S&W 1911 guide rod

CAJUNLAWYER

CAJUNLAWYER

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Do these pistols come standard with a one piece or two piece rod?
Which is better? I would think that the pistol was originally designed with a two piece so it ought to be what was intended but I'm still a noob with these things. Another thought. Why did they change the extractor??? One of the things I liked about the plain jane 1911 was just how clean and uncluttered it looked. The external extractor and the one piece guide rod definately detract from that look in my opinion.
 
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My S&W 1911 Pro .45 (SKU 178011) came with the same style recoil spring rod, recoil spring, and recoil spring plug as the 1911A1 and 1991A1 Colts.
Works fine. I don't like the full length recoil spring rods as they are more trouble, and I can't tell any difference in accuracy for my purposes.

The S&W extractor is external and works fine also. I have various 1911 .45s with the standard extractor, Paraord PXT power extractor, and the S&W external extractor. Never had any trouble with any of them, so I have no preference.
 
Am no expert, but I've been told that the biggest weakness in the original 1911 design is the internal extractor, flex and breakage.
So theoretically the S&W unit is a positive.
FWIW, we have S&W, Para and Colt design 1911's and have never had an issue with any extractors and they all run fine.
 
All that I have heard is that a two-piece system is prone to binding of the recoil spring; and that a one-piece rod is more difficult to disassemble/assemble the pistol. True or not, I have no clue. Depending on which SKU of Smith you pick, it could have one or the other.

As far as Smith's external extractor, no comparison in my experience. Internal extractors are sensitive to proper tension that tends to loosen over time and rounds fired. Then there is the problem with them breaking. Smith has used an external version for decades (third generation pistols firing 10mm and 45 ACP with no problems) and seems to have it down pat (unlike poor Kimber).
 
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My 1911 9mm Pro has a full-length guide rod and it's no big deal to me, same as the external extractor. The gun is very accurate and has been 100% reliable, the take down issues associated with the FLGR don't bother me. My Springfield Loaded has a 2 piece FLGR and my Colt 1991-A1 has a short GI style. Both have internal extractors, both function and shoot great. I see no reason to change anything on any of them (except the floppy trigger on the S&W:mad:).
 
Your 1911 needs a full length guide rod like a chicken needs mud flaps. It accomplishes nothing except allowing the manufacturer and the gunsmith installing it to make a bit more money.

I expect that S&W went to the external extractor on their 1911 because they have tremendous experience with making reliable pistols with that design and it probably costs a little bit less to manufacture it that way.
 
Full length guide rods are an answer to a question nobody asked. They do nothing but make the gun harder to field strip and put back together. My Kimber came with a full length rod, I replaced it with a short GI rod.
 
Gather a group of 1911 experts? fans? whatever, and endless arguments can be started about at least three things
1; Best magazine, with subs of # rounds, follower design, etc.
2; Guide rods, single pc, two pc, original design, weighted etc.
3: Does the average 1911 headspace on the case mouth?

When those fights are over, you could start another about fully supported vs ramped barrels.
 
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