Newbie to 1911's....

Well, actually I have had a few over the years but never really studied up on them. My main question is with a full sized (5") 1911 is there any pro or con to a full length guide rod over a "half lenght" guiderod? I'm in the market for a commander sized 1911 now and want to know the same thing on that size also. Thank you in advance for any insight you can give.

I don't really know if there is "any" pro vs con. I prefer the GI style (original 1911 style) and not the full length guide rod. I have purchased a few new ones with the full length guide rod and changed them out. This is just "my" personal preference. It's still my all time favorite pistol design, no matter which setup it comes with.

Tmva has a wealth of 1911 knowledge. If he doesn't chime in soon then maybe pm him. 5 inch guns are generally more realiable. The shorter you go the more often you should swap recoil springs because they wear out quicker. I have had some 4 inch ones that were great shooting guns. I wouldn't go any shorter if you plan on trusting your life to it for reliability reasons.

I prefer GI style. They make 1911's far far simpler to disassemble in the field. FLGR are great for competitions. Generally with Commander sized and less you have a bull bbl and need some kind of tool to insert in the hole in the guide rod to disassemble.

I've got 1911's of all sizes. I've found that Full and Commander sized are far more dependable but I do have many the 3.5" Officers models and find them to be extremely reliable.

My Kimber Ultra Raptors, Colt Officers Models, Sig Ultra Compacts and Springfield Compacts I've had nary an issue. I have had issues with 1 Rock Island 3.5. My ATI Titan 3.5 has gone 13k rounds stock without an issue, but I seem to remember back when I got my very first Safari Arms Black Widow I had functioning issues for about 800 rounds, after that, perfection.

Full length guide rods have never been proven to improve reliability in a 1911 and they do complicate disassembly.

I have a few guns with them. I don't usually remove them but I would not install one in a personal gun.

If you are seeking improved reliability in a 1911 that you will put a lot of rounds through, a flat wire recoil spring is a good choice. You must change the guide to use flat wire.

To the comments on barrel /slide length: I would never personally buy anything shorter than 4".