acc-u-rail

[dwtt]

Does anyone here have a gun with the accurails installed? Do they work in increasing accuracy? Is the gun cycling more consistently with different types of ammo? I'm thinking about using it for a 9mm Hi-Power but might have it installed in a RIA 1911 instead.
thanks.

[Sheldon]

Had it done to my stainless Gold Cup and in all honesty would not do it again. It will limit you if you decide you want to get a rimfire conversion kit later. In my case I am not a good enough a shot to tell you it makes the gun any more accurate. I also had a Bar-Sto barrel installed. I originally thought it would help with preventing wear on my stainless gun, but I think it really is no help in that. Mine is a little loose now and could use the next size rails to tighten things up, but I haven't bothered. Don't shoot anything but RNL or LSWC bullets so can't tell you anything about any other ammo profiles.

[spursnguns]

I have a heavily used aluminum frame Colt Commander (.45 ACP; one of my EDC's) with acc-u-rails and it is great. But, that is where the system really shines, i.e. steel slides and aluminum frames. I would definitely recommend it for that. Most high-end smiths prefer to weld up the "steel" frames rails and re-mill for a perfect fit.

[Fatcat]

(Comments are for 1911's)
If you ever get a gun Accu-railed, order an extra pair of rods at the same time. These need to be fitted. So if you ever loose one or the pair, you'll have a back up. You can not run the gun w/o the rails.

Back in the day, these wer the rage and I had an Accu-railed STI .40 which shot great and very accurate. Because it was railed, this limits your options to putting a different top end or like the other poster said a .22 conversion.

A properly fitted slide and frame by an gunsmith who specializes in 1911 work should be long lasting. The work is done on a custom basis, takes time and skill, and is not cheap. But I believe that this traditional work wil work out best in the long run because the gun is still stock, has top end options, and will not be a liability if the rails are missing.

[Brassthief]

I have Acc U Rails in a Springfield 1911 pistol. The explanation I got from the GS who installed them was that they are harder and longer wearing, so the gun should retain a tight slide to frame fit for longer. Not necessarily more accurate than a tight gun with no rails to begin with, but should give a longer life of accuracy than a gun without rails. As far as feeding of ammunition, that is up to magazines, feed ramp, and chamber dimensions, Acc U Rails shouldn't change anything there. If you're going to get Acc U Rails though you will probably be getting a new barrel and bushing installed as well, so you could ask your GS to test and tune for feeding with whatever types of ammo you are planning to use in it. My install was done by Doug Jones and he requested that I send my mags with the gun so he could do just that.

[jcaoloveshine]

accurail shines for carry 1911s with aluminum frames since they eliminate concern over extended wear and tear on aluminum.

with the accurails you have a steel on steel surface, which can improve longevity if you shoot the crap out of your carry gun.

on a non aluminum 1911 you probably won't notice that much difference. The RIA guns I've seen had good lockup and slide to frame fit, unless your gun is so much of a rattletrap that your shots are all over the place I wouldn't mess with it.

[dwtt]

Thanks everyone for the input. Since all my guns are steel frame and haven't worn to the point of having a loose slide-to-frame fit, I'll skip the acc-u-rail.