It doesn't hurt but I would't pay to put one in a gun that didn't have one and I wouldn't base the purchase of a 1911 on whether one had one or didn't.
Some manufacturers make and catalogue guns with both. Kimber comes to mind .
Some folks perceive that the FLGR system cycles more smoothly, although that question can be debated forever.
Of course, that's a subjective test based on feel, and not an objective test based on something objectively measurable. In any case, I said it's a subject that can be debated forever. And it may indeed smooth out a very loose gun.Oro said:Or it can be proven by simply testing it. I have.
If a gun is a little loose in the ole' slide/frame fit department, a FLGR can indeed smooth things out on the cylcing aisle....
You don't, but the spring doesn't kink. If you take the original design plug, spring and short guide rod and lay them end to end, it looks like a large gap, but when assembled in the gun, the actual gap is perhaps the width of two coils - insignificant. The one-piece rods complicate field stripping, usually requiring a bushing wrench, and prevent you from pushing the slide back by pressing it against an object. (Granted, this is less of a consideration for civilian CCW than a WWI trench.) The two-piece rods must necessarily screw together, which increases the chance that they will come apart. The FLGR simply isn't necessary on a fighting 1911.Why would I not want the recoil spring to kink?
Also, with the short rod and solid plug, it's possible to rack the slide with one hand by pressing the plug on a hard surface, like your shoe or a stiff belt. That's something one might need to do in a combat situation.
Full length rods seem to be an answer looking for a problem
Of course, that's a subjective test based on feel, and not an objective test based on something objectively measurable.
What keeps the spring from kinking in a GI 1911?