Assembling 2-piece guide rod, what's the secret?

[rogerjames]

Help!

Field stripped my new to meSpringfield Loaded with 2 piece guide rod. First time experience with 2 piece guide rod.

Who is the idiot that decided that this is a "good" design? :banghead:

Is there any advantage to this?

Ignore all of my whining and please tell me the secret to put this back together.

 

[skipsan]

Assemble the pistol with just the back half of the g.r. Install the recoil spring plug, bloody your thumb doing it, rotate the barrel bushing to lock everything together, and THEN screw the front end of the guide rod in through the hole in the spring plug.

Added: there is no advantage in my view to the two-piece guide rod--only disadvantages. It will unscrew during use, it takes a spcial tool to assemble/dissassemble (allen wrench), and the sharp edges on the spring plug will do a number on your thumb. Many owners, myself being one, comvert over to the traditional two-piece g.i. system. The fact that Springfield's flagship pistol, the Professional, uses the one-piece g.i. system should tell you something.

 

[StogieC]

The Wilson Combat 2 piece guide rod requires a 3/16 inch Allen wrench to take it apart.

The guide rod provides disassembly identical to that of stock components once you remove the front half of the rod with the provided Allen wrench.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Throw it in the trash and buy a one piece, or just go with the plug.

OK maybe not that drastic. Well, if it's on a defensive gun then yes, throw it in the trash. If a sporting shooter use Loctite because it will come unscrewed eventually.

skipsans instructions are how I did it when I used them, put the front half on after the gun is together.

 

[JTQ]

Get one of these
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=26985/Product/1911_AUTO_MIL_SPEC_RECOIL_SPRING_PLUG

And one of these
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=41714/Product/RECOIL_SPRING_GUIDES_for_1911_AUTO

 

[rogerjames]

Throw it in the trash and buy a one piece, or just go with the plug.

OK maybe not that drastic. Well, if it's on a defensive gun then yes, throw it in the trash. If a sporting shooter use Loctite because it will come unscrewed eventually.

What a stupid design!! Still not back together. GI setup in the mail.

 

[Apocalypse-Now]

the secret is dumping the 2piece, and dropping in a GI plug.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Trying to catch and start the threads, working by feel, and probably against spring tension, sounds like a recipe for cross-threading it.

 

[rogerjames]

Assemble the pistol with just the back half of the g.r. Install the recoil spring plug, bloody your thumb doing it, rotate the barrel bushing to lock everything together, and THEN screw the front end of the guide rod in through the hole in the spring plug.

Thanks Skip. That almost worked. Can't quite get the bushing back in place and can't get the slide stop back in either.

Anyway, called LGS, they have GI plug in stock. This POS is going in the trash

 

[skipsan]

Use a non-metallic "tool" to shove the slide stop plunger pin, into the plunger tube. While holding the plunger retracted, push the slide stop straight down into the assembly hole. A credit card or guitar pic work well. A CAREFULLY held jeweler's screwdriver works fine, but if you slip you can put the mother of all scratches in the frame and slide. Make SURE you are aligning the assembly notch on the frame with the assembly notch on the slide (which is the little notch, behind the big one). For a long-term fix, go to www.1911forum.com and search the gunsmith forum using "idiot scratch", and look for the "Logman" fix, which is a minor groove filed into the slide stop which makes the slidestop insertion a non-event.

For the recoil spring plug, rotate the barrel bushing until it list barely clears the spring plug hole on the rhs of the muzzle. By barely clears, that means right on the edge, but the plug will still go into the hole. I wrapped duct tape around my thumb to be able to mash the plug home and flush with the frame. Holding the plug flush with the frame, rotate the barrel bushing just enough (a degree or so) to capture the edge of the plug. Release your death grip and relax. Regrab the pistol and rotate the bearing the rest of the way to the verticle position. A bushing wrench is a big help. Now insert the front half of the guide rod and screw tight.