Recoil Spring Weight

[Jayhawker]

I was always taught that one used the heaviest recoil spring that your gun functions well with for any given charge. In my .45 ACPs, I use 3.8 of Clays or 3.7 of Bullseye for target shooting and the 16 lb. standard weight springs work well. However, I often read of folks using much lighter springs with about the same charges saying that a heavier spring will slow the timing down too much i.e. having the slide move too slowly and interfering with accuracy because it is still moving as the bullet leaves the barrel. What's the correct way to go here?

 

[rcmodel]

and the 16 lb. standard weight springs work well.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The orginial spring for the 1911 GI gun was 16 1/2 pounds.

It works for that perfectly, and if your gun works well with your target load, don't change it.

Regardless, a stronger spring would hold the slide shut longer.
But in any case, the bullet is out of the barrel well before the slide moves enough to allow unlocking.

Otherwise, the gun would shoot over the top of the target by several feet.

rc

 

[1SOW]

rcmodel +1

In my 9mm, I lightened the loads to a 130pf (bullet speed x weight/1000) and started getting stovepipes. I ended up going from a stock 16# to an 11# spring to get it to cycle reliably/100%.

If your gun cycles reliably 100% of the time with your load; grin, enjoy and brag. You can't get improvement if it's 100% now.

 

[Noveldoc]

An ex cop ammo manufacturer friend of mine used to make his best selling plinking and target load for 1911s with 3.5 gr Bullseye under a medium lead 230 gr RN, light taper crimp. Folks got perfect functioning but that is about as low as you can go. BTW, Charlie reminded me that load gives 2000 rounds per pound (7000 gr) of powder.

Tom

 

[unspellable]

Recoil springs

I often see reference to a stronger spring reducing slide velocity. This is in error, in reality the effect of the recoil spring on slide velocity is not even large enough to call it trivial. The reason for this is that it takes on the order of half a millisecond or less for the bullet to leave the barrel. During this time the recoil force on the slide will be in excess of five hundred pounds force. A difference of one pound force in the recoil spring is only 0.2%of the recoil force.

Slide velocity for a given load is pretty much a function of the slide mass without regard for the spring. Time of unlocking is a function of slide velocity and design geometry.

The job of the recoil spring during the back stroke is to slow the slide down to a reasonable velocity before it hits the stops. A heavier load will produce a higher slide velocity, it will take more spring to slow it down. On the return stroke it must be strong enough to reliably load and lock the action, usually not an issue. A stronger spring might reload a trifle faster.

 

[rcmodel]

A stronger spring then necessary will also beat the crap out of the gun on closing too.

rc

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I would think a stronger spring while beating the crap out of the gun on closing might negate beating the crap out of the gun on firing too.

It's a balancing act for sure, but mine is presently 22.5 lbs. which as soon as I can I'm going to get one about 18 lbs. or so.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I would think a stronger spring while beating the crap out of the gun on closing might negate beating the crap out of the gun on firing too.

As others have pointed out, the spring force is negligible compared to the recoil force. The heavier spring will not give any appreciable protection on the recoil stroke, and will make the return-to-battery stroke faster and more likely to damage or batter the gun.

 

[ROBBY.1911]

there is also a very important relationship between the recoil spring and the mainspring which lives down in your mainspring housing (sorry, couldn't help myself). i ain't no expert but i do know that you can tailor the way your gun cycles. i think we need an expert here. words of wisdom, anyone?

 

[Vern Humphrey]

One of the big advantages of a cam lockup system (like the Browning High Power) over a swinging link (like the M1911) is that the cam can be tailored to delay or speed up unlocking. If the M1911 had a cam lockup, the barrel could be replaced with one with a slower cam and allow much stiffer loads to be used safely.