S&W Shields and SSGUIDERODS. Where are the users?

[WARF51]

All of them do it cleaned and oiled and fully loaded. I have learned to live with it.

There are three or four reasons why they do it but other small pistols do it too. Just keep an eye on it, train to be aware of it. No pistol is perfect, Glocks do it too.

 

[deadeyedoopree]

Just got the SS GUiderod in tonight.. Just put it in the gun

It hand cycles rounds fine with the slingshot method, because as we all know the kitty bear handle on the side is mean to "lock" the slide only ;-). It chambers rounds just fine that way too btw. Really the gun seems about the same in terms of spring tension....UNTIL.......... I tried doing weak press checks to see if I could get the slide to hang up. The new SS guide rod system isn't noticably weaker until you do this....... The factory recoil spring will not allow the slide to hang up no matter what... The SS guide rod system, with the right amount of pussified press check weakness, allow the slide to be out of battery..

 

[BigDog48]

In other words it has "issues" just different "issues" than the stock RSA?

 

[deadeyedoopree]

Not necessarily... A broken in Glock recoil spring assembly would do the same thing.....

I've also noticed:

Its well built.
Its slightly noisy.

 

[dhland1]

I've not any problem with my shield it's performed flawless and my favorite cc. But wanted to try the ss guide rod plus it looks good and the slide is a little easier to pull. Today I tested the ss guide rod with 200 rounds 3 different factory round all worked perfectly. Can't say that I can tell any difference between factory in recoil or function. That said it doesn't look like it will fail like some other oem's have. Mine has 500 rounds on and looks fine but I do have a friend who has 500 rounds and when he removed the slide the end came off. S&W was great they sent him a new right away.

 

[deadeyedoopree]

I haven't tested mine out yet, but its sitting in the range bag waiting for me to throw it in. My only concern with the design is that the stress on the frame may be different than the stock spring system.

 

[WARF51]

One SS GUIDEROD in and I liked it so much I have already ordered another both for 40 bucks shipped on ebay. Smoother cycling but have not shot it yet, Am about to do so today and will report back. Mine has the spring and the screw and washer assembly installed for a drop in fit out of the package.

 

[yanici]

Just got one in the today's mail. Will shoot tomorrow and report back. I called ssguiderod and ordered two spare springs to have on hand. I'm wondering how I would clamp up the guiderod to remove the front screw so that I can change the spring, down the road. Don't want to mark up the guide rod and make burrs.

Btw, the slide operates fine and closes properly with the SSguiderod.

 

[yanici]

Well, I shot 100 rounds with SSguiderods.com Shield recoil spring and guide rod. It operated flawlessly and actually returned to battery, when I sling shot it, better than the stock spring. It was easier to rack the slide but the spring was still strong enough to do its job. I'm very happy with the product.

 

[dhland1]

I've now tested 450 rounds, 9 different brands of ammo all work fine including Sig Sauer 9mm V-Crown jhp. Just a little bit easier to rack the slide.

 

[deadeyedoopree]

I don't really forsee any problems when it comes to 500-1000 rounds. My main concern is that the SS guide rod completely eliminates a very high tension spring that IMO appears to cushion the frame from the force of the slide cycling. Another concern is the guide rod reaching an acceptable level of round count before it needs replacement. On Glocks, it is 5000 rounds or so. Does anybody know what the Shield factory RSA is supposed to be changed at?

 

[PHolster]

I still don't like the look of the stock system. I've fired about 300 rounds through this thing without any problems, but am still a little off put by how many folks admit the RSA been a problem in the past. I can manipulate the slide no problem etc, and have found no wobble or play in the front Of the stock RSA.How else should I check and make sure this thing is made properly? I've disassembled the gun about a dozen or so times and have no trouble seating the RSA in correctly.

I've got one of the SS guide rods on order already as a spare, so I will provide my input when I get the chance to test it.

The stock unit is fine. I have over 6500 round through one with no issues, as do countless others. The difference between the majority of us who have had no issue with the guide rod assembly, and those who have issues with theirs, is that those of us who have no issues, do not post on the forum to say we have no issues.

Mine I am sure is time for replacement under normal maintenance, but it is performing perfectly.

 

[John Robert]

+P

SSGuiderods product is not recommend with use of +P with their replacement unit for the Shield.

 

[serega12]

Thread revival

Hey there. New to this forum. Not new to forums in general or the gun community. Just wanted to check in and see if anyone had any new long term feedback on SS guide rods 4 years down the road. Thanks ahead!

 

[djrpolo]

Not long term feedback, but recent. Had one of our shield 9 guide rod spring assemblies come apart and figured I would give the SS guide rod a try. Unfortunately, I experienced a similar issue as described in this thread where the slide would not always return to full battery position and stop about 1/8th in short. This was experienced while firing at the range. Frustrating, so swapped it back out with the replacement that S&W had sent. Issue not experienced since.

 

[moonpup]

I've been trying to contact ssguiderods.com for the last month. I've emailed them 4 times, left 6 voicemails and have gotten no response. I was interested in trying one of the guide rods for my Shield 2.0 9mm, but was curious why they list separate ones for the original shield and the new 2.0 one. I would assume they are one in the same and interchangeable, but can't seem to get any information from them. Anyone here, know if they are actually different?

 

[ultratec00]

You do realize they're in florida and the general area where all the rain/flooding is happening?

All my Shields have SSGRs. No issues and actually improved grouping for the loads I use in my Shield 9 and both Shield 45s.

I've been trying to contact ssguiderods.com for the last month. I've emailed them 4 times, left 6 voicemails and have gotten no response.

 

[moonpup]

Would you happen to know if the RSA's they list for the original Shield and Shield 2.0 9mm's are the same? I would think they are, but not sure why they list them as separate items.

 

[Echo40]

It's funny how folks always seem to believe that metal guiderods are superior to polymer guiderods and put down guns that ship from the factory that way, yet they forget that although polymer guiderods wear out more quickly than a properly maintained metal guiderod, polymer guiderods are more flexible and less likely to become permanently bent. That's why the Army used polymer guiderods in the Beretta M9A1, not because it was cheaper, but because bent guiderods in the field weren't an uncommon occurrence, and obviously that was a potentially serious problem.

Personally, I've come around to polymer guiderods because I'd rather have to buy a cheap replacement guiderod periodically after firing a fixed amount of rounds then have to worry about a steel guiderod getting bent.

 

[moonpup]

I have no preference either way... I simply want to know if there's a difference between the two listed on the website. Since I can't get a reply from the company and no one here seems to know, I guess I'll never find out.