Hart's Recoil Reducer

[PA_SIGpacker]

Anybody remember the Hart's Recoil Reducer guide rods? It was a replacement recoil guide rod filled with liquid mercury and several ball bearings. It absorbed much of a handgun's recoil and was available for various models of firearms.

Years ago, I fired countless rounds through a Sig P220 with a Hart's rod installed and absolutely loved it. The recoil and muzzle flip were greatly reduced allowing faster target re-engagement. Never had any problems with ammo feeding properly either, as I've read that some shooters did have issues when firing lighter loads. Guess it depends on the particular gun and the recoil spring/ammo combination.

I'm pretty sure Hart's went out of business years ago. Does anyone know why? Was there a problem with these rods? Bottom line, I'd like to know if there is another similar product available that anyone has experience with.

[Frenchy]

Anybody remember the Hart's Recoil Reducer guide rods? It was a replacement recoil guide rod filled with liquid mercury and several ball bearings. It absorbed much of a handgun's recoil and was available for various models of firearms.

Years ago, I fired countless rounds through a Sig P220 with a Hart's rod installed and absolutely loved it. The recoil and muzzle flip were greatly reduced allowing faster target re-engagement. Never had any problems with ammo feeding properly either, as I've read that some shooters did have issues when firing lighter loads. Guess it depends on the particular gun and the recoil spring/ammo combination.

I'm pretty sure Hart's went out of business years ago. Does anyone know why? Was there a problem with these rods? Bottom line, I'd like to know if there is another similar product available that anyone has experience with.

I could only imagine there was a liability with the Mercury, if it spilled out or splashed on some one, there could be some serious poisoning going on.

Might also be that Mercury is a hard metal to find, it is always liquid unless you are talking in kelvin, then it becomes solid.

There where many uses for Mercury, one was a tube that when attached to your car would make radars go wild. Problem is, Mercury is very, very hard to contain, unless it is in a sealed glass tube like thermometers where, it would probably leak out in time. Even very tight threads in steel tumes would let out mercury, so the tube in question would need to be a glass lined steel tube welded. Today, about the only place you will see mercury is in the older thermostats and mercury lights that are some times still seen on baseball fields.

[PA_SIGpacker]

Frenchy, thank you for the magnificent insight into mercury and it's history and health hazards. This was exactly the answer I was looking for. Can you provide me with the MSDS as well?

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As far as thermometers, you might be interested to know the thermometer is a device that measures temperature or temperature gradient using a variety of different principles; it comes from the Greek roots thermo, heat, and meter, to measure. A thermometer has two important elements: the temperature sensor (e.g. the bulb on a mercury thermometer) in which some physical change occurs with temperature, plus some means of converting this physical change into a value (e.g. the scale on a mercury thermometer). Industrial thermometers commonly use electronic means to provide a digital display or input to a computer.

Thermometers can be divided into two groups according to the level of knowledge about the physical basis of the underlying thermodynamic laws and quantities. For primary thermometers the measured property of matter is known so well that temperature can be calculated without any unknown quantities. Examples of these are thermometers based on the equation of state of a gas, on the velocity of sound in a gas, on the thermal noise (see Johnson–Nyquist noise) voltage or current of an electrical resistor, and on the angular anisotropy of gamma ray emission of certain radioactive nuclei in a magnetic field.

Secondary thermometers are most widely used because of their convenience. Also, they are often much more sensitive than primary ones. For secondary thermometers knowledge of the measured property is not sufficient to allow direct calculation of temperature. They have to be calibrated against a primary thermometer at least at one temperature or at a number of fixed temperatures. Such fixed points, for example, triple points and superconducting transitions, occur reproducibly at the same temperature.

Internationally agreed temperature scales are based on fixed points and interpolating thermometers. The most recent official temperature scale is the International Temperature Scale of 1990. It extends from 0.65 K (−272.5 °C, −458.5 °F) to approximately 1,358 K (1,085 °C, 1,985 °F).

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Sorry Frenchy, I couldn't resist.

On another note, I had heard there was a similar product to the Hart's recoil reducer that used some type of oil or hydraulic fluid instead. Anybody know of it?

