1911: Two Piece Guide Rod Necessary?
- Thread starter Tecolote
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Zak Smith
Member
A FLGR is not necessary.
deputy tom
Member
They didn't have them on the original 1911's and in my experience they un-screw during use and complicate dis-assembly.I removed the two piece rods from any of mine that came with them and put the original style guide and plug in.tom. 
stans
Member
Two piece guide rod makes it easier to assemble and disassemble the 1911 when using a full length guide rod. Do they offer advantages over a short rod? Probably not on most 1911's.
Zach S
Member
I hate FLGRs. Solution searching for a problem IMO. I hate two-piece GRs more, as they tend to unscrew.
FLGRs are always the first thing to go on mine. I got rid of them in all my 1911s, including a 3.5" Para and a 4" Kimber, with no problems since.
FLGRs are always the first thing to go on mine. I got rid of them in all my 1911s, including a 3.5" Para and a 4" Kimber, with no problems since.
Chipperman
Member
Me no like.
I prefer JMB's original design.
I prefer JMB's original design.
SnakeEater
Member
And FYI guide rods have no affect on accuracy whatsoever.
TexasRifleman
Moderator Emeritus
Well my CCW 1911 (Dan Wesson RZ) has a single piece FLGR and it's run over 1000 rounds of 10mm with zero malfunctions, so I'm not sure why it's such a bad idea. I have a Delta Elite that's gone over 3000 rounds in IPSC/IDPA and no malfunctions. The 2 piece is a bad idea however, I've seen more than one of them come unscrewed while in the gun and jam the whole works up.
I'm not quite sure how a full length rod decreases the reliability, and I've never had one person be able to demonstrate it to me.
Either way, it has no impact on accuracy at all.
Shokbufs in a CCW are a bad idea regardless of whether you use a guide or plug. More to gum things up.
That said, you'll find most people against the FLGR's because JMB himself didn't come down from heaven and authorize it. You've asked the Holiest of Holy questions, the other Holy question is internal vs external extractors.
So, prepare for a religious war
I'm not quite sure how a full length rod decreases the reliability, and I've never had one person be able to demonstrate it to me.
Either way, it has no impact on accuracy at all.
Shokbufs in a CCW are a bad idea regardless of whether you use a guide or plug. More to gum things up.
That said, you'll find most people against the FLGR's because JMB himself didn't come down from heaven and authorize it. You've asked the Holiest of Holy questions, the other Holy question is internal vs external extractors.
So, prepare for a religious war
valor1
Member
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2004
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- 416
Some say the FLGR's protect the spring against "spring bind" and/or increases the life of the recoil spring. I never notice any difference in the life span of the recoil spring using with or without a FLGR. Springs are also cheap.
Maybe the FLGR's will find use in competition to add weight specially if they use the tungsten rods.
Maybe the FLGR's will find use in competition to add weight specially if they use the tungsten rods.
We had a couple of officers get custom work on perfectly good functioning Colt guns by one of the big name custom shops. Both guns came back with FLGRs and both guns ceased to be reliable. After break in the guns still would not function reliably with 2 to 4 malfunctions per 100 rounds. We replaced the FLGR with the old standard set up and both guns returned to excellent reliability. I'm with the majority here, they just add extra parts and do nothing worth having them.
GoRon
Member
My Springer TRP came with a two piece guide rod. I ran around 3k rounds through it without ever having a problem with it unscrewing.
I went to a standard GI guide and plug. I didn't see any upside to having a FLGR, but it required a minor extra step in dissassembly.
Another 3k rounds and I don't notice a difference in function or accuracy.
My buddy has a Thompson/Auto-Ord 1911 that is so loose that the frame rubbed on the slide when cycling.
We installed FLGR and it seemed to help smooth out the operation a bit. It still rubs a little but is better.
As an aside, as loose as this gun was/is it is pretty darn accurate and never had feeding extraction problems.
I went to a standard GI guide and plug. I didn't see any upside to having a FLGR, but it required a minor extra step in dissassembly.
Another 3k rounds and I don't notice a difference in function or accuracy.
My buddy has a Thompson/Auto-Ord 1911 that is so loose that the frame rubbed on the slide when cycling.
We installed FLGR and it seemed to help smooth out the operation a bit. It still rubs a little but is better.
As an aside, as loose as this gun was/is it is pretty darn accurate and never had feeding extraction problems.
I have a Colt Series 70 Gov. Model I bought in 1973, new.
After about 4000 rnds, I put a 2pc. full length guide rod in it.
No junk, a very respected, well-known brand. The gun
immediately started to have feeding problems. Coincidence?
I don't know. I didn't connect the two (new guide rod & FTF)
for several hundred rounds.
