[Double Naught Spy]

I purchased a Cominolli Tunsten Standard Spring Plug (0.690 oz it says on the card in the bag) to replace my old spring plug. These are set up for a FLGR. The part is $41.50. The purpose of the new spring plug was to provide extra weight at the muzzle end of the gun, sort of akin to a previous thread where it was suggested lead be used (but no FLGR that shooters sometimes don't like).

The plug arrived. The shipped over a week after I ordered. When I inspected the plug, it had a long singular scratch down one side (as if it had been inserted in some other gun alredy) and had a dark, dirty oily residue that I wiped out. I suspected this part had been in someone else's gun already, they tried it, didn't like it, and returned it. I had a returned part.

The package says the part is a standard spring plug, at least it should be except for the weight. I installed it and noted it was much longer than my regular plug. When I tried to work the gun's action, the plug was too long and precluded full slide movment.

I emailed Cominolli and requested insight into the size problem, thinking maybe I had the wrong part. They never responded.

In their defense, their web site says, "The Standard Tungsten Spring Plug is also made to maximum size and is designed to be used with five inch bushing barrel pistols."
www.cominolli.com/tung.htm

This was therefore apparently my misinterpretation. Since I had a 5" barreled gun, I thought it would just fit. It did not require slight fitting, but significant cutting to fit.

I cut off approximately 1/4" in length to reduce the plug to the "standard" size of all the plugs used on the 1911s I have. I don't know what standard Cominolli was using, but it wasn't like any 1911 I have seen. According to my scale, the part went from 0.7 oz to 0.5 oz., a reduction of 29% of the weight that was the reason for purchasing the part.

So, this is a heads-up. If you want to add weight to the muzzle end of your 1911 and this sounds like the route for you, note that the part is expensive and may end up being considerably less in weight after being fitted to your gun. You will be paying for weight that you will not get to use. My regular spring cap weighed 0.2 oz, so I gained only 0.3 oz at a cost of approximately $14 for each addtional 0.1 oz added over the old part. Needless to say, there is no great weight change and it was not cost effective.

 

[JOEE]

I haven't used any of his parts yet but did send him a pistol for some work.turns out that the pistol was a p.o.s. and Joe thought it was better not to even try working on the pistol. He called me more than once during the daytime and he even called me at night. Joe didn't charge me a dime for his inspection,which included various measurements and a letter to me explaining the problems he even shipped it back to me at his expense. He was not trying to sell me anything else his main concern was for my saftey. I think he's one stand-up guy and for sure one honest pistolsmith. Not flaming you SPY just relating my dealings with Joe

 

[PK]

DoubleNaught,
That's weird, most part's companies have worked hard to make any problems I've had before. I've never used Cominolli before however. A few points that might help, one is that I rarely use email anymore as a means of complaint, as I don't find it reliable enough, better to pick up the phone IMHO.

You also mentioned the part was set up for a FLGR, could that have played a role in the functioning problem? The final thing has to do with using a tungsten plug in the gun. The problem is that upon firing all the weight you put in the muzzle suddenly shifts back to your hand. Not great for recoil control. I know there are those who don't like FLGRs, but I've seen quite a few guns with them and never seen a FLGR related malcuntion. I don't want to start another FLGR war, but they are truly the best way to add weight. Plus I can add two full ounces of non-moving weight to the muzzle for 50 bucks. Not a bad deal really.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

PK, I did not email a complaint, but a query. They had answered a previous query for me after I ordered the part and before it arrived. That query was whether or not they had shipped the part because I had not gotten it yet and I was afaid it was lost in the mail. It wasn't. They just hadn't shipped it and told me that it was going out that day. I have to wonder if they would have shipped that day had I not emailed.

As far as the FLGR question, the FLGR was absolutely a non-factor in the equation. The Cominolli part was more than 1/4" too long! At that much beyond what was supposedly "standard," it just would not physically let the slide travel the full distance and so the ejection port did not completely open up. I would not have attempted to shoot the gun in that configuration.

Oh, and as far as adding weight to the slide as being a bad thing, PK, certainly you could be correct in some cases. However, the plug is only 0.5 oz after I cut it down to fit, the "standard" plug coming with the gun was 0.2 oz, so we are talking about 0.3 of an ounce increase in slide weight. Depending on your choise of parts, you could duplicate that with changing out the sights. In other words, it is a really small amount of weight, but it is significant for muzzle flip because of its placement at the end of the slide. I shot close to 350 rounds through it today with the new spring plug and the gun functioned just fine. I had zero malfunctions related to the gun, but did manage to start two drills without a magazine inserted (user error only).

PK, you are correct in that adding weight with a tungsten FLGR is a really good way to go and based on cost per ounce, a helluva lot cheaper for the weight added.

 

[gyp_c]

Does your pistol have a bull barrel and "reverse plug" set-up? If not, could they have sent you that part instead of the part for the bushing set-up? They are distinctly different, I guess you'd notice if that was the case...Although...that 1/4" sounds just about right to make up for the difference in using a reverse plug for a FLGR...Oh well...

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>>>>>>>>>>g2<<<<<<<<<<

!!!Molon Labe'!!!

 

[PK]

I think gyp_c might be no the right track...

I know I have a one bushing plug in my Para thea is longer than others I've seen, but I son't think it's THAT much longer.