Guest nmchenry Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 A friend was telling me about a mercury recoil rod that can be used in a STI edge. He thought the brand name was Hart or Heart or something like that. Does anyone know where I can get one and the pros and cons of one? TIA, Nenette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 The Hart recoil reducer. It is a hollow GR with mercury and 2 ball bearings inside. They were popular several years ago but you don't see them much anymore. I tried one and real didn't see much difference. You'll get better results alot cheaper by playing with the spring weights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 cannot use one w/ a bull barrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 My experience mirrors Chriss's. I tried one about 10 years ago in a Glock 21, and aside from the weight, didn't notice any substantial difference. I think you'll get a lot more mileage out of other options. i.e. Tungsten rod or magwell. Or, you could try a $7 spring... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffro Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 Save your money for something that will do more good...... like going out to dinner or spending the money for more ammo. They are useless. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bulm5 Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 I used one years ago, workked great in my .45 but did not like the feel in my .40cal. IMO- .40's impulse was too fast for the hart's recoil reducer to make that much of a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear1142 Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 Nenette, It looks like I'll be the lone dissentor. I've been using a Harrts for about 7 years. First in my Para and then my SVI. I've tried tungsten and recoil reducers, but I keep coming back to the Harrts. I find it aids the front sight in tracking straight up instead of the 1 o'clock position. The way I see it is I get all the benefits of a tungsten rod without the weight. Also, Benny is incorrect. You can use it with a bull barrel, but disassembly for cleaning is a little more difficult, but it can be done easily with a little practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffro Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 Bear 1142, I owe you an apology, as I stated that they are useless. I SHOULD have said, "In my opinion they are useless" or "For me they are useless". I cannot and should not speak for anyone else. One would think that by the time one reaches my age he/she would know better than to make a blanket statement. Someday I might learn........... Apologies Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven t Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 My buddy has one in a single stack , that is set up the same as mine , I cant tell any differnce between them. I think there is a lot of good advice here about spring weight or looking at a tungsten guide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear1142 Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Jeffro, No need to apologize. I don't think anybody took the statement as anything other than your opinions and experiences about the system. I could rant for a full page about all the stuff out there that I think is junk, but many other shooters find the same stuff beneficial. Its good to have open debate, keep'on ranting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus The Bum Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I run one in a Glock 24 and honestly couldn't tell any difference, I did a bunch of double-taps etc...And my split times weren't any better. Muzzle-flip and recoil didn't decrease (or increase) So Other than the fact that it's a metal guide-rod, which is a good thing compared to the plastic one that comes with a Glock, I see no other reason to buy one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Here's a link if you want: http://www.harrtsrecoil.com/ Personally I'm not a fan. I got sent two of these things years ago, to test out for an article, one for a SIG P226, one for a 1911. I took the parts out of the UPS box, and one of the units had already started to leak. There were little silver droplets coating the interior of the plastic sleeve in which the part came. Since mercury is, to my knowledge, the most toxic non-radioactive material on Earth, I decided this was not something with which I really wanted to be sharing the interior of my pants (IWB holster at the time, don'cha know). This stuff can, literally, kill you just with skin contact. Thank you, no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 one more time , YOU CANNOT USE ONE ON A edge W/ A BULL BARREL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 DT, The mercury won't kill you.........at first. It'll just make you go nuts. Instead of the "Mad Hatter," you'll just be the "Mad Blaster." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessej Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 I have one on my G23 it seems to soften the recoil a bit. After a few mags when it gets warmed up it works even better. I think i should've went for the tungsten instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear1142 Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 Benny, I've never shot an "Edge", but what about it prevents you from using the Mercury rod? Is there something different about way its assembled? I've got a bull barrel and a fully supported guide plug in my SV, is there a different set-up in the Edge. Not being contentious, just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfinney Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 I've had one of these rods for a few years that has found itself in several single stacks over the years. I can only real tell a difference in the recoil impulse when I shoot 230 gr ball ammo, lighter bullet weights seem to minimize the benefit - I couldn't tell any difference at all in my 9mm single stack for example. For the heavier bullets, it does seem to help with sight tracking, but your results may vary... And as has been stated, since you can't drill the rod for a takedown hole, it makes it difficult to use without a bushing barrel. And the rod head isn't beveled as aggressively as some Hicap S_I guns require to fit up against the barrel lugs correctly..... the rod will stick out a little on the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 you have to have a take down hole in the guide rod to put a pin in to capture the recoil spring & plug in a bull barrel. don't think you want to put a hole in a murcury filled rod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detlef Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 DT, garbage, mercury is not *the most toxic....*! It's a metal and as such harmless. Chronic exposure leads to the formation of very toxic mercury *compounds* in your body over the years. Acute exposure is harmless. When I was an EMT we had several cases of kids swallowing the mercury in broken thermometers. The treatment is .... none! The stuff just comes back out... The recoil reducer was worthless when I tried it a few y ago... Detlef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 [irrelevant Information Mode ON] The danger of mercury is from inhaling mercury vapor. That is the form that is absorbable by the body. In the liquid form, a small, but non-zero amount of mercury vaporizes and becomes airborne. Way back when, in the days before OSHA, mercury used to be used to form felt hats (instead of steam). One of the classic symptoms of chronic exposure to mercury vapor is giddiness or lunacy. This is where the term "Mad Hatter" comes from. Brief skin contact with mercury is typically harmless. Long term exposure to where mercury builds up in the bloodstream is the real issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 Re the "most toxic substance" thing, you'll note I said "to my knowledge." I was hoping someone would correct me if what I had heard wasn't true. BTW, if you want to scare the hell out of yourself, try reading this, just one web article about the dangers and possible treatments for heavy metals poisoning: http://www.kitchendoctor.com/articles/cilantro.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul B Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 I have a mercury guide rod with a take down hole in the rod. My gunsmith drilled a steel rod from both ends and left enough of the rod solid in the middle to put in a take down hole. He then filled up the rod on both ends with mercury. It worked pretty well in my .40 and dampened muzzle rise. Recently, though, I settled on a sprinco which seems to work just a little better. Both worked OK with a bull barrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear1142 Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 Benny, Sorry for the delay in responding, I was out of town for a while. You don't need to drill the guide rod. I take a nylon punch and push the recoil plug out until the front face of the plug catches the back edge of the slide. The spring is compressed, so be careful. Then I carefully lift out the rear of the guide rod from the lower lugs. The rod is now removed. To reassemble I just reverse the procedure. It takes a little practice, but its not difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Olhasso Posted March 4, 2003 Share Posted March 4, 2003 Most people seem to disagree, but in light framed guns such as Sigs, Glocks, and Berettas, I have been using harrts guide rods for years. When I am forced to shoot a production gun without a harrts in it (for IDPA), I can definatly notice a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted March 4, 2003 Share Posted March 4, 2003 Doesn't seem to stop you from doing well, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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