1911 recoil buffers - Y/N?

[Ichiban]

I recently acquired a pre-owned 1911 (Para Nite-Tac) that has a recoil buffer.  Since I have never had/used one before I thought I would ask the collective wisdom of the DRTV forum their opinions.  Do I keep it (the buffer, the gun is a keeper) or toss it?

[PegLeg45]

Opinions may vary. There are some that hold up better than others. A lot depends on how long they stay in the gun and what kind of cleaning products get on them.

Here are some that come out of one of my 1911's after being stored for a while after a good cleaning.

[Fatman]

Buffers and my Paras don't mix. FTF, mostly.

[MikeBjerum]

On my factory stock 1911 I couldn't tell the difference with it or without.  However, when I tried a lighter spring I felt the buffer helped give a softer feel.  Take it out, and if it is comfortable to shoot don't put one back.  It is a personal comfort or feel thing in a stock gun, and they are cheep enough that the "placibo factor" isn't an issue either.

I have never had one fall apart like Pirate Bob, but I use my thumbnail to check softness.  When I can't dent them easily I replace.  I also replace them when the spring has worn a groove into them.  I think most manufacturers talk about 1,000 shots of useful life.

[dalea]

I have used em on my 5" and comanders with no ill affect. My SA Champion 4" FTF all the time.

[Sponsor]

[PegLeg45]

I should clarify, They were Wilson's Shok-Buffs and I've never had one fail while using the gun. They just got brittle after storage.
I never really saw a need for them if you have the right spring-to-load for the gun, though.
JMB didn't put them in his design, so I quit using them...just in case.

Just my 2 dull pennies.  

[tombogan03884]

I'd use it till it needed replacement (See above post by PegLeg ) then decide if it was worth paying for a replacement.

[Ksail101]

Buffers and a Carry\Duty guns dont work. I see that Burns Custom use them, and like what has been stated before some work better than others, but they are one more thing to stop your gun when you need to be running. Also from what I have seen if your guns gets real dirty and hot you have a real problem.

[Rob Pincus]

No.

About a year ago, I had a student who could not get his gun to go into battery after pulling back and releasing. After some examination and discussion, it became obvious that the buffer was causing the problem.

This caused more thought and has resulted in my opinion that a buffer is DANGEROUS. If the buffer prevents the full rearward motion of the slide relative to the frame, it is also preventing the full opening of the ejection port (specifcally because of the movement of the slide relative to the barrel, which is connected to the frame) and the full intended force of the ejector against the rear of the case... both of these can cause reliability issues. In the former case, a FTF round may not eject reliably resulting in a double feed or stovepipe..... in the later any round may not be completely cast out of the way of the slide as it returns forward resulting in a stovepipe.
I have never been convinced that they are a necessary thing, but since it has become obvious that they cause real problems, I suggest to students and anyone else who asks that they take them out immediately.

The original problem was caused by the lack of complete rearward travel which meant that the slide was not fully pushing the slide-release down out of the way.

Of course, as these things work, now that I know what to look for, I have seen the problems several times.

-RJP

[wisconsin]

I took mine out because of the problems with FTF etc. I thought it was a warranty problem with my 6" Springfield. Before I sent it in I removed the buffer. They called and said they could not dublicate the problem I was having and sent it back, I put the buffer back in and the problem  showed up again. Then it dawned on me to remove the buffer and guess what the problem has never come back. I could of saved myself the trouble of having to send it in for repair on an issue that I caused. So I don't use them anymore