Army Armament Taran Tactical Innovations Alpha Race Hi-Capa GBB Pistol

The Pit Viper's big brother has arrived, known as the Alpha Race and bristling with speed focussed enhancements and the intimidating race gun aesthetic. Boasting full metal construction, a 6.03mm tightbore inner barrel and flawlessly laser engraved Tarran Tactical Innovations trademarks, Alpha Race Hi-Capa GBB Pistol from Army Armament sits nicely alongside AA's other recent 'Capa releases, equipped with the latest cold-resistant nozzle, a new generation magazine knocker valve and a new formula used for its rubber seals. The resulting build is a bit of a beast!

The real steel Alpha Race is designed for IPSC shooting, meaning it is equipped for the job with an RMR footprint red dot mounting plate pre-installed, a menacing extended compensator upfront concealing a longer than usual 145mm inner barrel, a stipple textured pistol grip for maximum traction and a flared magazine well for speedy reloads. Whether you're participating in shooting competitions or using this beast as your sidearm or CQB primary, the Army Armament Alpha Race Hi-Capa GBB Pistol is ready for it!

Starting at the front, we can find the absolutely brutal-looking extended compensator, serving to keep the muzzle under control during rapid strings of fire in the real Alpha Race. In Airsoft terms, the comp is purely for looks but it does feature 12mm CCW female threading at the tip, allowing you to mount a tracer or suppressor using the Army Armament Thread Adapter. Attaching a muzzle device in front of the compensator may not be a realistic choice, but hey, its Airsoft, kit your pistol out however you like it!

As with the Sand Viper, the iron sights have been completely omitted from the Alpha Race design in favour of its optics-ready slide and RMR/Docter footprint mounting plate. This means the front of the slide has no iron sight which reduces snagging potential and gives you a clearer sight picture once you have your red dot installed. The plate is located at the rear of the slide and is recessed to provide as small a bore offset as possible, meaning less need to compensate for bore offset when shooting rapidly at close range.

The slide follows directly after the compensator and boasts a dynamic, angular look with both the front and rear gripping serrations, keeping the built in-line with other TTI offerings. Having serrations at the front and rear gives you plenty of options when it comes to manipulating the slide of the pistol and their depth means you don’t need to worry about your hand slipping off the slide when working in wet conditions whether you wear gloves or not.

On either side and on the top of the slide we have a pair of ports machined in which reduce the weight of the slide for a faster cyclic rate and better gas efficiency. These ports also look fantastic, showing off the iconic TTI bronze finish of the outer barrel beneath, a prerequisite of the Taran Tactical look. The bold contrast between the silver and black finish of the slide and frame and the bronze outer barrel gives the Alpha Race a boutique tactical look, well suited to the high-end market position and extremely high price of real steel TTI pistols.

To the rear of the ports on the left side of the slide, we can find the first of our laser-engraved Taran Tactical markings, together with the now iconic Taran Tactical logo boldly displayed in white. As with previous Army Armament TTI pistols, the markings are flawlessly engraved and look great combined with the slick yet powerful looks of the Alpha Race!

Over on the right side, we can see the Taran Tactical logo proudly displayed together with "Combat Master" in Taran Tactical’s unique font surrounding the chamber. Just below the model name, we can also see a crisply engraved Taran Tactical logo which is more discrete than the laser-engraved markings but still boasts proudly of its strong lineage. While the Army Armament version of the Alpha Race is far more affordable than the real steel, its licenced TTI markings are still a massive flex over other Hi-capas!

The chamber is marked with “9x19” engraved on the top, appropriately mimicking the real TTI Alpha Race, and the barrel and chamber are gloss bronze-coloured, as it is in the real thing. The rear slide serrations mimic those at the front with their angular shape and deep cuts for extra grip, bringing the whole design together as a completed piece.

At the rear of the slide is where we can find the optics cut and optics mounting plate, allowing you to mount a red dot sight to the Alpha Race and run it how Taran himself intended. The mounting plate is compatible with micro red dot sights with an RMR or Docter footprint, meaning you have access to the two most common red dot sight footprints out there. We can confirm that the VORTEX Optics Venom Red Dot Sight has the correct footprint, as does the PCS Minature Red Dot Reflex Sight.

Moving downwards we come to the frame of the TTI Alpha Race which is where we can find the controls. The manual safety catch is located at the rear of the frame and is present on either side to allow for easy use for both left and right-handed shooters. Each safety lever is textured for optimal grip and effective wet-weather use and can also be used as a thumb rest for the strong hand thumb for more effective recoil control and faster target-to-target transitions.

The rear of the frame is where we can find the hammer of the Alpha Race which is finished in black to match the frame. This hammer is significantly skeletonised to reduce weight and add to the high-speed look and its black colouration discretely ties the pistol together and gives it a balanced aesthetic.

The rear of the grip also includes a secondary safety known as the “beavertail grip safety” which needs to be pressed in to unlock the trigger. This feature is derived from the legendary 1911 platform and has remained throughout its development and is still present to this day in most modern Hi-capa 2011 pistols. This works fantastically to prevent snags and negligent discharges and is very low profile in shape which makes it a pleasure to hold.

