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706 Posts
Ok, so I had been looking at Don's guide rods and what not and I thought it was a tad bit rediculous in price for a simple guide rod. So, me being the penny pinching DIY fanatic I am,I picked up a #18 1911 spring from a gun shop for $7 and decided to take myself to the local hardware store to spelunk around. I came across a 3" long, 5/16" diameter stainless steel Clevis Pin. It was priced at $4.20. However, I went further down and found a similar pin in "zinc" (it doesn't look like zinc, I think it was another stainless steel placed in the zinc bin) for $1.45.
I was feeling pretty good about myself having only spent $8.45 on an aftermarket spring assembly, however, I realized it was missing something..... a washer to keep the spring from popping out the front. I was quite perplexed on what to use because there is no washer you can buy (at least at ACE hardware) that would fit in the little hole where the recoil spring goes. But a strange memory popped in my mind from when I used to skateboard. There were little washers that were used between the trucks and nuts to connect the wheel bearings to the locknuts (and they are tough little washers!). I went and pulled one off of my old skateboard, and BAM! Fits like a custom tailored glove.
I wound up trimming the spring a little because it was for the government model 1911, so it was a bit long, but it worked VERY well in the long run. The only down side is that the clovis pin sticks out about 1/8". I think I might file it down or something, but I haven't gotten around to it.
Test firing of 500 rounds showed little to no wear on the "guide rod assembly" I made and the washer is holding up with no warpage or damage. I'll try to get an update up once I pass the 1000 and 2000 round mark. If I had a camera, I'd upload pictures, but I bought my XD40 this summer instead of a camera. I think you all can understand.
I was feeling pretty good about myself having only spent $8.45 on an aftermarket spring assembly, however, I realized it was missing something..... a washer to keep the spring from popping out the front. I was quite perplexed on what to use because there is no washer you can buy (at least at ACE hardware) that would fit in the little hole where the recoil spring goes. But a strange memory popped in my mind from when I used to skateboard. There were little washers that were used between the trucks and nuts to connect the wheel bearings to the locknuts (and they are tough little washers!). I went and pulled one off of my old skateboard, and BAM! Fits like a custom tailored glove.
I wound up trimming the spring a little because it was for the government model 1911, so it was a bit long, but it worked VERY well in the long run. The only down side is that the clovis pin sticks out about 1/8". I think I might file it down or something, but I haven't gotten around to it.
Test firing of 500 rounds showed little to no wear on the "guide rod assembly" I made and the washer is holding up with no warpage or damage. I'll try to get an update up once I pass the 1000 and 2000 round mark. If I had a camera, I'd upload pictures, but I bought my XD40 this summer instead of a camera. I think you all can understand.
