1911 SHOK-BUFFS® Reviews & Ratings

They appear well made, they are supposed to help protect your investment from wear and tear. Ill let you know in a thousand rounds.

I purchased these for my full size Kimber Stainless Raptor. Installation is a breeze and you can really feel the difference when you rack the slide: nice and soft at the end of travel instead of metal on metal. BUT: Because they decrease the distance the slide can travel rearward, the slide release will not move down on it's own when pulling the slide backwards. The only method of releasing the slide is to push the slide release down with your thumb.

These Shok Buffs smooth out the slamming of the action. Less felt recoil, faster back on target. I have them in both of my 1911s.

It's hard for me to tell the difference but I think it helps with faster double taps. I have not compared it with and without side by side. It will put a cushion between the slide and frame and that has to be good. I am a fan of the buffer concept. There was no malfunctions as a result of installing it. It seems like it makes +P rounds less harsh on the kick. This was installed on a Kimber Warrior that is a 5" 1911 handgun with stock spring.

I'll admit, this is a neat idea that is definitely worth considering with an aluminum frame pistol. That being said, these buffers limit the distance the slide can be retracted. As another reviewer mentioned, the slide stop cannot fully cam down with these installed. This requires the user to depress the slide stop to chamber the first round, which is the incorrect way to load a 1911. If there was a recoil spring that was 1/16" shorter, these would be a perfect product.

I used this on my Taurus 1911..and I can say I have mixed feelings. First, they wear out after about 200 rounds max. I do have a full length guide rod in my 1911 so I'm not sure if that has something to do with their life span. They do reduce recoil for about the first 50-100 shots, then the gun starts to malfunction after that because they start to fall apart inside the gun. when they become distorted inside the gun, they keep the gun from cycling properly. They do indeed lower recoil....however I am not sure if they fail due to the full length guide rod or a Taurus design that may be slightly different than a standard 1911.

This is what they don't tell you. I am all for protecting you investment butt. When these are installed they do not allow the slide to move rearward far enough to release the slide stop. You have to release by pressing down on the slide stop. I called Wilson Combat and they admitted to the issue but that was it. If you are installing them on a range only gun that's fine. If you a installing them on a self-defense gun it's a different story.

Sorry folks. I used to believe these were necessary or somehow advantageous to the design. After 20 years with my Colt Mk IV .45 in IDPA competition I finally tossed these or their ilk into the trash. With Zero loss of function, follow up accuracy, wear or reliabilty. Cutting springs?? Your gun will thank you when you don't have to pick degraded shock buffs out of your action.

Buyer beware. These buffers may hypothetically extend the life of [some of the components within] your 1911, however they will also cause repetitive stoppages due to the slide locking back prematurely. This is caused by the buffer not allowing the slide to stroke far enough back to move over the top of the slide stop and push it back down if it moves in to the up position from the impulse/vibration of the gun cycling. I've had this occur with multiple different brands of 1911s. All worked properly before installing the buffers and then resumed normal function once the buffer was removed. If they were slightly thinner, it might prevent this issue.

Pros is its affordable. CONS are slide cycle wont lock on empty mag due to limited slide travel. Would have been a great upgrade. So sad!