mike_pinto Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 I was shooting the Oklahoma L10 Sectional a week and a half ago. Stood at the third stage, heard LAMR, buzzer, and off I went. Was really shooting it well (for me), and then slide "locked" back. It was past the point of the slide lock though. I tried to clear it, gave it a swift rack on the back, and presto, I went from L10 to single shot class. I had to walk off the stage with a gun that the slide was at least a quarter inch past where it should be and three targets with no holes. I took it apart and low and behold, my EGW tungsten guide rod with about 1,000 rounds on it was broke! Luckily I had a spare. Now to my question. What may have caused it besides the obvious (defective guide rod)? I have a 14lb recoil spring shootin 4.4gr Clays behind a 200gr Laser Cast SWC. The pressure surely isn't strong enough to stress the guide rod head that bad. Hmmm.. Thanks.. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul B Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 You are lucky. Mine didn't last that long. The tungsten guide rods are really hit and miss. Some people I know have had no trouble with them others can't stop breaking them. There is a fix in an old issue of front sight by installing a steel screw through the head, but I wouldn't try it without a lathe - it's hard to get centered. I finally gave up and filled up a hollow steel rod with lead. Works great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_pinto Posted August 31, 2005 Author Share Posted August 31, 2005 Sounds like a great idea. I hope EGW will replace this one for me so I can give it to somebody else. I am gonna stick with the steel ones from now on. Do your guide rods show any wear from the slide hitting on the inside? Just wondering if this is normal wear and tear.. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfinney Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 I have an EGW Tungsten guide rod that has in excess of 10k rounds on it, no problem. What kind of gun is it it? They make one rod specific for STI only (yes STI, not SV), and the rest of 1911s including SV take a different guide rod - the rod head is a different shape for STI, to accomadate the frame. I've seen some of these break that were in the wrong type gun (ie normal rod in an STI frame). Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidwiz Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 I think some of the very very early tungsten EGW guide rods had some mixture problems. In any event, I would call up EGW and tell them what happened. They are usually very good about making things right. I have one of the 5oz Wilson tungsten guide rods in my .40 with in excess of 40k rounds and its still going strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 I've talked with many people about tungsten lately, STI and KKM said they got out of it because tungsten is too just too brittle (STI has sent me at least 3 replacements.) I've broken many of them, but my gun never stopped working after they flew out the end Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_pinto Posted August 31, 2005 Author Share Posted August 31, 2005 I am shooting a Para single stack. It is a guide rod for a 1911 not STI, but I have also heard of folks saying it is a little more brittle then steel. Unfortunately, my guide rod didn't come out of my gun. The piece broke off and got jammed between the slide and barrel lug, causing it to go 110% out of battery!! I don't think my recoil spring is too light for the loads, but I think I will stick with steel regardless. I actually found the steel one allowed me to get the second shot off more accurately (the gun seemed to dip a little with the extra weight) Probably could get used to it, but got a bad taste for tungsten now. Thanks for all the replies. I am shooting the North Texas match next month and hope all of the problems are fixed. Thanks again guys and have fun!! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveZ Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 I have an EGW Tungsten guide rod that has in excess of 10k rounds on it, no problem. Ditto! I'm probably somewhere between 10k - 20k on an EGW Tungsten guiderod in my Springfield and haven't had any problems....I do run a CP shok-buff with it however. George is a really good guy. I'm sure if you contact him, he'll replace it right away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brazos Custom Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 George will replace it no problem as long as it was properly installed (maybe even if it wasn't - he is pretty good about that). You have to make sure the frame impact area is square to the head of the rod and that the impact area on the slide is also square. If either of these areas has a high spot it torques the head of the guide rod excessively and can break the rod. Usually when they break the piece just flies out the front and the front end of the gun feels light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPatterson Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Before this thread came about I tried to order one from Brownells but every tungsten rod listed is out of stock so maybe they know somewthing. I would like to get another stainless like the one in my new Springfield loaded 45, the male threads are on head end of the rod instead of the part that goes through the plug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFD Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 Apparently tungsten is very difficult to get right now, as the military has priority (rightly so). When I saw Shooters Connection had 10 EGWs a couple of weeks ago, I jumped all over it and bought one. A little pricey at $75, but the message was that the next batch (whenever it might finally appear) could cost even more. I hope mine doesn't break.....you folks have got me scared.... I always hoped I could find a hollow rod and fill it with lead during a casting session. No luck yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidwiz Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 I think that tungsten guide rod failure is a fairly rare occurance nowadays. When they first hit the scene, the biggest cause of failure was that the manufactures had problems getting the mixture right. That problem has (hopefully) been taken care of, but with anything that is man-made, failures do occur and a single failure shouldn't be seen as an indictment of the manufacture or product. With the 5oz Wilson I have, it was said by very knowledgable people that it was either going to break in the first 100 rounds, or it was going to last forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFD Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 I've put 500 rounds through the gun since I got the guide rod, so maybe that's a good sign. I knew there was more of a risk of breakage when I bought it, and carry a spare, so what the hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 I have 7K+ through a Springfield .45 SS with no problems. That's shooting 200 gr swc major with no buff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 The EGW tungsten rod in one of my single-stacks broke not long after it was installed (this was several months ago). It happened in my driveway (I live out in the country); the broken-off rod flew out the end and the gun kept working. Brownells promptly replaced it and paid the shipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Pistolero Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 I'm on my fourth EGW rod. The first one lasted 10k rounds then I broke one after another. They would last just under 1k rounds before they would break. I always noticed prior to disassembly that the rod would come loose. I ordered two more recently and they are made differently. The threaded part of the rod is not as long as the others and it stays tightened. So far so good. Looks like they found the problem and fixed it. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 Like bob said, it's all in how the head is fitted to the frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFD Posted September 2, 2005 Share Posted September 2, 2005 I may have to examine my guide rod again. IIRC this EGW guide rod looked to be a single machined piece. If it's 2 pieces, then they did an awesome job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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