More Spring Stuff
As an aside, to explain why I am an advocate of lighter recoil springs
rather than heavy ones is for reasons of reliability in a carry gun.
While I use the heaviest spring that will give good function in a
hard-use range pistol, I go in the opposite direction for a carry
gun. The reason is simple.
The 1911 design relies heavily on a good, strong grip to avoid
cycling malfunctions, and a weak grip has long been associated with these. Often referred to as "Limp Wristing", it can also be
due to having your grip broken due to arthritic pain, fatigue, or
not being able to obtain a good grip when in a hurry. The stronger
the recoil spring, the more sensitive the pistol is to proper grip,
or lack thereof.
I have often noticed that my hand will tire during a long range
session, and malfunctions sometimes show up. When I take a
break to rest my hand, the malfunctions disappear. This is
noticed more often when there is a heavier than standard spring in the gun.
For carry pistols, my practice has long been to tweak the pistol to
feed in semi-slow motion without a recoil spring in the gun. When
it will do that, it will feed reliably during live fire with a lighter than
standard spring, and will be much less likely to have a stoppage
in the event that the perfect grip or firing stance can't be obtained.
A defensive pistol will have to be deployed quickly, and there is at
least an even chance that it will be necessary to fire one-handed
while the weak hand fends off a close-quarters attack. The pistol
may have to be fired from hip level, with the wrist angled slightly
upward...or even held sideways, as with the "Gansta" technique.
Several things may work against the classic, two-hand Weaver stance.
Time and proximity of the attack are just two, and I have long been a
proponent of making the pistol functional under the absolute worst
of circumstances rather than worry about slide to frame impact
damaging the gun. If I am fighting for my life, that is the least of my
worries. That area of the gun is engineered to take the pounding,
and even so, the three or four rounds that I would need to fire in
a life and death struggle wouldn't make a measureable dent.
With a range pistol, reliable function isn't as critical, and a stovepipe
or failure to go to battery can work for us as practice in malfunction
clearance drills.
Just my nickel's worth...Your mileage may vary.
Tuner