Stupid question i'm sure

[dobbsjv]

What exactly does the guide rod and spring do besides aid the slide movement (i would assume.) I see all these people getting aftermarket guide rods and springs for their guns, what is the advantage to all this. While i'm at it, should I send my gun to Springer to have trijicons put on or should i hit up my local gunsmith who works out of his spare bedroom that i have no clue about his credibility?

[pinpointshot]

well the guide rod spring absorbs the backward force (recoil) of the gun when you fire so it doesnt slam the slide back. You really want the heaviest one you can get that will still allow the slide to go all the way back when you fire so it will chamber another round. If the spring is to light or is worn out then when you fire the gun the slide will slam back hard causeing your muzzle to rise high and can damage your gun since it wont take up the recoil so the energy must travel elsewhere in the gun.

[aphexafx]

Originally Posted by dobbsjv

What exactly does the guide rod and spring do besides aid the slide movement (i would assume.) I see all these people getting aftermarket guide rods and springs for their guns, what is the advantage to all this. While i'm at it, should I send my gun to Springer to have trijicons put on or should i hit up my local gunsmith who works out of his spare bedroom that i have no clue about his credibility?

Oooh, did my Trijicon advice find home?

I just ordered Trij's from Trijicon themselves, but there is a 12-day lead time. When I get them, I'm going to take them to a local gunsmith for installation. This way I don't have to part with my gun.

You'll spend about $40 to have them installed locally, which in the end probably come out to what you'd spend by sending the gun to SA Custom or Springer, per shipping, etc. The sights themselves can be had for as low as $85 plus shipping. They are about $100 from Trijicon - but they are fresh off the line, for sure.

[dobbsjv]

Yeah they did find home, I had been looking at TruGlo's and had a post on here somewhere and nothing really great came from anyone using TruGlo's so I have decided to go w/the Trijicons. Cheapest I have found them is on Ebay, so now I just have to find someone to put them on and i'm ready to go.

[aphexafx]

Originally Posted by dobbsjv

Yeah they did find home, I had been looking at TruGlo's and had a post on here somewhere and nothing really great came from anyone using TruGlo's so I have decided to go w/the Trijicons. Cheapest I have found them is on Ebay, so now I just have to find someone to put them on and i'm ready to go.

I don't know if you've ever see Trijicon sights first-hand, so feel free to ignore me if this comes off as patronizing (it's inadvertant). But, they ARE NOT bright, and it has to be pretty dark to even detect that they are glowing. They show up just before I would have trouble with the white-sights. I think the ambient light-to-tritium glow to be just about perfect for real use, but I know some people are a little disappointed at first. Just FYI. I said "at first" because pretty much everyone I know who uses them loves them. I love them very much. I think they are the best tritium sights made.

I hope this thread doesn't turn into a Trijicon vs. TruGlow debate...