I recently bought another 1911 .45 and want to become more proficient with the platform/caliber.
Should I use shock buffers or not to reduce wear and tear?

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Who are those guys?

I have tried them, just out of curiosity. I don't find them to be worth the bother, but that is only my opinion.
If you do try them, I would recommend that when you disassemble the gun for cleaning after shooting, examine the buffer. They do wear out, so don't try to get the last little bit of service from them. If it shows much wear, replace. When they let go, small pieces of plastic, delrin, or whatever your choice is made of can go places you don't want.

I have used them and it was a waste of time and money.
I never exceed factory duplication loads so wear is not a concern for me.

100% true, IMO. If you do decide to use them, either change them regularly or don’t put them in any gun your life might depend upon.

The best advice is what Jimmy gave in part two. Don’t try to make a hot rod out of your .45. A 205 LSWC at 850 is a pleasant target load, but not whimpy, and will be easy on your gun with typical 16-17# recoil springs. Likewise for a 230 at 850, if you want to shoot that particular weight.

My opinion, FWIW.

Lots of theories, but it seems no one knows for sure if they serve a useful purpose. I've tried them and found they can hamper reliability (in one gun only).

My late father was a shooting buddy with Bill at Cylinder and Slide, back in the day. I asked him once, when getting a new barrel fitted in dad's old 1911, what he thought... "Not for carry, and be careful, they will disintegrate at the worst moment" basically adjust the spring rate if necessary.

If you’re concerned about wear and tear, you’re better off getting a recoil spring calibration kit from Wolff gun springs.
They make 1911 recoil springs from 5 to 24 lbs.
They have a variety of calibration kits to suit any need from reduced power, to standard service, to extra power, etc.

https://www.gunsprings.com/COLT/1911.../mID1/dID1#799

Once you have figured out the maximum recoil weight that still gives you reliable function for your gun and load, just be sure to change out the spring after the recommended number of rounds fired.
You can even carry more than one type, so you can have one for, say, light wadcutters, and another for hardball, etc.

I never heard of them until this thread, so I looked them up. I suppose in theory the idea is kind of nifty, but in reality it is just something to separate you from your money.

I see Wilson Combat sells them. Give them a call and get their take on them. I mean they sell them, but do they recommend them?

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

If for a range toy, and you swap them out every couple of months, I think they’d be ok.

I don’t shoot my 1911 all that much anymore. I left one in the gun for a while, and when I shot it, the shock buff did disintegrate. Maybe the shock buff simply got old? The gun still worked tho.

I don’t use them anymore.

Back in the hay day of shok buffs, a common thing to see would be cracks at/near the junction of the dust cover and the frame itself. [where the thin part of the frame that covers the recoil spring meets the actual frame] One suspects that the cause was the buffer being squished out against the dust cover, stressing it in a manner the design didn't expect. Don't know if frequent change of the buffer might mitigate it.

After seeing those cracks, I quit using the things.

Also, about recoil springs. I've noted before that the slide impacts the frame at 800 Gs with a standard 16 lb spring, and goes into battery at 850 Gs-after stripping and chambering a round.

The idea that you could reduce "recoil" by increasing the recoil spring strength took fire and you got, as noted above, springs up to 24 lb rating. So, whiile you might reduce the jolt of the slide hitting the frame you INCREASED the jolt of the slide returning to battery. While this might push the muzzle down from recoil more, it also stressed the slide stop, barrel underlugs and frame beyond design. Result: frame cracks at the slide stop pin hole, broken slide stops, sheared barrel underlugs.

The standard spring is 16 lbs, I wouldn't go heavier than 18.5 lbs. Do keep a few unused spares, when the spring gets really obviously shorter than a new one change it out. Or, figure 3-5000 rounds in a full size gun. Back in the day the new competition season meant new recoil springs.

ETA: about wear: the really serious competitors back then had a stable of 3 guns. One in use, one spare and one being rebuilt. One of the reasons for the falling power factor levels.

I tried them and found no benefit. I do, however, like the flat recoil springs made by Wilson.

When did we start calling guns "platforms?" That term doesn't make sense to me.

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No good deed goes unpunished.

Certain sorts of guns such as ARs became known as "platforms" due to their inherent modularity and their ability to be mission modified with the addition of tactical accessories suitable for specific missions in the field.

Lasers, night vision, thermal, grenade launcher, various types of optics, bipod, vertical forend grip, tactical rails, etc.

I always refer to my guns as "platforms" when I "operate" "operationally" or when I'm "driving the gun" and whenever I'm " rocking" one of them in a holster.

