1911s..... Railed or Non-Railed?

I have rails on both my carry and bedside guns...and each is equipped with (gasp!!!) a laser.

Practice is without the laser (except just a little every few weeks) and it is not there to be turned on when speed is needed...I equip them with a laser because I have been in gunfights in the past and have experienced times when it would have been great to be able to look around one side of an obstacle while firing around the other side...and the possibility of wanting/needing that ability again in the future is enough to justify the price of that capability.

A purist I am not...just an old guy who has stayed alive this long and would like to continue that streak as long as I can regardless of the challenges I might run across.

 

I have a Kimber Pro-carry with rails that lives beside my bed. It is a great home defense weapon but I am not aware of any decent holsters that allow concealed carry with a light attached. A Galco SOB for a 1911 will manage the gun without a light but many holsters will not.

 

I like the versatility of the rail, but carrying concealed with the rail could be an issue as others said with the lack of a bolster designed for it that you may own.

 

Old School all the way... A rail is just something else to catch on something on your clothes/holster/in the woods.... you get the idea... the light in the off hand can be used to illuminate/distract or your target with out giving away your center of mass...

 

If you are buying new get rails the add on claps for lights on the colt look and feel cheap

 

Could you try again please? I can't make any sense at all out of this...

 

PM, I once had the chance to shoot a buddy's SW snubby with Crimson Trace laser grips. Took some practice to hold steady, but once we practiced, placing killing hits on a torso target at 15 yards wasn't hard, shooting from the hip!
I may well one day add the CT grips to my Colt .45 - but no tacticool light......

 

Paxmentis, I believe that he is talking about the clasp you can buy to mount a light to a pistol that does not have a rail. Typically they attach to the trigger guard.

 

Clamps...

 

Yeah...rails aren't needed for a laser (as a matter of fact, my Glock 19 carry gun has a rear sight laser that I prefer)...but I am still a big fan of flexibility...and I recognize that rails on a gun that doesn't typically come with them can be an issue for holsters.

However, I am old enough to have seen enough changes in my life (including lasers that didn't exist when I started carrying) that I personally would rather have the option of putting on the next great little gadget that actually has a use and can help keep me alive.

As far as lights, I would never use a rail mounted light personally because I was trained many years ago that I am better off not having my face right behind that light if my assailant shoots at it.

I'm really not arguing that my POV is the best one...just offering it as an alternative...YMMV as always.

 

I don't care for a laser... folks who use them tend to get lazy and it could kill them... in a shooting scenario the sights go out the window... it's point and shoot... folks with lasers tend to waste time finding the laser and getting it on target and in my book... if you arn't shooting you should be reloading, communicating, or moving... not looking for a laser... YMMV just my opinion...

 

Spend the money on a better front door.

 

I just saw this post (while going over the thread to try and make sense of the "new door" comment) but had apparently misunderstood the OP...I didn't know we were speaking of a BAR. Of course no rail.

 

Well, as fine a weapon as the M1918 was, it's service time pales beside the M1911A1.



And I still haven't figured a good way to CCW an M1918........

 

I carry a lot so rails would get in the way. As there are no children in the house I can keep something more suitable by the bed.
Although I have others my 1911-A1s are my favorites.