CW380 Guide Rod--AGAIN!!

[Ikeo74]

I am wondering if the gunsmith replaced 1 or both springs with a new spring. They just don't look like the inner spring is small enough to clear the outer spring without binding. If you get a new guide rod, get new springs too. Something about the springs just doesn't look right. It kind of looks like both springs are the same size. May be my imagination though.

[Ed M]

Greg - Is that the actual guide rod from your 380?

No offense, but it looks like an old stripped out screw. Those grooves can't be good for smooth operation.

My Lakeline guide rod has over 1000 rounds of use, and the only sign of use is a few shiny spots. Alfonse to the rescue......

[boscobarbell]

Those aren't mine...Greg provided that illustration to assist me.

[boscobarbell]

My P380 does that if I cycle it slowly, but it's only because the slide isn't in full battery. When slowly cycling the slide (robbing it of momentum), it reaches a point where it doesn't travel any further by spring pressure; at that point a little push on the back of the slide will put it into battery. If the slide it out of battery when you pull the trigger it will feel different.
Regards,
Greg

Okay, so maybe this isn't a fatal flaw. I'll take it out and see how it cycles when it actually goes bang. Weird that this either never happened before, or it happened without me noticing it.

[topgun1953]

I am wondering if the gunsmith replaced 1 or both springs with a new spring. They just don't look like the inner spring is small enough to clear the outer spring without binding. If you get a new guide rod, get new springs too. Something about the springs just doesn't look right. It kind of looks like both springs are the same size. May be my imagination though.

Those are Greg's springs. Bosco, I'll bet the smith had a tough time removing the slide because the damage probably occurred when you shot earlier.

i don't think you have anything to worry about. Mine has been fine after needing the xacto knife treatment twice. I also had Kahr look at it when they had the gun for a trigger bar issue. I have nearly 1000 rounds through it since the last trimming.

[boscobarbell]

Those are Greg's springs. Bosco, I'll bet the smith had a tough time removing the slide because the damage probably occurred when you shot earlier.

i don't think you have anything to worry about. Mine has been fine after needing the xacto knife treatment twice. I also had Kahr look at it when they had the gun for a trigger bar issue. I have nearly 1000 rounds through it since the last trimming.

Twice for you, too? Okay, that's encouraging.

The other weird thing is that, even with the trimming, my pistol won't accept the Lakeline SS guide rod any longer. I trimmed enough for it to accept the OEM rod, but the LL is just a bit bigger (it was a tight fit to begin with), and I was reticent to do too much trimming.

[Ed M]

Bosco - there's something not right about all this.

Here's my Lakeline guide rod with the original springs. Everything looks just like the day I put it in. When I take the guide rod and spring and insert it into it's "home" in the frame, I can wiggle the muzzle end of the assembly far enough to touch the front rails - with ease. There isn't a mark on the frame from the flanged end of the guide rod either.

This CW has 1180 rounds through it - all but 100 rounds on the Lakeline guide rod. I can reliably slingshot the first round in every time as well. Looking over all the areas where you'd expect to see wear, there's none! Guess the stars were all aligned just right in Worcester on the day it was made....

[gb6491]

Greg - Is that the actual guide rod from your 380?

No offense, but it looks like an old stripped out screw. Those grooves can't be good for smooth operation.

My Lakeline guide rod has over 1000 rounds of use, and the only sign of use is a few shiny spots. Alfonse to the rescue......

Yeah, that's from my P380. It certainly wasn't someone's finest effort, but it's not as rough to touch as it looks and the pistol works with fine it (so I kind of never think about it).

Al's guide rods do look nice, especially in your photo, so I might spring for one at some point
Regards,
Greg

[boscobarbell]

Bosco - there's something not right about all this.

Here's my Lakeline guide rod with the original springs. Everything looks just like the day I put it in. When I take the guide rod and spring and insert it into it's "home" in the frame, I can wiggle the muzzle end of the assembly far enough to touch the front rails - with ease. There isn't a mark on the frame from the flanged end of the guide rod either.

This CW has 1180 rounds through it - all but 100 rounds on the Lakeline guide rod. I can reliably slingshot the first round in every time as well. Looking over all the areas where you'd expect to see wear, there's none! Guess the stars were all aligned just right in Worcester on the day it was made....

I wish I were so lucky. Regarding the Lakeline SS rod, even right out of the box it was a very, very tight fit, difficult to even seat against the barrel. Now it doesn't come close to fitting into the pocket in the frame.

I'm just amazed that the frame can deform so much with only 50 or so not-particularly-hot rounds. But I've been assured above that it can and does happen, so I'm not going to panic just yet.

This is my second attempt at being a CW380 owner, so I really hope it ends well.

[dsk]

The poly Kahrs are made using a very soft plastic, and I too have seen deformation in that area. I'm starting to think the issues I had with the slide getting stuck were due to the deformed frame (which I fixed using an X-Acto knife as well). The slide has nothing but the plastic flange inside the frame to impact against during recoil, and I bet the deformation will return in time. How many times I can trim it before there's nothing left to trim remains to be seen.