Salient Arms is a well known player in the world of customizing pistols. The Las Vegas based company has been turning ordinary Glock pistols into high speed customized lead slingers for several years now. So you can image my excitement when two of my traveling companions the duo of B.K and The Odyssian waved me over almost frantically to the Salient Arms/ Prime Manufacturing booth during Industry Day at the Range.
I was aware of the reputation of Salient Arms and how their guns were way out of my price range, and I tried telling The Odyssian that right after he said “Man you gotta try this pistol”. He and the infamous B.K. just kept saying, “shoot it first”. So what else could I do but fall victim to peer pressure and give it a try.
First impressions are hard to beat and with the Salient Arms Stryk it was an odd first impression. It’s not everyday that two people are pushing you to the front of the line and telling you “You’ll love this pistol”. When I first gripped the pistol that would be known to me as the Stryk A, I thought something was wrong. I thought Salient made customized Glocks, and I knew what I was holding wasn’t a Glock.
The texturing of the handle looks rougher than it actually is but it felt nice and solid not overly aggressive in my palm. Once I was sure I was comfortable with the grip I inspected the pistol, looked like a mating of a Glock and a Smith & Wesson M&P but with a much more comfortable grip.
Extensive sculpting and shaping work defiantly had been done to the pistol giving it a slight European flair and style about it. I accepted the magazine from the Salient Arms line personnel.
Once the magazine was inserted I released the slide and eyed the target. When I placed my finger on the trigger guard I noticed the trigger on the Stryk was wider than that I was use to. I squeezed off the first round, the bullet impacted low and left of the point of aim, slight corrections were made and the rest of the rounds were fired with the rest hitting dead center.
I found the trigger on the Stryk to be smooth and even and much better than a lot of the pistols in my private collection. I’m not completely sure on the history or development of this pistol but I’m sure I liked shooting it, so much so that I will be buying one with my own money in the Fall of 2016 when they are projected to ship.
One important thing to note, Salient Arms, Prime Ammunition and Arsenal , the maker of AK47 series of rifles have started a joint effort to produce this pistol for under a new company named Prime Manufacturing Group. As of the time of this writing PMG intends to make this pistol under its own PMG label and in the Las Vegas area. The Stryk will use it’s own proprietary magazine. MSRP should be $749 for the Stryk with a fiber optic front sight and $799 for traditional sights.
Salient Arms Rifles
Salient arms also also has been producing customized AR-15 rifles for a few years now. This year they used the show to release their newest product in their rifle line, the GRY Jailbreak. This rifle looks like it could have been used by Corporal Hicks and the Space Marines in Aliens. It’s conventional enough to notice its built of an AR-15 but different enough to catch your eye.
The Jailbreak fits into the Salient Arms produced rail system and not onto the muzzle like other traditional breaks. It covers the existing muzzle break, thereby greatly reducing muzzle flash and barrel rise. I was skeptical of these claims until I got to witness B.K shoot a magazine threw it, I quickly told him to reload as I dug in my bag for my Nikon. Below is the video I shot that he previously posted in his weekly roundup article
https://youtu.be/ynobPQlZNXM
The Salient GRY Jailbreak is not easy on the buyers wallet coming in at an estimated $3200 MSRP. It’s scheduled to ship out to retailers in early April 2016, that tells me Salient has the bugs worked out and is in full production mode. This influx of capitol should help fund further expansion of their product lines and allow the Stryk to be released on time.
I’m not sure of the military or law enforcement application of a system such as the Jailbreak since it can only be affixed to a Salient Arms upper receiver and rail combo. Most military and police units I feel would need a more traditional approach in terms of both cost and standardization for their issued rifles.
I hope you enjoyed this look at Salient Arms / Prime Manufacturing and all the new toys they rolled out for us to test at SHOT Show 2016,
