MILSPEC SPRING GUIDE AND PLUG QUESTION #2

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J.BELLINO

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CAVE CREEK, ARIZONA
O.K.....went to gun show Sat. bought Jerry K's two books and a milspec guide and plug for my commander to replace FLGR.
Observations that I could not find answers to in the books.
1. FLGR(solid ss) butt end solid rod protrudes from back of a flange a bit like on milspec guide but from a point about 3/4 down on the back protrusion the but is beveled towards the top almost flush with flange.
2. Milspec guide protrudes from back of flange also but is not taper ground....and it is a hollow tube as it should be.
Question is any reason why the butt end protrudes from the flange at all?
I installed the milspec plug and guide but have not fired the gun yet....just cycled it by hand and it "seemed" ok.
Any need to taper grind the butt end of the milspec guide to match the contour of the FLGR?
Am I missing something here or being too paranoid?
 
Paranoia

A little paranoia is a good thing... :p

The protrusion helps to keep the rod from shifting laterally, and won't contact the link. If everything is in spec, it will just kiss the front of the Commander's
vertical lug, and it may touch the link lightly, but as soon as the barrel moves, it won't be in contact. As long as it's not actually pushing the link backward, it'll be okay.

The beveled top is for link clearance when the barrel is in-battery. The link
doesn't sit dead vertical, but overcenters slightly...about one degree on average. This overcentering puts the upper part of the link slightly forward
of the lug, and the angled flange provides clearance. Even if the flange
contacts the link when the gun is in-battery, when the barrel moves backward, it takes the link with it, and the clearance needed is there.

The only requirement is that the guide rod flange not touch the barrel
when it links down. The flange shouldn't touch anything except the
abutment in the frame, the recoil spring, and the impact surface in the slide when it reaches full travel. Check for linkdown clearance by laying the barrel in the frame with the slidestop pin through the link. Put the guide rod in place and push the barrel down and back. If it goes to bed, you're golden.

Hope this helps allay your fears.

Carry on!

GunnyTuner
 
Thanks Tuner...thats what I thought. When I get home from work I will assemble frame , guide , barrel and pin as you recommend...but without the slide and bushing holding the front of barrel at proper height won't the barrel contact the cut out in the top of the guide flange????...when I pull back and down???
Yep, parinoid, a bit anal and some OC.....but I will not operate(fire) any pistol or any type of equipment untill I fully understand ALL the fundamentals of just how she's supposed to perform.
Also, Tuner...mags....which dimpled follower is prefered.....flat or rounded.....for what reasons.
 
Guide Rod Ballistics

SteveSteveSteve...You will NOT do! :D

Almost forgot! The flange in the 5-inch gun doesn't need to ne beveled. There's plenty of clearance for the link in those. See? What've I been sayin' all along? "When ya change one thing, ya gotta change 3 other things to make up for it." :p

Ch-Ch-Ch-Cheeers!
 
re:

Howdy!

Hold the barrel pretty straight when ya check it for flange contact. Unless there's somethin' bad outta spec, there shouldn't be a problem anyway...Just better safe than sorry.

I like flat, dimpled. Round followers are okay, and provide a quick band-aid fix for a clockin' extractor that drops the last empty and crunches it...but there's no advantage over the flat follower other than that.
 
Thanks JMB er hmmmm Tuner...stay tuned, although I think I'm pretty well set now.......Just have to put in more time with Jerry's books now. A lot more to these pistolas than Glocks and wheel guns!
 
J.BELLINO-

Does your new plug have the teat inside the plug? I know what that is for. :)

Tuner, you have more knowledge in your little finger about this stuff than I ever will, same goes for others...and Old Fuff too. I'm always learning , but in my Rules of Conduct I'm supposed to keep stuff grom getting too heated around here.... ;)

FWIW the blued guide plugs launch further than the aluminum ones... :)
 
SM....No my new(gun show used) guide plug does not have a teat in it???? I s that supposed to be some new fangled shock buff or to put added preasure on spring to launch it twice as far??
 
Am I missing something here? Has anyone mentioned that a Commander plug and guide rod end are shorter? I have a short one in the shop that I can get you a picture of that will tell you why the bevel is there. It is nicked where the lower lugs contact it. I do not think you need the bevel for a Commander , though. Just make sure you have Commander size parts for that gun. Since you say it cycles OK I am assuming you have the right ones, but feel we should mention it, just in case. I sometimes assume too much here.
 
DIfferent?

Yep...He knows about the shorter rod and plug, Cap'n. He's got a Commander. And that bevel is there to give a little extra clearance for the top of the link when it's in battery position. If yours got nicked by the lug...sump'ns wrong! :eek:
 
Just to get it straight...original FLGR had a bevel....milspec(proper length for commander) I picked up at gun show does not have bevel. Last night I pulled the slide and dropped the barrel and guide and slide lock pin in the frame as Tuner suggested there is clearance as commander barrel lower lug is vertical not angled like on 5" barrel....so it looks like I'm good to go.
Thanks all for your input.
 
The Bevel

Got me a suspicion about that bevel that Colt started usin' here lately...
Purely speculation, unnerstand...but I beleeeeeeve that it was implemented to give the link a little more wiggle room because current machinists are havin' a little problem keepin' the abutment within blueprint specs. Either that, or it's just easier to cut the bevel than it is to hold to those specs.

Just my 2% of a buck unnerstand... :scrutiny:
 
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