Guide rod benefits?

[mljdeckard]

I searched through the first few pages of results, and I couldn't see that anyone else had asked.

I just went to Impact and bought a regular spring guide and plunger, and switched out the full-length guide rod on my Kimber. I use a .22 conversion kit a lot, and I'm tired of putting pock-marks in the ceiling of my truck when I lose my grip on the guide rod plunger.

I have heard that the benefits of having the guide rod are, improved accuracy, it prevents the spring from deviating in compression, and added weight in the front. Are all these benefits negligible?

 

[Mad Magyar]

"and added weight in the front" I think the only consensus will be this one....

 

[ChuckB]

If Mr. Browning thought the guide rod was necessary, he would have put one in his 1911's. I replaced mine with a traditional set-up, and have had zero issues- except that take-down is way easier!

Chuck

 

[Black Majik]

A full length guide rod really isn't necessary. It is suppose to add weight on on the muzzle end to aid in muzzle flip. Quite frankly, I can't really tell a difference between the FLGR and the GI plug and rod setup.

Now, some argue that GI plug and rod setup is better for defensive purposes if your hand is disabled. You can use a hard object (like the end of a table) to push on the GI plug to rack the slide.

I have both, whatever comes with the gun is what it gets. I'm pretty impartial.

 

[Fatelvis]

+1 with ChuckB...... I dont think they make any noticeable difference, except making a pinch-check or table-top slide racking, very difficult!

 

[valor1]

If installed on a 1911 pistol, a full length guide rod provides the following benefits:

1) added weight on the front end of the pistol
2) some claim that there is lesser recoil spring bind making your recoil spring "last longer"
3) more difficulty in removing barrel from slide (you'll need a pin to hold the recoil spring with the reverse plug) once you disassemble
4) gives more profit to the gunsmith and whoever manufactures these guide rods (more dollars for them and lesser for you)

IMHO if my gun works without them, then I don't need them. If somebody gives them for free, I'll get them and eventually sell them.

 

[wally]

The major benefit of the full length guide rod for 1911s is the profit for the folks selling them.

--wally.

 

[tarrigoni]

I have a flgr in my Kimber. Is it easy to swap it out for a traditional one? If so, can anyone point me to the part somewhere?

Thanks.

 

[Phil DeGraves]

I have several guns with and without guide rods. Personally, I like them. I have had a problem with the recoil spring deviating during compression (and consequently causing a stoppage)which a recoil guide rod would have prevented. To me, that is the only reason to have one. More accuracy? Maybe from a ransom rest. I don't think you'd notice any difference offhand. More weight? The weight is negligible. I can't tell the difference. If it doesn't already have a guide rod, I don't go out and get one. But if I am looking to buy a 1911, it is a plus if it already has one.

 

[Ala Dan]

I'm with my friend Black Majik on this one; as I am also impartial
too either. I have 1911's with each, and all have functioned flawlessly.

 

[pmbiker]

My pistols that have them get switched to G.I. recoil stuff. Just my preference, YMMV.

The items needed to change over to G.I. can be found at Brownells. They have several to choose from but specifically part #'s 087-881-001, and 087-882-001 on that page for blue.

 

[Pilot]

They look cool when you rack the slide.

 

[dleong]

I have a 20 lb. recoil spring in my SA 1911 Government. Without an FLGR, there's a very noticeable grinding noise from the spring when the slide is racked. Installing an FLGR eliminated the grinding sound.

 

[mljdeckard]

I noticed the grinding sound too, and remembered it from other 1911s I have owned in the past without flgrs. It's the sound of the spring coiling inside the plug as you rack the slide.

 

[Zach S]

I think you're overlooking one (and the only) advantage to a FLGR.

A FLGR makes the recoil spring captive, so you can pull the entire slide off of the frame as an assembly in the event that your going to use the .22lr conversion.

If youre using the rimfire conversion a lot, you may want to invest in a dedicated frame to put it on.

 

[DogBonz]

I like the GI setup

The way that I see it, fewer parts better. It also means that I dont need a wrench to take my gun apart.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I swapped out the FLGR in my Springfield Loaded for a GI-type setup. I don't notice any difference when firing but it is a lot easier to field strip. The FLGR is a solution in search of a problem, IMHO.

 

[TX1911fan]

If I were using a 1911 in a combat scenario, where I had to truly field strip it (actually strip it in the field), then I'd swap out the FLGR. Since my "field" is my gun bench at home, the extra 5 seconds it takes to use a wrench is not that big of a deal. I prefer the FLGR for many of the reasons mentioned above.

And for those of you who say if JMB had wanted it in there he would have put it there, I hope you are not using a 1911 that has any of the improvements that have come along in the last 100 years. The original 1911 didn't come with alot of the things that makes the current group of 1911 style pistols great. Things can be improved on and still be great (notice how we're not all still driving Model Ts).

 

[vanfunk]

A noted gunwriter of our time was once quoted as saying "full-length recoil spring guides are only good for one thing - extracting money from your wallet". I tend to agree with that sentiment. Anytime I buy a 1911A1 pattern pistol with a FLGR, it goes right into the spare parts bin and is replaced with a stock guide and plug.

vanfunk

 

[TX1911fan]

vanfunk, that would mean, actually, that the GI plug is extracting money from your wallet, since you are paying extra for it.

 

[Zach S]

And for those of you who say if JMB had wanted it in there he would have put it there, I hope you are not using a 1911 that has any of the improvements that have come along in the last 100 years. The original 1911 didn't come with alot of the things that makes the current group of 1911 style pistols great. Things can be improved on and still be great (notice how we're not all still driving Model Ts).

I'm not a purist, but I still dont like FLGRs. One big reason was in Black Majik's post. After getting my hand stuck between a shorty header and the strut tower on my fairmont during a motor swap, I really came to appreciate the short guide rod. No, my hand wasnt broke (I dont think), but it was sore to the point where I couldnt use it. The backwards BBK bruise was kinda cool though...

The two 1911s that eventually made me hate FLGR are compacts. A para companion with a two piece that kept coming loose, and a 4" kimber that was a serious PITA to change the recoil spring.

One more thing, I rarely buy short guide rods, too hard to find in stainless (which is what all of my 1911s are). I just cut the FLGRs down and buy a plug. Considering the four Wilson mags I buy for every new 1911, the price of the spring plug is no big deal.