1911 flgr or standard?

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markh

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I am the proud owner of a new Colt Combat Commander. It came with a FLGR. Is there any advantage over this (or disadvantage) to a standard guide rod? I don't like having to search for a tool to disassemble it.
 
I don't think there is any advantage to having one. There's one in my Springfield and I don't particularly care for it - pain having to have a hex wrench just to take it off, and it always seems to work itself loose.
 
there may not be a specific advantage toa FLGR unless you run a REDICULOUS heavy spring, but theres no disadvantage. im sure some one will come in and say JMB is rolling in hsi grave cause of this but common.
 
I'll gladly trade off the little bit of extra weight for the capability to disassemble the thing without tools.
 
First thing I chucked out of my PT1911... utterly useless "feature" that complicates field strip.
 
1911 tuner, calling 1911 tunner chim in any time, he really shead alot of light on this opic for me a while back. i personally prefer the standard to the flgr.
 
I prefer the GI set-up on most of my 1911s. If it's going to be a carry gun, a GI set-up is all I want or need.

I do have a solid FLGR in a couple of my target 1911s. They came with the things, and I figure it doesn't make a difference on a target gun.

The main reason I like the GI set-up is ease of field stripping. I would not keep one of those two piece hex key things in my pistol.
 
Gimmick - get rid of it.
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Agreed. My stainless Lightweight Colt Commander came with a full length guide rod. As I was filling out the ATF paperwork to make the purchase, I had the gun store folks order a standard GI guide rod and plug for me. I installed them in the Colt as soon as I got the parts.
 
I asked the same question a while back. The replies I got were mostly that in some models, in some cases, the FLGR adds balance and muzzle weight. Perhaps I'm a tasteless philistine, but I can't tell the difference.

Some have said that IN THEORY, the guide rod prevents the spring from bunching and/or twisting. But I have never been able to find a case where this has actually happened.

I frequently field strip, not just for maintenence, but also because I shoot a .22 conversion kit. Besides already having pock-marks in the ceiling from losing my grip on the plunger with the hole in the middle, there came a time when I was in my dad's pathfinder, using the lip on the front edge of a magazine to hold it in while I was making the switch, and I thought to myself: "I'm going to be in this car until midnight looking for this stupid part, aren't I?" I have recently decided to build a dedicated frame for the .22 anyway.

Yes, it makes it easier to 'press check', but think about it, press checking is breaking the rules anyway, putting your thumb in the trigger guard. (I'll admit I still do it sometimes.)

I was watching Tom Gresham's Personal Defense TV the other night, and Clint Smith was giving a class on running your gun with one hand. He walked through the process of reloading and clearing stoppages with one hand for rifle and pistol. If you have to charge a pistol with one hand, this pretty much means putting in a magazine, putting the front of the pistol on the edge of a hard surface, and pushing forward to force the slide back to charge it. If you have a pistol with no guide rod, you have to make sure the barrel is clear in the front to do this. If you are using, well, pretty much any other auto, you have to make sure the guide rod AND the barrel are clear in front before you push forward. It might be a small distinction, but if you are in a position where you have to do this, it probably means you are already wounded, and every detail you don't have to worry about helps.
 
I'll gladly trade off the little bit of extra weight for the capability to disassemble the thing without tools.
Click to expand...

if you cant stip a FGLR pistol with out tools. you probibly need instructions.

it can be done with a pennie, a magazine base, hell your finger nail.
 
Because SA is fond of using two-piece FLGR in their 5" 1911 (which, BTW, require a hex wrench to dissasemble!), I replaced it in my Loaded with a shorty rod, shock buffer, lighter recoil spring and SS plug. I may be hallucinating, but I think it shoots better now, and I don't have to worry about not having the wrench with me should I need to field strip the gun. There seems to be no evidence that a full-length rod does anything.
 
What's the intended use?

If this is a range or game gun, there's no real difference in function or reliability. Some like the weight, some hate the tool use to disassemble.

If, however, this is a "social" gun, run a standard setup. FLGR is an abomination on a defensive handgun.
 
There's no point to it. It's a gimmick that perhaps 'looks cool' to those who are used to other autos, and only complicates the gun, adding more to the disassembly process, adding one more thing to break. It's a money-transfer device - it transfers money from the marketing victim to the seller, and that's the only real function it has.
 
I bought my first 1911, a used Colt S70. It came with a 2-piece full length stainless steel guide rod. I learned to field strip and reassemble, so that I can now do it easily.

Then I bought a set of "GI style" plug/short rod/new spring to see how that would work. I must confess, I cannot deal with the field strip/reassembly on the "GI" set up nearly as easily or quickly as the 2-pc FLGR set up, even using the older recoil spring. It is a royal pain for me, I'm ashamed to say.

So, I like the 2-pc full length guide rod better. The gun shoots/cycles just fine, and I tighten the rod pieces enough so they do not unscrew on me.

I'm very willing to be talked out of it, or into the "GI" setup -- really. But I need some careful instructions, as I'm sick of shooting the plug into the dark corners of the garage.

Maybe I'm just stupid, but I have not mastered the knack of reassembling the "GI" spring/plug setup. Oh, and the take-down isn't a pretty sight when I do it either.

Does anyone want to talk me through it? Read this:

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=268916


Thanks in advance . . .



.
 
My Springfield Loaded came with a two-piece FLGR. It makes field stripping a PITA, IMHO. I replaced it with a GI setup with no regrets.
 
Eh...six of one, half a dozen of the other. There are one-piece flgr designs that don't require tools for disassembly. It makes no difference which i'd have in a 1911, so long as it's not 2 piece flgr....I just can't bring myself to trust them. Having said all that...the std sgr set-up has been doing just fine for nearly 100yrs. To each his own, what ever works for the individual and the intended use of his pistol....Have fun and enjoy that great pistol....Ya gotta love a Commander type 1911!
 
My PT1911 came with a flgr. It disassembles just like my Remington 1911a1 from 1943. No "special" tools although the provided bushing wrench is nice. The flgr is one piece and for you press check guys out there there are grooves on the front of the slide for that but I never do press checks as I never leave the chamber empty. I am quite impressed with this PT1911 from Brazil but don't like the dull finish. Oh well I guess it's all a matter of taste.:barf:
 
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