1911 2 Piece Guide Rod Conversion: HELP

[wurger]

This. Did the change with my SA 9mm and .45. Easier to take apart and clean.

[Robert1234]

Springfield is going to send me a new guide-rod

And this is why Springfield Armory sells $500.00 guns for $1,000.00.

Because people are having them send replacement poorly engineered parts to replace the poorly engineered parts that came on the gun,, and work exactly as you would expect a poorly engineered part to work (it failed).

Just save yourself the headache of wondering when it will fail again (and it will) and buy a GI rod and plug or a one piece FLGR. Life's too short to be messing around getting stupidly designed and spec'd parts to work.

[Mr. Blue]

The money to pay for that stellar customer service has to come from somewhere... All these people sending in guns for misadjusted extractors, adjustable rear sights not being "adjusted" properly from the factory, minor scuffs, or the host of other "maladies" you read new owners bragging about getting SA to do to "fix" their guns, this stuff costs money. It's not free,, it's factored into the price of the guns.

That and they (SA) can't be bothered to improve their QC.

I’ve had 4 Springfield’s and never had to send one in. Unlike Smith and Wesson, Browning & Ruger

SA is not the only company to factor in overhead via repair to their weapons. Thats business 101. QC, again this is the only issue I have seen. My Ruger PC Carbine was really bad. I sent it to Ruger and they were kind about fixing issues. Smith and Wesson wasn’t so great about fixing the issue, and when I got the gun back, the issue remained.

And this is why Springfield Armory sells $500.00 guns for $1,000.00.

Because people are having them send replacement poorly engineered parts to replace the poorly engineered parts that came on the gun,, and work exactly as you would expect a poorly engineered part to work (it failed).

Just save yourself the headache of wondering when it will fail again (and it will) and buy a GI rod and plug or a one piece FLGR. Life's too short to be messing around getting stupidly designed and spec'd parts to work.

And you think Rock Island Armory is a $500 gun worth $3k? Or Kimber a $1000 gun worth $2k? I could go buy a GI guide rod sure. But that wasn’t the question that was asked. RedHemi had given me the idea to call Springfield. Not really sure why their customer service bothers people. Maybe you’re upset that they rode the fence on the gun control issue a while back? Or had bad experience with them? Life’s too short to get so worked up over gun companies and what they charge. I mean, if you don’t like it, don’t buy it...right?

[Robert1234]

I’ve had 4 Springfield’s and never had to send one in. Unlike Smith and Wesson, Browning & Ruger

I've had more than a few Springfield guns, never had to send one back. But that's mostly a product of my doing the repairs myself because I don't want to be bothered with the hassle of sending a gun, waiting for it, then wondering if the same company that sent it to me in the condition I received it will make the repairs any more effectively. That said, I've had mixed results with their guns. My old XD9 was flawless. My 1911s, not so much. Best was a stainless Mil-Spec that was tight, smooth, had a nice trigger, and worked as it was supposed to. Worst was the 9mm Loaded Target, that one was loose, rattly, with junk internals, horrible trigger, and more sharp edges than a Swiss Army Knife. It was (and still is) reliable though. Every other one (five or six total) was somewhere in between, usually favoring the "not so good" side of the spectrum. And they have the oddball .220" tang radius where everyone else is at .250". Makes fitting a new BTGS a bit more difficult that it should be.

SA is not the only company to factor in overhead via repair to their weapons. Thats business 101. QC, again this is the only issue I have seen. My Ruger PC Carbine was really bad. I sent it to Ruger and they were kind about fixing issues. Smith and Wesson wasn’t so great about fixing the issue, and when I got the gun back, the issue remained.

A better example of "Business 101" would be making guns that didn't need to be sent back to the manufacturer so often that you develop a stellar customer service reputation (at the expense of your QC reputation) so you don't have to increase the price people like me (who will for the most part fix minor discrepancies themselves) aren't forced to pay for those who send a gun back for an out of spec extractor, or some other minor adjustment/repair.

And you think Rock Island Armory is a $500 gun worth $3k? Or Kimber a $1000 gun worth $2k? I could go buy a GI guide rod sure. But that wasn’t the question that was asked. RedHemi had given me the idea to call Springfield. Not really sure why their customer service bothers people. Maybe you’re upset that they rode the fence on the gun control issue a while back? Or had bad experience with them? Life’s too short to get so worked up over gun companies and what they charge. I mean, if you don’t like it, don’t buy it...right?

I made no assertions about the relative value of a RIA, Kimber, or any other manufacturer, but since you asked, here's my take. Kimber is a bit overpriced, but pretty close to fairly priced for what you get. They generally work in my experience (had a few of them over the years, never had an issue). I don't care even a little about the Schwartz (sp?) firing pin block, it's never caused me any grief in any way.

RIA guns have come long way, the ones I've handled lately have been well fit, and seem to work pretty well. At their price point, they're a sweet bargain if you're not fixated on a name or manufacturer. Their biggest drawback would be the fact that I've read that their frames are cast and not forged, but that's probably more of an imaginary issue more than an actual issue, the guns seem to work, and I haven't read any reports of frame failures. They're relatively well built, internals are standard for the price point MIM stuff that works as long as you don't take a file or stone to them, and the triggers are usually decent enough. If it matters to you, they don't have a firing pin block of any type.

Ruger has never been an issue for me. Got a bunch of Standard Targets, MkIs and MkIIIs, a PC Carbine, and an SR9. All have never caused me an issue. Had a GP100, worked like it was supposed to. Fairly priced for what you get, but again, if it matters to you, they use cast frames on their guns, including 1911s. Again, I think this is a huge non-issue, but some seem to care.

Colt semi-autos, especially the 1911s are the biggest con job out there. They have all of Springfield Armory's bad QC reputation, and none of their stellar customer service reputation. Not sure why anyone buys their 1911s, they're rattly, poorly fit, loose, and featureless (who's not including a BTGS with their non mil-spec guns these days?), at a premium price.

Best value for a 1911 out there today is probably a Dan Wesson. They come with quality internals, they're well fit, they have all the features people want, and they work.

Second would probably be Sig Sauer. They give you features like front strap checkering at the same price point as Springfield Armory or Kimber guns that do not have this feature. They do have that funky slide profile though, and the Colt Series 80 type firing pin block, if that bothers you.

[Pupulepeter]

You should be able to use a standard GI rod and plug with a 13-pound spring. Buy the colt plug if you can, the indent makes it less likely to take off on you once the bushing is removed.

[SnWnMe]

A lot of this 1911 BS (like Shok Buff) was propagated by early smiths. Supposedly the FLGR evens out the cycling.

I don't like a FLGR because it prevents me from doing a boss press check.

[saudadeii]

Why don't we sit back, relax and allow an expert to explain.

I give you, The Yankee Marshall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKePaNbQL6I

<ducks for cover>

[Joust]