Forget the Shok Buff in a fighting gun.

G

George Hill

Staff Alumnus
I had recently put in a "Shok Buff" type rubber spacer into my 1911 to reduce battering and such.

Nothing but problems with that thing. Check this out - It caused my slide to have a 1 second to 2 second delay between cycling back from full recoil.

How many rounds through it with the buff? About 400 to 500.

Here is what happened... the Buff sheared and caused a bad drag effect. You can 't see that happen. You can't even feel that happening. Until it's too late and all the suddern your guns is acting different.

Crappy thing. Just crappy.

Never again. Especially not in a fighting gun.
 
George...

I think this has always been the general advice concerning shok-buffs, that is, you can use them for sporting guns (IPSC, etc.) but not for fighting/self-defense guns.

I have used them in my Colt MkIV Series 70 for IPSC shooting and have never had a problem in several thousand rounds. I also cleaned my gun after every use and examined the shok-buff as I would any other gun part. I probably tended to change them more often than the recommended interval.

Some people use them and have good experiences, some do not. Those who do not are well-advised to do as you did and stop the practise.

My advice to someone would be to experiment with them but do NOT use them for serious purposes until you know how they perform in your gun.
 
George.......as many times as we have seen posts on that very subject telling of similar experiences......I certainly hope you werent suprised.:D

Sam
 
I know I know...

But it was one of those "See for your self" kinda things.
I came, I saw, and I totally reject the concept.
 
I have fired countless thousands of rounds through various 1911s with shock buffs installed. I have used them long after they should have been replaced and never had even a hint of a problem.
That being said, I can't get my Hi-Powers to run them at all. I can't even cycle the slide manually with one in.
You did the right thing George. Try it for yourself.
 
What brand were you using? I've always only used Wilson's, and I have never had a problem in full-size guns. The only reason why I had trouble in shorter guns was due to the fact that they reduce the slide travel by about 3/32".

The one gun I had functioning problems when using a shock buffer was, of all things an AK-47!
 
Hmmm..

The Wolff catalog even states the following.

WARNING: Do not use shock buffers with Officers Model recoil springs.

That would also mean to not use them in Kimber Compact and Pro Carry, Para Ord P12, Springfield Ultra Compact and V10.

I wonder why..

Good Shooting
RED
 
George,

I found it out, first hand, myself some time back... don't see the need, and don't buy them anymore.

I am thinking about a Sprinco for my Delta Elite, just as insurance against frame battering... although I've had no clear problems with this gun either... just peace of mind I suppose. :D
 
Contrary to what some people think, steel is highly elastic. The 1911 type pistol is designed so that the slide bouncing off the recoil spring guide speeds up slide return and provides the momentum necessary to properly strip a round from the magazine and chamber it under less than ideal conditions.

Buffers and other gadgets interfere with this in the name of "protecting the frame" which the slide doesn't touch anyway, and which does NOT need protected in the first place.

OK, so you want to "protect" your perfect little toy from being hurt by actually firing it. What protects you when your gun hangs up with a bad guy's sawed off pointed at your guts?

Jim
 
I was shooting with George when his Shok-Buff went bad. It was the strangest thing, he was shooting a string, Bang, then it looked like the slide locked back, but nope it sprang forward, with about half a second delay. George looks at it funny, sees that it is battery, and shoots it again. Same thing, you could see the slide stop to the rear for a brief instant, and then fly forward. :confused:

I had never seen a malfunction like that before.
 
Protect the frame?

Others have already said it better than I can here, but I want to get my $0.02 as well.

I'm a mechanical engineer, and know a bit about material science. Perhaps "frame battering" could be an issue with aluminum or polymer frames (I said perhaps, not that it is), but I can't imagine any damage to a steel frame without a completely under-strength recoil spring. Even so, wouldn't a stronger recoil spring, acting over the entire recoil stroke be better than trying to decelerate the slide in 1/8 inch travel? Just a thought. That's how my two 1911s are set up, and I have yet to see any evidence of "battering" anywhere.

If anyone has actually seen this frame cracking that everyone is so worried about, please let me know. I'd like to investigate the phenomena further.

I have noticed that these buffers are not commonly used on other pistols. I can't believe the 1911 design is inferior and requires this modification.
 
Instead of a 'shok buff', I installed a guide rod with an extra internal spring in my Sig P220. It's by a company called DragonFire.

Took a little getting used to when chambering the first round, but works great so far. Recoil is reduced enough to notice.
 
Who is it that sez "Puteth no lasers, no phasers, no wind speed indicators on ye weapon"?

Remember, tis, like the young and nubile, better to take off than put on. Remember, change your spring after so many miles. Remember, have multiple copies of the weapon you choose. And, remember the children!:p
 
Hi, dcmorris,

We are not dealing with any real frame battering. We are dealing with the overworked imagination of folks who want to buy a gun and have it remain absolutely perfect while shooting it (or maybe not). Ever see a guy who has found a tiny scratch on his brand new Corvette? Same syndrome.

People who want to buy guns to preserve and look at have a name - they are called collectors. But people who carry and shoot their guns, like many on this site, should consider their guns as tools. Sure the edge of the spade gets nicked when you dig holes with it. Sure the face of a hammer gets marked when you drive nails. You don't weep over those things, why agonize over normal wear and tear on a gun?

Jim
 
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