EGW Officer's Guide Rod Kit with Clark Plug

[Big Frank]

FedEx should have this here Monday - Evolution Gun Works (EGW) Officer's Guide Rod Kit with Clark Plug, SS, .45ACP (22# Officer's Spring). I bought it for my Para-Ordnance 12.45 LDA. It used to have a regular plug and single recoil spring which was too weak, and Para-Ordnance replaced it with a reverse plug, and a dual-spring system that's just like the the one in my P10-45, except a little bit longer. The bushing is as thin as a piece of sheet metal. Maybe as thick as an empty case, or less. This looks a lot stronger. They make blue and stainless kits, in .45 and 9mm. And they make .45 and 9mm/.38/.40 kits for 3" guns too. All systems use a 1/4" guide rod made from solid barstock with a take down hole. This kit includes a guide rod, reverse plug, ISMI flat recoil spring, and half a paper clip. I'll probably get one for my P10-45 some day, but for now I have a spare factory recoil system. It looks like they make guide rod kits for just about ever 1911 except Commander length.

https://egwguns.com/officer-s-guide-rod-kit-w-clark-plug-ss-45acp-22-officer-s-spring



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XalysKuVEro

[Big Frank]

I put the new guide rod system in Monday and it was a perfect fit. But the spring felt kind of light for 22 pounds. I took it out and compared it to the spare 22# Officer's spring. That one was 4" long, or just a hair over. The one that came assembled in the kit was only 3 5/8" long. I emailed EGW about it. I don't know if it's the wrong spring, or it's the right one but took a 10% set by the time it got here.

With the old recoil system I had some ammo that felt like it was dragging really bad before it chambered the first round. That was the G9 Defense Woodsman +P. I need to find that ammo and try it again, but with the Remington Ultimate Defense ammo I have in it now it snapped shut like it should. That was the only ammo I had lying out so I used it. When I fed 5 snap-caps through the mag it seated them all with authority. I guess that sounds better than saying it smacked them home. Anyway, it seems to work better now, and I'm hoping to test-fire it Labor Day weekend.

[Big Frank]

Just having my pistol setting there cocked and locked last night and most of today was enough to compress the spare spring, almost to the same length as the one that was in the kit. That one was shipped compressed just to the point where the slide stop lines up with the disassembly notch. The hole in the guide rod is in the perfect location. After I compared them I put the spring I bought as a spare in its Ziploc bag, and put the one that came in the kit back in. I loaded 2 mags, one with 12 rounds of the G9 Woodsman, and since I only have 20 rounds, 4 rounds of G9 External Hollow Points with the 8 remaining Woodsman rounds on top. After lowering the slide stop to feed the first round of each mag, I pulled the slide back and let it chamber one round after another without a hiccup. Normal-shaped bullets shouldn't be a problem.