Hey Hey What Do You Say, FULL LENGTH GUIDE ROD? , YAY or NAY

[RandomName]

I have two 1911's. One of each type. I would not pay a lot more just to have a long guide rod.

Same here. Other than making it harder to break down for cleaning, I don't see much difference. Springfield with, Colt without.

I just run the gun with whichever it came with.

 

[charley59]

I have a PT1911 with a full length guide rod. Some FL guide rods can make gun disassembly a real pain, but not the one on the Taurus. 4K rounds through the gun without a problem. My son has a Sig XO 1911 with a standard recoil spring plug, and it works great also. No preference. Whatever you like, or whatever works best in your gun.

 

[ryan3030]

After having owned both, I'll stick with standard length, thanks.

 

[Sirshredalot]

I do think its more than just cosmetic.

I just installed one on my colt officer along with a flat recoil spring(egw) and it has improved smoothness, felt recoil, and cycling 100%.

Before I installed the FLGR, the factory recoil spring would snake and bend inside the dust cover and you could feel it binding and hear the "springy" noise it made.
It was also very difficult to cycle the action manually for someone with weaker hands/arms...it really was a chore.

Night and day difference for me with the FLGR in my officer model...best $65 I spent on parts ever.

I dont have a preference either way on a government model.

God bless
-Shred

 

[Ljungman]

Ok, ill weight in here....i have both. I have a kimber full guide rod, and a spring field 1911a1 GI. I prefer the full guide rod for the smoother slide operation...but that thing is a pain in the ass to get apart. The springfield is great..and s easier to disassemble. Other than that i see/feel no real benefit one way or the other.

 

[rhino]

I'm not being contentious here, but a few guys have talked about how their gun cycles more smoothely with a full length guide rod. My question is, are you comparing two different guns with and without full length guide rods, or the same gun with and without?

I ask because over the many tens of thousands of rounds I've fired over the last 20 years through 1911s, I've never noticed a difference in the same gun with/without. I've noticed a difference in some guns that have a full length rod vs. different guns that did not, but the differences in how they cycle are more likely to be attributed to a variety of other factors.

So ... since I've never felt it, I'm curious. I know a lot of people over the years have made the claim, but I don't anyone who has actually tested a few guns both with and without who has reported feeling a difference.

 

[davedolli]

I have some with and some without, they have all ran great, so I haven't gave it much thought.

Dave

 

[Sirshredalot]

I'm not being contentious here, but a few guys have talked about how their gun cycles more smoothely with a full length guide rod. My question is, are you comparing two different guns with and without full length guide rods, or the same gun with and without?

I ask because over the many tens of thousands of rounds I've fired over the last 20 years through 1911s, I've never noticed a difference in the same gun with/without. I've noticed a difference in some guns that have a full length rod vs. different guns that did not, but the differences in how they cycle are more likely to be attributed to a variety of other factors.

So ... since I've never felt it, I'm curious. I know a lot of people over the years have made the claim, but I don't anyone who has actually tested a few guns both with and without who has reported feeling a difference.

I tested my colt officer back to back and noticed a HUGE difference in how smooth the slide felt on the frame and how much more manageable the recoil was.

Yes, its a pain to have to locate a tiny pin to strip the slide, but its definitely worth the hassle for the benefits in my opinion.

I dont know where you are in Indiana, but if youd like to meet up and feel the difference, I would be glad to accomodate you.

God bless
-Shred

 

[thompal]

So ... since I've never felt it, I'm curious. I know a lot of people over the years have made the claim, but I don't anyone who has actually tested a few guns both with and without who has reported feeling a difference.

I think a more important question would be: has anyone ever had a failure that could be attributed to the LACK of a full-length guide rod, that was solved by installing a full-length rod?

As long as the gun works as it should, I'm not really concerned with how it FEELS when I pull the slide back by hand.

 

[Kick]

I have several 1911's and several extra parts. If I buy a 1911, I leave the standard or FL guide rod in there. If I'm building a 1911, it depends what parts I have laying around. I've never personally had or have even heard of any malfunctions caused by guiderod length.

However, I have played with my Springfield TRP with and without the FLGR. Shooting it there is no difference. Cycling the slide normally there is no difference. However, if I cycle the slide very slowly, with a very light recoil spring, a very very slight difference can be felt. The FLGR does make it ever so slightly smoother. With that being said, in the real world, I don't think that that slight difference I felt, when I did everything I could to try and feel some kind of a difference, will change anything with the proper function of the pistol. I'm sure if I did the same thing with any of my other 1911's, I would have felt the same thing. That's just the one I was carrying when the boredom hit.

 

[k2ace]

I have only found one noticeable difference. When using a GI rod spring seem to fly when you pull the slide off before removing the plug and spring.

 

[ultraspec]

Have a few of both types. Never noticed a difference either way. Personal preference I guess

 

[Tydeeh22]

isnt a "full length" guide rod factory on most makes? or am i missing somn?

 

[jrogers]

John Moses Browning and Gaston Glock knew what they were doing. Neither 1911s nor Glocks require or desire FLGRs.

 

[halfmileharry]

Not really sure of the differences made. I do know however that my two most accurate 1911s have the full length guide rods. The others shoot fine but those two are definitely tighter.
It might just be the gun's overall fit and build but I ain't gonna fix whut ain't broke.

 

[3shots]

GI guide rod. KISS.