9mm recoil spring

[Tattoo]

Hello,

I have a 9mm Spartan and was looking for the best recoil spring weight to use in it? Also what is the stock spring.... 12lb?

Thanks,

T

[MichiganShootist]

Its probably the same range.... but my 5" Springer 9 mm came from the factory with a 9 pound spring. I run a 10 pounder up to a 12 with 139 PF ammo and have never had a problem

[Victor_R]

I'm running a 9lb recoil spring and a 17lb mainspring in my Trojan 9mm. I think it came with a 12lb spring. The gunn barley moves. Here is a video that a friend shot of me shooting it. You can really tell in stage 2.

[EkuJustice]

Its pretty much a personal preference but most are probibally between 9 and 12. I have tried a 9 in mine and just didnt like the feel of it. Went to a 11 and it feels better for me at least

[Mike21STI]

I run a 9# spring in my 9mm Sentry, it runs flawlessly, I had a 10# in it prior to the 9 and if there is a difference, it is not very noticeable.

[warpspeed]

I think my 9mm Spartan came with a very heavy recoil spring. It was harsh. I would not be surprised if it was a 14lb spring.

I switched to a 9lb and I like it just fine but I shoot very light loads. I think if I shot 135 pf stuff I'd move up to a 10lb spring.

[davehorn]

My Dan Wesson PM9 came with a 10lb spring. I didn't like the feel of it though, it just seems like the slide moves too slow, probably because I was used to shooting .45 1911, or plastic 9mms. I changed it to a 12lb and shoot around 140pf ammo. In a full size 1911, the recoil is still negligible, and I prefer the way the gun feels.

[Bob DuBois]

For the last few months I've run a 9lb recoil and a 15lb mainspring. Was running a 17lb mainspring before trying the 15lb. I shoot 147gn bullets with very little mussel flip. I would suggest you purchase a 9lb, 10lb and a 12lb spring from the 1911 store along with 15lb and 17lb. mainsprings, might order the lighter magazine release spring while your at it. Spend an afternoon shooting to decide which works best for you. A little tuning on your part will improve your shooting and what works for me might not be the answer for you.

With my gun a STI Trojan the heavier the bullet the lighter the spring I can use. Bring your timer for the testing and see how fast the splits are with the different springs and how good the groups are on the target.

[Aircooled6racer]

[Hello: I use a 10lb ISMI recoil spring in my Spartan 9mm. I also use a 17lb ISMI mainspring as well. I use 121grain bullets at 131PF. Thanks, Eric

[Mike21STI]

I have the factory mainspring housing and i forgot to mention in my previous post that i shoot factory 115grain bullets (remington UMC or WWB)

[Tattoo]

For the last few months I've run a 9lb recoil and a 15lb mainspring. Was running a 17lb mainspring before trying the 15lb. I shoot 147gn bullets with very little mussel flip. I would suggest you purchase a 9lb, 10lb and a 12lb spring from the 1911 store along with 15lb and 17lb. mainsprings, might order the lighter magazine release spring while your at it. Spend an afternoon shooting to decide which works best for you. A little tuning on your part will improve your shooting and what works for me might not be the answer for you.

With my gun a STI Trojan the heavier the bullet the lighter the spring I can use. Bring your timer for the testing and see how fast the splits are with the different springs and how good the groups are on the target.

Thanks! I will give this a try. I just switched from shooting Glocks and it feels like I am waiting for the gun or something. And my empties are barely trickling out of the gun. I will get a few springs and experiment. I was shooting factory WWB the other day and it just seemed like my splits were slow. I will check it out w/ timer.

Thanks a lot for the input.

T

[Tattoo]

[Hello: I use a 10lb ISMI recoil spring in my Spartan 9mm. I also use a 17lb ISMI mainspring as well. I use 121grain bullets at 131PF. Thanks, Eric

Eric, was the stock mainspring 15lb? What difference does the mainspring housing spring make?

Thanks,

T

[jid2]

9 or 10 lbs seems popular. I run a 9 lb.

[bkeeler]

Hello,

I have a 9mm Spartan and was looking for the best recoil spring weight to use in it? Also what is the stock spring.... 12lb?

Thanks,

T

From STI Web site

What is the recoil spring weight in my gun?

A As follows: Compensated pistols 9 pounds 5" 9mm guns 12 pounds 5" .40 S&W guns 14 pounds 5" .45 ACP guns 16 pounds 6" 9mm guns 10 pounds 6" .40 S&W guns 12 pounds 6" .45 ACP guns 14 pound

Edited October 25, 2010 by bkeeler

[Tattoo]

Hello,

I have a 9mm Spartan and was looking for the best recoil spring weight to use in it? Also what is the stock spring.... 12lb?

Thanks,

T

From STI Web site

What is the recoil spring weight in my gun?

A As follows: Compensated pistols 9 pounds 5" 9mm guns 12 pounds 5" .40 S&W guns 14 pounds 5" .45 ACP guns 16 pounds 6" 9mm guns 10 pounds 6" .40 S&W guns 12 pounds 6" .45 ACP guns 14 pound

Hey cool!! Thanks for finding this!

