1911 FLGR

[88E30M50]

Ok CM, I have the FLGR in hand and installed in the DW Heritage. All we need to do is to watch the weather and find a time for the scientific testing to begin.

 

[churchmouse]

Ok CM, I have the FLGR in hand and installed in the DW Heritage. All we need to do is to watch the weather and find a time for the scientific testing to begin.

I am in for sure. I will have to pick another pair as the 2 loadeds are now in AllenM's hand for some show off machine work and re-color.
I got it covered.

Friday or Saturday..??

 

[88E30M50]

This weekend is pretty much shot for me. Between yard work at my house as well as at my mothers, Christmas tree stuff, fixing a car for my son and holiday things, it's not going to work for me until sometime next week. Monday maybe?

 

[churchmouse]

This weekend is pretty much shot for me. Between yard work at my house as well as at my mothers, Christmas tree stuff, fixing a car for my son and holiday things, it's not going to work for me until sometime next week. Monday maybe?

Yup. We will just need to dress for the day.
I will call you this weekend.

 

[88E30M50]

 

[Walking Bear]

Just so not see the issue I do not like them. Was trained to clear one handed by pushing slide against table or hard surface.

 

[churchmouse]

We have completed our tests on this subject. 88 is compiling the results and putting the videos into format.

Results will be posted up soon.

 

[Bigtanker]

I've got one in the roof of the barn that's been there for over 3 years and I blew out a new 24" Monitor the same day. New Kimber Custom II.

So I'm new into the 1911 thing. I just bought Mrs.T a gov size Springer R O in 9mm. The spring didn't seem that strong so I'm guessing a 45 is quite a bit stronger.

 

[Spike Jones 5 2002]

OK I do not know what else is there.
What else is there besides a full length guide rod in a 1911.
What models do not have a FLGR?

 

[churchmouse]

OK I do not know what else is there.
What else is there besides a full length guide rod in a 1911.
What models do not have a FLGR?

Several come with the original plug style plunger. MilSpec pieces.
Just a note.....I did find differences.

 

[88E30M50]

Working on the video...

None of the Dan Wesson's I own come with a FLGR. Most USGI style 1911s will have the original short guide rod as well as both my Springfield and CZ 1911s were configured. I'm working on getting the results posted, but am having trouble with the video. On the phone, it's a beautiful slow motion shot of a full mag each with and without the FLGR. During transfer to the PC, it loses the slo-mo and gets tough to see any difference if it's there.

 

[churchmouse]

Working on the video...

None of the Dan Wesson's I own come with a FLGR. Most USGI style 1911s will have the original short guide rod as well as both my Springfield and CZ 1911s were configured. I'm working on getting the results posted, but am having trouble with the video. On the phone, it's a beautiful slow motion shot of a full mag each with and without the FLGR. During transfer to the PC, it loses the slo-mo and gets tough to see any difference if it's there.

Well thats just sad....

 

[hps]

OH man that sux!! I really want to see this in SloMo.

 

[MindfulMan]

Patience is a virtue beyond compare !

 

[throttletony]

SO with a traditional style (I have a Dan Wesson, with short guide rod) is it ever possible for the spring to bind?

 

[churchmouse]

SO with a traditional style (I have a Dan Wesson, with short guide rod) is it ever possible for the spring to bind?

Not really but it is not contained to act in a well defined linear motion.
I did feel a difference in the 2. More to follow.

 

[rhino]

My opinion:

I perceive two differences with a full length guide rod vs the stubby standard recoil spring guide in a 1911.

1. A full length guide rod add some non-reciprocating weight exactly where you want it to help manage muzzle flip. It's not a huge difference with a steel rod, but you can feel the difference with a tungsten guide rod.

2. Full length guide rod prevent using the lower front of the slide where the guide spring plug is as a place to brace the slide so you can push forward really hard to get a stuck slide moving. Being able to do that isn't a common need, but when it arises, it's a really good thing. I've been in situations where a malfunction that resulted in the slide being stuck was resolved because I was able push against a wall section or a table edge and I've been in situation where the malfunction because a jam because I had a full length guide rod.

 

[churchmouse]

#1 is something I felt.

#2 is a good point but you can still do his action just not as readily.

 

[88E30M50]

Sorry, but the video is giving me fits.

To recap our trip, CM and I threw 300 plus rounds downrange to answer the question of whether a FLGR makes a difference. I brought along a Dan Wesson Heritage and a CZ 1911A1. We started with my 1911s, one with the FLGR and the other without, sitting on the table and CM shooting each one to see if he could tell which one had the FLGR installed. He picked the correct one and promises that he did not see anything before making that determination.
FLGR Test by Tim Piscitelli, on Flickr

We then shot the two of them along with one of CMs 1911s while swapping the FLGR in and out of each of them. CM feels like he could tell a difference between the two. I am not so sure for myself though. I did notice that whichever of the two I brought along had the FLGR in it while I was shooting, seemed to hit lower than normal. But, I point shoot, so that may or may not be a valid result. I shot CMs custom 1911 without the FLGR and doing fast transitions between two steel plates, hit maybe 5 of 8 rounds. Then I shot the same gun with the FLGR and hit 7 of 8. After throwing a whole lot of rounds down range, I'm not sure I could feel a difference when shooting. When you cycle them by hand, there's a bit of a difference, but to me, it was lost under live fire. Kind of like how a Glock feels twangy when you dry fire, but not at all when shot. I do like the fact that the spring is controlled better, but I don't know if I believe that it makes a functional difference.

FLGR Test by Tim Piscitelli, on Flickr

CM did seem to be able to tell the difference between the two and as much as I seemed to shoot the FLGR equipped pistol worse, he always seemed to shoot the one that had the FLGR installed better. What this a scientific test? Heck ya. We had graph paper there (went unused, but it was there) so it must have been scientific.

FLGR Test by Tim Piscitelli, on Flickr

In any event, it was a good morning to shoot and we went through a bunch of .45. That is enough for me to call it a successful test. Will I run out and fit all of my 1911s with a FLGR? Probably not. Will I keep the one I bought in the Heritage? Probably will.

 

[churchmouse]

To re-cap my experience here.
I blind tested 88's 1911's not knowing which gun had the FLGR. After running a mag through each of them I stated the last one I shot had the rod as it was noticeably smoother. The re-coil on the MilSpec set up was just a tad heavier and noticeably so. Maybe this is due to all of my 1911's being fit with the FLGR and running one without was obvious. Maybe not. The FLGR equipped pieces just ran smoother. The other set up had a heavier re-coil. We did not swap springs.
When I swaped in the MilSpec set up to my custom gun it was obvious to me. 88 was not so sure. Like he said the diff was noticed by him hand cycling the slides.

In the slow mo vid I could see more muzzle rise and recoil effect on my arms with the MilSpec.
My take away is you get a smoother running gun with the FLGR. At least to me. In the end it is all how we perceive things.

We did this for ..........​"SCIENCE"