timawa Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 (edited) 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 April 17, 2015 by timawa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timawa Posted April 17, 2015 Author Share Posted April 17, 2015 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIIID Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 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. Mine hasn't melted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_striker Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 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. There's no way a lead filled guide rod is going to melt from shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzhansen Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I, too, am thinking of getting a rod. From Dawson? Precision?? What spring? I'm shooting production Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desmo412 Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timawa Posted May 8, 2015 Author Share Posted May 8, 2015 [ 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmarsh1966 Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Good to Know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric1231 Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 Try freedom munations 147's they are softer than 115's They are 10.50 a box for the reman version. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 I made a Stainless Steel one in shop before graduation and it works great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boot Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Thanks for the great advice all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mont1120 Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlayFront36 Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 I used a SS guide rod but left the spring weight alone and felt it made a noticeable difference. YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff O Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodinal220 Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 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. 621.50°F (327.50°C) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timawa Posted June 2, 2019 Author Share Posted June 2, 2019 4 hours ago, Jeff O said: Where can I get the 4.7 oz rod? This post has been awhile but I think I got it from Rich of Canyon Creek customs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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