However the term "platform" is so tactically cool that these days, it's been extended to encompass every firearm currently in existance.

That being said, in my own experience as a high volume shooter, shock buffers are unnecessary in 1911s.

I'm not sure who started applying "platform" to firearms. I think it wandered in from aerospace/military jargon where you have a basic foundation item (aircraft, artillery design etc.) and then emerging variations from the original/base item. The C130J is visually almost identical to the original, but very different. The Cobra was based on the UH-1 Huey.

I wonder what JMB would think of what's happened to his creation-which went through various versions before becoming the 1911.

Over on the long gun side, Gene Stoner's AR10 was the original "platform" that a couple of other engineers made into the AR15.

Having shot 1911s for almost 60 years, member of US Army pistol team , managing an indoor range and owning around 20 1911s, don't waste your $$$ or time. Back in 80’s tried them in a LW Commander and a full size Series 70. After few 100 rounds they started disintegrating so quit them. IMHO just another “ gimmick”. As posted check and Adjust recoil spring.

If you make it (especially if you're a NAME) someone will buy it.

Hey, it's cheaper than practice ammo.

Waste of $$$.......Case in point.......CMP is selling WWII 1911's that STILL WORK that went to war w/o SB's.......Lots of stuff is a waste of your $$.

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S&W Accumulator

I think the term "platform" is appropriate...as much as I hate political correctness...it applies to the pistol. To be accurate...a 1911 or 1911A1 is a pistol made for the US military by several contractors. No 1911A1 has been built since WWII. Commercial pistols were Government Models or similar as they've been made and continue to be made by numerous companies but they are not US military issue.

Maybe a distinction without a difference...but my two cents.

Back in the early days of IPSC USPSA, when needing to make a power factor, (my poor memory tells me 165?) the loading's were pushed pretty far. That's when the buffers were were most commonly used. Eventually the power factors were reduced a fair amount and there was no longer a need for them. Some early 1911's did get frame battered before using them.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I used them when I was competing in USPSA, but that was with the old major power factor of 175 and I was experimenting with bullets weighing 200 to 255 grains. I would use them in old 1911's, as in those that were made before slide hardening techniques were perfected. I absolutely would not put them in a 1911 that was to be used for defense, they do shorten slide travel and they can come apart and tie up the slide.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

I used them for years in my 2 IPSC 1911’s. One was a custom 45 5” on a Springfield frame, still have it after 35 years, and the other a custom 38 super race gun on a high capacity Caspian frame. After tens of thousands of rounds in both, never a problem with function in either but then I used optimum spring weights too.

No issues with my 45 and no function issues with my 38 super. I did however crack the frame along the rail in the super. I ran major loads and eventually the stress of high pressures took its toll but the damage wasn’t done by pounding of the slide on the frame. There could have been a flaw in the frame or it just might have occurred due to pressure stresses inducing fractures. I ram a buffer in both and none ever disintegrated but would eventually flatten to some degree and then I’d replace them. Ever time I shot them I’d do a thorough cleaning and inspection. I was particular about spring weights no only from a punishment standpoint of the gun but they run more reliably if properly sprung.

I still have my 45 and only shoot mild loads due to arthritis and have removed the buffer and don’t see a need for it. As to most people using a buffer, if you’re shooting factory ammo and have correct weight springs then I’d say you don’t need one. If you’re putting a hundred thousand hot loads through it and you’re running light springs then yes you need one.

Put the correct springs in your gun for your loads, keep it clean and we’ll lubed and it’ll function properly for a lifetime.

In a carry gun, NO. In a high round count range gun, yes. Inspect regularly and change often as they will disintegrate and crud up the system.

A NM HP Rifle mentor referred to his WW2 Dive bomber as a Platform

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"Don't Give Up the Ship"

I've used them on my 1911's through the years. You get varying degrees of longevity out of them depending on the material they are made of. I've had some last as few as a hundred rounds before they started cracking and coming apart. I've had others that I replaced at around 500 rounds that appeared to still be in good shape. I've never left one installed past 500 rounds . . . why tempt fate.

I've never installed one that caused the 1911 to malfunction and that includes my USGI 1911's and my commander sized Tisas. Seems to me I can tell a slight softening of the slide recoil when they are installed. What actual good they do is anyone's guess.

I agree I would not use them on a carry gun, but then again, I seldom ever carry a 1911 as a self defense gun anyway.

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- Change it back -

No.

1) A Shok buffer reduces slide over run and reducing feeding reliability for no real benefit.

