ogiebb Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 (edited) been reading a lot lately and found from some old threads about the use of shok buffs for shorter strokes and better feel (i even found the thread about the shok buff was the devil incarnate he he he) i tried shooting my open gun last week and the buff caused it to malfunction so i took mine off, just wondering if its ok to run the gun without buffs ...and if there are any open shooters out there NOT using a buff in their open guns and how many rounds now without frame damage and slide cracks...thanks Edited August 16, 2007 by ogiebb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scirocco38s Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 I dont run shok-buf in my open guns. The IMM gun is already as short a stroke as you can want, and my other guns have springco in them, but even before the springco I didnt run a buf. I just run 8lb progressive spring with a standard rod now. Once you get used to it evrything is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 No buff needed or recommended in my 9mm Open guns. It is just something else that can and probably will go wrong at some point. If I get 100K rounds out of a slide I got MORE than my money out of it in use, put a new one on with the 2nd or 3rd barrel and go. Slides crack for two reasons, bad metal and bad cuts, buffers will prolong cracking from both causes but won't prevent it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipscbob Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 I run buffs in all of my 1911s. I have never had a malf attributable to them and never had a cracked slide or frame. On issues like this always try to make an educated decision based on what you know, not on others experiences or comments. If running buffs makes sense to you, use them, observe, and learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adiksaputok Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 i dont use shock buff on all my 9 major 170+pf my V comp no problem so far. i used shock buff before and it causes jams and never ever use it since then on all my pistol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireant Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 No buff on mine, but it does have the springco system. I'd never seen one until the gun I have now. They are pretty cool. No problems in the couple of thousand rounds I put through it in the last month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogiebb Posted August 16, 2007 Author Share Posted August 16, 2007 thanks for the replies i never ran a gun "Without" a buffer or a recoilmaster and this will be the first... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radical Precision Designs Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 I run buffs in all of my 1911s. I have never had a malf attributable to them and never had a cracked slide or frame. On issues like this always try to make an educated decision based on what you know, not on others experiences or comments. If running buffs makes sense to you, use them, observe, and learn. +1 The advantage we have with 19/2011's is that different recoil springs can be used to "fine tune" the "indexing" of your second shot, whether blind or called. Sometimes a lighter than factory reccomemended spring is used. When this happens a shock "buffer/sbsorber" might be helpfull. Some shooters recommend going up in weight untill it malfunctions then go down one or two lbs for optimum performance ... Hmmm ! that sounds like a manufacturer's recommendation for longevity ... but not necessarily for accuracy at speed cycling/shooting. Then, if you were to go this route most likely a "shock" buffer wouldn't be needed. One of the earlier uses of the buffer was to shorten the distance of the slide cycling, akin to that of the "Commander" slide length. Heck, maybe that is why they are available in different thicknesses. Still others used these "buffers/SPACERS" to defeat the slide "lock" feature of the guns without having to grind down the lobe of their slide stops. Come to think about it, there has been more than one reason for justifying the addition of one of these things. To not use them, you can just say that : "it didn't come with my gun from factory, and I'm keeping it 100% stock"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxshooter Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 The only 1911/2011 guns that I run shok buffs in are the Wilson pistols that I have. They were designed to use a shok buff and I have had no problems with them. I don't run buffs in my SVs or STIs, no damage to any of them with 171 PF ammo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Abrahams Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 FWIW Dave Dawson recommended that i should NOT use a buff in my open gun... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimWarner Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I think Venry about covered it. In the most technical sense, without using any opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 To make the buff work, trim it down around the guide rod head untill it is "just smaller than the head so as to not drag on the slide & it will work fine if you have to have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JThompson Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 To make the buff work, trim it down around the guide rod head untill it is "just smaller than the head so as to not drag on the slide & it will work fine if you have to have one. Would you use one in your open guns Benny? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbocomp38s Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 No shock buff. Talked to a couple of smiths (one of them is Benny) and they don't recommend. got a shorty 38 super that was built by Benny and runs flawless without the buff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogiebb Posted August 18, 2007 Author Share Posted August 18, 2007 finally got to go to the range and zero the cmore to my liking... i tried a .90 buff first, jammed so i took it off... it shot flawless without the buff , i had a couple of jams but they were all ammo related ....i forgot how much nicer and flat an open gun can be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwmagnus Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Well I guess I'm in the minority because I like a shok buff in all my 1911's (Les Baer, Wilson, Colt) & 2011 (both STI- Brazo's, Anglin Open) guns. I've never had a problem. In my guns the buffs just never seem to wear out. My 9mm Major STI Open I uses a 9lb Wolff recoil spring. Bottom line is, most Open guns are highly customized everything you do to them needs to be tested. Just because at first something doesn't work doesn't mean it's not an option. For me after running a buff the guns felt softer. The durability of your gun will depend on many factors most of which is properly fitted parts. Shok buffs like all other parts will have people in different camps, use and don't use. See what works best for YOU especially while the gun is new to you as it's the perfect time to experiment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOGA Posted August 25, 2007 Share Posted August 25, 2007 No SB on all my guns. Learned the hard way. Virgin 'buff on the first stage. Doing well. 4th stage of the match. Few rounds fired, jammed and the culprit was the buff. Didnt finish the stage. I was so mad i put the almost a dozen or more SB at the prize table for anybody interested with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A38337 Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 If you are going to shoot in the same division and class as I, then I highly recommend that you use a SB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogiebb Posted September 4, 2007 Author Share Posted September 4, 2007 If you are going to shoot in the same division and class as I, then I highly recommend that you use a SB. the way im shooting my Open Gun lately, you wont have to worry about that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now