Charles Daly Guide Rod?

A

azredhawk44

Moderator
Anyone make a replacement full length guide rod for a Charles Daly Empire model 1911? I bought one (I think it is a Chip McCormick but it's been a while since I've looked at the packaging) and even after a light coat of oil it tends to bind up the slide and the gun fails to return to battery. Like 50% of the time.

Obviously it's not installed in the gun right now since it's unreliable... Does it just need some gunsmithing or is it one of those things where the Charles Daly design is a bit different than other 1911's?
 
i dont think there

i dont think there is a flgr thats a reliable piece of the 1911.....thats what a lot of 1911 lovers say....if you goto a 1911 forum generally its about a 9 or 10 to 1 against the flgr....i dont have one but have been interested to check it out for myself. wilson combat generally makes very fine components for the 1911.
iam a machine designer and have been one for about 30 years and whenever i designed a component that was to slide along a rod the rule of thumb has always been that you need a contact length equal to 3 times the diameter of the rod to insure no binding.....i dont think the recoil plugs sold with flgr employ that guideline and maybe thats why there is a lot of binding causing failures to close the slide or return to battery
 
Thanks for the responses guys.

The recoil plug's slide surface against the FLGR is kinda skimpy. Does anyone make a plug with increased surface area?

AZta2guy - I've hit the contact points of the recoil plug with some ultra-fine grade sand paper to ensure both the FLGR contact points as well as the spring contact points on the plug are smooth. Do I also need to hit the inside of the slide assembly where the spring may potentially contact the slide? What about the pistol frame? Also: No, it's not a two-stage buffered recoil spring system. Although I do have one of those for my Glock21 for shooting 400corbon and it works very well as long as I keep my loads towards the high-powered end.

Obviously right now the gun is assembled with the stock configuration without a FLGR.
 
guide rod in 1911

Dear Sir:
I'd get a regular 1911 spring tube and recoil plunger set and defiately delete the guide rod.
I built an STI and put a guide rod in it! I never thought guide rods were necessary and this one locked up just like you say. I don't like them.
Harry B.
 
okay, thanks Harry and others.

The rod has not been in the gun for several months. I bought it on a whim, thinking "cool, I like". But, it doesn't work well so it hasn't been used in quite a while. The gun is stock and I guess it will remain stock.

I wish I knew that FLGR's were so unpopular, and why, before I bought it.

Live and learn.:rolleyes:
 
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