The Failure of Recoil Buffers by John Farnam
February 14th, 2008 by Syd
13 Feb 08
After-market, recoil buffers
Now and then, students bring 1911 pistols with after-market, recoil buffers, sometimes installed by a custom gunsmith, sometimes installed by the owner himself. We had such a custom 1911 in a course in CA last weekend. The pistol was beautiful, but it gave us nothing but trouble!
Normally, with bitter experience as my guide, I remove all such recoil buffers when I inspect guns at the start of the Course. However, this particular 1911 had a full-length ejector rod, and I calculated that getting rid of the buffer would be more trouble than it was worth. I told the student to shoot the pistol as it was. A mistake, as it turns out! Failures to feed and eject were rampant. The student waxed frustrated, to say the least!
During the first break, I recanted, and the student and I conspired to remove the buffer. It was a pain in the ass getting it out, but, once we did, we were rewarded with a pistol that functioned normally! Feeding and ejection problems instantly disappeared, and the gun ran fine for the duration.
The foregoing scenario is all too common. Rubber/plastic recoil buffers, usually consisting of a “doughnut” that fits over the recoil-spring guide-rod, prevent the slide from going all the way backwards, resulting in forward movement of the slide that is weak and ineffective. In addition, buffers often make it impossible to send the slide forward by pulling it all the way to the rear and subsequently releasing it, because the slide can’t move far enough to the rear to cam down the slide lock lever.
As if that weren’t enough, buffers, in my experience, typically fall apart and break in half, usually within two hundred rounds. The halves then fall off the recoil rod, and the slide subsequently seizes completely, rendering the pistol useless!
Recoil buffers are seen mostly on 1911 pistols, although they can be made for others. Per the foregoing, none are recommended on any serious pistol.
As Kipling put it, “With all the pain and sorrow in store, why do we always arrange for more?”
/John
I always had a doubt about buffers. I believe if John Browning thought the pistol should have one, he would have put one in !
I have one in each of my two 1911’s and will remove them today. Thank you .
I was thinking about giving the buffers a try, but not now! Thanks a bunch.
I’ve had the same experience with shok buffs. They just cause lots of problems as well as falling apart after only a few hundred, or less, rounds.
They are a waste of money!
Thank you! I’ve been telling folks this for years, and it’s great to hear it from a recognized authority.
The 1911 as John Browning designed her ain’t broken.
Don’t fix it with doodads and folderol. People need to learn about the after market parts and modification industry before they buy this stuff. Just because someone says it’s cool doesn’t mean it is. Always go with what is known to work in combat. Remember, Murphy was an optimist.
I had never even considered a buffer for a 1911, but I HAD considered one for my Mini-14. The description of troubles that accompany (not being able to pull the slide, or in my case bolt, all the way back) has made me reconsider the entire thing. Thanks!
I’ve had some in my 1911 and removed it for the same reason. I also had one in my Mini-14 and it caused nothing but trouble until I removed it too. I think the only one which works is in my SKS, go figure…
I bought the Wilson “Shok-Buff” system for a Springfield Mil-Spec. It lasted for one IDPA match. It has always mystified me why Wilson sells such a system. When I tested a Wilson CQB, guess what? It didn’t have a buffer in it.
I have a Buffer on my SA 1911 G.I. It has a 1000 rounds on it with out a problem. I will keep this in mind though as soon as it becomes a problem it is coming off.
On the contrary, I have run buffers for 30 years with no adverse effects. I check them every time I clean the gun, and remove them when worn. But I also tend to shoot warm reloads, with extra power recoil springs. I balance the loads so the guns run 100%. My guns, however, are fighting guns, not competition guns. They are mostly old and very ‘worn in’. Your results may vary.
My results, worth what you paid for them.
Both of my STI`s were put together with a full length guide rods and both with shok-buffs. One being older than the other gun obviously has more rounds through it. I average at least 300 rounds a week through them, neither gun has failed because of a shok-buff or any other reason.
They are not carry guns and I will continue with the shok-buffs untill a failure can convince me to remove them. My personal $.02 worth.
Yes, they do work in some guns. I think the thrust of John’s article is that they tend to cause problems and if you are having those kinds of problems and have the shok-buffs installed, that may be a good place to start looking for the problem.
My Wilson Classic came equipped with a full length guide rod and a shok-buff. Take down is the same as the standard guide rod. Push down the spring plug and turn the bushing. Don’t see why people have a problem with it.
Wilson advises to change the buffer at one thousand rounds. They still looked good so I decided to see how long they would last, I don’t carry this gun. I put a new one in today at two thousand rounds. It looked like it was time.
The gun has 7,000 rounds through it now. Never a failure to feed, eject or lock open after the last round.
Still in a bag in my 1911 “spare parts box”. That’s where they’ll stay. KISS> Keep It Simple Stupid.
I have a wilson combat recoil buffer in my 1911A1 made by Ithaca its a II ww production gun and its working fine after several thousends of rounds fired.And I have one installed on my riffle as well it works great on my L1A1 it takes out the noise and battering of the bolt hitting the frame and no problems with feeding the ammo or what so ever!!
gr.Cor,The Netherlands
what the hell is a full-length ejector rod?
had one in my rock island.it never ever malfunctioned(contrary to popular belief) until i put it in.failure to eject and feed until after about 20 rounds when the slide jammed.on disassembly,it was discovered that the buffer was smashed to pieces and hanging up the slide.made it shoot like a bb gun,however one of the cheap ones that seldom work.stay away
I USED SEVERAL RECOIL BUFFERS IN MY GOVERNMENT MODEL,AND NEVER HAVE A PROBLEM,BUT AFTER READ THIS ARTICLE,ITHINK I DONT WANT TO RUN THE CHANCE TO HAVE A MALFUNCTION PROBLEM.
One thing to check when using a shok-buff is the dust cover,the part of the slide that contacts the buffer. I noticed that I was getting deep cuts on the shok-buff on one of my government models due to the sharp edges on the slide. With some emery cloth I took the edge off the slide, and I have never had a problem since. Also, no need to worry about the finish of the firearm because the frame covers the slide where you took the sharp edge off .
I use them in my SA GI .45 with an 18.5lb. recoil spring. no problems with them. I use the wilson shok-buffs. As always each 1911 is unique unto itself in what ammo, parts, etc. that it will work with. that’s why i love to tinker with them.
If one can not handle the recoil of a 1911, perhaps one should be shooting a .380.
Heh, my 1911 has a lot less perceptible recoil than my Bersa .380. Honestly, the 1911 has very little recoil, if you can’t handle it, consider drinking more milk.
Have always run Shok-buffs and 13#spring in my Kimber with no problems whatsoever.
The buffers wear out in 1000-1200 rds. They should be checked at each cleaning.
I once ran 14,000 rds. without a malfunction of any kind.
I run them in my Colt Officer’s models. Never a problem. However, both the steel and aluminum frame guns have reverse spring plugs (NEVER trust your life to one using the original type spring plug/w tab). These plugs have a wide flange at the rear, which is what impacts the shock buff. This eliminates the cutting/shearing action the narrow edge of the dust cover usually causes. Consequently, they don’t spit off pieces, or shred or break. Actually, it would be better if they were a little softer, since so much more of the buffs surface is touched by the flange, it acts stiffer than is needed. Hmmm, think I should start inquiring about this.