1911 shock buffers

Are they worthwhile, or a waste?

Waste. Don't need for BE loads. Proper spring weight alleviates battering.
Jon

I put them in my Gold Cup years ago.   At some point I had function problems, and I found that the shock buffer had disintegrated and there was lots of small pieces of the shock buffer in the innards of my Gold Cup.   Never again!

Don

like Don, I tried one in an old .38 super I had many years ago saw no advantage with moderate loads.

David

Bought a new Baer Monolith some years ago that had one installed.
 
Called Baer and asked the nice lady who answered the phone what the deal with the shock buffer installed.  

She told me that if I liked them then I should always check it occasionally and replace it when it appeared worn.  

She also said that if I did not like them then I should remove it out and throw it away.

I went with the latter option and never had any problems shooting bullseye matches and loads.

I use them, even with light target loads. Are they necessary? Not sure. I repair CNC machining centers, and any part of these that even comes close to resembling the sliding action of a pistol, has a shock buffer of some sort on it. If it's good enough for a million dollar CNC machine, it's good enough for a thousand dollar pistol. But with that said, I have found crumbled shock buffers in said machines, they worked just fine, and reassembled less the buffers.

Handgun Shock-buff Recommendations: 06-10-2012
Ed Brown: Does not recommend the use of Shok-buffs in any of their guns and there is not enough room to accept a standard thick Shok-buff and sling-shot.
Les Baer: Shipped with a Shok-buff in at least their 5” Premier II guns but it is rumored that all or most will not sling-shot with the Shok-buff in place.
Wilson Combat: Shipped with a Wilson Combat Shok-buff in their 5” guns only.
A Shok-buff does limit the length that the slide travels backward.
Not all guns have enough room to use a Shok-buff and still slingshot.
Examples: Ed Browns, on at least the Executive Target & Les Baer, on at least the Premier II do not have enough room for a standard (.100-.105 thick) Shok-buff and still slingshot.
Guns that do not have enough room for a Shok-buff can exhibit 2 negative characteristics that could prove fatal in a life or death scenario.
1) Slide may not go back far enough to slingshot, that is allow the slide to be pulled back just enough to allow the slide to go forward to battery.
2) Shok-buffs may limit rearward travel enough to not allow the slide to stay open on last round fired.
Other than those limitations, Shok-buffs are a matter of personal preference & / opinion.
If you are not familiar with a Shok-buff's limitations and use one, eventually it will screw you up, and not always at a convenient time.
Dawson Precision markets a .100 thick aluminum Shok-buff (# 032-001 DP 1911 HiCap Aluma Buff Shock Buffs) that is used by a lot of the gamers & competition shooters. Ones using it seem to be quite satisfied with it. These will not work in Les Baer or Ed Brown handguns without modification due to their thickness.
Joe Cominolli of Cominolli Custom makes a shock absorber type of device that requires 2 different thicknesses of Shok-buffs. He generally sells them as a combined set but if you call him he will sell you only the thin ones, which are black in color and measure about .062 thick.
I modified a standard .105 thick Shok-buff a while back by sanding it down to about .08 thick for my new Ed Brown Executive Target. Works like a charm.
I shoot 6 different .45 autos, five 5" & 1 6" longslide, all wear 1 piece or 2 piece full-length guide rods, all are Shok-buffed, & all fully sling-shot.
I do not suggest that everybody else run a FLGR.
I do not believe in cutting coils, removing material from the back of the slide dust cover, and I believe that everybody is entitled to an opinion regarding Shok-Buffs.

Buffers are not intended to be installed once and forgotten until they break apart. Replace them every year and check them before big matches. The small amount of energy they absorb would have otherwise been recoil to your arm or a battering force on your pistol. I trim up 1911 buffers so they fit properly, pretty straight forward.

I totally agree that each individual should be free to explore them without ridicule -- you'll find (far too often) that the loudest mouth in the room has long ago decided that they are worthless. (They are not!)

I have two relevant thoughts... I use one in my Coonan Classic .357 Magnum and I feel that it is a very good idea for the typically harsh operating environment. And then I somewhat recently bought a S&W Pro Series 1911 in 9mm and going in, I knew that it had been used as a range rental gun with a high round count. While probably not "necessary", it was pleasing to see that the guy who had maintained this rental gun had a Shock-Buff installed. No complaints from this buyer.

For sure, they will dry up and crack and fall apart, keep an eye on it if you choose to use one. I might be hesitant in competition and certainly for defense/duty use.

I have pistols which were originally designed;

without shock dampers and still don't have them
without shock dampers and now have them
with shock dampers and still have them

None of the three guns have self destructed.  The discussion seems to come up regularly on 1911 related sites, but to me it seems like a belt vs. suspenders kind of discussion.