As I have heard it (having never seen one fail myself) the early blued Officer's models had a small number of failures, due to the locking tab on the recoil spring plug shearing off. As far as I know, it has never been a problem with the stainless models. (Anybody out there with experience to the contrary - please chime in.)
Having said that, one of the first modifications I made to my stainless Officer's was to have the King guide rod/bushing system installed. The bushing is a thicker, stronger unit that is oversized - but very easy to fit with crocus cloth. That was some years ago, and it has always worked great. I did it just for "peace of mind", having heard the same thing, along with concerns with the thinness of the barrel bushing on the Officer's. The new Defenders have the cone barrel combined with the Seecamp system dual guide rod/spring combo that is now used by everyone on compact autos, which seems to satisfy all concerns.
Most if not all of the reverse plug systems require the removal of a small amount of material from the area where they contact the slide. There is now a drop in plug that is reinforced and does not require filing/machining - check Brownell's catalog.
Warmly, Col. Colt
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