EMG Salient Arms 1911 RED GBB Pistol

If you're a 1911 fan seeking a modern alternative, the EMG Salient Arms 1911 RED GBB Pistol should be in your sights. A full metal build with licensed SAI markings across the design, along with user-friendly ergonomic enhancements, the RED is the perfect middle ground between competition-style speed and combat pistol simplicity, giving you everything you need to compete without upsetting the subtle aesthetics.

Starting at the front of this modernised classic, we find mock rifling inside the intimidatingly large .45 calibre bore. This gives the enemy team a realistic view before you send them back to respawn, but also means you'll need an aftermarket threaded outer barrel to add a tracer unit or suppressor.

At the front of the slide, we can find a front iron sight blade, complete with anti-glare serrations. This makes the front sight easier to acquire in bright conditions, avoiding the potential to get mixed up between the front blade and rear sight notch when working under pressure. The sights are Novak-style non-adjustable combat sights, a low snag design ideally suited to engaging man-sized targets at Airsoft range.

Due to the 1911's extremely instinctive design, holding this pistol gives you the feeling you have held it before, with the sights being easy to align and large enough for easy acquisition, plus, all the controls falling right under your fingers, this pistol was clearly designed with ergonomics in mind, despite being over 100 years old!

The front and rear of the slide feature serrations on both sides to ensure the shooter has a solid grip when cocking the pistol, regardless of the weather conditions. The serrations are cut at a swept-back angle, pairing well with the SAI weight reduction design and the pistol's overall modern styling. Between the serrations, the slide has a reduced profile to save weight, with Salient Arms markings to telegraph the elite nature of the real steel 1911 RED.

On the front of the frame, the EMG 1911 RED is equipped with a non-standard frame rail. This rail matches 20mm Picatinny in its shape and dimensions, but omits the rail slots needed to mount certain accessories. In our tests, we found WADSN X300UH-B, X400, XH35 and XU35 can still be mounted to this rail, but all rail adapters need to be removed from the flashlight mount. More information is available below in the "Special Instructions" section.

The slide release catch has chequered texturing on the upper surface to ensure it can be operated when wet or in adverse weather. Likewise, the magazine release is textured and is right where you expect to find it, well within reach of your thumb whilst firing, on the left side of the grip.

The front face of the trigger also includes the lined texture. This allows for a consistent and accurate trigger pull, taking pure advantage of the light and short pull of a 1911 trigger. The trigger design itself has a curved front face with 3 weight reduction ports, matching trends in real steel 1911 pistol designs like the MEU.

The safety lever can be found on either side of the frame and sits comfortably under the shooter's thumb, perfect for cocked and locked carry. While it is slightly extended compared to the original 1911, this safety isn't as prominent as those on race gun Hi-Capa builds to maintain a low-snag design ideal for a combat pistol.

On the rear of the frame, we have what is known as a beavertail grip safety, a hallmark feature of the 1911 design. This allows it to get away with a super short trigger pull and still be safe by disconnecting the trigger until the pistol is gripped in a ready-to-shoot position. The beavertail safety ensures the trigger cannot be inadvertently pressed when drawing from a holster, which can be quite a painful experience!

Just above the grip safety, we come to the hammer, which has a skeletonised design. This cuts down weight and adds to the modern style of the 1911 RED. The hammer also features serrations on its outer surface, allowing it to be manually cocked. You won't need to do this as a normal part of running the RED, but it's great for those movie stand-off moments!

The grip panels present on either side feature diamond checkering in classic 1911 style, providing plenty of traction for wet-weather use, with or without gloves. In the centre of each grip panel, we are treated to the Salient Arms "S in a Cube" logo to complete the high-end SAI look. The front of the grip and the hammer spring housing at the rear also feature checkering, giving you great purchase on the RED and a solid feel in the hand.

At the base of the grip, we are treated to a flared magazine well extension, machined as part of the hammer spring housing. This helps guide your magazine into the well during a reload, allowing for a wider margin of error you'll probably need if you're working fast mid-game. Unlike race gun-style magwells, this one is rather low-profile, fitting in nicely with the discrete modernisation of the rest of the pistol without upsetting the aesthetic.

If you're all about 1911s and want a modern option in the arsenal, the EMG Salient Arms 1911 RED GBB Pistol is a solid choice. Showcasing the elite SAI look with ergonomic enhancements to keep you competitive in-game, the RED makes the premium look more affordable than ever before!

Features

• Full metal construction
• Licensed by Salient Arms International - Realistic trademarks across the design
• Alloy outer barrel with mock rifling - Realistic looks from the front end
• Front & rear slide serrations - Easy to rack from the front or back in all weather conditions
• Open iron sights - Fixed combat sights with an anti-glare texture on the front
• Non-standard frame rail - Fits 20mm Picatinny torches with rail adapters removed (see "Special Instructions")
• Gear adjustable HOP-up unit - On the bottom of the outer barrel, accessible with the slide removed
• Ported trigger design - Reduces weight and fits the high-speed aesthetic
• Textured pistol grip panels - Includes "S in a Cube" SAI logo on each side
• Ambidextrous safety catch - Manual safety on either side, great for left or right-handed shooters
• Skeletonised hammer - Reduced weight hammer with speedy looks
• Flared magazine well extension - Guides your magazine in for speedy reloads on the move
• Beavertail grip safety - Prevents the trigger from being pulled if not gripped correctly
• OEM: Double Bell, China

Package Includes

• EMG Salient Arms 1911 RED GBB Pistol
  • 27rnd Green Gas magazine
  • Spare nozzle
  • Hard pistol case

Special Instructions

The rail present on the EMG SAI RED is a non-standard rail. It matches 20mm Picatinny dimensionally, but does not include any rail slots. In our tests, we found that tactical flashlights designed for pistols with a screw-tightened mount will fit, but you will need to remove any rail adapters from the mount of the flashlight.

The following are flashlights we can confirm will fit the RED once the rail adapter has been removed from the mount:

• WADSN X300UH-B LED Pistol Flashlight
• WADSN XU35 Tactical Pistol Flashlight w/Strobe
• WADSN XH35 Tactical Pistol Flashlight w/Strobe
• WADSN X400 Ultra Flashlight with Red Laser
• WADSN X400 Vampire Tactical Flashlight with Red Laser & Strobe

Standard X200, X300 & X300 Ultra-style lights with the spring-loaded tab-style mount will not fit; only those with the screw-tightened mount. Further compatibility with other 20mm Picatinny accessories is NOT guaranteed.