10mm recoil springs and ammunition questions.

[Dan Forrester]

So I picked up a Glock 20 from a friend a couple days ago and have a couple questions:

This will be my new carry gun so I’m trying to decide on ammo. I see no point in carrying a 10mm with ammo no more powerful than a 40 S&W. This basically leaves me with Georgia Arms, Double Tap and Buffalo Bore to choose from.

Although Cor-Bon generally loads hot ammunition it looks like their 10mm is a little wimpy. Probably because they are trying to promote their .400 Cor-Bon. Winchester Silvertips and Hornady XTP are definitely hotter than the others but nothing like the 10mm is capable of.

So of the three manufacturers that produce full power 10mm (Georgia Arms, Double Tap and Buffalo Bore) who do you feel has the highest manufacturing standards. I always thought of these manufacturers as producing plinking or hunting ammo not ammo to stake your life on. Am I wrong in this assumption? Do you know if any of these manufacturers seal the primer and case mouth, load with flash free powders, use virgin brass.

I could call them up first but would rather ask here first.

Also I’m going to need a stiffer recoil spring. Does Glock make a factory heavy recoil spring. If not who makes the best one. I really don’t care about the cost; I just want to use the best parts and ammunition.

Thanks, Dan

 

[rcmodel]

Glock uses the same spring in just about everything with that size slide!

Wolff makes the best springs going.

http://gunsprings.com/SemiAuto/GlockNF.html

rcmodel

 

[CypherNinja]

Do you know if any of these manufacturers seal the primer and case mouth, load with flash free powders, use virgin brass.

DoubleTap and Buffalo Bore do #2 and #3, for sure. Dunno about #1.

 

[IdahoLT1]

Is the spring for recoil reasons? Cuz a stiffer spring will slow the slide going backwards but will speed it up going forward. Id recommend a Sprinco recoil reducer. They run about $80 but they are well worth it, especially with a 10mm. I got one for my Witness and its awesome. Cut the recoil down pretty well. Alan is top notch when it comes to customer service. He's a pretty knowledgable guy. He throws in a "combat bottle" of a high temp, high grade lube and the stuff is awesome. A 4oz bottle is ~$15. http://www.sprinco.com/recoil.html

 

[davepool]

oops, doubletap doublepost

 

[davepool]

Mike Mcnett at DoubleTap makes the best full power 10mm loads available,and the widest variety, i think you can get fourteen different loads from them. I have a 6" KKM barrel on mine with a 22lb recoil spring, I prefer the 180grn with the Hornady XTP bullet,plenty of speed and energy. 10mm is his domain

 

[jmr40]

Georgia Arms ammo is hard to beat for practice ammo and I use their ammo as my carry ammo most of the time in all calibers. I live near the factory and they are at all the local gun shows. Their ammo is not loaded to the same levels as Double Tap and Buffalo Bore. I have never used Buffalo Bore but have been pleased with both Georgia Arms and Double Tap.

The nice thing about the 10mm is th e different power levels available. I feel that the Georgia Arms ammo using 155 grain Gold Dots loaded to milder 10mm levels is a pretty good self defense load. When hiking or feel the need for something hotter I use Double Tap 180 hollow points or 200 grain hardcast.

 

[USMA85]

I switched to Double Tap's 135 Nosler as my carry ammo in my G20 with their 165 Gold Dots in my spare mags. The Nosler's produce a wound channel at 2.5"-3" penetration that is very impressive, with 70% weight retention. The 165GD expands to around 1.1" and retain 100% weight. The 135's just give me piece of mind about collateral damage. The 180's are great for things on four legs. Gold Dots stay together, no matter what the range, or velocity. Double Tap puts out a great product at a nice price.

I have 500rds of "canned heat" on order from Georgia Arms for IDPA use. 180FMJ. Cheapest ammo I've found for the 10MM.

Lone Wolf talked me into a 20# ISMI spring when I ordered a titanium guide rod awhile back, but some of the "practice" ammo I was using produced a few hang ups. I have since went to Lone Wolf's SS guide rod with 17# spring and haven't missed a beat. Eats anything it's fed.

 

[Dan Forrester]

Ok so I’ve been looking at some of those links for recoil springs and see people talking about how you need to increase the power of your striker spring when you increase the power of your recoil spring. How are these two springs related in their functioning?

Thanks, Dan

 

[USMA85]

That's a new one for me? I haven't run into anyone that has increased the striker spring weight. I usually see people drop the striker spring weight to help the trigger pull. Depending on how low you go, it will take around 0.25# off of the trigger pull. The downside is that reliability may suffer with some primers.

I have never had an issue with the factory striker spring weight, even with the heavier recoil spring.

Shooting the 20# and 17# springs side-by-side; the recoil feels less with the 20#, but I can get back on target quicker with the 17#.

I switched to ISMI springs some years back, on a recommendation from a friend who used to shoot more in a month than I did in a year, and have been very pleased with their performance.

I use Lone Wolf Distributors for all of my Glock specific purchases. You can call them and ask for their recommendation on anything Glock. They know Glocks! (I run the Ghost 3.5# Connector they sell in all of my Glocks - 4.25# pull with the stock striker spring)

 

[MTMilitiaman]

Double Tap is good stuff. I've heard it compared to Black Hills in terms of quality, and I think this is a valid comparison.

A heavier recoil spring will increase muzzle flip, but many, including myself, find it to be a worthwhile sacrifice. I run a 22 pound spring in my G20 because it seems to make the pistol run smoother, and it keeps my brass in my county.

Even with the increased muzzle flip, I don't find shot recovery suffers. The heavier recoil spring makes the recoil less jerky and violent, or so it feels to me, and makes tracking the front sight easier than the stock 17 pound spring.

 

[Dan Forrester]

Thanks for the input guys.

I’m trying to stay away form anything designed for race guns since I am building this gun up to be a life saving tool and not a firearm competition piece.

Is there any advantage to using a captive Vs. non-captive recoil spring in terms of more reliable functioning? How do you put the spring in a captive guide rod? Do the two halves screw together?

How about steel Vs. polymer. I know steel doesn’t flex. Could this be considered a disadvantage?

Thanks again, Dan

 

[atblis]

Georgia Arms does not produce 10mm level loads. Their stuff is actually pretty darn slow.

 

[Arkady]

I have not shot any of the Buffalo Bore ammo, but the DoubleTap stuff that I used was top rate.

Mostly, I shoot Georgia Arms in my Witness Elite Match 10mm.
Having used both their 180@1100 FMJ for practice and their 155@1375 Gold Dot, I have been very happy with both loads, but the lack of any visible sealant on the Gold Dot load would make me hesitant to use it for social work--probably not an issue, but I like to be careful.

 

[atblis]

I've Chronographed the GA ammo. It is usually way slower than what's on the package (like 200-300 fps slow).

 

[treeprof]

I use Wolff 22# non-captive springs in my G20's. Never have had a malf with that combo and shot-to-shot recovey is better than with the stock spring.

Cor-bon's 180 gr bonded soft point is no wimp load, and it's very accurate IME. I've spent a small fortune accumulating a stash, though. Ga Arms is mid-range stuff but good for practice. Silvertips perennially chrono slower than advertise, even in full length bbls. I've had good luck with DoubleTap but light bullets (e.g. 135 gr, 165 gr, etc.) hold no interest for me. I use the 200 gr XTP's, 200 gr FP and 200 gr Beartooths, instead.