Here is a link to the video review, written review down below.
I have written about the Taran Tactical Sand Viper before in a comparison piece with the Staccato XC and Nighthawk TRS Comp, but I wanted to take a minute and do a full writeup on the gun. The Taran guns seem to be rather misunderstood in the 2011 market space and there are a few good reasons for that. First, the price “regardless of worth”, is a hard pill to swallow. Second, it is easy to just dismiss them as Hollywood props, rather than serious firearms for serious shooters. And third, most people aren’t even sure what they are. The first Combat Masters were STI’s, then Taran re-released the Combat Master and some variants as in house guns. To further muddy the waters, who is building the guns for Taran is probably the best kept secret in the 2011 world. I have actually heard rumor of who it is, but I am not going to expand on that as I haven’t 100% confirmed it and TBH, I’m not trying to get excommunicated. That said, it’s not Staccato, nor is it a modded Staccato, and it’s not a shop most would be familiar with. But, in the spirit of complicating things further, TTI did another run of Combat Masters with Staccato, identifiable by the Staccato Tac Texture grips.
So that’s a lot of mud, but as for the gun itself, it is a 5” overall length with a single port comp and a modified monolith steel frame, topped of with an MJD grip module. I can tell you right off the bat, the SV, like all the other TTI 2011’s I have sampled gets a lot right, including several details more “established” manufacturers miss.
Weight – Using what can only be sheer magic, the pistol with the X300 and SRO mounted (no mag) comes in at 39oz, 2oz lighter than my XC which also has an MJD grip module. I have looked this gun over, up and down and inside out and it shouldn’t be lighter, but it is, and that is an absolute win, as I find under 40oz fully set up is really becoming my preference.
Slide to Frame- The slide to frame fit is perfect with no movement up and down or side to side. The slide glides like oiled glass with no disconnector hangup. This is achieved with an Atlas style relieved front edge of the stripper rail and a nicely dressed and polished disconnector.
Barrel – The barrel/comp set up is a short cone comp, which differs from the XC which is a single piece, and the TRS which is a screw on. Most notable the port on the SV is substantially larger than the other two, my eyeball calipers would say 25-33% larger port than its rivals. The comp also has two small side vents, though I believe them to be more for aesthetics than added function. If you don’t pay attention, they can get plugged with carbon pretty quickly.
Slide Serrations- A variant of TTI’s signature serrations, they look excellent and function just as well. The Rollmarks are tastefully done and IMO are the modern equivalent of Pachmayer’s classic “Combat Special” mark.
Finish – a unique bronze PVD coating, contrasted in polished and matte sections looks absolutely stunning, particularly in a sea of black and hard chrome offerings.
Frame- The frame is interesting, full width of the slide, unlike the XC which has a narrower frame, an abreviated cut at the front creating a pair of “fangs” when the slide is locked back (see video for further). There is what I would call a large fuller above the accessory rail which I suspect helps reduce weight.
Grip Safety- Not sure who makes the piece but it is very high cut, has STI style knuckle relief cuts and is supurbly dehorned. It is also unique in that it doesn’t have a memory bump on it, though this wasn’t an issue for me during use as the grip safety is also perfectly tuned.
Trigger – Another consistent with all the TTI 2011’s I have used, the trigger is phenomenal. Right around 2lbs, short take up, crisp break. It is Atlas good. As for the part itself, the trigger is unique to TTI using an aluminum shoe that emulates the STI design. The shoe has a very slight curve but for function feels very much the same as a flat trigger.
Optic Mount – Here is where things get interesting. The optic is direct mounted to the slide with excellent front and rear support and the SRO is buried with the periscope laying flush on the slide top. What is interesting is the slide doesn’t extend out to the side to accommodate the SRO screws, meaning the slide must be a bit wider than a normal 2011/1911. It isn’t perceivable to my eye, but that being the case makes it even more amazing that it came in as light as it did. This is the best direct mount execution I have come across.
Slide stop – I am actually not certain who makes the piece, but again, it is excellent. Similar in design to the 10-8 piece, the shelf is a bit longer but easy to use for lock back or release. There is a small under cut on the frame to aid in lock back and the part itself is well dehorned. Excellent execution.
Thumb safety – I believe this is a Wilson wide ambi, but again, not 100% sure. What I can say is that it is masterfully dehorned and tuned with perfect pressure and no play. It is one of the best thumb safeties I have used. So good!
Mag release – Drilled and tapped piece with a Dawson checkered disk. Again, one of my favorite pieces. The disk is dehorned on the edges and the button itself is sprung appropriately with no grit or hangups.
