1911 tungsten full length guide rod worth it?

[Edogg]

Sorry if this has been discussed before but i didn’t come up with much searching here.
 

I picked up a Kimber Rapide awhile back, thinking I’d branch into single stack. So far, I’m really happy with with it. But I noticed it has a short guide rod in it. 
 

My other 1911 has a steel full length guide rod and I don’t notice a huge difference between the two. And I have a tungsten guide rod in my CO Glock 34 which I really like. Given the weight of a steel frame 1911, is there a noticeable difference with a tungsten guide rod and is it worth the $100?

[shred]

There is a noticeable difference... depending on your skill level.  Is it worth it?  That's up to you.

 

They do break occasionally, which steel FLGRs very rarely do.

 

[Edogg]

Thanks for the info. I noticed a big difference with the one in my Glock. Also, I’m pretty sure guide rods are drop-in on a 1911 but can you confirm?

[shred]

Eh, they pretty much drop in, but you want to get one that matches in length and your barrel/slide setup-- reverse plug (couple types), bushing, etc.

 

[yigal]

5 hours ago, shred said:

There is a noticeable difference... depending on your skill level.  Is it worth it?  That's up to you.

 

They do break occasionally, which steel FLGRs very rarely do.

 

I made some rods like this in 1992  for tanfoglio and for 1911 and I still use them .

Identical rods, which were assembled in the factory that manufactures them, broke at everyone who bought them. I think they should be assembled correctly.

Shooting with a tungsten rod is noticeable in every gun I've used

Edited November 5, 2023 by yigal

[GunBugBit]

I do like some extra front-end weight, to a point.  If there’s a noticeable difference, it could be worth it.

Edited November 8, 2023 by GunBugBit

[Aiden]

On 11/5/2023 at 9:18 AM, shred said:

Eh, they pretty much drop in, but you want to get one that matches in length and your barrel/slide setup-- reverse plug (couple types), bushing, etc.

 

"Pretty much drop in" nailed it. 

 

Strap an extra steel guide rod to the front of your 1911 and you'll get an idea of the balance and weight of tungsten. It's not a lot but it's noticeable. Will it immediately make you better? No. Will it give you the balance you want? Possibly.

 

I usually ran steel guide rods in my 6 inch guns, and I had a tungsten guide rod in my 5 inch gun. 

[Edogg]

Oh that’s a good idea! I have another 1911 with a full length steel guide rod that I could do that with. Or even pull the one from my Glock and tape it to the bottom of the dust cover. Thanks for the suggestion. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Edogg

[Braxton1]

Please keep the USPSA "45 ounce with an empty magazine" weight limit in-mind when considering Tungsten.

 

If the pistol is a 9mm, you'd be hard-pressed to meet the limit with a Tungsten rod, especially with the G10 grips and magwell.  In 45, it should be easy to do.

Edited November 8, 2023 by Braxton1