lifebreath
04-20-15, 11:23
Let the flames commence!
I shoot Glocks primarily, although recently, I am being wooed to H&K for stock guns and have an SVI 2011 on the way for competition. I hated Glocks initially, but resolved to stick to them and learn how to shoot well with stock Glocks. Thousands of rounds later, I'm halfway there! lol. My EDC gun is most often either a stock Gen 4 G19 or an H&K P2000. Today, I'm carrying a G26 in my dress pants front pocket. (Using a Mika pocket holster. If you pocket carry, you owe yourself to try one of his inexpensive but extremely well-functioning pocket holsters.) I have a G26, G19, G17 and G34. The 34 is modified for 3-gun - Ghost trigger, Dawson magwell, tungsten guiderod and some spring changes. I still believe that a stock G19 with a 25 cent trigger job is about the perfect carry gun.
On a whim, anticipating the heaping upon myself of much derision from my shooting buds, I purchased a Salient G17 Tier 1 that was in stock and ready to ship. $2699? Yes, I'll bring up price first, because I think that's really the most pressing question and the sticking point for most critics. $2699 for a Glock. Just took a quick look at Buds, and a stock G17 is going for just a touch over $500. Let's be generous and say $550. So what does one get for another $2150?
Honestly? Not enough. But if Salient can sell them in a free market, then there's market demand, so it's not overpriced. It's a luxury item, just like watches that cost more than a house. Broad strokes, then some details.
1. It looks very cool. Yes, I think that is a large part of what you get.
2. It feels really good in the hand.
3. Fit and finish are top notch.
4. Stippling is perfection.
5. Flat trigger feels good.
6. Lightening of slide and associated tuning of internals does create slightly faster, flatter shooting gun.
7. Nice sights.
8. Looks cool.
If I were to put a "reasonable" price tag on it, I think $1500 - $1800 would nail it. At $1500, the margin would be fairly slim, so I don't think the end result would be quite as well done. I think a good argument could be made for $1800 for a fine product. Do I regret the purchase? No. It's a unique gun, and that's really what I bought.
I shot it side by side with my standard Gen 3 G17 this weekend. Snappy 124 grain Winchester Ranger LE ammo. I was a little quicker with the Salient (no timer) and back on target easier. I attribute this to the slide lightening, fiber-optic sight and stippling. I could get 80% of the improvement by stippling my other G17 and adding a fiber optic sight.
The trigger on my old G17 is better, with almost no over-travel. I later remembered, as I studied the guns at home, that I had put a glocktriggers.com Edge kit into the gun a couple years ago. Duh. Main difference is over-travel, which can be easily adjusted by either buying a Zev ejector housing with the little set-screw adjuster or drilling a small hole in the existing housing and inserting a screw. The Salient trigger is crisper, and I think once I modify the overtravel, the Salient trigger will be superior. (Yes, I need to further modify my stupidly expensive modified Glock.)
Lockup on the barrel is tighter on the Salient, but it's not their match-fitted barrel, so that could just be the luck of the draw regarding tolerances. Fitted match barrel will run another $300+ I believe. They didn't have one in stock and I didn't really care that much.
Polishing of all the internals is well-done, and Salient replaces springs, plunger and lightens the striker by hollowing it out.
The work on the slide is very well-done and is a vast improvement for manipulation. Front serrations are nice for press-checks.
Put about 250 rounds down the pipe with no malfs.
I think that's about it. I don't believe I left anything out of importance. I'm happy with my purchase. YMMV.
I shoot Glocks primarily, although recently, I am being wooed to H&K for stock guns and have an SVI 2011 on the way for competition. I hated Glocks initially, but resolved to stick to them and learn how to shoot well with stock Glocks. Thousands of rounds later, I'm halfway there! lol. My EDC gun is most often either a stock Gen 4 G19 or an H&K P2000. Today, I'm carrying a G26 in my dress pants front pocket. (Using a Mika pocket holster. If you pocket carry, you owe yourself to try one of his inexpensive but extremely well-functioning pocket holsters.) I have a G26, G19, G17 and G34. The 34 is modified for 3-gun - Ghost trigger, Dawson magwell, tungsten guiderod and some spring changes. I still believe that a stock G19 with a 25 cent trigger job is about the perfect carry gun.
On a whim, anticipating the heaping upon myself of much derision from my shooting buds, I purchased a Salient G17 Tier 1 that was in stock and ready to ship. $2699? Yes, I'll bring up price first, because I think that's really the most pressing question and the sticking point for most critics. $2699 for a Glock. Just took a quick look at Buds, and a stock G17 is going for just a touch over $500. Let's be generous and say $550. So what does one get for another $2150?
Honestly? Not enough. But if Salient can sell them in a free market, then there's market demand, so it's not overpriced. It's a luxury item, just like watches that cost more than a house. Broad strokes, then some details.
1. It looks very cool. Yes, I think that is a large part of what you get.
2. It feels really good in the hand.
3. Fit and finish are top notch.
4. Stippling is perfection.
5. Flat trigger feels good.
6. Lightening of slide and associated tuning of internals does create slightly faster, flatter shooting gun.
7. Nice sights.
8. Looks cool.
If I were to put a "reasonable" price tag on it, I think $1500 - $1800 would nail it. At $1500, the margin would be fairly slim, so I don't think the end result would be quite as well done. I think a good argument could be made for $1800 for a fine product. Do I regret the purchase? No. It's a unique gun, and that's really what I bought.
I shot it side by side with my standard Gen 3 G17 this weekend. Snappy 124 grain Winchester Ranger LE ammo. I was a little quicker with the Salient (no timer) and back on target easier. I attribute this to the slide lightening, fiber-optic sight and stippling. I could get 80% of the improvement by stippling my other G17 and adding a fiber optic sight.
The trigger on my old G17 is better, with almost no over-travel. I later remembered, as I studied the guns at home, that I had put a glocktriggers.com Edge kit into the gun a couple years ago. Duh. Main difference is over-travel, which can be easily adjusted by either buying a Zev ejector housing with the little set-screw adjuster or drilling a small hole in the existing housing and inserting a screw. The Salient trigger is crisper, and I think once I modify the overtravel, the Salient trigger will be superior. (Yes, I need to further modify my stupidly expensive modified Glock.)
Lockup on the barrel is tighter on the Salient, but it's not their match-fitted barrel, so that could just be the luck of the draw regarding tolerances. Fitted match barrel will run another $300+ I believe. They didn't have one in stock and I didn't really care that much.
Polishing of all the internals is well-done, and Salient replaces springs, plunger and lightens the striker by hollowing it out.
The work on the slide is very well-done and is a vast improvement for manipulation. Front serrations are nice for press-checks.
Put about 250 rounds down the pipe with no malfs.
I think that's about it. I don't believe I left anything out of importance. I'm happy with my purchase. YMMV.