Gary Wells

Ming: Many thanks, Sir. That was a very fortunate find. I found that at a gun show back in about '02 or so. The seller had a gun store almost next door to Jim Hoag so I was able to verify original owner & approximate Hoag build year. My favorite gun. I see Jim every so often & always taKe the gun with me. Great gentleman of the original combat shooters back in the day.

Why my damn off hand first finger goes where it shouldn't: Then again, I'm 72, blind as a bat, & too old to learn the proper "thumbs Forward" grip. I love the Hoag & wouldn't change anything on it:

Shok-buffs are not for everybody and not all guns are machined with enough clearance to allow for the extra room necessary for a standard (.100-.105 thick) Shok-buff. I have 5 5" .45 autos that I use for indoor target use and all are equipped with Shok-buffs. Les Baer, at least older Premier II's generally will not accept a standard (.100-.105 thick) Shok-buff and have enough room to slingshot, something which I consider necessary for at least target guns. (May or may not hold slide back / open on last round fired). Ed Brown, at least the Executive Target models, do not have enough room to run a standard thick (.100-.105 thick) Shok-buff and have enough room to slingshot. (May or may not hold slide back / open on last round fired). Wilson Combat issues all of their 5", at least their .45 autos, with Shok-buffs. They do not believe in using Shok-buffs with less than a 5" gun. Shok-buffs can cause problems and are not for everybody. Shok-buffs, just like FLGR's, have lots of haters. I use FLGR's in all of my guns also.

Just some food for thought from various gun & spring manufacturers: Handgun Recoil Spring Recommendations (.45 auto only): Ed Brown 5" .45 auto guns: Original issue: 16.5 lb constant rate recoil spring: Recoil spring replacement: Every 1K-2K rounds. (EB # 9165-G). (2) Firing pin spring replacement: Every 3K-5K rounds. (EB # 908). (3) Mainspring replacement: Every 3K-5K rounds. (EB # 919). (4) Correctly match recoil spring to the load being shot. (5) No Shok-buffs. (6) Ejected brass should land 8-12 feet away. (7) If brass is falling within a few feet, the spring is too heavy for that load. (8) If brass is falling beyond the 12 feet, the spring is too light for that load. W. C. Wolff Gunsprings recommended data: If cases are landing in the 3 ft-6 ft: recoil spring is approximately correct If cases are landing less than 3 ft: recoil spring is too heavy for that load If cases are landing beyond the 6 ft-8 ft: recoil spring is too light for that load Wilson Combat 5" .45 auto guns: Original Issue non-V.R. 17.0 #. WC 5” .45 autos are shipped with a 17 lb spring. Wilson Combat recoil spring on-line blog recommends a 15 lb.-18.5 lb. spring Recommended recoil spring replacement: (mechanical failures / issues) (1) Return to battery failure. (2) Torn Shok-buff within a few hundred rounds of installation. (3) ½” or more shorter than a new one. (4) Purchase of a second-hand gun. (5) Ejection - extraction pattern changes suddenly. Integrated Spring Management Inc. (ISMI) recommendation for recoil spring replacement: “The recoil spring should be changed, at the latest, when it has lost .500” of free length from new. At this point, the spring has suffered a considerable reduction in load exerted at installed length. (When the gun is in battery). “ Springfield Armory 5" .45 auto “Mil-Spec” & “Loaded” models are factory supplied with a 16 lb recoil spring.