spursguy10 Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 I recently purchased an STI Edge for use in USPSA limited class. Upon tearing it down I noticed that it did not have a recoil master in it. It was a solid guide rod that required a paper clip to take down. I was wondering if there is a benifit to this over the recoil master or if I should invest in a recoil master for my edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briansea2 Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 I recently purchased an STI Edge for use in USPSA limited class. Upon tearing it down I noticed that it did not have a recoil master in it. It was a solid guide rod that required a paper clip to take down. I was wondering if there is a benifit to this over the recoil master or if I should invest in a recoil master for my edge. The main reason I changed my recoil master to a solid guide rod was to make the gun more tune-able. It gives you the ability to use any spring you feel you want, which is nice. The recoil master was a bit over sprung for my liking. I take it that this was a use blaster? B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfinney Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 Recoilmasters used to have a rep of breaking a lot. Supposedly they have fixed that. I use a regular guide rod an 12 pound spring in mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jawel Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 if i may also add a question, what is the basic difference between a one piece traditional guide rod for 1911 and the traditional guide rod for a 2011? i just recently changed my recol master to a standard 1911 guide rod, will this do damage to my 2011 frame? do i really need to use a standard guide rod for 2011? again i also wanted to play with the spring loads for better follow up shots. thanks joel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursguy10 Posted July 6, 2010 Author Share Posted July 6, 2010 I recently purchased an STI Edge for use in USPSA limited class. Upon tearing it down I noticed that it did not have a recoil master in it. It was a solid guide rod that required a paper clip to take down. I was wondering if there is a benifit to this over the recoil master or if I should invest in a recoil master for my edge. The main reason I changed my recoil master to a solid guide rod was to make the gun more tune-able. It gives you the ability to use any spring you feel you want, which is nice. The recoil master was a bit over sprung for my liking. I take it that this was a use blaster? B Yes, I bought my sti used. So having a solid guide rod makes it possible to have more play with the springs? Never thought of it that way. Since I do not know the current spring weight currently on my edge, what is a weight that is widely used? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayouSlide Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 I faced a similar situation with the used STI I purchased. It had the solid guide rod. I started with a spring at factory-stock weight (14#) but the pistol felt like it had too much muzzle flip and felt oversprung for the loads. I switched to a 12.5# ISMI and it feels much better to me. YMMV. Curtis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursguy10 Posted July 6, 2010 Author Share Posted July 6, 2010 I faced a similar situation with the used STI I purchased. It had the solid guide rod. I started with a spring at factory-stock weight (14#) but the pistol felt like it had too much muzzle flip and felt oversprung for the loads. I switched to a 12.5# ISMI and it feels much better to me. YMMV. Curtis I might have to buy a back of idfference weight springs and see how it goes best. Did the 12.5 drastically decrease muzzle flip? Is there a better way to take down the guide rod than by using a paperclip? I wold like to purchase some sort of tool to aid in this process! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayouSlide Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 Paper clip works great once you get the hang of it...don't think you'll find anything else better...even the factory manuals recommend it. 14# is stock. With our reduced loads 12/12.5# depending on your brand of spring seems to be a common choice. And yes, with my loads (around 168 - 171 PF) muzzle flip was significantly reduced. When I replaced the spring in the pistol when I bought it (because I was uncertain how old and worn it was) I was really disappointed with the stock weight...probably fine for full power loads but way oversprung for what we shoot. Some people go even lower. I'll probably stick with 12.5#...some go lower but the muzzle flip is close to what I was used to, and with enough spring to avoid battering the pistol. Personally, I'd recommend starting with a 12/12.5# and shoot it for a while so you can see how it feels before going lower. Curtis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayouSlide Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 Forgot to add...I ended up with my Edge because I shot a new Executive my buddy had. I loved how it handled and felt. He has the Recoilmaster in his. Now that I have mine sprung adequately, next time we practice together we're going to compare the two back to back just to see if one setup feels significantly better than the other. Curtis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briansea2 Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 I faced a similar situation with the used STI I purchased. It had the solid guide rod. I started with a spring at factory-stock weight (14#) but the pistol felt like it had too much muzzle flip and felt oversprung for the loads. I switched to a 12.5# ISMI and it feels much better to me. YMMV. Curtis I might have to buy a back of idfference weight springs and see how it goes best. Did the 12.5 drastically decrease muzzle flip? Is there a better way to take down the guide rod than by using a paperclip? I wold like to purchase some sort of tool to aid in this process! Get a couple of different spring weights to decide what is best for you. I decided an 11lb was best for me due to minimizing drop of the barrel when the slide closes. I use a paper clip and everybody I know does the same. If it bothers you too much I think Dawson makes a tool-less rod that is sweet. http://www.dawsonprecision.com/ProductDetail.jsp?LISTID=80000BA6-1266962268 B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 STI seems to have resolved the breakage issues... A search on recoil spring weight here on the forum will yield a wealth of info in terms of tuning them for feel, reliability, etc. The heavy 5" RM is really like a 9# straight rate spring, FWIW - lighter than most of us run in a .40 (the light RM is like a 6# recoil spring!). A paperclip is the "industry standard" tool, although you can probably find someone out there making something more "official". If you really want something "cleaner" than a paperclip, Dawson actually makes a toolless guiderod, which is pretty slick. 