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Posted: 11/14/2011 8:42:35 PM EDT
| I've been looking at doing a few things to one if my glocks and 1911s and have been looking at new recoil springs, my question is what do heavier/lighter springs do? |
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Typically speaking, there is no true need to swap out a recoil spring. Oh I know “gunriters” and manufacturers of springs say you have to swap them out as a wear item, but actual experience tells me otherwise. With that said, there are times where a spring truly does get worn to the point it needs replacement, but this is the exception, not the rule.
Heavier and lighter springs can be used to “tune” your gun to the ammunition you carry. If your brass is flying beyond about 8-9 feet, then chances are your spring is a bit on the weak side. You really want your empties to drop somewhere between 4-8 feet from you. So if you get an assortment of springs, you can swap until you hit that sweet spot. |
| Recoil springs do indeed wear out, and replacements are cheap, so there's no reason not to perform preventive maintenance every two thousand rounds or so. As for different weights, there are a variety of factors for a given tension. Bullseye shooters usually shoot really light loads, so a lighter spring is necessary to allow the slide to cycle, for example. Stouter loads will require a stronger spring. The influence of the mainspring also plays a part. If you're shooting typical loads for the pistol, there's no need to worry about the different weights. |
| You can wear out a recoil spring, usually when your very well used pistol starts to stovepipe a lot it's time to replace your worn out recoil spring. I had to replace my Beretta 92FS recoil spring after about 15,000 rounds and it started to have issues. Soon as i put in a new recoil spring it was back to being reliable again. For standard full size 1911 .45acp pistols the most common recoil spring is 16lbs, however I prefer 18lbs springs on my aluminum framed 1911's since it reduces wear, or so they say. My 9mm Beretta 92FS recoil spring is 13lbs as per the factory specs. Different pistols and calibers use different recoil spring weights to work properly. |
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