recoil springs
- Thread starter SHusky57
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gwnorth
Member
Why every 1-1.5K rounds? Seems excessive to me by about twice as frequent as needed for most autoloading pistols.
What I would get depends heavily on caliber and type of shooting.
Heavier springs retard unlock, and reduce peening to the frame at the back of the recoil stroke. The also spread the felt recoil out more. Same energy, but think push instead of punch. Since the retard unlock, they create longer cycle time, meaning if you can shoot faster than the gun, you will be waiting longer between shots.
Lighter springs, pretty much the opposite. Faster unlock/cycle times, more abrupt recoil impulse, more possibility of frame battering.
Hence, it depends. If you are shooting IPSC/IDPA and are near the top of the game, a lighter spring may well save you a couple hundredths or even tenths on a stage. Lighter springs are also better suited to loads used in these competitions.
However, if you are pushing a high pressure round to it's ballistic limits, then heavier springs are desirable to make recoil more manageable, protect your guns frame, etc. With very heavy springs, reliability becomes an issue with light loads.
I personally stoke my 10mm guns with the heaviest springs that will still function the gun reliably with my lightest loads.
Heavier springs retard unlock, and reduce peening to the frame at the back of the recoil stroke. The also spread the felt recoil out more. Same energy, but think push instead of punch. Since the retard unlock, they create longer cycle time, meaning if you can shoot faster than the gun, you will be waiting longer between shots.
Lighter springs, pretty much the opposite. Faster unlock/cycle times, more abrupt recoil impulse, more possibility of frame battering.
Hence, it depends. If you are shooting IPSC/IDPA and are near the top of the game, a lighter spring may well save you a couple hundredths or even tenths on a stage. Lighter springs are also better suited to loads used in these competitions.
However, if you are pushing a high pressure round to it's ballistic limits, then heavier springs are desirable to make recoil more manageable, protect your guns frame, etc. With very heavy springs, reliability becomes an issue with light loads.
I personally stoke my 10mm guns with the heaviest springs that will still function the gun reliably with my lightest loads.
Steve in PA
Member
1-1.5k rounds?? You could end up replacing the spring once a month!
5k rounds is the usual recommendation for changing the recoil spring.
5k rounds is the usual recommendation for changing the recoil spring.
Ken Rainey
Member
Pretty much what sqlbullet said....
The particular firearm will have it's recommended replacement schedule.
A full size 1911 is around 2K rds, the commander size with a 4.25 inch barrel is around 1.5K but a 4 incher from Kimber has a recommended 500 to 1000 rd replacement schedule and their 3 incher with a double spring set up will be around 2K before needing just one of those replaced...it all depends on the particular firearm and ammunition. A Glock 9mm can run 5K rds before needing a new spring and I've read where some have gone 10 x that with the factory spring - it all depends ...
So, what kind of pistol are we talking about, what ammo, and what is the factory recommended replacement interval ... ??
The particular firearm will have it's recommended replacement schedule.
A full size 1911 is around 2K rds, the commander size with a 4.25 inch barrel is around 1.5K but a 4 incher from Kimber has a recommended 500 to 1000 rd replacement schedule and their 3 incher with a double spring set up will be around 2K before needing just one of those replaced...it all depends on the particular firearm and ammunition. A Glock 9mm can run 5K rds before needing a new spring and I've read where some have gone 10 x that with the factory spring - it all depends ...
So, what kind of pistol are we talking about, what ammo, and what is the factory recommended replacement interval ... ??
Zerodefect
member
what kind of gun do you have?
I also change my recoil springs frequently at 1000 rounds. Cheap insurence for my Glocks and 1911's. One out of battery poof due to a weak recoil spring will ruin anybodies day.
I also change my recoil springs frequently at 1000 rounds. Cheap insurence for my Glocks and 1911's. One out of battery poof due to a weak recoil spring will ruin anybodies day.
Ken Rainey
Member
That doesn't sound too bad...