2) Change the recoil springs on schedule:

- 1500 rounds for a full size frame 1911s in .45 ACP, 10mm or .40 S&W;
- 1800 rounds for a full size frame 1911s in 9mm or .38 Super;
- 800 rounds for Commander frame 1911s in any caliber.
-1500 rounds for officer frame 1911s.

3) Stick with standard strength recoil springs unless you have a legitimate need to deviate:

Full size 1911:
- 9mm, 12 pounds
-.38 Super, 14 pounds
-.40 S&W, 16 pounds
- .45 ACP, 16 pounds
-10 mm, 18.5 pounds

Commander size 1911:
- 9mm, 14 pounds
-.38 Super, 20 pounds
-.40 S&W, 22 pounds
- .45 ACP, 22 pounds

My 5" CQB 9mm came with one installed from the shop. It's still in there, hasn't caused a malfunction with anything (fmj rn, fmj fp, jhp). It's just a range gun so I'm going to leave it in unless it falls apart or starts causing issues.

If designed to use a shock buffer, leave it in, if you wish. Some pistols NOT designed to have one may malfunction if you add one. Paraord 1911 and 2011 instructions specifically forbid putting in a shock buffer because it causes the recoil spring to "go solid" when fired. Ask the maker.

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Science plus Art

3 for $10, standard recoil springs, less $ than a pack of Shokbuffs. Joe
1911 RECOIL SPRING 1911 FULL SIZE SET OF 3

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Behavior Creates Destiny

Sorry I didn't read everybody else's experience. Of the 40 or so 1911's I built for other people, not one had a recoil buffer! Of the one I built for me, It has a buffer. My buffer came from Wilson, but I think they are all alike.

For your guns with very light recoil springs, the buffer adds a half coil length to the spring power.

Ivan

I used some years ago just because I read in some gun magazine that I was supposed to I've haven't used one in years and don't see the need to start.

Buffers are not all alike. There is one, I don't remember which brand, but it is a translucent slightly whitish-yellowish, which is superior to all the others, as in it doesn't get pounded to pieces anywhere near as soon as ALL the others. However, even it takes up space, which with some springs makes a difference, as in difficulty in manually retracting the slide to where the slide stop will engage it.

I am not qualified to evaluate the criticisms made above. I have never had a malfunction due to a buffer, but I keep a close eye on them, which is why I know that some (most?) are inferior. I don't think that use in a carry pistol is wise, but if you have experience with them, you may know better than I.

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Formerly Model520Fan

I bet they sell a lot of things you won’t find on Bill Wilson’s guns

A solution to a problem that doesn't exist. So no. Yes, Wilson sells them, but only because he makes money off this snake oil, question: does Wilson ship their 1911's with a shock buffer?
There's your answer.

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Dave Ramsey Cultist

Just spring it for the kind of ammo that you are going to shoot in it.

I found this that pretty much answers my question.

Firing the 1911 without a recoil spring, will it hurt the pistol? - RangeHot - Expert Firearms Reviews & Guides

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Who are those guys?

I am NOT a fan, they cause more problems than they solve. Poly buffs feel weird while shooting too.
If I really felt compelled to use a buff I use an Aluma-buff...they won't disintegrate at the worst time and the traditional ker-chunk feel is maintained.

Or just skip it altogether.

The EDCX9 I bought from Wilson Combat came with a buffer installed.........

does not matter shoot a lot is all that will help and have good technique

IMO no need in a proper 1911 with the correct weight and Length recoil spring fitted. The "bow tie" on the abutment will tell you all you need to know.

Depends upon what the gun is used for.

When shooting hundreds of rounds several times per week practicing for IPSC competion, the shock buffers reduced wear and tear for me to a very large extent. During the actual competition events, they were always removed - just in case.

My frame rails and slides doubled their lifespan while using buffers.

Nowadays, I shoot less in a year than I did in a day. Don't need the buffers anymore.

First question to ask yourself is, "Did the manufacturer install a Shok-Buff and specify its use?"
Second question, "Did the designer of the 1911 install anything remotely like a Shok-Buff and specify it's use?"
Third question, "Can running a Shok-Buff negatively impact my 1911 while engaged in a life-threatening shoot-out? Or is this just a fun range toy and I like to play with difference accessories?" (Which is perfectly fine, it's how we learn).

First answer - "No." Second answer - "No." Third answer, absolutely!"

