Still searching for the elusive Apex vs. Galloway comparo
First of all, one thing I can confirm is that Galloway's stainless steel guide rod & spring replacement is a unanimous winner for everyone who bought one. All but three of the 123 customers who rated it gave it FIVE STARS. The other three save it FOUR STARS.
Pretty darn impressive. So, right out of the gate, the Galloway replacement guide rod is a must buy. They also have a choice of recoil spring weights. The normal spring weight on the SD9VE is 17#, but they also sell a 16# (use only for light loads) and an 18#. For the SD40's, they sell a 20# and 22#.
Now, about those spring kits. I did ask that questrion, as someone else on here did, too, but never got an answer - so I'm trying again.
It will probably take an experienced reviewer (like those on TTAG, the Truth About Guns or The Firearm Blog) to actually have two SD9VE's - one with the Apex kit and one with the Galloway kit.
The only downside to the Galloway kit w/o knowing about its performance, is that you are paying $4 more for the enhanced trigger pin that you may never buy. But, if you did, it also comes with the same pin. Galloway needs to give the buyer the option to order the spring kit without the pin, or the spring kit and trigger kit with just one pin and not two.
The major difference in terms of pats is that Galloway comes with a lighter sear spring while Apex does not, claiming that they designed the kit to work with the stock sear.
Since Apex had their spring kit out before Galloway had theirs, I'm inclined to go with Galloway on the basis of seeing a need to include the sear spring. Whether or not Apex excluded it because they felt it added an unnecessary spring or added an unnecessary additional step for the gun owner.
Short of a direct shoot-off, so to speak, the other option is to bring together two owners of brand new SD9VE's (that are hopefully indistinguishable): one who went the Apex route and the other who went the Galloway route - put them both on the range and let them take turns firing each other's guns.
Or, even before heading out to the range, insert a mag with snap caps in each gun, blindfold them, and then play "musical guns" - taking turns dry firing the trigger about 10 times per gun, and then ask them the $64,000 question:
"WHICH GUN FELT BETTER TO YOU IN TERMS OF TRIGGERS?"
Either the results will be equivocal or there will be a clear preference for one over the other. If the winner turns out to be Galloway, then there is something beneficial to swapping out the sear spring.
If the results are even, then Apex would be the one to choose UNLESS you order the SS guide rod, and maybe the wide slide release also, Galloway would give you a discount.
OK, your turn. Thoughts, please?