not be legal but did not elaborate on it. It is entirely possible that more than 500 have been bulit by SVI/Infinity but maybe they have not applied for legalization. ?????? Perhaps the ratio of 6" Side Trackers thay are building does not warrant their paperwork ???? Then again I am pretty sure that if over 500 have indeed been built, maybe some calls from some of these owners to SVI/Infinity to legalize their "competition blasters" may do the trick ????

As for the "weight management" and putting these guns in a diet ... there are many ways to do so. The main question is how light is light to measure, and how do we arrive at this conclusion. There is always the point of diminishing returns to consider too. To me it is much more important to have a balanced feel in the gun handling and how it cycles. The previous post by "Trevoro" illustrates this point. While in theory the standard bushing barrel can afford a light set-up, the Sight Tracker can shift some of the slide's weight into the barrel itself for a faster reciprocating/cycling, while allowing some cuts that would be impractical in the bushinged slide, therefore evenning out the weight issue. Heck, you could even use an aluminum frame if such weight reduction was called for. But the main focus should be in a balanced weight distribution at whatever maximum or minimum weight is desired. Otherwise, might as well stick with the maximum possible weight achievable with a full wide dust cover, a unique slide and a full profile bull barrel for a truly flat shooting capability without a compensator.

And, moving back in from the noticeable thread drift, the question and comparison from the Sight Tracker versus conventional normal weight slide (whether 5" or 6") is the real concern expressed. So far a good case has been made for the Sight Tracker by the Sight Tracker providing a faster cycling time because of its innate weight/mass reduction resulting from the Sight Track/Rib "rail". Another advantage I have found is that this same opening in the slide acts pretty much like a rail, an it allows for the barrel to distribute and transfer some of its "bullet centrifugal torque" indexing it into the slide and relieving the barrels feet somewhat from that torque acting exclusively on the feet. This will result in much smoother, even cycling overall.

Edited August 23, 2007 by Radical Precision Designs

[wide45]

6" is not yet legal

http://www.uspsa.org/rules/nroi_rulings.php

NROI Rulings

Title: Raised rib barrel legality

Created: 8/14/04

Updated: 10/16/04

Effective: 10/12/04

Rule number: Appendix D7 item

Applies to: Pistol

Ruling authority: John Amidon

Status: Released

Ruling

SV has provided confirmation that the "Sight Tracker" has met the requirements of 500 produced and a year of production in .40S&W with a 5" barrel. Calibers in other than .40S&W are not allowed and raised rib barrels other than 5" are not allowed. This configuration will only be allowed on wide body guns, as this is how SV produced it.

[Radical Precision Designs]

6" is not yet legal

http://www.uspsa.org/rules/nroi_rulings.php

NROI Rulings

Title: Raised rib barrel legality

Created: 8/14/04

Updated: 10/16/04

Effective: 10/12/04

Rule number: Appendix D7 item

Applies to: Pistol

Ruling authority: John Amidon

Status: Released

Ruling

SV has provided confirmation that the "Sight Tracker" has met the requirements of 500 produced and a year of production in .40S&W with a 5" barrel. Calibers in other than .40S&W are not allowed and raised rib barrels other than 5" are not allowed. This configuration will only be allowed on wide body guns, as this is how SV produced it.

Thanks for the clarification. You will notice that this ruling is around three years old. This hopefully means that during that time maybe SVI/Infinity met the necessary criteria for it to be upgraded. But it is not up to the shooters to petition, but to the manufacturer. There are quite a few Sight Trackers sold and in use that were not actually build by SVI/Infinity. While these serve to augment the numbers they are not relevant because of documentation issues. Again, if the actual numbers from Infinity do "jive", then it would be up to them to initiate this process. I would remind SVI/Infinity that presently there is quite a demand for 6" Limited guns, and if they do not make them legal they will miss the "train" of the market-share.

[bernt]

I just recieved the pistol. One word: Awesome!

It is fit so tight it barely cycles (gotta be broken in). Every little detail is perfect. Can't wait to test this baby out on the range tonight!

A barrel accuracy test showing 1.60 inches 5 shot group (all touching same hole) at 50 yard range. Is this just the barrel or the gun? If just the barrel, why don't they test the gun?

B

[Cardinal]

Congrats.

I'm waiting a exactly identical pistol from Flemming.

Be sure to let us know how she handles on the range.

[Cardinal]

How did the trip to the range go?

Got my gun today, and I agree. Its Awesome.

Mine also had the accuracy certificate and I contacted Brandon Strayer and asked him about it. Its for the barrel only, not the gun. But the unusal part was that he said normally only the AET barrels get tested and he had no idea why ours also had the certificate. My certificate actually states that it is a AET barrel but it does not have that stamped on the barrels itself so its probably a typo.

[albog]

I've heard a lot of conflicting opinions about shooting plated bullets vs. jacketed through SVI AET barrels. Is it a matter of accuracy and tumbling or do plated bullets strip going through SVI AET barrels and foul the barrels? I'd appreciate an educated opinion on this as I have to purchase bullets and don't know whether the plated ones will be OK for the SVI.

[pbosik]

I had a aet barrel and it shot fine with anything I used, lead,plated and jacketed.

[bonglee0507]

mine would arrive in july! can't wait for it!

[paopao]

mine would arrive in july! can't wait for it!

Sir where did you order your svi? I assune you are also in the phils.