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Is "Long Stroke" option worth $200?


srv656s

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I'm having a 2011 built up in 9mm. I know 9mm isn't a hard gun to shoot, but I want to make it as pleasant to shoot as possible and my wife may be shooting it as well. One option I discussed was the "Long Stroke" option, which allows the slide to travel farther, which should potentially make the gun a bit softer shooting. I'd not heard of this before, didn't know it was an option. Right now, I've left it out, but I'm wondering if anyone has much experience with this and whether it's an option worth an extra $200.

Any insight is appreciated.

Thanks-

Shawn

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This from Shred - on this forum in 2003:

Just got a Dawson Mini-Gun Stroker. It's an excellent piece of work-- the slide stroke on this thing is so long you can rack it back and see daylight in front of the disconnector rail. I think Dave says it goes an extra 0.3". I was expecting more dot movement with the long travel, but it shoots soft and quick.

So I think it's a little more involved than just putting in an 8lb recoil spring! :surprise:

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I owned a Dawson 9mm 'mini stroker.' If the pistol I was looking to purchase was stroked or it was a no cost option, great. If it was an extra charge, I'd pass.

Not sure if you're talking open or limited but for limited, go with a bull bbl for a softer recoil impulse. I've owned 9mm limited pistols in both bull and bushing bbls and the bull is much softer.

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I believe the long stroke option is standard on the Lesgar Murdock signature gun that Shay Akai builds. I was interested in the same thing and didn't find much on the forum. I'd like to try a stroked gun at some point. Don't think many people have tried them so you may not get much feedback. Does your smith have a stroked gun you could try?

ETA: I probably wouldn't spend the 200 to have it done on a 9. It should already be very, very soft.

Edited by MikeRush
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In my opinion, a 9mm doesn't need this option. A bull barrel soaks up recoil energy enough to use a 12 lb. recoil spring or less, and even then, recoil is very light and smooth.

Based on the description, it uses a standard guide rod, but a short reverse plug. Recoil spring needs to be cut.

Edited by Jediwarrior
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My Akai gun is STROKED and is super fast and very soft shooting, built identical to Lesgar's , don't really think you would need it in 9mm though. I also have a 6" built in 9mm that I use as my steel gun and is a very soft shooting gun.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZd_pSV9Thg

This is a video of my wife and I. She is shooting an Akai hybrid barrel, 2011, 40 SW, stroked. She is 100 pounds and stands at a staggering 5 foot, nothing. Her middle finger is the size of my pinky and she is shooting major power factor loads out of this. The long stroke made a world of difference in the 40 SW for her and I can only imagine how soft a 9mm would be if stroked. Even if you are the only one shooting, I bet it would make acquiring your sights a lot faster and speed up your transitions. I, from now on, will have all my future builds stroked regardless of the caliber.

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I would think adding distance for the slide to travel would have to take longer for the gun to cycle. 9mms are soft anyway, so I'd pass on the option. I've actually gone the other direction by short stroking my pistols. I run an alumabuff in front of a Wilson Shock Buff. Shred told me about this combination and it works very well in my 6" gun.

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I'd tend to agree with SV_COP.

I'm a big guy, with a good grip, and I tend to prefer snappy, Fast guns. Adding distance to the slide cycle is going to add time too. It might soften felt recoil (??), but will definitely lengthen cycle time.

Maybe lighter bullets would make up for this? Or maybe there is a magic long stroke/spring weight/bullet weight combination??? However, my vote would be for a standard 5". Save the $200.

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Thanks for the replies. I wish I could shoot a long stroked and regular stroked 9mm together before getting my gun built. I'd like to do whatever's possible to make the gun as easy to shoot since my wife may use it too and is awful about recoil.

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This is about Shawn, not Lesgar. Nobody is saying anything negative about Shay's guns or Lesgar. I'm simply applying common sense, not a physics degree to the question at hand. Should Shawn spend the cash to have his slide travel farther during the recoil cycle, which may cause the pistol to feel softer? Only Shawn knows for sure, but for me, I'd go the other way, especially with a 9mm.

As far as videos go, watch Candian Team Member Mike Burrell shooting his 5" Infinity with two shock buffs to "short stroke" it. He's super fast too. Just proves that GMs can do things we Mortals can't... :-)

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Comparing apples to tangerines but...

My Tanfoglio small-frame 40cal gun was extremely picky about ammo OAL, mag spring coil number, mag spring age, recoil spring coil number, etc. What you would call a small envelope of reliable function. Had since-retired LGS long-stroke the gun by removing metal from the slide's lower dust-cover area - the part that impacts the frame since there's no good buffer system for that gun (not until Henning's system).

Long story short, I have not been able to make that gun jam since. Not a match gun any more so I don't have 1000's of rounds to go by but seriously - any ammo, any mag, any spring, any power factor, it shoots without a problem. Probably paid $20 or less because as I recall he set me up on his milling machine and I did the work w/a shooting buddy.

Edited by eric nielsen
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If you are not too concerned with the extra $200 I would have it done.

I have one of Dawson's long stroked guns. I liked it at first but then decided to change it to a standard cycle length by inserting 3-4 shock buffs. if my tastes change I could always convert it back. I like having the option there. Also if your wife likes the longer cycle and u don't its a pretty quick to swap back and forth.

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Long stroking a iron sighted, non compensated gun at major power factor may give slightly less felt recoil but increases muzzle flip in most shooters hands. It's a pendulum effect if the slide closed and impact area of the guide rod/bridge cut are closer together (Short stroked) the gun will flip less, if they are farther apart (Long Stroked) the gun will flip more. These can both be minimized with technique, but most female shooters have a terrible time with flip in a gun and increasing the stroke only makes it worse.

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This is a question of feel. The timing of a gun recoiling is twice as fast as even the fastest split I have ever witnessed. You simply aren't going to outrun the slide. That extra quarter inch may make a difference in the feel of the gun though. That is simply not something that we can quantify for anybody other than ourselves. If you can't try one out beforehand, them I would pass on it. 9mm is so anemic in a 2011 anyway.

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