[umc180gr]

Any Kimber 1911 owners out there? A buddy of mine has a question about how often he should change the recoil spring in his auto. The Kimber factory told him to change it every 600 rds, that sounds excessive to me. Any thoughts on how often a spring should be changed, if ever?

[Jim Watson]

Is it a 5" full size sorta 1911? If so, probably two or three thousand, or when the spring is half an inch shorter than a new one, or three turns shorter, or when it gets to throwing the empties farther than usual, or when it starts chewing up a buffer, if any.

If it is not a full size gun, the short models are undersprung to start with and 600 is about right.

[umc180gr]

It's a full size Kimber.

[Azrael256]

Y'know, at about $7 a pop for the nice Wolff springs, I am tempted to change fairly frequently. 600 sounds a little bit short to me. I like 1,000 better.

[Chupacabra]

I use a Wolff 16lb spring in my fullsize Kimber. Works great.

Not sure how many rounds I've put through it since I put the Wolff in. Maybe 1000. Still runs like clockwork.

[JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone]

I happen to have a 16# Colt spring in my Stainless II. The factory spring was allowing brass ejection to the tune of 25 feet away with medium target loads. With less than 1000 rounds through it. I don't know about changing the spring every 600 rounds. Looking for signs that it's too weak is the key for me. Same as my other Colt 1911's. I change things when they appear to malfunction (the first malfunction) or are worn (to the visual eye). If I were talking about a pistol that I needed to carry, to protect myself and others, I'd shoot it often, and know every idiosyncrasy of the arm. That said, I probably still wouldn't change just a spring -every 600 rounds. But careful inspection at cleaning time, (checking the static length for starters), and being aware of cartridge feed, spent case ejection and slide slam characteristics would help me determine when to change a recoil spring and other components.

I see Wolf springs in my future though.

-Steve

[dmftoy1]

I change mine at 1k . . .I think it's probably overkill but it does make retrieving the empties easier. :)

Have a good one,
Dave

[BozemanMT]

Best place to get new wolff springs?
and what weight of spring do you use? (or, what's stock)
and does the spring differ from full recoil rod to JMB"s recoil rod? (two different 1911's)

[TexasRifleman]

and does the spring differ from full recoil rod to JMB"s recoil rod? (two different 1911's)

No difference in spring whether you are using the plug or the full length rod.


I also change my springs around 1000-1200 rounds just because it's a simple thing to do. Never had a problem with one, even the well used ones so there's no telling how long it would actually last.

As for how heavy, they are so cheap you might want to try 2 or 3 different spring rates and see how it functions. The heavier the spring the closer the brass will be to you but at some point you'll start to have function problems.

15-18 lbs is probably the common range for .45

Lots of places sell them. You can order them directly from Wolff if you want,
http://gunsprings.com/Resources/welcomeNOF.html

[BozemanMT]

No difference in spring whether you are using the plug or the full length rod.

As for how heavy, they are so cheap you might want to try 2 or 3 different spring rates and see how it functions. The heavier the spring the closer the brass will be to you but at some point you'll start to have function problems.

15-18 lbs is probably the common range for .45

Lots of places sell them. You can order them directly from Wolff if you want,
http://gunsprings.com/Resources/welcomeNOF.html

thanks, that's what I needed to know
Ordered.

[kbheiner7]

I run a Wolff 17 lb. recoil spring in my 5" Kimber and drop a new one in every 1500-2000 rounds.

[Kruzr]

The factory Kimber recoil spring is 16#. The frequency of changing depends on the load you are shooting. With my powder puff SWC target loads, I easily get 2500 rounds on a spring.

[dmftoy1]

I'm using the Wolff 16 1/2 variable rates and they seem to work fine in both my Gold Match and Series I. I've bought them from Brownell's and Midway and usually keep 2-3 sets (the come with a firing pin spring as well) on the pegboard next to the safe.

Have a god one,
Dave