The slide release catch is located on the left side of the frame, right where we would expect it, and is an extended design with a large contact surface to make dropping the slide after a reload easy and intuitive. The magazine release is just below, where the trigger guard meets the grip, and is a large circular button which is easy to find with the adrenaline pumping, allowing for super-fast reloads when time is of the essence!

The shape of the trigger guard matches the standard Hi-capa squared profile, allowing for extra recoil control by positioning the weak side trigger finger on the front of the guard in what is known as the “European grip”. The front of the trigger guard also has a textured section to provide extra grip and control when firing rapidly which is well suited to modern shooting stances and 2/3 gun competition shooting conventions.

Just ahead of the trigger guard we are treated to a 20mm Picatinny frame rail, allowing you to deck the Alpha Race out as a primary pistol with a tactical flashlight or laser aiming module if the mission requires it. This rail is nice and long and covers the entire dust cover and is a full rail with plenty of slots, allowing you to mount whatever you need, from more sensible options to vertical grips and bipods for the trollish skirmishers. The optics-ready nature of the Sand Viper makes it a great platform to choose if you plan on running pistol only in CQB, allowing you to benefit from the speed increase a red dot sight provides without needing to run a bulky rifle platform.

The trigger is a skeletonised design with 3 ports, just like the Pit Viper and Sand Viper, the Alpha Race and is a straight-back pull like other Hi-capa and 1911 pistols, making for an easy transition from older pistols of the same family to this ultra-modern platform. The trigger pull is light and crisp like Army Armaments' other HI-capa offerings, providing some serious rapid-fire potential for this slick and quick design.

The grip itself is stippled across the front and sides to provide excellent gripping qualities whether you wear gloves or not and guarantees your Alpha Race will stay firmly in your hands as you sweep the muzzle back and forth to engage multiple targets. We arent sure whether the stippling is hand finished or not, but it certainly feels like it! The rear strap of the grip is also checkered, and at the base of the grip we have an aluminium extension known as a “magazine well flare”.

Present on many race gun style Hi-capas, the magazine well flare is designed to help guide your magazine into the pistol during a reload and has a very wide opening to eliminate fine motor movements and effectively allow you to throw the magazine into the magwell when your ammo supply runs dry. The magazine well flare also functions as a palm rest, keeping your hand in the perfect position to access the controls and control the recoil of the Alpha Race during rapid strings of fire.

When it comes to performance, the Alpha Race benefits immensely from its weight-reduced slide and slightly shorter length than the previous Taran Tactical Combat Master, giving it a slightly snappier slide speed which works perfectly with its optics-ready nature and high-speed aesthetic. The inclusion of a 40-round extended magazine lets you take pure advantage of this, with almost double the usual pistol capacity and a seriously massive gas reservoir.

The Alpha Race is equipped with a 6.03mm tightbore inner barrel, raising FPS and improving accuracy potential as long as you do your part. The outer barrel is also fixed, unlike most other Hi-Capas, enhancing accuracy by eliminating the usual barrel tilt during cycling. Also inside is Army Armament's new cold-resistant nozzle, designed for improved consistency and resistance to the "cooldown" effect. The O-rings, gas routers and other rubber parts are now made from a new formula, integrating silicone into the mix for improved cold-weather performance. The magazine knocker valve has also been redesigned, showing Army Armament is on the ball when it comes to improving its products and wants us to have the best sidearm possible!

If you're seeking a primary pistol platform, a beast of a sidearm or an IPSC primary, the Army Armament Taran Tactical Innovations Alpha Race Hi-Capa GBB Pistol is one to watch. Maintaining the iconic TTI styling but with a uniquely menacing look, the Alpha Race is both beautiful and scary to behold with its eye-catching dual-tone finish with silver accents!

Features

• Full metal construction
• 6.03mm Tightbore inner barrel - Great accuracy potential
• Beastly extended compensator - Menacing race gun styling
• 12mm CCW Female threaded compensator - Add a tracer using an Army Armament thread adapter
• Bronze-coloured "bull" outer barrel - Just like the real deal, iconic TTI looks
• Front & rear slide serrations - Easy to cock from the front or rear, even in wet conditions
• Licenced trademarks from Taran Tactical Innovations - Laser engraved markings across the design
• 20mm Picatinny frame rail -  Ready for a tactical flashlight or laser aiming module
• Enlarged slide lock/release - Easy to reach, even for those with smaller hands
• Extended magazine release button - Easy to find when things get frantic
• Stipple textured grip - Comfortable and grippy with or without gloves
• Magazine well flare - Faster and easier reloads under pressure
• Squared trigger guard with textured surfaces - Great for the "European grip" technique
• Skeletonised hammer - Reduced weight, pairs well with the high-speed look of the Sand Viper
• 3-Port skeletonised trigger - Crisp and light straight back pull like a 1911
• Optics ready slide with mount plate - Compatible with Docter and RMR footprint micro RDS
• Compatible red dot sights - VORTEX Venom Red Dot Top Load | PCS Miniature Red Dot Reflex Sight
• Compatible with Army Armament Hi-Capa magazines -  TTI Style | STACCATO Style | Extended mag

Package Includes

• Army Armament Taran Tactical Innovations Alpha Race Hi-Capa GBB Pistol
• 40rnd Extended Green Gas Magazine