This, and the 5" and 6" barrelled versions, were much awaited (by me, at least) WA releases.

The Strayer Voigt Infinity range are WA's flagship guns and these were the closest thing to an SCW gas system version of the excellent Limiteds yet released in black.

They also feature a number of 'improvements' over the old Ltds and so promised much.

In the Box

Both the 5" and 4.3" come in the, now familiar, grey SCW boxes, with only a sticker on the side to indicate what is within.

Contents, too, are pretty standard for a WA SVI with BBs, manuals, a couple of Allen keys and 2 interchangeable triggers. All familiar fare for some time with the SVI range.

First Impressions

First impressions were pretty good. The first thing which grabs your attention IS the new grip. It's smooth and looks more comfortable and smaller than the familiar SVI double stacker grip, which many gripe about, due to the aggressive chequering. I was slightly disappointed to find that it is hard, rather than rubberised and, initially, at least, the grip feels a bit slippery, coming from a traditional SVI grip.

The gun itself is smart in its plain black with silver detailing, much like the old Ltds and lacking the gold barrel/chamber of the 5 and 6 inch versions. Each to their own, but I prefer the silver and the finish on this gun's cone barrel, at least whilst new, is even nicer than the Ltd's.

The slide is a 5 sided shape, rather than the curved top of the old Ltds and all the controls, plus the frame and hammer are metal, as you would expect of an SVI double stacker.

Closer Look

The two most significant aspects of this 4.3" Expert are the slide and the grip.

The shape of the slide has been changed from the traditional curved top Infinity slide to the '3 sided' shape (Explained here), which gives the gun a sharper, cleaner look to my eye (A bit like an SVI in a Hugo Boss suit).

The sights, too are notably different, with the familiar unmarked Bo-Mar being replaced with a fully adjustable Novak-style sight with white dots (as well as on the dovetailed-in front post).

There are 'free-form' slide cuts (again see, SVI's site for an explanation) on the rear of all the Expert models, which are wider and less sharp-edged than those on the older Limited models.

The 4.3" slide lacks the ridge towards the front of the slide and frame, as seen on the Expert 5".

The grip is smaller in diameter than the familiar SVI grip and lacks the sharp and pronounced chequering. At first sight it looks rubbery, but it is not, having a smooth plastic finish.

No doubt many, especially those with smaller hands, will find it more comfortable, but even after shooting if for some time on the 5" and 4.3", I found it did not provide the same security of grip as the standard grip.

The metal frame is plain, like the Limiteds, but feature a rail. I found this combination more attractive than the rather flashy grooves on the Xcelerator frame, but again that it is a matter of taste. From reading the forums, it seems that many will consider the plain frame and rail combination the ideal, though.

Markings are very traditional SVI, with each side of the slide bearing the word INFINITY. The left side of the frame is marked with the SV logo and a fairly inconspicuous WA ASGK mark. The chamber is marked "INFINITY .45 ACP" and the grips bear SV stickers and that it is it, for markings.

Unlike the 5" (and 6") Expert, the 4.3" has a silver chamber and barrel. The finish is good and, to my eye, the black/silver combination lends a classier look. The finish on the barrel and chamber is bright, smooth (with just a hint of 'milling' on the barrel, as with the gold 5") and solid in appearance.

The hammer and interchangeable triggers are matt aluminium in colour and the safeties and slide lock are painted black. The recoil rod is black (at least, the visible part).

There's no mag well, but the unbumpered magazine is pretty much flush with the grip base. The magazine is a new model, but still featuring a 30 round capacity (rather than the bumpered mag which hold 33) and plastic jaws (apparently these are replaceable without junking the whole magazine, probably something Practical Shooters, who dump magazines on the ground during rapid reloads, have been asking for.

These magazines are completely interchangeable with the older 30 round magazines, so you won't need to buy all new magazines if you already own an SVI...unless you want to, of course!

Otherwise, the SVI Expert 4.3" delivers the usual high quality you expect of a WA Infinity, with (on the ones I have seen, so far) none of the occasional issues with the metallic finishes. Having seen silver and brushed nickel SVIs, I found the Expert's matt black finish is especially smart and a refreshing return to a no-nonsense finish, certainly more usable as a skirmish sidearm or dual purpose pistol.

Shooting Impressions

Carrying out my standard 5m/6 round, off hand test, I achieved a best 5 grouping of 1.4 inches (3.6 CM), impressive by any standards, but especially so for a short barrel SVI, which I have always struggled to achieve good results with.

Over 10 shots, the SVI Expert 4.3" averaged 260 fps (using Abbey Ultra gas and .2g BBs) indoors (at 12C). Experience shows this would equate to around 300fps at 20C.

The trigger pulls at 30oz (860 Grams), which is a medium pull for a GBB.

Take Down

Take down is pure SVI, with the new styling not hiding anything significant under the skin, as you would expect.

With the magazine removed, the slide should be slide back until the slide lock can be pushed out of the frame. At this point, the slide, barrel and recoil rod/spring can be pushed forward off of the frame.

To remove the barrel from the slide, you must separate the two halves of the recoil rod and pull the front through the front of the slide bushing.

This done, the front of the barrel can be unscrewed and pulled out of the front of the slide. Then the rear half of the barrel and chamber can be pushed back and down out of the slide.

Conclusions

Overall, this is the best 'compact' Infinity through my hands.

On accuracy alone, it is so much better (in my hands) than the other small SVIs that I have tried, that it would be my automatic choice for a compact SVI.

Match that to the stylish design, quality of build and the inclusion of the SCW gas system and you have a sure-fire winner!

Even the choice of silver, rather than bronze/gold, for the barrel and chamber meets my approval.

If you want a compact, double stacker SVI, just buy this one!

Weight : 850g

Realism : ****
Quality : *****
Power : ****
Accuracy : *****