Question about 1911 recoil spring

[high standard 40]

Many years ago I acquired a 1911A1 that had been "accurized". The job was kinda rough but the price was right. I have no idea what weight recoil spring is in this gun but it will reliable feed my 45 ACP shot loads so I assume it's a light spring. I want to get a spring for hardball loads. Would a 16 pound spring be the right choice?

[DougGuy]

I think a stock GI spring is 14# but here's how I pick my recoil spring. I use my carry loads, and at 7yds I do a quick double tap. The correct spring will have those two shots within about an inch and a half or two inches. You use the spring that puts the second shot closest to the first in a quick double tap.

This really works good for the load you want it tuned to. Change boolit weight or move to a +P load and you may need to tune the recoil spring again. Too stiff of a spring shoves the slide forward harder, and the gun will often nose dive when it goes into battery from the excess momentum. Second shot will be low. Too weak won't put it into battery quick enough and the second shot will be high or you can't do the second shot quick enough, and you are delaying the shot to give the gun time to lock up.

[Outpost75]

16 pound spring is standard USGI

[Winger Ed.]

16 for full house hardball & jacketed HP.

I keep a lighter, I think its 12# one for cast target loads.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

But an 18lb. spring will be a little easier on your pistol for hot loads. Wolff Gunsprings makes them all the way up to 22 lbs., but they make retracting the slide difficult for some folks.

DG

[high standard 40]

Thanks for the quick replies. I greatly appreciate it.

[45DUDE]

For the loads I shoot the rule of thumb is--I like the brass to eject 4-6 feet with a 45acp. The lighter the spring the more distance the brass goes. I have about 30 springs to play with.

[Bigslug]

Stock is 16# for a GI gun. I personally have found that the 18.5# springs "feel" like what the gun wants for hardball spec ammo. Best way I can describe it is of the suspension absorbing the bump in the road, versus bottoming out against the frame of the vehicle.

I've got a theory - not sure if it's right - that Colt and JMB arrived at 16# on the basis that they knew the ammo was going to have to be able to power through the muck and mud of the trials testing (and in actual combat conditions). Most of us aren't going to run the gun dry after throwing it in a bucket of sand, so we can run the gun more comfortably without expectation of facing that extreme. Another plus is that it'll take a LONG time to wear an 18.5# spring to the point it's weaker than an in-spec 16#.

Wolff sells the recoil springs with replacement firing pin rebound springs. Change them together.

Since it sounds like someone was monkeying with your gun for "match" purposes, there's a good chance they put a weaker mainspring in the gun as well. That spring also contributes to the resistance of recoil, so you'll want to take that back to GI as well. GI is 23#. I've been mostly running Springfields which use an extra power (26# or 29# as I recall) to give a harder strike to the titanium firing pin and stiffer rebound spring they use in lieu of a Series 80 or Swartz-style firing pin block. Makes for a nice combo with the 18.5# recoil spring.

In the interest of science, I have run the above combos with lighter 200 grain match type loads and not had a problem. YMMV.

[JimB..]

The spring is about chambering a round. There is little need to go much heavier than is required to reliably chamber a round. That said, I start at spec and only deviate when I’m trying to accomplish something specific as @dougGuy mentioned

[samari46]

I use a 18.5 pound recoil spring along with a shock buffer in my Springfield Armory (the one in Illinois) and while some may not suggest the idea of a shock buffer I have used them for years. Usually change them out at 2000 rounds. Saves wear and tear on the frame. My loads with 230 grain hard cast bullets usually chrono at 830 fps plus or minus. That's all I shoot in my 45. Frank

[Bigslug]

. . . and while some may not suggest the idea of a shock buffer I have used them for years.

The big caution with them is that they will shorten your available length of slide travel. The 5" guns may not care, but many of the short ones do - the breech face may barely make it back to the back of the magazine.

[Gtek]

In my experience that spring everyone is talking about is only one tooth on the gear. Ammo projectile and power, barrel length, reciprocation mass, components fit, mainspring, firing pin retention plate lower edge design are all players on THAT pistol. The rattlers will go bang bang with just about all 230 designed noses, build a really tight one with a fit hood and perfect 0 lugs with a square pin stop squirting HP 185's and the world can change. Then there is the defense carry verses paper gun build issue. The other issue I have dealt with getting weapon to function 100%, me works fine, then the limp wrist owner is wailing about the stove piping, lighter springs we go. If you are not going to change parts, tighten frame to slide on over the counter piece at least get a couple springs between 16-18 and go up till she balks (your gun, your ammo, you shooting) and then back up one or two till 100% joy. Then buy one more like the one your happy with, Too light and yes they can eat on themselves over time.

[Electrod47]

I use a Wolff 16 pounder w/ Wilson blue shockabsorber buffer in my Colt Series 80 Government Model. To me it covers all the bases.

[Char-Gar]

I keep either a Wolfe 16 lb or 16.5V in my full size Government Models.

[high standard 40]

Again, thanks for all the replies. The information available from the people on this forum never ceases to amaze me.

[lotech]

I've always used the standard weight (16 lbs.?) 1911 recoil springs for all loads including light target. Does that do any harm? I've never experienced problems.

[Gtek]

If it functions a 100% your in the window. JMB's wonderful 1911 was designed to run with a specific type of ammo and built to function with that reliably. There is at this point not much if anything you could think of that has not been thought about or tried on this platform. What does remain is the constant to keep Mr. Newton's #2 in check with the changes applied. Hotter, heavier = more spring, lighter softer = less spring. Too heavy and they won't run, too light they will beat up on the spring guide plate and both slide/frame contact points. Like anything else it boils down to ones level of involvement, many are quite happy with 230 FMJ's and an over the counter SA/Brazil and shoot it infrequently and are happy. Then the other end like the loony here who has for over four decades drifted off into all kinds madness with them.

[Bula]

To me the 16# spring has been the best of both worlds. My ball load pushes 230 cast at about 830 fps, and my plinker load 200g SWC right at 800. Gun digests both perfectly. I shoot an all steel Gov. size Colt Combat Elite with just under 17 billion rounds through it (no, not really), but a lot. Ive run 12#, 16# and 18#. I just figured the lighter spring lets the slide mover rearward faster, and the 18# slams the slide back to lockup faster. Both seem less than ideal when the 16# shoots fine for both loads. YMMD if your shooting 185g SWC at 650 fps and want to shoot ball as well. Great thing is, they're cheap enough to experiment with.

Bula

[Bmi48219]

Since the thread addresses 1911 recoil springs,
What is the benefit of a ‘variable’ power recoil spring?
My only experience with one was in a newly built tack driver that came with one installed. Shot and functioned great except after the 4th or 5th round the slide would be a 1/16 inch short of fully in battery. A slight thumb pressure on the back of slide would fully close it. At the recommendation of the gun builder I put 400 rounds through it to break it in with no noticeable change. A Wolfe 16# spring kit resolved the issue and I’ve never looked back. But this thread prompts me to ask what purpose do these variable springs have?

[Gtek]

From the ad 9 to 16 1/2 lb. being 7 Wolff choices. "Variable rate springs function correctly with a wider range of loads than fixed rate springs can. Rate increases as spring is compressed; gives greater protection against frame battering, more consistent lockup and improved feeding, while allowing eas*ier manual cycling of the action". If that is the path you were on seems it needed one of a pound or two more, action settling in MAY have corrected over time. If it had the 16 1/2 variable, stiff action and THAT pistol needs more spring. Several ways to skin cats and where the windows are placed.