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Hope this is ok to ask here.

I know it sounds silly but i'm having a heck of a time trying to install the incredibly long recoil spring set up in the pistol....6 inch long slide with bushing, 9mm.

From and accuracy perspective the pistol shoots like a dream.

Despite a full length 2 piece rod it is pretty tough to install.

Even using the lightest spring from Wolff it is so long it is unruly. If i cut off a few rings (shortening the spring) it is somewhat easier to install but of course the timing changes becoming ever more sluggish and to be quite honest with you its still a bear to install.

Have tried several permutations, slide on frame, slide off frame, slide upside down, progressively marching frame over springs while trying to keep the spring in place as i try to thread the rod, trying to align the spring on a longer rod...all to no avail.

Would sure appreciate any recommendations/help. Thought perhaps someone had a captured set up that might be easier to work with. My Hands/fingers are taking a beating.

thanks

Does the guide rod have a little hole for a bent piece of paper clip? That's the shortest route to what you want, I think. So you would remove the slide, push the guide rod forward, insert the little "L" piece, and pull the now-captured spring and guide rod out.

I don't believe I've ever seen a true captured system offered for the 1911. Some 6"ers use regular Gov't length springs by virtue of a spring plug that is not drilled to full depth.

Hope that helps!

Mr. Christiansen, thank you. You're always so helpful. I really appreciate it.

I just checked, the spring tunnel hasn't been modified and i have no mill or lathe.
Unfortunately the current 2 piece guide rod does not have a hole through it. I do understand what you mean.

I'll have to see if someone can drill a hole through it.

Maybe Brownells has one. I'll check.

Addendum: my next door neighbor offered to drill a hole in the rod for me. I'll update once i get it back. thank you again.

Drilling the hole is an easy-enough job that anyone who can run power tools and not bleed, should be able to manage it.

I'm surprised anyone makes a rod that isn't drilled, even a two-piece.

A six-inch 9mm? That's an interesting idea.

It shoots very accurately and has a slow and rhythmic cycle that i enjoy very much. It also has very little recoil which is great.

A really wonderful and talented friend helped me a lot but he lives very far away.

My neighbor was kind enough to drill a capture hole for me. i polished it up and tried once again.

The problem remains......unfortunately, when the two parts of the segmented recoil spring rod are joined the unit is then too long to extract from the slide..... i should have checked in advance.

I did manage once again get it all together by feeding a thinner malleable rod (chop stick) through the recoil spring plug and slowly fed the spring along the axis catepillar style....as it was advancing i mounted the frame to slide (upside down) to try to keep the spring from jumping out at me. Somehow eventually i got it together after exchanging the chop stick for the second half of the recoil spring guide rod.

There's must be an easier way.

Perhaps i'll have to get the slide milled for a reverse plug, however i was hoping i wouldn't have to go there as its probably pretty expensive.