GI guide rod,

[Joe4d]

I have a factory bone stock STI Eagle 6 inch, It cam with a two piece guide rod that is a royal pain in the butt. It's a pain to take apart for a quick cleaning, requiring alen wrench, I also have to locktite it to keep it from unscrewing during th e match making quick field stripping even harder. The gun is impossible to assemble with out taking the guide rod apart even with out the spring. I think HSMITH summed it up the best by telling me I had to deal with the suck they are. So fueled by quantities of Miller lite and having a gunsafe full of 1911's with 2" long guide rods that seem to run and run and run, I figure "why Not?".

So I order a 1 piece for 5" STI rod to get the correct funky rear cut then cut it down to 2 and 7/8ths" a length that wouldnt hit the spring plug. The gun now field strips lickity split, no tools, and so far I have about 400 rounds through it without a hitch. The gun is nose heavy enough that I dont feel any difference. Anything I am missing ?

[Dave C]

I have a factory bone stock STI Eagle 6 inch, It cam with a two piece guide rod that is a royal pain in the butt. It's a pain to take apart for a quick cleaning, requiring alen wrench, I also have to locktite it to keep it from unscrewing during th e match making quick field stripping even harder. The gun is impossible to assemble with out taking the guide rod apart even with out the spring. I think HSMITH summed it up the best by telling me I had to deal with the suck they are. So fueled by quantities of Miller lite and having a gunsafe full of 1911's with 2" long guide rods that seem to run and run and run, I figure "why Not?".

So I order a 1 piece for 5" STI rod to get the correct funky rear cut then cut it down to 2 and 7/8ths" a length that wouldnt hit the spring plug. The gun now field strips lickity split, no tools, and so far I have about 400 rounds through it without a hitch. The gun is nose heavy enough that I dont feel any difference. Anything I am missing ?

Yep, your missing the pain in the butt that thing used to be. If it works, go for it.

[Joe4d]

Good point ,I just shot the Area 8 so getting up towards 700 rounds without a problem, was even able to do a quick wipe out during lunch.

[austex]

I have a 6" STI Eagle with the two piece guide rod. I do not have to disassemble the rod to take the gun down. I use a bushing wrench to remove the bushing with the top end on the gun. Then I take the slide off and remove the recoil spring. That leaves enough slack to remove the rod without taking it apart.

I've never had the rod come apart, but I've only run around 4K rounds through it.

Edited August 28, 2009 by austex

[DougCarden]

I drill a hole in the guide rod so I can put a paper clip in it (when the slide is retracted) to keep the recoil assy. compressed. It then slides right out for cleaning and other related chores. This might help make things easier as I don't like them either!

DougC

[Dan Sierpina]

You're not missing a thing. The 2 6" guns in the safe both have GI style recoil spring guides, not a problem with either one. The design has worked for a heck of a long time, till someone had to "improve" it.

I found out long ago, it's easier to field strip a 1911 "match style" than the method in most of the books.

[Joe4d]

austex: I have bull barrel, so no bushing,

Doug, paper clip wouldnt work, cause even without the spring on the guide rod I cant get it together leaving the one piece together.

Pretty happy with what I am running now though cant believe I put up with it so long.