SS guide rods

SwflG17Guy · Jun 23, 2017

I bought a stainless steel guide rod for my shield.45 from
ssguiderods.com and received it today. They are very quick shippers.
When I took the slide off to switch it the old one just fell out. I've been having trouble with being loose for awhile. It never seemed to hurt function though so I kept it for backup.
The new one fits great and seems to be built pretty stout. Racking is smoother but I won't be able to shoot it until probably Tuesday. I don't anticipate any problems.
It seems like a good option to me. Ill let you know how it shoots.

John Reid · Jun 23, 2017

Please let the forum know how it new SS guide rod performs in your Shield .45.

SwflG17Guy · Jun 24, 2017

Absolutely will do.

ScaryWoody · Jun 24, 2017

Any noticeable change in recoil?

SwflG17Guy · Jun 24, 2017

I haven't been able to shoot it yet. It will be Monday before I can get to the range.

xdmshooter59 · Jun 25, 2017

I have SS guide rod and spring setup in my PC Shield 9. No problems at all. Did not notice any change in recoil. Biggest difference is how much easier and smoother it is to work the slide.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

gqllc007 · Jun 25, 2017

I have both SS guide rods in .45 Shield and 9mm Shield. Both perform flawlessly No notice of change of recoil. It's for reliability not for reduction in recoil

nachogrande · Jun 25, 2017

DON'T OWN A SHIELD.

I have switched to s/s rods in 3 Sigs. Honestly, with hand neuropathy I can't tell any huge difference. If you believe it makes an improvement (I believe) it MAY be reflected in better shooting??? I also believe trying different ammo brands/types if using store bought ammo or tweaking the load (brand & wt of bullet, oal of brass, seating depth etc), if handloading, will matter more.

1sailor · Jun 25, 2017

I am not a fan of the OEM guide rod assembly in the Shield .45 and planned on replacing it as soon as someone began producing a quality assembly. I went to the website mentioned by the OP but they don't really give much info on their site. Is it a captive system like the factories or a separate, replaceable spring.

SwflG17Guy · Jun 25, 2017

It looks to me as if you really wanted to you could screw off the end and replace the spring.
I wanted it because the stock assembly doesn't have any tension any longer, it falls out when you put the slide back on.
The slide operation is definitely easier and I am glad to read about the operation also. I didn't intend recoil to change really as much as reliability.
Ill see if I can get a pic of the end I am talking about after work.
Although it might be funny to flip it out on the desk and do it here.

1sailor · Jun 25, 2017

Thanks. My spring assembly still works but like you I don't like the idea that it will simply fall out once the slide is removed. I've only put about 800 rounds through the pistol so far so it's not like it should be worn out or anything. This hasn't caused any issues, I would just prefer something a little more robust. I have also found that the OEM assembly can cause some issues if you don't take a couple of seconds to make sure everything is correctly aligned/installed. Again, I'm not saying it's a bad part I just would prefer to replace it.

xdmshooter59 · Jun 25, 2017

1sailor said:
I went to the website mentioned by the OP but they don't really give much info on their site. Is it a captive system like the factories or a separate, replaceable spring.

On my standard 9mm assembly it looks like you could disassemble the spring from the rod on one end, but unless I missed something I don't see on their website where they sell springs and or rods separately. it's all sold as an assembly.

SwflG17Guy · Jun 26, 2017

The gun shot fantastic. The guide rod worked great. I put 135 rds through it and no issues.
This was the first mag at about 17 yards rapid fire. I didn't notice any difference in recoil with the new guide rod.

After that I got my finger placement better on the trigger and everything straightened out nicely.
This is also the first time since I moved my front sight that I got to shoot it and it was much better.
I am very comfortable with this pistol as my edc.

Disabled1 · Jun 26, 2017

I am not sure how the Shield frame is built. But, with the SD series gun frame, a SS guide rod beats the frame to HADES and back. A lot of SD owners were having problems after installing a SS guide rod.
BTW, S&W will send you a FREE guide rod if you own an SD series gun. I'm not sure if they do it for the M&P (I don't see why not) but I am going to call them tomorrow and ask.

BigDog48 · Jun 26, 2017

Disabled1 said:
I am not sure how the Shield frame is built. But, with the SD series gun frame, a SS guide rod beats the frame to HADES and back. A lot of SD owners were having problems after installing a SS guide rod.
BTW, S&W will send you a FREE guide rod if you own an SD series gun. I'm not sure if they do it for the M&P (I don't see why not) but I am going to call them tomorrow and ask.

That is exactly my concern about the Shield SS guide rod replacements. Non-spec is non--spec; and the spec was decided on for a reason.

rifmon · Jun 27, 2017

Please excuse my ignorance on the matter but what is the stock guide rod made of? I thought it was blackened stainless steel.

SwflG17Guy · Jun 27, 2017

I don't know what the stock piece is made of but I DO know it sucks. It wont stay put as the skinny end bends enough that it wont sit tight.
So far I haven't seen any stock ones for sale.
If I did I would have a few in my bag like I do for my glock. So this works well for now.

Arik · Jun 27, 2017

SwflG17Guy said:
I don't know what the stock piece is made of but I DO know it sucks. It wont stay put as the skinny end bends enough that it wont sit tight.
So far I haven't seen any stock ones for sale.
If I did I would have a few in my bag like I do for my glock. So this works well for now.

It should not just fall out. That may be a defect. However SS guide rods are accessory in search of a problem. They don't do anything the original doesn't.

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Disabled1 · Jun 27, 2017

rifmon said:
Please excuse my ignorance on the matter but what is the stock guide rod made of? I thought it was blackened stainless steel.

I "think" it's polished carbon steel. But, when I call S&W later this AM and ask if they provide FREE guide rods (like they do for the SD series guns) I will get back to y'all with the answer.
To be continued...........

sodacan · Jun 27, 2017

I put a S/S guide rod in my Sig P229 Elite Stainless just because I hated having a plastic one. It was hard to believe they put a plastic one in such a pricey gun. It didn't make it run any better, just made me feel better. The gun is such a brick, I didn't notice any difference in the recoil.

SS guide rods

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