Has anyone asked CZ Custom (the folks who designed some of the competition-type guns) WHY they built these guns with buffers? An answer to that question might be all we need to know. Someone might also ask Cajun Gun Works why they recommend removing them from all CZs.
As I noted earlier, I understand why some competitors use them, but one I know uses buffers in addition to other modifications to the guns to speed cycling speed. If it cycles faster you can pull the trigger faster -- but I don't shoot at their level and wouldn't know what to do with that extra speed.
But as for felt recoil or muzzle flip, I am less sure that buffers or other recoil reduction systems have that much to offer. But I admit I'm no expert on the topic.
I've tried buffers in a number of different guns and all I learned was that they can deteriorate pretty rapidly and if you don't check them every time you shoot, you might end up with a gun that's not cycling right, because pieces of buffer get into the recoil spring and guide and gums things up.
From a pure physics perspective, I don't really understand how a thicker or thinner buffer can greatly affect the amount of muzzle flip -- particularly if you're shooting the same ammo and the slide is still traveling essentially the same distance. (Momentum might be different, but I'm not savvy enough in physics to understand how that difference might affect muzzle flip.
The following is extracted from a reply on the Brian Enos forum, addressing recoil reduction, etc." He mentions Bruce Gray, who is one of the real GURUs of competitive shooters. He was a top shooter in his day, and he now one of the top gunsmiths in the country. If you've owned a Gray Gun you have owned a very unique SIG or H&K. I don't know who posted this reply. The topic is about devices used to reduce barrel flip or felt recoil, but it was part of a longer discussion. I saved that segment but not the full discussion.
Go on SIGforum and search for "Sprinco". You'll find posts by Grayguns, who is Bruce Gray, a custom gunsmith who works on just about everything and builds custom 1911s. Any real technical anecdotes I might have would only be regurgitated from him.
The entire basis of these products fails the test of basic physics. Barring any manipulation of the escaping gases, the only way to reduce recoil is to reduce the powder charge in the ammunition. Other than that it's just mass times acceleration, dampened (not sure if that's the right word) in a certain way by the recoil spring system. If you want a "softer" shooting gun, with the recoil impulse spread out over a longer period of time, shoot heavier bullets. This is a similar effect to what these systems do but won't redistribute the recoil forces in places the gun wasn't designed to have them. I meant takedown levers - specific to the SIG platform - not slide stops, my bad for not clarifying.
Outside of that, the way to pursue less muzzle flip and faster follow up shots is through technique. The way to pursue technique is through practice. So save the money on this snake oil nonsense and buy more ammo, go to the range, and learn something about how your gun recoils.
Others here may offer a different perspective or have a better understanding of the physics involved than I do.
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Note: I tried a Sprinco Recoil Reducer once, about 15 years ago and couldn't notice a difference in performance -- it did seem to shoot a bit more softly -- but, hey! It's a 9mm, and with the great CZ ergonomics, that extra softness may have been my imagination. I still have that unit tucked away in a small CZ parts bin. and pulled it out tonight to look at it again, and read the technical info that came with it. Sprinco is still in business...
