SIG 2022 eating it's guide rod

[Fishslayer]

After our last range session I took the wife's SIG 2022 apart & noticed the flat wound recoil spring is full of plastic chunks & we now have a "textured" guide rod.

Is this normal? Who sells a good steel or aluminum piece?

So far no malfs of any sort & the wife is well into her second thousand rounds. The gun operates smooth as silk. The trigger sure ain't no 1911 though...

 

[9mmepiphany]

I think Grayguns makes the best metal guide rods available for the SigPro

 

[Storm]

I highly recommend Steve Bedair http://guiderod.com/

 

[WinThePennant]

You know, everyone says those plastic guide rods are as good as metal. I don't believe it, and never have.

 

[GreenTriumph]

I've done the same thing. The spring is backwards! The spring has a tighter coil on one end so it does not move. This is sliding along the plastic rod and chewing it up. Switch it and you will be fine.

Although I have nothing again metal rods. Get one of these longer term if you want.

 

[Tommy B]

I went with Steve Bedair's ss guide rod for my 2022 and it works great. I had tried Grayguns first but they were out of stock. Wished I could find one for my P250, it has broken 2 of it's plastic guide rods.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Sounds like the correcting the spring (was backwards) will solve the problem.

For those who want a metal guide rod, take the plastic one to a hardware store and look at hinge pins. You may have to buy the hinge, as you seldom will find the pin, or something equivalent. Some use Stanley hinges.

If you find one of the proper diameter, you can cut it to length and polish the cut end. Many of the hinge pins are brass, so they will not be harder than the frame. If you've got an alloy frame, and the pin is harder than the frame metal, you'll have problems. That's one reason plastic is used in alloy-framed guns.

 

[Zerodefect]

Put a brass door hinge in a SIG!


That's awesome. I want to by a SIG now just so I can put door parts in my gun to freak out everyone I shoot with. The look on thier faces when I say
"I'm testing a new trigger job out."
or
"I've modded my safeties a bit."

is allready priceless. I'd love to see the look they'd give when I explain useing a door hinge as a guide rod!

Extra points if I can find one with the word "Stanley" stamped into the pin!

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Just leave that high-class plastic one in place, then. It's SIG plastic and must be much better than standard plastic. I'm surprised they didn't make the slide out of that same plastic. <snort>

 

[Fishslayer]

Thanks for that. I'll have a look at the spring orientation. I checked that the first few times I had it apart & couldn't see a noticable difference, ie no "front" or "rear."

It makes sense. She's put quite a few rounds through it & this is the first time I've seen the flakes. I musta got lucky till now.

Well... except for the time I launched it into the dark recesses of the garage. Took me a couple hours to find it...

At least a metal rod would have made a "clank" when it landed so I'd have had SOME idea of where to look.

 

[1SOW]

Mr. Sherrill, I'm impressed.

I've read a LOT of your posts (and followed your advice) on the CZ Forum.

Your suggestion for the brass guide rod is outstanding. Hinges usually come in pairs, so a spare is included. A very little bit of cutting and polishing, even tapering if preferred, is easy to do on a drill press.

I have a neighbor who recently bought the same Sig, so I'll give him a heads up too.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

The topic of plastic guide rods came up frequently on the CZ Forum, where I participated for years.

Many CZ compact owners (which use small, full-length guide rods) felt the plastic was bad -- although they are perfectly functional -- and started looking for metal replacements.

CZ USA offered a metal guide rod for the steel-framed compact, but warned against using them in the alloy-framed models. Some did, anyway. All seem satisified.

The last I heard, CZ USA said that it was noticing some frame damage (on the receiver stop, where the head of the guide rod rests) on some alloy-framed guns when a steel guide rod is used. I have had many CZs, still have a couple, and several clones -- all use whatever was "stock" from the factory.

As I understand it, the guide rod in any gun is NOT a high-stress part. It would appear that it's primary use is to hold the recoil spring in place during assembly -- with the slide and dust cover doing the job once the gun is assembled. I think the concern about plastic guide rods is generally misplaced. (I've seen others open up the end of the slide, normally sealed, on the full-size CZ-75B and install a full-length guide rod there, when a shorter one is normally used. These same folks sometimes claim improved performance and, perhaps, improved accuracy. Again, I think they attribute too much to the role of the guide rod in a hand gun.)

The brass guide rod was NOT my idea -- I just passed it on. I'm sure stainless steel will work, too -- but may be HARDER than some of alloys used in some frames. If you want to use a metal guide rod in your gun, just be sure that the frame is harder than the guide rod. Alloy-framed guns could have a wear issue, over time.

.

 

[Fishslayer]

Well, I took out the spring & measured ID & OD at both ends. No difference.

The MK1 eyeball did see that it "seemed" to have less clearance on one end so I put that end to the rear.

We'll see what happens. An excuse for a range trip with the wife.

 

[rellascout]

Have you called Sig yet? I would call and ask for a replacement under warranty. If they won't send one splurge and geta metal one for $25.

I personally cannot see putting a door part in one of my guns. YMMV

 

[1SOW]

A machined piece of metal, is just that; and a drill press is a poor man's lathe.

.

 

[sigarms228]

I have probably a little over 1000 round in my SP2022 and it is a remarkable pistol regardless of the price. My recoil rod is a little roughed up but not bad and does not seem to be getting any worse.

Interesting comment about spring being in wrong causing that problem and good to know.

You can get replacement guide rods for the SP2022 from Top Gun Supply for a few bucks if you ever order from there. I got one to keep as a spare when I ordered the standard trigger for my SP2022 that I put in and like better then the original skinny trigger. I am staying with the recoil rod that the SP2022 came with.