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Newb 1911 Question - Rail vs. No Rail

6Gears1Speed

6Gears1Speed

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I'm looking to buy my first 1911 and wondering if there is anything about rail vs. no rail that I don't know about.

The two obvious ones are with a rail I can mount accessories. Not sure I would but at least it's there if I want it.
Without a rail would be sleeker and less prone to catching on anything if I were to carry it on occasion.

Is resale value more for one vs. the other?
Are there any other considerations that aren't obvious or is that about it?

I know this might seem like a dumb question but I've never owned a 1911 so I want to make sure I make the right selection the first time.
Thanks.
 
A 1911 should not have a rail. It's not some tacticool piece of metal. It's a thing of beauty and deserves to be observed in its natural state. Un-railed.
 
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So that pretty much answers my question about resale value. If people prefer non-railed 1911's because they are "real/traditional" 1911's then I assume they are more desirable and resellable. Which sucks because it looks like if I want a Sig stainless 1911 with no rail I can't get it. That leaves me with S&W or an older something else, or live with the rail. I don't want Ruger, Remington or Auto Ord.
 
I'm sure you can get a good Remington or Ruger, but there's also a good probability of getting a bad one. More probable than getting a bad Sig or S&W. The Sigs and S&W are machined and matched vs. stamped out. More importantly, I've had two Ruger semi automatics and had nothing but problems. CS is great but they have to be because their stuff is hit or miss. Love Ruger revolvers. Not trying to start a pissing match just my opinion.
 
A 1911 is not 'stamped out'

The frames and slides are machined from forgings or castings. The small parts are made the same way, or commonly a MIM process.
 
Just my way of saying they aren't machined and manufactured with more attention to detail. They aren't as refined as Sig and S&W thus the difference in price and reliability.
 
6Gears1Speed said:
Which sucks because it looks like if I want a Sig stainless 1911 with no rail I can't get it.
Click to expand...

You can find stainless sig 1911s with no rail either here in the classifieds or even at some gun shops. You may either have to get the target stainless model or pay extra for the non-MA compliant one.
 
Rotaryrocket said:
I'll disagree. My ruger sr1911 has been flawless. Over 1500 rounds.
Click to expand...

That's what I said above. You can get good ones and in that case there is nothing wrong with them. I like Ruger in general but I'm 0-2 with their semi auto's and don't want to risk being 0-3 after buying a 1911.
 
SJan said:
OK, A true 1911 does not have a rail. Or an external extractor for that matter
Click to expand...

You hit one one of my pet peeves in bastardization of the 1911 design.

The rail is a matter of preference. The only downsides are aesthetics; interference with some holster fit; and offensiveness to some who worship at the alter of John Browning.

Various non-standard extractors are an attempt to solve a non-existent problem. The Para "power extractor" and S&W external extractor both work, but the downside is that you are locked into a proprietary extractor if you ever need service, rather than having dozens, or perhaps hundreds, of companies selling standard extractors.

It's a preference issue, but I'd place more emphasis on getting a traditional extractor design than rail or no rail.

What you have to ask youself is "will I ever put a flashlight, laser sight or bayonet on the gun?" (Yes, bayonet is totally silly, but KaBar makes one).
 
Most sig 1911's have a crap ton of stuff that makes it not a true 1911. Amost of them don't fit in most 1911 holsters.

External extractors, boxy slides etc .



Never had a problem with my Remington r1...
Wtf are you gonna put on the rail any ways? Gay ass flash light or laser?
 
Rob Boudrie said:
The rail is a matter of preference. The only downsides are aesthetics; interference with some holster fit; and offensiveness to some who worship at the alter of John Browning.
Click to expand...

In general I'm not big on traditions. For instance, I think Fenway Park is a dump and should have been reduced to rubble long ago [laugh] .
I don't really reject the idea of the rail and don't think it looks ugly. There is something to be said for being a newb with anything. Your mind isn't fixed on being one way or another just because that's the only thing you've ever known.
It may come down to resale value. I like change and tend to keep things for a while then move on. If selling a railed 1911 in the future will prove to be difficult then I would probably avoid it.
 
6Gears1Speed said:
That's what I said above. You can get good ones and in that case there is nothing wrong with them. I like Ruger in general but I'm 0-2 with their semi auto's and don't want to risk being 0-3 after buying a 1911.
Click to expand...

Curious what your previous 2 models were. I've seen some pretty poor attempts at copying the Glock early on but i don't think you could be more wrong about the current models.
 
slap shot said:
Curious what your previous 2 models were. I've seen some pretty poor attempts at copying the Glock early on but i don't think you could be more wrong about the current models.
Click to expand...

I bought an SR45 a few months ago and it was the gun from hell. The first few mags seemed OK. Then all of a sudden the mags were dropping out after the first shot EVERY time. I also could not adjust windage because the sight would not budge. It was also stovepiping occasionally. So I sent it in for repair and they replaced the entire slide assembly, mag release button and mag release latch? (don't remember). When I went to check it out the mags no longer dropped but they also wouldn't come out. I had to pull on them. Stovepiping on ejection at least once per 10 rounds. Light primer strike at least once per 10 rounds. Thoroughly cleaned and lubed it several times. Three or four different types of ammo and several hundred rounds later I gave up. I contacted the dealer with pics and he contacted his Ruger rep and I was able to give it back for a credit.

I've had an SR22 for a while now with at least 1000 rounds fired of several types of ammo. I had read that some people have fired hundreds of rounds without failure. I couldn't get it to go a full mag without failure to extract. I finally sent it in recently and they replaced the slide assembly. I haven't fired it much yet but I THINK it's fixed.

It's unfortunate because I liked the SR45 but I completely lost confidence in it and not having confidence in a gun renders it useless. I even thought about getting another one but I don't want to take the chance.
I love my GP100 but revolvers are pretty straight forward.
 
For carry, go with an aluminium frame. Steel for competition and burning lots of ammo.

Mine has a rail. Debating having it removed.



-Proud to be dad every day, a licensed plumber most days, and wish I was a shoemaker on others.
 
This is the one I have:

untitled.png
S&W E series 5" stainless. It's kind of heavy for daily carry in my opinion, but I wanted the rail on it for home defense. With a light mounted and the 10 round extended mags, it gets heavy real fast. [laugh]

I have put a couple hundred rounds through it and had no issues.
 

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