066 WWW.ZEROONEAIRSOFT.COMMoving to the sights, I found them to be
utterly superb during normal daylight
conditions. The rear site is fairly standard,
no markings to surround the sight picture,
but a deep enough channel to get good view
of the front optic. The front post houses
a green fibre optic tube, which as stated,
gives a phenomenal sight picture, and during
tests I found it incredibly easy and quick to
bring the 1911 to target. However, in dimmer
conditions, the sights did not perform quite
as well. Without a certain level of light to
illuminate that front fibre optic, you will find
yourself straining a little to see it, and I had
a little bit of lag where my brain was trying
to work out what I was looking at. All things
being equal, I still really liked the sights, and
I think in all my years of airsoft, I’ve only
encountered one skirmish field where the
sights would be next to useless.
Loading the magazine into the pistol was
effortless, and the flared magwell along with
the magazines shape really works wonders.
My only gripe while shooting the Salient 1911
was the trigger. I think it looks stunning but
the actual function was lacking slightly. I
wouldn’t go as far as saying it felt spongy,and it definitely didn’t feel heavy, but the
immediate response I was hoping for just
wasn’t quite there. Don’t get me wrong, it’s
good, but I think the trade-off of using a
trigger that slides down a rail as opposed to
a ‘hinged’ trigger, means there will be slightly
more friction, and will require a little more
travel. Could I trust it when the time comes,
of course I could!! But following the ethos of
Salient Arms, I would like to have seen this
trigger respond with perfection.BRAND HYPE, OR SUCCESS?
Okay, it has some ‘look at me!’ gold coloured
components, it shouts at you every time you
pull the trigger, and it’s heavy enough to
beat your way through a brick wall should
you so wish, and to be honest I couldn’t care
less. I think on the whole, it looks great, it’s
fun to shoot, it’s one of the more unique
pistols you’ll find on the field, and it’s made
extremely well. In my opinion the Salient
Arms 1911 looks stunning. The lines and
shapes of the pistol add up to an aggressive
appearance, and the gold ‘trim’ really does
give it that special touch. The recoil andnoise surprised me, and in a close encounter
it would probably yield the same reaction
as my tippmann, where the player on the
receiving end just wants to keep their head
down. It’s pretty gas efficient, the shot to
shot consistency is great, and I have no
problems with assuming that this sidearm will
last a long time. So does it meet my initial
expectation? Well, when I first heard I was
receiving a Salient Arms pistol to review I
wasn’t sure what to expect, the only thing I
knew is that it would be good. Looking at the
whole picture, it certainly didn’t disappoint,
and except for a couple of small gripes, I
would happily part with the cash to buy one
of these when I’m next in the market for a
new pistol. Don’t however buy one in thinking
that all those Salient Arms logos will turn you
into John Wick, it won’t, the 1911 is just a very
well built gas blow back and a huge amount of
fun. I’m happy to conclude that in my opinion,
the Salient Arms 1911 is a success.PISTOL RE VIEW SALIENT ARMS SAI EMG 1911
£199.95
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ZERO ONE AIRSOF T063-066 PISTOL.indd 66 29/05/2018 11:59