Different Experiences
Howdy again PCR....With all due respect, my experience shows different
results, and reflect Irock's statement:
-----------------------------------------
I have mags that have been loaded for over 15 years constantly and have never had the need to replace a spring.
-------------------------------------------
I was involved with a commercial Colt that had been left in Condition
One from the time of its owner's death in 1929 until his widow gave the
pistol to my step-father in 1991. The magazine was topped off, and the
mainspring fully compressed to the limit of its designed operating range.
The pistol functioned perfectly, and all springs tested to within tolerance
when checked on a gauge. To wit: Mainspring was a tick over 22 pounds
with 23 being the specified rating. Magazine spring was just shy of 11
pounds, which is spec for GI and older commercial Colts. Recoil spring
tested at 15.9 pounds...spec was 16.5....Since the pistol likely saw
some use before being left in the attic for over half a century, I'd have to
say that there's at least an even chance that the reduced load ratings
were caused by the use.
I have also tested magazine and recoil springs in years past, because
I also believed that constant compression caused a coil spring to weaken.
Magazines have been fully loaded and left for over a year with NO loss
in compressed tension, as tested on a guage. Recoil springs compressed
on a threaded rod to just shy of the coils touching....010 distance
between coils, showed less than one ounce loss of tension after a
year. You may want to get a spring gauge and do the tests yourself.
As long as you use good-quality springs, your results will be pretty much
the same. If you use poor-quality springs, all bets are off. I suggest
Wolff springs for the test. You will notice that most knowledgeable
pistolsmiths advise replacing the recoil spring at 2,000 rounds or so...
not once a year or every 2,000 rounds, whichever comes first. My statement stands.
Shoot straight!
Tuner
