Spring Specific Guide Rods? - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

ranburr · 04-13-2005, 12:47 PM

What is the deal with all of these after market guide rods saying that they can only be used with a specific brand of springs? Is this something unique to the XD? I have been changing guide rod springs out for decades on other pistols, primarily 1911s. I have never used a specific brand of spring for a specific brand of guide rod and I have never had a problem. It looks as if all of the rods are the same size, so why can't brand 1 spring function on brand 2s rod? It sounds more like marketing hype to me.

ranburr

Don · 04-13-2005, 02:08 PM

It is because of the dimension left for the spring when the slide is fully retracted during recoil.
I was targeting a spring that could be bought from a number of vendors, that is more or less readily available. I did not want to do a custom spring. In order to keep the spring form slipping out the end of the slide, I opted for a washer design as the simplest solution. But, that takes up space from the spring, and still only leaves 0.020-0.030" space before the spring coils hammer together.
Wolff opted to have a larger diameter of coil at the one end of the spring to rest in the slide muzzle, to keep it contained. But the other end of the spring had to remain small enough to fit into the block in the frame. Their spring may work with my rod and no washer, I have not tried it. (I still like the having the washer, it keeps the rod centered, and is replaceable as a wear point.)
I forget the maker of the setup with the bushing

, but they designed their unit around their spring. The Wolff proprietary spring will not fit into their bushing. I think that the Wolff or Wilson spring that I suggest may work, but may be tight in the bushing. There is not much room after the spring OD for bushing walls, and I believe that they created a smaller OD spring to work best.
You can try any spring that you want with my rod, just keep in mind that it has to be short enough to fit in the allowed space, and strong enough to cock the striker when going in battery.

The XD Tactical was designed from the beginning to use the standard 1911 spring and has no issues here.

04-13-2005, 12:47 PM	#1
ranburr XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: TX Posts: 337	Spring Specific Guide Rods? What is the deal with all of these after market guide rods saying that they can only be used with a specific brand of springs? Is this something unique to the XD? I have been changing guide rod springs out for decades on other pistols, primarily 1911s. I have never used a specific brand of spring for a specific brand of guide rod and I have never had a problem. It looks as if all of the rods are the same size, so why can't brand 1 spring function on brand 2s rod? It sounds more like marketing hype to me. ranburr

04-13-2005, 02:08 PM	#2
Don XDTalk 4K Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Pullman, WA Posts: 4,267	It is because of the dimension left for the spring when the slide is fully retracted during recoil. I was targeting a spring that could be bought from a number of vendors, that is more or less readily available. I did not want to do a custom spring. In order to keep the spring form slipping out the end of the slide, I opted for a washer design as the simplest solution. But, that takes up space from the spring, and still only leaves 0.020-0.030" space before the spring coils hammer together. Wolff opted to have a larger diameter of coil at the one end of the spring to rest in the slide muzzle, to keep it contained. But the other end of the spring had to remain small enough to fit into the block in the frame. Their spring may work with my rod and no washer, I have not tried it. (I still like the having the washer, it keeps the rod centered, and is replaceable as a wear point.) I forget the maker of the setup with the bushing , but they designed their unit around their spring. The Wolff proprietary spring will not fit into their bushing. I think that the Wolff or Wilson spring that I suggest may work, but may be tight in the bushing. There is not much room after the spring OD for bushing walls, and I believe that they created a smaller OD spring to work best. You can try any spring that you want with my rod, just keep in mind that it has to be short enough to fit in the allowed space, and strong enough to cock the striker when going in battery. The XD Tactical was designed from the beginning to use the standard 1911 spring and has no issues here. __________________ Don geek with guns Why don\'t you all f-f-f-fade away.... FAQ - Don\'s Guide Rod

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