Just bot new 1911e took it apart to clean couldn't get spring off guide rod it seems the rod has a step at the end near the link i had to pry it off the rod the closed end of the spring that goes closes to the link is smaller if i flip it over open end at link it fits just snug am i defeating some purpose here?

Man, it hurts to read this-))

I couldn't agree more and there are times when I believe that a Grammar Moderator might be beneficial.

As near as I can figure out he purchased a new 1911E (bot). Then he field stripped it to clean it.

While doing this he discovered that the recoil spring is retained by a groove in the guide rod. Something that is common to some brands of semi autos and many 1911 pistols that feature a short guide rod. IIRC the S&W 1911 E series use a short guide rod in addition to a series 70 design. He also discovered that one end is a tighter fit than the opposite end and wants to know which is correct.

Based on my experience with Sig's and my Ruger SR1911 I am going to say that you want the tightest fitting end at the base of the guide rod. The reason for this is that end is basically fixed in place and the opposite end slides down the guide rod when the slide cycles. If you have the "tight" end at the open end it's goind to cause excess drag during the slide cycle. As a result you'll find you suddenly have lots of failure to feed problems.

as near as i can tell it has a full lenght guide rod

Thanks scotter you desiphered me quite well,i also have a SR1911 and it's not the same.

It's pretty easy to spot a full length guide rod on a 1911. The guide rod bushing will have a hole in it for the rod to slide through. If the front of your guide rod bushing is solid with knurling you have the "short" guide rod in your 1911. BTW, I prefer the short guide rods, they make press checks much easier and allow the slide to be racked by putting the guide rod bushing against the edge of a table or something similar.

If you do have a full length guide rod it's even more critical that the looser end be in the guide rod bushing and the tight end at the guide rod base. My Sigs use a retained recoil spring on full length guide rods and installing the spring backwards will cause the slide to bind up before it can even pick up a rod from the magazine.

Reminds me when I was a kid growing up in PA, a local National Gaurd captain would field strip his 1911 before going away for his weekend every month. He would bring said 1911 in for my dad to re-assemble!