Recoil springs and 1911s

[MK11]

Do heavy recoil springs take a toll on the firearm?

I figured it was time to swap out the recoil spring in my Kimber Pro Carry and ordered a Wolff Officer's Model spring from Dillon's before noticing that the spring they carry is the 24 pounder, not the standard 22 pounder. I don't shoot much +P .45 and I'm wondering if the extra heavy spring is going to batter my aluminum framed Kimber around.

 

[BigG]

I believe it will. I would not go above the standard spring for the model.

 

[1911Tuner]

Spring Things

There is an axiom that states that there is no such thing as a
free lunch. That goes double for recoil springs in a 1911
Colt/Browning pistol.

Remember that the spring works both ways. More spring to
reduce frame and slide battering in recoil can bring on feeding
issues...usually on the first round, and other things besides
a hard return to battery. I've found that you will have an easier time getting one to be reliable with a lighter spring rather than
heavier, assuming all is well with the barrel throat and extractor
tension.

The shortened pistols, such as the Commander and Officer's Model/Defender class of pistols are deviants of the original, and
much more sensitive to changes in recoil spring rates than the
standard 5-inch pistols. The speed and timing of the slide
is the fly in the ointment on these pistols. Not to suggest that
they can't be made to run, but they can be a little flaky in some
examples...and the shorter the slide, the more presnickety they
tend to be.

Hope this helps,
Tuner