M&P Guide Rod

TxD said:

How do you get the captured guide rod apart to change a spring?

Thanks in advance.

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I was concerned about how many rounds the recoil spring assembly would last. Put the question to S&W, the fellow I talked to checked and couldn't find any info on that. So he just sent me a spare assembly. I havent tried, but I don't think it is intended to come apart.



I use the original one for practice, then put the new one in for carry.

(I fired a few hundred rounds with the new assembly to make sure it is reliable to carry.) When malfunctions start with the old one I will let them know how many rounds it took.

Since the M&P design is pretty much like a Glock I would believe that the guide rod replacement cycle would be about the same.

At the Glock Armorers school i was told to replace the recoil spring assembly every 5,000 rounds in a 9mm and 3,000 rounds in everything else.

So that is my plan for now

hmm, I remember hearing what mike said, I have shot well past the life of the spring, and its still reliable/going strong.



Maybe I'll put a note in the box when it goes to S&W for the slide release.

You probably won't see an malfunctions until the spring is totally shot but you are risking frame damage.

Glock did not recommend changing springs until they started to see frame damage and broken rails on the .40 cal. pistols.

Now they give you a sack of springs and tell you to replace them often.



Springs are cheap insurance

mike benedict said:

You probably won't see an malfunctions until the spring is totally shot but you are risking frame damage.

Glock did not recommend changing springs until they started to see frame damage and broken rails on the .40 cal. pistols.

Now they give you a sack of springs and tell you to replace them often.



Springs are cheap insurance

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This spring has over 5,000 rounds to it's credit. The damage you speak of is worth being concerned about. And your right, springs are cheap. But curiosity has always been one weakness of mine. Think I'll go to 6,000 and think it over again. Are the Glock springs similar design?



I had the Spring assembly break in a Sigma about a year ago. The retainer broke off the end. Didn't cause any damage, just misfeeds.

Glock springs are pretty much the same except the Glock units have a plastic guide rod

Hey Guys.

Thanks for all the good info, but, how do you get the captured guide rod

apart?

you don't

Just order a new one and replace the whole thing

mike benedict said:

you don't

Just order a new one and replace the whole thing

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Or you order a guide rod for a glock 17 then use whatever springs you would like.



Dan

Never heard of a glock getting damage from a worn guide springs. I have had well over 6K rounds on the factory guide-rod spring assembly with no problems in the functioning of the gun.





I also used ISMI springs and their all steel rods now in my glocks. They offer a way to adjust the recoil spring function. I would like to see them offering something like that for the M&P.

My M&P has a separate spring and guide rod (not captured). I am guessing earlier models had this???

My early guide rod has a circular end cap that I wasn't able to get off. The later models (current production) have the end cap that has 5 or 6 sides on it. These ones can be taken apart by unscrewing. You will have to hold the guide rod in a vise (compressing the spring before you put it in there)and it should unscrew. When assembling just use a little blue loc-tite.



Other option is spend the $5-$10 and get a new one.