Stainless Guide Rod

Munkey Butt · Sep 19, 2012

I carry a Beretta PX4 Storm and so far i love it. So i was looking for accessories for my storm and about all i can find are lasers and flashlights (for the rail up front). So i ran across a guy who who makes Stainless Guide rods (Guiderods.com) and i'm a bit curious as to why no one makes anything for this except a guide rod. So will this help performance in my gun? Better heat dissipation? My current guide rod is Plastic (as are most guide rods).

Anyways any input is appreciated.

PJ

skidmark · Sep 19, 2012

Stainless guide rods are less prone to breaking than are plastic ones. They also are less suseptable to deterioration from exposure to solvents. That beng said, the manufacturer either has confidence that the OEM guiderod will not fail often enough to cause economic or PR problems, or does not care - you guess which is more likely the case.

I have always been amused by the folks who insist on buying a functional item and then tarting it up with frills and changes so that it almost resembles a like item they could have purchased for less than the cost of all the modifications and replacement parts. This is not a mini-rant about folks who build to meet a specific need (race guns) or about basic fluff & buff work, or even getting rid of the finger grips and stippling the grip of a Glock, but about those who buy a RIA 1911 and send it off to have everything but the frame exchanged or fiddled with.

stay safe.

Grapeshot · Sep 19, 2012

skidmark said:
--snip--

I have always been amused by the folks who insist on buying a functional item and then tarting it up with frills and changes so that it almost resembles a like item they could have purchased for less than the cost of all the modifications and replacement parts. This is not a mini-rant about folks who build to meet a specific need (race guns) or about basic fluff & buff work, or even getting rid of the finger grips and stippling the grip of a Glock, but about those who buy a RIA 1911 and send it off to have everything but the frame exchanged or fiddled with.

stay safe.

Appreciate that line of thinking Skid - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Still do see reasons that are user dependent though. For economic considerations, someone might chose to buy for less today and upgrade tomorrow when there are some extra coins in the jar.

Then there is the "make it mine" crowd that desires something uniquely different/special just for themselves.

Lastly, there are those that just like to tinker/modify for its own rewards. Besides it is fun to see if it still works when you put it back together again. :uhoh:

Three guns on a bench, each one seeking happiness......apologies to Sammy Cahn

Munkey Butt · Sep 19, 2012

Thanks for the input fellas. I'm not really interested in "blinging" out my "tools". That would be like having an gold happer, what's the reason.

I purchaced my pistol because of its simplicity, I am merely looking for a reliablility stand point.

PJ

skidmark · Sep 19, 2012

Munkey Butt;1827098 I am merely looking for a reliablility stand point. [/QUOTE said:
Everything out there is completely reliable until it fails to do what the manufacturer said it was supposed to do, in the order it is supposed to do those things. It is possible to improve reliability - to a certain degree. A lot of that, IMHO, depends on knowing both the manufacturer's specs, the overall history of their product (in terms of reliability) and your personal maintenance/care program.

I've seen folks who installed full-length guide rods because the recoil spring got so short it started falling off the half-length OEM guiderod. :banghead: If only they knew that recoil springs need to be at least a certain length to operate properly and should be replaced when they get out of spec. That's the wrong reason to replace the guide rod.

There are certain folks whos combination of dexterity (or lack thereof) and strength (or lack thereof) may cause them to run into a problem reassembling a pistol with a strong recoil spring and a half-length guide rod. I've seen it happen! Swapping for a full-length guide rod made it possible for them to get all the parts back together and working. It "improved" reliability.

There is IMHO nothing wrong with making something "better" or "prettier" as long as you started out with something that was reliable to begin with and it remains reliable in spite of any addition/upgrade. Think of how your company handles computer upgrades - some places see immediate improvement and increased productivity, and other places need weeks to recover from every upgrade. One is doing it right and the other is not.

stay safe.

Big Gay Al · Sep 30, 2012

When I bought my RIA 1911 Full size tactical, I changed 3 things on it. I replaced the FLGR (Full Length Guide Rod) with a standard length GI version. This also required I change the recoil spring plug. And I got rid of the black plastic grips for a set of smooth wood grips. That was it. No other changes needed in my opinion.

Everyone has their own reasons for what they change. If you like your weapon the way it is, then that works for you. Thing is, the 1911 has been around for so darn long (101 years now) that there are tons of different add ons for it. Until the PX4 has been around a little longer, option for it will be few. Just give it a few more years.

Stainless Guide Rod

Munkey Butt

Regular Member

skidmark

Campaign Veteran

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior

Munkey Butt

Regular Member

skidmark

Campaign Veteran

Big Gay Al

Michigan Moderator

Attachments