OEM Guide Rod - Spring Change?

[EvilBetty]

I know it's not recommended, and I know it's supposed to be a PITA, but I swear I saw a video linked somewhere, where someone had a trick for changing it out. I didn't pay any attention to it at the time, but now I have a thought of setting a couple of these up with ISMI springs, color coding them, and leaving them in the bag for use with different hand loads. Plus they are cheaper than SS guide rods.

Does anyone recall seeing such video, or write up?

 

[Rastoff]

Not much of a trick. Compress the spring, grasp rod with pliers, unscrew nut, install and compress new spring, install nut with a little blue loc tite and you're done.

Personally, if I were going to change my springs that much, I'd just get the non-captured stainless rod and avoid the whole process. They're only $20 and will be a lot easier than changing the spring on a captured rod.

 

[OKFC05]

I put the fixed end of the rod in a soft-jawed vise and remove the end bolt with a miniature socket wrench. Control the spring to avoid getting a face full of spring. Brownells sells the ISMI flat-coiled springs in several weights.
If you switch to piano-wire type springs, be aware they do not last nearly as long as the flatwound ones.