I have had two shorty guns built by Dan Bedell the past year and a half. Originally both guns had commander length springs and guide rods. Aside from going through recoil prematurely, the guns felt quicker but much more violent. At Dan Bedell's recommendation, he changed my main gun over to the standard guide rod system. It made all the difference in the world. The gun is still real quick and much much softer to shoot. I made him change my back-up gun over immediately. My shooting improved very quickly after that do to the reduced recoil felt with the gun set-up as Dan recommended. I feel that every shooter is different, and will have different opinions on this topic, but I do know that many people are shooting Dan Bedell's guns and love the system he is using. I am starting to see other gunsmiths moving to this system now, which says a lot for Dan Bedell and the quality of gun he builds.