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SA XDM 5.25 9MM Guide Rod questions


timawa

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Can somebody explain to me the difference between the Tungsten inserts versus the solid guide rod in terms of taming the muzzle rise?

Does the recoil spring also take part in the mechanism?

What would you recommend?

I am in the process of customizing my new pistol for 3gun.

Thank you for your help!

Edited by timawa
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Save yourself a bunch of money and melt some lead into the stock rod. Adds plenty of weight. I dropped the recoil spring weight a few pounds and it shoots 135 loads like a dream

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Coming from the maker of solid tungsten guide rods, the 5.25 XDm has three choices.

#1- 3/8" rod that is the same size as the factory guide rod and weighs 4.1 +- ounces, the most popular choice by far.

#2-5/16" rod that uses 1911 recoil springs and weighs 3.1 +- ounces, 1911 recoil springs are a lot easier to find than the factory size spring and more weight choices.

#3- 3/8" rod that is used for the XD Tactical and weighs in at 4.7 +- ounces, used by several Bianchi Cup shooters.

If you want the most weight possible tungsten is the way to go, filling the rod with lead can work but not the most benefit in weight.

Rich

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  • 3 weeks later...

Listen to Rich's post....he may be the most knowledgeable person on the planet when it comes to XDs. When I was shooting an XDm, I didn't have the cash for a tungsten rod so I used a stainless version in the stock dimensions. I think you can get down to a 14lb spring in the stock size. (1911 springs can be had in basically any weight you could possibly want....and is probably what I would do today). If you are loading 9-minor for 3 gun, try the lightest spring that will reliably strip a round from the mag. I ran the 14lb spring in mine and it made a significant difference in how "soft" the gun felt and how quickly the sights settled.

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[ Coming from the maker of solid tungsten guide rods, the 5.25 XDm has three choices.
#1- 3/8" rod that is the same size as the factory guide rod and weighs 4.1 +- ounces, the most popular choice by far.
#2-5/16" rod that uses 1911 recoil springs and weighs 3.1 +- ounces, 1911 recoil springs are a lot easier to find than the factory size spring and more weight choices.
#3- 3/8" rod that is used for the XD Tactical and weighs in at 4.7 +- ounces, used by several Bianchi Cup shooters.
If you want the most weight possible tungsten is the way to go, filling the rod with lead can work but not the most benefit in weight.
Rich ]

So I finally got my tungsten rod from Rich (canyon creek custom). I chose #1 and uses the factory spring. There was really a significant change in muzzle jump after switching but I still wanted to tame the pistol more.

My question is, would you recommend to get a lighter recoil spring instead of the factory one?

I am currently shooting factory load 115 gr and planning to stick with it until I get enough cases and maybe in the future to reload the same grain.

Thank you for the help.

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You will only "tame" it so much shooting 115's. You need to drop the spring weight but more importantly you must go to a heavier bullet to calm things down.

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  • 1 year later...
  • 2 years later...
  • 1 month later...

Be careful dropping the spring weight too much, it really effects the hammer spring action. The two work together, and I found myself firing a round with no trigger reset any reducing the guide rod spring. Any weight added to the muzzle helps with recoil, and as Sarge says, go with heavier bullets, 147 or 135. 

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...
On 5/8/2015 at 4:51 PM, timawa said:

[ Coming from the maker of solid tungsten guide rods, the 5.25 XDm has three choices.
#1- 3/8" rod that is the same size as the factory guide rod and weighs 4.1 +- ounces, the most popular choice by far.
#2-5/16" rod that uses 1911 recoil springs and weighs 3.1 +- ounces, 1911 recoil springs are a lot easier to find than the factory size spring and more weight choices.
#3- 3/8" rod that is used for the XD Tactical and weighs in at 4.7 +- ounces, used by several Bianchi Cup shooters.
If you want the most weight possible tungsten is the way to go, filling the rod with lead can work but not the most benefit in weight.
Rich ]

So I finally got my tungsten rod from Rich (canyon creek custom). I chose #1 and uses the factory spring. There was really a significant change in muzzle jump after switching but I still wanted to tame the pistol more.

My question is, would you recommend to get a lighter recoil spring instead of the factory one?

I am currently shooting factory load 115 gr and planning to stick with it until I get enough cases and maybe in the future to reload the same grain.

Thank you for the help.

Where can I get the 4.7 oz rod?

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On ‎4‎/‎17‎/‎2015 at 6:37 PM, timawa said:

What is the melting point of lead by the way? I am afraid that the lead will melt down during shooting and mess up the internals. :sick:

  1. 621.50°F (327.50°C)
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