Grip- The grip is an MJD composite piece that is made specifically for TTI. The grip has texture under the trigger guard and a nice chunky diamond texture through out the grip that provides excellent traction. The grip diameter is also reduced over something like an MJD villain by way of the big diamonds. It feels fantastic in hand and is my favorite stock MJD variant. For those who insist on downgrading their pistol with an aluminum grip, TTI can accommodate you with their aluminum grip made by Icarus.
Magwell- TTI's own carry magwell. It narrows the profile of their regular magwell a bit but maintains excellent function. It also works with my Staccato basepads. Great overall piece.
Range report
So, the gun knocked it out of the park for me on the table top, but does it shoot? As if it were made for John Wick himself. All the hype and gimmicks aside, this is one of the best shooting 2011s I have ever used. It is similar to an XC and TRS Comp, just better. Better in every metric. Like the Akai it is both soft shooting and nimble. In fact I matched my plate rack PR that I set with the Akai, with this gun. In terms of speed it is in the elite group with the Akai and Vulcan Ported Atlas.
Reliability was excellent, though I will note it did give me some feeding hang ups dropping the slide with the slide release on reloads. When I slingshot the slide there were no further issues.
I could wax poetic for another page about how nice the recoil impulse is, how it would stack the rounds on bill drills and how easy the trigger made my life, but the short version is the SV delivered as one of the nicest shooting pistols I have ever used.
Verdict
What a gem. I have found it very rare for a factory offering to get so many things right and certainly wouldn’t have expected it from a Hollywood Prop, but it would seem someone at Taran Tactical actually is a gun guy and knows how to sweat the details. This is one of the few 2011s I have come across that I wouldn’t change a thing on. You could argue that you could change a lot of things on an XC for the price difference, and that is true, but just like adding checkering to a Colt doesn’t give you a Pachmayer Combat Special, swapping out an ignition on a Staccato doesn’t give you a Sand Viper.
If trying to decide between this, an XC, or a NH, understand all three will shoot better than almost anything you have ever shot. If one is just speaking to you, buy that. If budget is a consideration, buy the XC, but if you want the best and the cost doesn’t matter, it is the SV. Doing this one back to back with the Akai Ripsaw made for an impossible choice for me to choose which one I wanted to buy more. In a perfect world, the answer is both.
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I have written about the Taran Tactical Sand Viper before in a comparison piece with the Staccato XC and Nighthawk TRS Comp, but I wanted to take a minute and do a full writeup on the gun. The Taran guns seem to be rather misunderstood in the 2011 market space and there are a few good reasons for that. First, the price “regardless of worth”, is a hard pill to swallow. Second, it is easy to just dismiss them as Hollywood props, rather than serious firearms for serious shooters. And third, most people aren’t even sure what they are. The first Combat Masters were STI’s, then Taran re-released the Combat Master and some variants as in house guns. To further muddy the waters, who is building the guns for Taran is probably the best kept secret in the 2011 world. I have actually heard rumor of who it is, but I am not going to expand on that as I haven’t 100% confirmed it and TBH, I’m not trying to get excommunicated. That said, it’s not Staccato, nor is it a modded Staccato, and it’s not a shop most would be familiar with. But, in the spirit of complicating things further, TTI did another run of Combat Masters with Staccato, identifiable by the Staccato Tac Texture grips.
So that’s a lot of mud, but as for the gun itself, it is a 5” overall length with a single port comp and a modified monolith steel frame, topped of with an MJD grip module. I can tell you right off the bat, the SV, like all the other TTI 2011’s I have sampled gets a lot right, including several details more “established” manufacturers miss.
Weight – Using what can only be sheer magic, the pistol with the X300 and SRO mounted (no mag) comes in at 39oz, 2oz lighter than my XC which also has an MJD grip module. I have looked this gun over, up and down and inside out and it shouldn’t be lighter, but it is, and that is an absolute win, as I find under 40oz fully set up is really becoming my preference.
Slide to Frame- The slide to frame fit is perfect with no movement up and down or side to side. The slide glides like oiled glass with no disconnector hangup. This is achieved with an Atlas style relieved front edge of the stripper rail and a nicely dressed and polished disconnector.
Barrel – The barrel/comp set up is a short cone comp, which differs from the XC which is a single piece, and the TRS which is a screw on. Most notable the port on the SV is substantially larger than the other two, my eyeball calipers would say 25-33% larger port than its rivals. The comp also has two small side vents, though I believe them to be more for aesthetics than added function. If you don’t pay attention, they can get plugged with carbon pretty quickly.