[Suburban]

There are a couple companies that make hydraulic buffers for AR-15 type rifles. I don't know of any made for pistols.

Sprinco makes recoil reducers for pistols. STI makes them, but only for 1911 pattern pistols. Both have springs built into the rod, and then you put your recoil spring over them.


I would guess that Hart's got tired of dealing with the EPA under clinton.

[CrazyWhiteGuy]

you could also try out wolff recoil springs.

[Frenchy]

Frenchy, thank you for the magnificent insight into mercury and it's history and health hazards. This was exactly the answer I was looking for. Can you provide me with the MSDS as well?

Incompatibilities with Other Materials: Metals, aluminum, ammonia, chlorates, copper, copper alloys, ethylene oxide, halogens, iron, nitrates, sulfur, sulfuric acid, oxygen, acetylene, lithium, rubidium, sodium carbide, lead, nitromethane, peroxyformic acid, calcium, chlorine dioxide, metal oxides, azides, 3-bromopropyne, alkynes + silver perchlorate, methylsilane + oxygen, tetracarbonylnickel + oxygen, boron diiodophosphide.

http://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/96252.htm

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As far as thermometers, you might be interested to know the thermometer is a device that measures temperature or temperature gradient using a variety of different principles; it comes from the Greek roots thermo, heat, and meter, to measure. A thermometer has two important elements: the temperature sensor (e.g. the bulb on a mercury thermometer) in which some physical change occurs with temperature, plus some means of converting this physical change into a value (e.g. the scale on a mercury thermometer). Industrial thermometers commonly use electronic means to provide a digital display or input to a computer.

Thermometers can be divided into two groups according to the level of knowledge about the physical basis of the underlying thermodynamic laws and quantities. For primary thermometers the measured property of matter is known so well that temperature can be calculated without any unknown quantities. Examples of these are thermometers based on the equation of state of a gas, on the velocity of sound in a gas, on the thermal noise (see Johnson–Nyquist noise) voltage or current of an electrical resistor, and on the angular anisotropy of gamma ray emission of certain radioactive nuclei in a magnetic field.

Secondary thermometers are most widely used because of their convenience. Also, they are often much more sensitive than primary ones. For secondary thermometers knowledge of the measured property is not sufficient to allow direct calculation of temperature. They have to be calibrated against a primary thermometer at least at one temperature or at a number of fixed temperatures. Such fixed points, for example, triple points and superconducting transitions, occur reproducibly at the same temperature.

Internationally agreed temperature scales are based on fixed points and interpolating thermometers. The most recent official temperature scale is the International Temperature Scale of 1990. It extends from 0.65 K (−272.5 °C, −458.5 °F) to approximately 1,358 K (1,085 °C, 1,985 °F).

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Sorry Frenchy, I couldn't resist.

On another note, I had heard there was a similar product to the Hart's recoil reducer that used some type of oil or hydraulic fluid instead. Anybody know of it?

Although modern thermometers are non Mercury based, they used to all be Mercury.. I can still remember playing with Mercury beads and in school watching mercury dripping through a sheet of steel.

It seems Mercury thermometers are still available... I had heard they where not.

http://www.4physics.com/catalog/prod...roducts_id/280

[DeepbluePA]

would this have been made by the people that make Hart custom rifles?

http://www.rwhart.com/

[Captain]

The gentleman who invented and manufactured the Hart's recoil system died unexpectedly about 8 or 10 years ago. The business was then closed. He was from Cleveland.

I have one for a Glock and it really works well!

[PA_SIGpacker]

DeepBlue- I don't think there is any relation between these 2 Harts.

Captain - thanks for the info. I've always wondered what happened because the company "disappeared overnight". That explains a lot. Hope he didn't die of mercury poisoning..... Glad to hear someone else has one of these things and likes it. I was very impressed.

I looked at the Wolff rods which seem to provide a similar effect, but with a spring. Anybody ever tried one?

[hzox221]

It is Harrts not Hart

I have one for a 38 Super 1911, Tungstan is better. The ball bearing give a wierd feel in a lower powered gun.