So what's the downside? The simplest place to start is that Shok-Buffs take a beating and tend to get mashed up and broken into pieces which could find a way to impede the pistol's function. Many will point to the damage seen on Shok-Buffs as evidence of vital they are to "saving the frame," but no such linear relationship exists. Shok-Buffs REMOVE about 1/4" of slide travel, while inserting a springy substance that WILL impart energy into the slide. Both of these work against reliability. By reducing slide travel, the gun's timing is altered - dwell time reduced, increasing the chance of an overrun during chambering, or a feedway stoppage due to the breechface smacking the rim slightly lower than full lift, thus forcing the rim downward and under the breechface as the nose is forced upward creating a classic stoppage.
It gets worse - the slide as designed should arrive at full back with very low "energy" - remember, the "recoil spring" doesn't do anything materially to retard slide cycling, it's the mass of the reciprocating parts. The recoil spring's job is simply to get the slide moving forward with sufficient force to strip off another round and complete the chambering, lock-up cycle.
[This is why you can shoot a 1911 without a "recoil spring" all day long without breaking it]
The Shok-Buff acts like a "helper spring" in that it gives the slide a bit of forward assist, or "kick" which seems innocuous enough, but this too acts to shorten dwell time, making the pistol less reliable. Doesn't mean your particular gun will become a jam-o-matic with a Shok-Buff, but it's moving AWAY from reliability.

As for saving the frame claims, the 1911 has been around longer than most of us with millions of frames, meaning billions of shots fired. Limited to standard pressure "mil-spec" ammo, 1911s have recorded well in excess of 100,000 rounds fired with no frame damage. That equates to approximately 28 hours of continuous firing, or broken into normal usage terms, well beyond the average number of shots most shooters will EVER fire from a single gun. Granted there are people who blow off ammo like someone else is paying for it, but FEW will expend $30-$50 THOUSAND dollars in ammo purchases unless they're a pro and someone else is paying the freight.

So the final answer is, No, do not add a Shok-Buff. The only benefit it will provide is the transfer or money from your pocket to their pocket.

There does exist an "upgrade" that will make your 1911 frame last as close to forever as the laws of metallurgical physics currently allow and that's the V2 Recoil damper available from 460 Rowland. While marketed for use in .460 Rowland conversions, the V2 pneumatic piston system replaces the guide rod (you should not have) and slide return spring (which you should NEVER replace with a stronger one), with a tiny "motor" that brings the slide to a halt fractionally before it meets metal, but more importantly, with ZERO residual energy! Thus, even with the mighty .460R pushing over 1,000 foot-pounds of energy, one need only run a slide return spring adequate to chamber the pistol, and coincidentally, the spring that allows it to run .45 ACP from a compensated Rowland, is the same spring that a standard, non-modified .45 ACP would run which is around 9-11 pounds believe it....or not.
I currently have a 9 pound reaction spring installed in my 1911 Rowland and the gun shoots softer than it ever did with the 20 pound spring, with zero timing issues because dwell time is preserved. I never ceased to be shocked when shooting it that it's putting out .44 magnum power and kicks no more than a standard 1911 with OEM ammo.
So if you want to add money for something that actually works, THAT actually does what it says it will do.


What is always forgotten in the world of "upgrades" is that the purpose of a fighting handgun is to RELIABLY function under as broad a range of conditions as possible, NOT to last forever, though they last plenty long if not abused.
Shok-Buffs should never be used.
Any spring rated higher than stock should never be used! As said before, the slide return spring job is to chamber and lock the pistol, NOT to "resist recoil" that's the duty of the reciprocating mass. Adding more spring weight does NOTHING for the first half of travel other than force the muzzle upward sooner, and at the back half, can limit travel - damaging dwell timing, but also siphon out just enough energy to induce stove piping - COMMON with over sprung guns, AND feedway stoppages!

Best way to modify a 1911 is to not, other than the V2 system but that's costly modification not needed for STOCK pistols.

If 1911’s needed a buffer they would come with them from the Factory. The fact that they don’t tells me they are not needed.

Some one once posted something like this: "John Moses Browning designed the 1911 and none of his drawings included a shock buffer!"

For range guns only, okay. For serious carry or hunting 1911s NO!

Attached Images

IMG_0212.jpg (74.4 KB, 3 views)

I think it was CP Bullets Tuff-Buff. I remember using them, they lasted a lot longer than the softer buffers.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Back when Colt still held a valid patent and there were few other semi-auto .45 ACP variants, we just called them "45 autos" and everyone knew what we were talking about. All that has changed, for the better, I might add. Still love my "45 autos".

They work until they don’t. They get old and crumble. Deteriorated garbage in your pistol is a bad thing.