What is the correct recoil spring for Milspec 1911A1?

[art g]

Is 18# the correct spring for military 1911A1 using ball ammo? Looking to replace the recoil spring in a Remington Rand that I recently acquired. Thanks!

 

[10-Ring]

The ones in my Colt & SA were 17#. If you order from gunsprings.com, you can just order the "Standard Weight" recoil spring for 1911.

 

[yankytrash]

If I'm not mistaken, the original spring was 16-16.5#, then one day somebody decided to run'm with a 17#.

I like the 17# myself, shootin typical 230gr ball at target loadings (850-900fps). I think most off-the-shelf 1911's are runnin 17# now.

 

[Wildalaska]

18 pound unless you limp wrist, then drop to 16

WildspringmavenAlaska

 

[Thumper]

18 pounds is the common wisdom...unless you shoot some of my happy time reloads.

 

[BigG]

16 # is standard.

 

[John Forsyth]

What BigG said.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Had a guy at the range where I used to work show up with a beautiful Colt Gold Cup that he was using with very light SWC loads.

He then buys a box of military spec. ball, and a few minutes later comes out wondering why his Colt is malfunctioning.

Seems that he bought the GC from a friend or dealer, along with the reloads, and didn't know that a 12 pound spring was a bit on the light side for military ball ammo.

Luckily he only got off about 5 rounds total with the light spring until we hooked him up with a Wolfe mil-spec spring. I can't even imagine the battering the gun was taking.

 

[boing]

Then there's the old timer at the range whose brass catcher consists of a Gov't Model with a 26 lb spring. "Drops 'em right at my feet" he says. And it does.