When I DID make a connection, the old spring and plug went
back in the Colt. No failures to feed over the last four hundred
rounds. Coincidence?
Walter
After about 4000 rnds, I put a 2pc. full length guide rod in it.
No junk, a very respected, well-known brand. The gun
immediately started to have feeding problems. Coincidence?
I don't know. I didn't connect the two (new guide rod & FTF)
for several hundred rounds.
When I DID make a connection, the old spring and plug went
back in the Colt. No failures to feed over the last four hundred
rounds. Coincidence?
Walter
I had one and removed it and put back the original,i found myself at the range tightening the rod every 100 rounds or so,no more!Sometimes it would loosen and sometimes it wouldnt but i wont take that chance on a defensive handgun.
vanfunk
Member
I don't care for them either. I perceive no advantage to their use, as they really can't help with anything. They can make disassembly slightly more complicated and fussy, which I regard as an inconvenience. It's a nil-sum proposition as far as I'm concerned, except where the shooter might want more weight out front (as in the employment of a tungsten rod).
YMMV,
vanfunk
YMMV,
vanfunk
Billy Sparks
Member
When I am looking at a 1911 pattern gun the first thing I look for is if it has a
FLGR (two piece or one piece) becasue I always replace it. I just prefer not to use them, I have no evidence either way. As an aside the reason I will not (probably) but a Kimber Commander length pistol is that they use a bull barrel and there is no easy way (that I know of) to replace the FLGR.
FLGR (two piece or one piece) becasue I always replace it. I just prefer not to use them, I have no evidence either way. As an aside the reason I will not (probably) but a Kimber Commander length pistol is that they use a bull barrel and there is no easy way (that I know of) to replace the FLGR.
brickboy240
Member
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2005
- Messages
- 304
Never had one in my 1911s...still don't see the need for them.
-Brickboy240
-Brickboy240
Billy Sparks
Member
Gary some of what you ask is apples to oranges.
Example Glock, Ruger and H&K do not build 1911's so they are oranges.
Now Kimber and some new Colts have FLGR's where as Sig's have the standard
recoil plug.
Some people like FLGR's some don't. I don't like them, probably because I can't
break them down as easy as I can a non FLGR 1911.
Example Glock, Ruger and H&K do not build 1911's so they are oranges.
Now Kimber and some new Colts have FLGR's where as Sig's have the standard
recoil plug.
Some people like FLGR's some don't. I don't like them, probably because I can't
break them down as easy as I can a non FLGR 1911.
Zach S
Member
I'm guessing you didnt see my previous post in this thread...
After field stripping the pistol, compress the recoil spring enough to remove the take-down tool (AKA a bent paperclip), install the spring on a standard guide rod, put the spring plug in the slide, and than install the spring/guide rod though the bottom of the slide. Recoil spring changes are now less aggrevating and involve fewer four-letter words.
I cant remember if I used the guide rod out of my AMT or a FLGR that I cut down and radiused at work. The short GM guide rod sticks out of the spring plug at slide-lock, but thats not an issue since its open anyway. [edit] I used the AMT guide rod. [/edit]
I've probably put 2k rounds though this pistol since then with no problems as long as a keep an good recoil spring in it (I guess it gets changed somewhere between 400 and 600 rounds). The required springs are full-diameter officer's model, I use the 22 pound springs from wolff.
The one-piece guide rods I have used take down in the same manner as the GI piece. They are just short enough that the barrel bushing can swing past the end of the rod. These are no more difficult to take down than a gun with a GI part, except that the spring plug has sharp edges if you're depressing it with your fingers.
The two-piece rods must be unscrewed and the front half removed from the gun, at which point you then proceed with the standard takedown procedure. This is why a lot of people complain about takedown - you need a tool (typically a hex wrench) to unscrew the guide rod.
I like the forward weight of a gun with a full-length guide rod. I use the one-piece style as I see no advantages, only drawbacks, to the two-piece guide rod.
The two-piece rods must be unscrewed and the front half removed from the gun, at which point you then proceed with the standard takedown procedure. This is why a lot of people complain about takedown - you need a tool (typically a hex wrench) to unscrew the guide rod.
I like the forward weight of a gun with a full-length guide rod. I use the one-piece style as I see no advantages, only drawbacks, to the two-piece guide rod.
The 1 Piece FLGR take-down procedure is not quite the same as OEM in that the recoil spring must be removed out the muzzle end before the FLGR can be removed. The 2 Piece FLGR eliminates this as all you do is unscrew the muzzle end of it then take-down is same as OEM. I prefer the 1 Piece FLGR setup. I have had 2 Piece FLGR's loosen slightly during range sessions but I have also had them tighten to the point it was difficult to break them loose.
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