Reverse Plugs and 2 peice guide rods.

Principal of a guide rod...It's as simple as this: Take a spring, and compress it between two of your fingers. What happens to the middle?...It bows, right? Now say that spring has a rod running through it. No bow, and no bow means a smoother opperation. That's all. Some people claim that it adds stability, reliability...some say it shouldnt be in the gun at all because one of the one handed methods for retracting the slide cant be done with a guide rod in the gun. It's a stupid debate really. If you are a tactical military opperator...and think that maybe one of your arms will get blown off, and you might have to manually cycle your weapon with one hand?..then leave it out...Otherwise, I say it's good to have one. I'll get off my soap box. --HD

to be more clear, it's a rod running through your recoil spring. It protrudes, like the barrel does when the gun is out of battery(slide pulled back).

MADDOG,
I think you're right about the dust cover. I never really gave it that much thought -- just took it for granted. That could be remedied I guess if one was so inclined.
I read this article not too long ago.. on a "full house" gun by Larry Vickers. It was beautiful, I must have read it five times. He explained why he would not install them, and added: "...When John Moses Browning designed the gun, you could press the muzzle on a table or against the wall to retract the slide far enough to chamber a round. You cant do that on a gun with a recoil rod." --I just happend to have the issue within reach. Maybe can't eject, but could you chamer one? By the way, he could be wrong, and it wouldn't lessen the appeal...his guns are are amazingly perfect. --HD