2011 and 1911 guiderods are the same animal - fitting is the same, usage is the same, etc. 12# seems to be the sweet spot for a 5" .40, with some folks preferring a 9-10# spring - that search I mentioned above would give you some idea of the anticipated differences between them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory_k Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 IMHOP a recoil master does nothing but over complicate a design that does not need to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursguy10 Posted July 6, 2010 Author Share Posted July 6, 2010 I faced a similar situation with the used STI I purchased. It had the solid guide rod. I started with a spring at factory-stock weight (14#) but the pistol felt like it had too much muzzle flip and felt oversprung for the loads. I switched to a 12.5# ISMI and it feels much better to me. YMMV. Curtis I might have to buy a back of idfference weight springs and see how it goes best. Did the 12.5 drastically decrease muzzle flip? Is there a better way to take down the guide rod than by using a paperclip? I wold like to purchase some sort of tool to aid in this process! Get a couple of different spring weights to decide what is best for you. I decided an 11lb was best for me due to minimizing drop of the barrel when the slide closes. I use a paper clip and everybody I know does the same. If it bothers you too much I think Dawson makes a tool-less rod that is sweet. http://www.dawsonprecision.com/ProductDetail.jsp?LISTID=80000BA6-1266962268 B That dawson tool less rod may be just the ticket...although, now that I know that the paperclip is widely used. That might be better. I think I will try the 12 lb guide rod first.....much cheaper. I would like to know how the recoil master felt in comparison, but ill just have to wait til I see a buddy with one! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaster113 Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 once you go from a RM to a standard guiderod and 12lb recoil spring, you'll never want to go back to an RM. I took the RM out of my Edge and never looked back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursguy10 Posted July 7, 2010 Author Share Posted July 7, 2010 once you go from a RM to a standard guiderod and 12lb recoil spring, you'll never want to go back to an RM. I took the RM out of my Edge and never looked back. Well I can't tell you how good it is to hear that! I def have some want now to get some new springs instead of buying a recoil master! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaster113 Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 (edited) once you go from a RM to a standard guiderod and 12lb recoil spring, you'll never want to go back to an RM. I took the RM out of my Edge and never looked back. Most guys shooting a 5" .40 use a std. guiderod and spring around 12lb. A popular spring is the ISMI 12.5#. Interestingly, this spring will not operate my tuned Edge after about 50 rounds. I run a Wolff 12lb and it functions fine; I can fire several hundred rounds without cleaning and have no issues. I suggest trying the ISMI 12.5, and Wolff 12 and 13 lb. The goal I think is to find the lowest weight spring to reduce muzzle flip, will still give reliable function and not beat your gun up too bad with major pf ammo. Edited July 7, 2010 by SIG shooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursguy10 Posted July 10, 2010 Author Share Posted July 10, 2010 Using dawson's tool-less guide rod, is it still possible to add the ISMI 12.5 or the wolff 12? Also, which one should I start with? Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWLAZS Posted July 10, 2010 Share Posted July 10, 2010 . . Is there a better way to take down the guide rod than by using a paperclip? I wold like to purchase some sort of tool to aid in this process! Check out Power Custom in the vendor tent.He has something for you to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursguy10 Posted July 11, 2010 Author Share Posted July 11, 2010 . . Is there a better way to take down the guide rod than by using a paperclip? I wold like to purchase some sort of tool to aid in this process! Check out Power Custom in the vendor tent.He has something for you to use. Nice site! I found a lot of things I am going to order, although I didnt find the take down tool. Would you happen to know the item number or the name of the product? Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joecichlid Posted July 15, 2010 Share Posted July 15, 2010 The main reason I changed my recoil master to a solid guide rod was to make the gun more tune-able. It gives you the ability to use any spring you feel you want, which is nice. +1 For the same reason. It is good to be able to tune the gun to shoot the way you want it to and for it to feel good doing so. Joe W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonglee0507 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 if i am going to replace my RM i think i'll be using an ismi 14lbs spring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandrooney Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I have always used the lightest spring that I can get my pistols to function with. I just got an STI SteelMaster and an STI Edge in 9mm and they both came with the light RM and I really like them so far. SR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twister Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I shoot a USPSA in 40,I use a 14# spring,everything works great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonglee0507 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 (edited) changed my heavy RM to an ordinary guide rod with ISMI 14 lb spring just for experiment. the felt recoil is better and the gun was kinda "smoother" here's the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTzaVjWG-mA Edited January 2, 2013 by bonglee0507 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powerslide91 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 My noob question for the day; how do you identify the light vs heavy recoilmaster? I just picked up an STI 9mm Tactical with the RM assembly and am curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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