For the BHP, as long as it's still running a standard weight hammer spring, I'd just check the recoil spring along side a new one and when it got to be about 2-2.5 coils shorter and/or reached 2.5K rds of standard pressure or slightly lighter ammo, OR 2K rds of mostly standard with some +P mixed in OR around 1.5K rds for +P , +P+, or nato spec only, then change it out....but doing it anyway around 1.5K ain't gonna hurt ...
For the G21, well, the way we were taught at the Glock Armorer's school was to take the clean and lubed EMPTY pistol without a mag and point it upward and pull the trigger and hold it, then pull the slide back (down) and ease it forward, it should pull itself back into battery, if it doesn't, it's time for a new recoil spring....it'll function fine with the weaker spring until things get grungy and then you "could" experience some failures to return to battery.
For the BHP, as long as it's still running a standard weight hammer spring, I'd just check the recoil spring along side a new one and when it got to be about 2-2.5 coils shorter and/or reached 2.5K rds of standard pressure or slightly lighter ammo, OR 2K rds of mostly standard with some +P mixed in OR around 1.5K rds for +P , +P+, or nato spec only, then change it out....but doing it anyway around 1.5K ain't gonna hurt ...
For the G21, well, the way we were taught at the Glock Armorer's school was to take the clean and lubed EMPTY pistol without a mag and point it upward and pull the trigger and hold it, then pull the slide back (down) and ease it forward, it should pull itself back into battery, if it doesn't, it's time for a new recoil spring....it'll function fine with the weaker spring until things get grungy and then you "could" experience some failures to return to battery.
Ken Rainey
Member
Yep, if the hammer spring weight is reduced as part of the tuning, then you'll want to go up a little with the recoil spring ... 17lbs is normal, 18.5 lbs will still run normal pressure ammo and help with having a lessened hammer spring that would have been taking some of the recoil. You may could run a 20 lb spring which is normal weight for the .40 caliber Hi Power, depending on what the hammer spring weight is.
If you stay with a standard weight hammer spring and are only shooting standard and occassional +P loads then the factory weight spring or a 18.5 lb spring will work. Of course, whoever tunes your HiPower will likely know all of this and should recommend a spring replacement interval...if they don't - see my earlier post ...
If you stay with a standard weight hammer spring and are only shooting standard and occassional +P loads then the factory weight spring or a 18.5 lb spring will work. Of course, whoever tunes your HiPower will likely know all of this and should recommend a spring replacement interval...if they don't - see my earlier post ...
The recoil spring is not getting weaker unless it is getting shorter. Measure it after about 100 rds (initial set). Replace it if it gets about 5% shorter (that would be about 3/8" for a 6.5" spring) or gets shorter than the min factory spec.
Many (most) semiauto recoil springs are not designed to industrial spring standards which are in the hundreds of thousands of cycles. If the springs you are using are not holding up to at least several thousand cycles try a better spring. Wolff springs are usually very good.
Many (most) semiauto recoil springs are not designed to industrial spring standards which are in the hundreds of thousands of cycles. If the springs you are using are not holding up to at least several thousand cycles try a better spring. Wolff springs are usually very good.
bestseller92
Member
I think you're replacing the springs far too often. It the springs don't have an excessive number of rounds on them (10,000+) and haven't been used a lot with very hot loads, and if the gun is running reliably with them, I'd leave them alone.
That's just me.
That's just me.
Didn't mean to offend you , SHusky57, and of course the expense is minimal, in comparison.
I just share bestseller92' s opnion: I honestly don't think it's necessary to replace springs that frequently.
By the way, I wonder how avid recoil spring replacers feel about all the other springs in their guns : hammer springs for instance, work just as often as recoil springs, don't they ?
I just share bestseller92' s opnion: I honestly don't think it's necessary to replace springs that frequently.
By the way, I wonder how avid recoil spring replacers feel about all the other springs in their guns : hammer springs for instance, work just as often as recoil springs, don't they ?
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