1911 Guide Rods

[riverdog]

Lost the guide rod plug (the part that compresses the recoil spring) while reassembling my Springfield 1911A1. I thought I had it contained but it got away and who knows where it is -- it might turn up if I tear the garage apart :barf: I was just starting to turn the barrel bushing and something moved and the compression on the spring did the rest.

Is the plug a standard part which can be replaced by the Ed Brown replacement? They look very similar. Brownells has a number of options to replace the whole unit, but that particular Springfield part isn't listed (or does Springfield get them from Ed Brown?)

Or should I go back to the original Colt Gov't spring plug? I never had a problem with those. Looking for suggestions. Nothing sacred, the pistol is very modified already (~half the pistol is other than SA and very tight. Non-Springfield parts are fine as long as they fit and function real well.

As I finish up my roomie walked in with the part, hiding in plain sight. Still, the question stands, what's the best way to go with recoil spring guide rods?

 

[blades67]

I like the original Browning set. I don't think a full-length guide rod does anything for the gun except make it a pain to field strip. I have a Dwyer Group Gripper that I plan to install on my Charles Daly. If it makes a difference, only time will tell. (And a few targets for comparison.)

 

[BigG]

The original spring plug and guide is the best. The full length guide rod is a marketing ploy that the manufacturer uses to cheaply take the rattle out of a pistol. Unsophisticated buyers are often fooled by this ploy, thinking the pistol is somehow superior (i.e., higher quality) to one that rattles. Not so.

 

[Jim V]

I think you are talking about the recoil spring plug, not the guide rod. The guide rod is the part the spring fits around and the plug is the part that holds the spring in place and itself is locked in place by the bushing.

A standard Colt plug should work. Look for a plug with a indent on the side near the closed end. That indent is there to provide a lock for the recoil spring. Turn the plug until the end of the spring locks around the indent, that will help hold every thing together when the bushing is moved and the spring tension is relaxed.

 

[Dean Speir]

blades67 sez:

I don't think a full-length guide rod does anything for the gun except make it a pain to field strip.

Roger that! This is the second most useless 1911-style accessory (after the Extended Slide Stop) on anything other than a full-race competition gun, and, like the Extended Slide Stop, often compromises reliability. Can't tell you how many of them I've seen discarded in the middle of defensive handgun courses! They lay oxidizing on the berms of the Great Pine Barrens Range and the walls of Gunsite's Donga.

I have a Dwyer Group Gripper that I plan to install on my Charles Daly. If it makes a difference, only time will tell.

I got one from Bill Wilson as a lark about 17-18 years ago, and dropped it in a "Serious 70" Gold Cup, and WOW! It's the only gimmick handgun accessory I've ever found that works as advertised, #1, and, #2, doesn't screw something else up at the same time!

That's not dispositive of their worth, but one anecdotal experience.