by David Crane
david@defensereview.com
If your 1911 pistol doesn’t incorporate an integral rail, you might want to give this product some serious consideration. The Strike Plate Rail System (S.P.R.S.) is a combination tactical light rail/strike plate, and it’s pretty trick. Urban Advantage Tactical Systems just introduced it at TREXPO West 2004.
A strike plate like the S.P.R.S. prevents the slide from being pushed out of battery when one shove’s the gun’s muzzle into a hostile adversary. This can be a handy feature in extreme CQB (Close Quarter Battle) scenarios at contact distance. A strike plate also allows…
the pistol’s muzzle to be used as a less-lethal impact/control device without disabling the use of the weapon in case escalation of force (to lethal force) becomes necessary.
The only downside of a strike plate that DefRev can see is that it prevents one from being able to perform certain (not all) emergency one-handed stoppage and/or jam clearance drills in the event that one of the operator’s hands or arms is disabled in a fight.
Strike plates are not exactly new. GG&G has offered the Alternative Force Block (AFB) for quite some time now. However, it’s DefRev’s understanding that Urban Advantage Tactical Systems’ Strike Plate Rail System (S.P.R.S.) attaches and detaches differently than the Alternative Force Block (AFB).
Also, according to UATS representatives, the Strike Plate Rail System actually increases the accuracy of any 1911 pistol to which it’s attached. This phenomenon was a happy accident, a pleasant suprise, if you will. Urban Advantage Tactical Systems has published comparative accuracy test results for various ammo types on their website to show just how much of an accuracy improvement the S.P.R.S. creates. The Strike Plate Rail System also increases muzzle velocity, while decreasing felt-recoil and muzzle rise. DefRev doesn’t yet know whether or not the GG&G Alternative Force Block offers any of these same advantages. We’ll research it.
The following info comes from Urban Advantage Tactical Systems company literature:
"Missing from the less-than-new but still highly functional handgun is the ability to directly mount a high intensity tactical light for home defense or if the handgun is used in a tactical mode, for assaults into darkened areas of buildings, unless one is fortunate enough to own an early generation SureFire Tactical Light (which is greatly outdated). The feature that permits the mounting of a tactical light, a full-length rail system incorporated into the dust cover of the handgun, is limited to current model Glocks, and a few limited production model 1911’s, as well s the assorted other dogs and cats we won’t discuss. Now there is a product to change that. Urban Advantage of Lynden, Washington, has developed a prototype Strike Plate & Rail System (SPRS) that will mount to any 1911 Government Model and soon, to any Glock Handgun
This is a quick attaching assembly that provides a lightweight rail system ready to mount any of the current tactical lights available today. The ability to quickly mount a tactical light via a full length rail integral to the frame of the handgun has only been available for the most current generation of handguns or for those 1911 owners who possess and early design SureFire610R Tactical Light-until now.
That’s where the SPRS comes in. Three separate but simple features highlight this system’s versatility. One, for those tactically oriented individuals, the system incorporates a Strike Plate that ensures an assailant will not knock your handgun out of battery and thus neutralizing your ability to deliver rounds on your target, namely him. In addition, because of the “abrasive surface” of the Strike Plate, the Strike Plate portion of the SPRS can be used to incapacitate an assailant who ventures within arms reach of the user.
Next the Unique opening in the strike plate allows for pressure to be taken off the oncoming bullet through the bore thus increasing velocity and with the slight weight and lessened pressure reduces recoil by nearly 50%.
Third, and perhaps more important to the majority of users, is a full length rail system which will allow a tactical operator or a home owner to directly attach a tactical light directly to his or her handgun, thus eliminating the need to resort to the Rogers Technique with a flashlight and handgun during a room-to-room search in either a tactical operation or a potential home intrusion situation.
This lightweight (3.125 ounces) aluminum system attaches directly to any 1911 Government Model handgun through the use of an extra long slide release pin and a small set-screw, which prevents any unnecessary movement. The profile is that of a 1911 with a thickened, full-length dust cover. The balance of the handgun in the hand appears to improve with added ounces added to the lower of the handgun. When firing the handgun, one notice’s immediately that the added weight aids in reducing felt recoil and muzzle rise, allowing for faster follow-up shots. And lastly the Strike Plate portion of the SPRS, situated directly in front of and around the muzzle of the 1911, actually increases the velocity of any round fired, by approximately 5 percent.
The SPRS for 1911 Government Model handguns full size Beretta’s, and Sig’s, will accommodate any of the SureFire, Streamlight, or Insight Tactical Light Systems now on the market."
Urban Advantage Tactical Systems can be contacted at 360-220-4941, or via their contact page.
Click here to see comparative accuracy test results that show how much the S.P.R.S. increases accuracy for various ammo types.