Hiett has stopped making buffs

[Jasonub]

hi there,

hiett has been out of stock for awhile.

i was wondering what can we use now in terms of durability and about the same matrial as hiett?

i use a .090 does egw ed brown etc is as good as hiett?

where can we get these? speedshooter has the edbrown and the wilsons. which is better?

thanks for the replies

[Guest Larry Cazes]

In my opinion, they are all about the same. In both my open and limited gun, when I put in new buffs, they seem to wear/imprint to a certain point and then stop. I have not had to replace a buff for being worn due to frame contact but only due to handling from cleaning. I have cominolli frame saver guide rods in the open setups and use one .090 in the back and two .090s in the front. In my SV limited gun, I have a tungsten rod with 2 .090s in the front.

[JFD]

The Wilson is more durable than the Ed Brown in my guns.

[achard]

The Wilson is more durable than the Ed Brown in my guns.

I agree. I just ordered 2 sets.

[Jasonub]

Larry what do you use??

[JeffCSR]

They quit making them for just 1911s? I use Heitt buffs on my Berettas.

Um, I'm sure you guys are more apt than me when it comes to buffs but I like C-P Tuff Buffs, they last very well in my guns.

[Mistral404]

Kodiak Precision put Dillon black buffs in two of my guns. They are the best!

[mcoliver]

Dude, if that's for the front, try the SPS thick buffs available in PB Dionisio. With that thing in, you won't need to use that metal thingy to protect the buff.

[infinity]

Dude, if that's for the front, try the SPS thick buffs available in PB Dionisio. With that thing in, you won't need to use that metal thingy to protect the buff.

mco,

how much is it?

[Sparky]

I used to use the Hiett .125 (they're .123) in my limited pistol and was sad to discover that they stopped making them. I tried contacting Hiett (got the number from Brownells) and the number was no longer in service.

I've tried the Ed Brown (they're .111) and found them to be a little soft; they still last 1000 rds, but I could use the Hiett for 1500 +.

The CP buffs are very hard and are .130 and are just oversized enough where I can't lock my slide back.

In the past I've used the EGW buffs in my single stack pistol, but Brownells

stopped carrying them so I tried the Hiett and liked them until they stopped making them. Do any of you know where I can get the EGW buffs?

I tried the Wilson buffs several years ago and found them to be softer than the

Ed Brown, but since a couple of you guys like the Wilson over the Brown maybe I

should give Wilson a second try.

[Guest Larry Cazes]

I have a big stash of Hietts left but also have used wilson and brown. I like the hietts mostly because of the different thicknesses they came in.

[bberkley]

Beven Grams told me to take a thin stainless fender washer and scribe the washer with the outline of the shock buff, and then grind the washer down. Makes 1 buff last the whole season. Seems to work just fine.

[Guest Larry Cazes]

Stainless Steel?? In order to act as a buffer, shouldn't the buff be softer than the frame?

[TDean]

Beven Grams told me to take a thin stainless fender washer and scribe the washer with the outline of the shock buff, and then grind the washer down. Makes 1 buff last the whole season. Seems to work just fine.

I like that idea!

The shaped washer in front of the buff will keep the buff from deforming.

Thanks!

[bberkley]

Stainless Steel?? In order to act as a buffer, shouldn't the buff be softer than the frame?

Larry,

The washer goes between the spring and the buff. It works really well.

Brian

[Jasonub]

that metal thingy is a stainless buff shaped washer that goes in front of the buff. had it there since round 2000 and now over 17000 the buffs that was there is still there without damage.

im looking for a buff that goes on the back of the cominolli rod. only this gets damaged after 1000 rounds. i still have a few but running out real fast.

ill maybe try the dillon, or the egw. ahhhh decisions!!!!

[mcoliver]

I tried that washer thing. But I found they bend out of shape over time and you need to flatten them once in a while. Worse is once they bend, they dig into the buff and cut it. Or maybe I need to find better washers...

Infinity, they're P50 each and comes in two thickness.

[shred]

I've been using the .100 Dawson Alumi-Buff in front of one .090 red buff for a little while and the combo is nice and doesn't seem to be wearing anything. You need a blaster that runs 100% with two buffs for this trick

[Jasonub]

my washer has not even bent a little even with the high round count. get a harder washer material

[TDean]

You could harden your washer by Quenching it.

(get it red hot then immediately dunk it in water)

[Jasonub]

or oil

[mcoliver]

You could harden your washer by Quenching it.

(get it red hot then immediately dunk it in water)

Okay, that I can do. Thanks for the tip.

[warpspeed]

I've had nothing but good luck with the Wilson ones.

[kevin c]

Just how important are the flanges on the head of the recoil spring plug/guide rod? The washers I'm trying to use match the diameter of the head at it's circular portion, but aren't big enough to match the flanges. There is an area that needs to be ground down to match the contour of the head/buff where it rides over the barrel. Is that enough? Or do I actually have to get an oversized washer and hand file the sucker 360 degrees around to get the exact profile for the best function and "buff preservation"?

BTW, what is the best size washer to get? 1/4" is too small, but was all I could find that was close - I had to enlarge one with a chainsaw file. Kinda labor intensive, which explains my reluctance to hand file out the entire shape of a guide rod head/buff.

[mcoliver]

The washer I'm using doesn't cover the flanges as well. I think you only need to insure protection on the area that get's hit by the spring tunnel (or reverse plug end) since that's the one that normally gets cookie-cut on the buff.