Slide Serrations- A variant of TTI’s signature serrations, they look excellent and function just as well. The Rollmarks are tastefully done and IMO are the modern equivalent of Pachmayer’s classic “Combat Special” mark.
Finish – a unique bronze PVD coating, contrasted in polished and matte sections looks absolutely stunning, particularly in a sea of black and hard chrome offerings.
Frame- The frame is interesting, full width of the slide, unlike the XC which has a narrower frame, an abreviated cut at the front creating a pair of “fangs” when the slide is locked back (see video for further). There is what I would call a large fuller above the accessory rail which I suspect helps reduce weight.
Grip Safety- Not sure who makes the piece but it is very high cut, has STI style knuckle relief cuts and is supurbly dehorned. It is also unique in that it doesn’t have a memory bump on it, though this wasn’t an issue for me during use as the grip safety is also perfectly tuned.
Trigger – Another consistent with all the TTI 2011’s I have used, the trigger is phenomenal. Right around 2lbs, short take up, crisp break. It is Atlas good. As for the part itself, the trigger is unique to TTI using an aluminum shoe that emulates the STI design. The shoe has a very slight curve but for function feels very much the same as a flat trigger.
Optic Mount – Here is where things get interesting. The optic is direct mounted to the slide with excellent front and rear support and the SRO is buried with the periscope laying flush on the slide top. What is interesting is the slide doesn’t extend out to the side to accommodate the SRO screws, meaning the slide must be a bit wider than a normal 2011/1911. It isn’t perceivable to my eye, but that being the case makes it even more amazing that it came in as light as it did. This is the best direct mount execution I have come across.
Slide stop – I am actually not certain who makes the piece, but again, it is excellent. Similar in design to the 10-8 piece, the shelf is a bit longer but easy to use for lock back or release. There is a small under cut on the frame to aid in lock back and the part itself is well dehorned. Excellent execution.
Thumb safety – I believe this is a Wilson wide ambi, but again, not 100% sure. What I can say is that it is masterfully dehorned and tuned with perfect pressure and no play. It is one of the best thumb safeties I have used. So good!
Mag release – Drilled and tapped piece with a Dawson checkered disk. Again, one of my favorite pieces. The disk is dehorned on the edges and the button itself is sprung appropriately with no grit or hangups.
Grip- The grip is an MJD composite piece that is made specifically for TTI. The grip has texture under the trigger guard and a nice chunky diamond texture through out the grip that provides excellent traction. The grip diameter is also reduced over something like an MJD villain by way of the big diamonds. It feels fantastic in hand and is my favorite stock MJD variant. For those who insist on downgrading their pistol with an aluminum grip, TTI can accommodate you with their aluminum grip made by Icarus.
Magwell- TTI's own carry magwell. It narrows the profile of their regular magwell a bit but maintains excellent function. It also works with my Staccato basepads. Great overall piece.
Range report
So, the gun knocked it out of the park for me on the table top, but does it shoot? As if it were made for John Wick himself. All the hype and gimmicks aside, this is one of the best shooting 2011s I have ever used. It is similar to an XC and TRS Comp, just better. Better in every metric. Like the Akai it is both soft shooting and nimble. In fact I matched my plate rack PR that I set with the Akai, with this gun. In terms of speed it is in the elite group with the Akai and Vulcan Ported Atlas.
Reliability was excellent, though I will note it did give me some feeding hang ups dropping the slide with the slide release on reloads. When I slingshot the slide there were no further issues.
I could wax poetic for another page about how nice the recoil impulse is, how it would stack the rounds on bill drills and how easy the trigger made my life, but the short version is the SV delivered as one of the nicest shooting pistols I have ever used.
Verdict
What a gem. I have found it very rare for a factory offering to get so many things right and certainly wouldn’t have expected it from a Hollywood Prop, but it would seem someone at Taran Tactical actually is a gun guy and knows how to sweat the details. This is one of the few 2011s I have come across that I wouldn’t change a thing on. You could argue that you could change a lot of things on an XC for the price difference, and that is true, but just like adding checkering to a Colt doesn’t give you a Pachmayer Combat Special, swapping out an ignition on a Staccato doesn’t give you a Sand Viper.
If trying to decide between this, an XC, or a NH, understand all three will shoot better than almost anything you have ever shot. If one is just speaking to you, buy that. If budget is a consideration, buy the XC, but if you want the best and the cost doesn’t matter, it is the SV. Doing this one back to back with the Akai Ripsaw made for an impossible choice for me to choose which one I wanted to buy more. In a perfect world, the answer is both.