T

[BigGabe]

Here's what STI says on their websight. Hope this helps. Gabe

Compensated pistols 9 pounds

5" 9mm guns 12 pounds

5" .40 S&W guns 14 pounds

5" .45 ACP guns 16 pounds

6" 9mm guns 10 pounds

6" .40 S&W guns 12 pounds

6" .45 ACP guns 14 pounds

[IceDevil]

I'm running a 9lb recoil spring and a 17lb mainspring in my Trojan 9mm. I think it came with a 12lb spring. The gunn barley moves. Here is a video that a friend shot of me shooting it. You can really tell in stage 2.

Victor,

What load are you shooting in those videos if you don't mind me asking - looks really mild. I have a Springfield 9mm w/14 lb stock recoil spring shooting cheap factory ammo and I get a lot more muzzle flip (of course you probably also have a better grip). I am getting set up to reload my own and since the cost savings are not huge for 9mm, the main reason is to allow me to produce some light minor loads like yours. Thanks.

[oak hill]

I use 9 lb recoil spring with 17 lb mainspring for 124 gr loads @ 135 PF in a 5" 1911 single stack.

[hrt4me]

Here's what STI says on their website. Hope this helps. Gabe

Compensated pistols 9 pounds

5" 9mm guns 12 pounds

5" .40 S&W guns 14 pounds

5" .45 ACP guns 16 pounds

6" 9mm guns 10 pounds

6" .40 S&W guns 12 pounds

6" .45 ACP guns 14 pounds

That's good to know for reference.

I currently run 10# in my 5" 9mm gun, 12# in my 4" .40S&W gun and 18.5# in my 5" .45 ACP guns.

I'll try a 15# mainspring in my 9mm gun...

[blind bat]

Eric, was the stock mainspring 15lb? What difference does the mainspring housing spring make?

+1 - I see a lot of people mention main spring weights in their 1911s but I'm not certain how or why you would tune that. Does the spring pressure on the hammer cause a change in felt recoil as the slide cocks the hammer? Is the rule of thumb to run light as possible and still get 100% ignition?

I just changed the recoil spring in my Trojan from stock (12lb) to a 10lb ISMI spring. The slide felt less sluggish but I had one FTF.

[twodownzero]

Eric, was the stock mainspring 15lb? What difference does the mainspring housing spring make?

+1 - I see a lot of people mention main spring weights in their 1911s but I'm not certain how or why you would tune that. Does the spring pressure on the hammer cause a change in felt recoil as the slide cocks the hammer? Is the rule of thumb to run light as possible and still get 100% ignition?

I just changed the recoil spring in my Trojan from stock (12lb) to a 10lb ISMI spring. The slide felt less sluggish but I had one FTF.

Yes the spring pressure on the hammer plays a part in how the slide cycles. It is actually a much bigger part of the rearward portion of the recoil event than the recoil spring. The recoil spring mostly stores energy to push the slide forward.

Also, a lighter mainspring results in a slightly lighter trigger pull. It's pretty common to use a 17 lb mainspring in a small primer gun, and a 19 lb in a large primer gun.

Others toy with/use even lighter springs than this. Some say that a longer firing pin makes a light strike less likely. I haven't tried this.

I personally use a 17 lb spring in my .40 and a 19 lb in my .45 (ISMI). So, based on my experience, that's what I'd recommend.

I run a 12.5 lb spring in my .40 with a lightened slide and a 14 lb in my .45 with a full weight slide.

I'd imagine that a 9mm with a full weight slide should use a 10 or 11 lb spring. Compensated guns and guns with lighter slides may be able to use even lighter springs. I don't own a 9mm 1911/2011 yet so I'd take other's advice on that.

Edited December 6, 2010 by twodownzero

[Fireant]

I just finished running springs in my 9mm 1911 from 14 pounds to 8 pounds. I settled on the 9 pound spring for my 133PF loads. Anything higher would not always lock the slide back with my reloads. The slide locked back with factory 115, 125 and 147's with all springs, but the muzzle flip was more pronounced. I switched out the 19 pound mainspring and put a 17 pound one in and the timing is like shooting a 22lr now.

[blind bat]

Thanks guys. That is great info.

Fireant: Are you running an STI 9mm? I searched for a listing of their stock main spring weights but all I found was one sentence in a section of their FAQ about ignition issues with their 22lr conversion kits that stated, "Most STIs ship w/ 15lb Mainspring..." So are you guys putting in a heavier mainspring? I called STI, but their "resident competition spring expert" had just left for the day. The tech I talked to thought the main spring was 15lbs but he wasn't sure and told me my best bet was to call back in the morning. (It was only a 5min conversation with no hold time so I'm happy with that answer.)

Are there any functional differences between ISMI and Wolf springs? From the springs I have it looks like Wolfs tend to be longer for the same spring weight but my Wolfs are "variable"...

[Fireant]

Mine is an STI, but not a factory built gun. I had a stock mainspring from some STI in my box of stuff and it was much heavier than the 17 pound one I put in it's place.

[Pro2AInPA]

This may be a dumb question, but would the suggestions in the thread also pertain to a 2011 in 9mm with a lightened slide?