bchibb Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 What weight mainspring for .45 and also 9mm for lightest trigger pull, but still get reliable primer strike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodownzero Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 17 for 9mm, 19 for .40 Can probably get away with 17 for both, but I run a little heavier for the large pistol primer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinj308 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 I use a 19lb in my .45, and it lights off large rifle primers 100%. So might be a tad over kill, but I prefer the reliability over a few ounces of trigger pull. FWIW Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braxton1 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Anything is better than a stock 23# spring... I run 17s in competition guns with no problems, but all of my hammers are ultra-light and accelerate quickly. A heavy factory hammer will likely require a stronger spring to get the same firing pin energy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD45 Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 I've used a 19lb. with all stock parts for years and it lights everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve L Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I use a 17lb in all my 1911's and all my small pistol primer guns have longer firing pins they will set off even russian primers. my .45's have the 17lb spring and just the extra power firing pin spring, they are also reliable with russian primers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Yao Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 I use 17lb with my competition guns. Works well with WSP, WLP, and WSR primers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bchibb Posted November 11, 2011 Author Share Posted November 11, 2011 Thanks for the info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie j Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I use a 19lb in my .45, and it lights off large rifle primers 100%. So might be a tad over kill, but I prefer the reliability over a few ounces of trigger pull. FWIW Kevin You load large rifle primes in 45 ACP? They are a different deeper/thicker than Large pistol. How do you get em flush? No slamfires? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe139 Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I use a 19 in my 40 & 45 I can usually get about a 3 1/2 Lb trigger pull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 17lb in Two 45's. No problem with CCI LPP's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvary45 Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 17lb in my 45 SS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.L. Hardy Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Guys, it always intrigues me that when a discussion arises about hammer springs the only two concerns mentioned is whether it affects trigger pull and ignition reliability. No one ever mentions that the hammer spring and recoil spring work in conjunction to control slide velocity, timing and lock up pressure. The hammer spring applies much more pressure when the slide is closed than the recoil spring does. To prove this just rack your slide once with the hammer cocked and once with the hammer down. I point this out to make sure that everyone understands that the recoil spring and the hammer spring work as a system that we must consider when making changes. I am not saying that things will automatically self destroy if you make a change, but these type of changes can cause reliability issues, increased wear and tear and in general changes to the system that has been developed for optimum performance of that system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kriojas Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 +1 on J.L. hardy post..... well said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParaGunner Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Guys, it always intrigues me that when a discussion arises about hammer springs the only two concerns mentioned is whether it affects trigger pull and ignition reliability. No one ever mentions that the hammer spring and recoil spring work in conjunction to control slide velocity, timing and lock up pressure. The hammer spring applies much more pressure when the slide is closed than the recoil spring does. To prove this just rack your slide once with the hammer cocked and once with the hammer down. I point this out to make sure that everyone understands that the recoil spring and the hammer spring work as a system that we must consider when making changes. I am not saying that things will automatically self destroy if you make a change, but these type of changes can cause reliability issues, increased wear and tear and in general changes to the system that has been developed for optimum performance of that system. +1 Also,I measured the trigger pull weight on my limited gun with a 23lbs mainspring then changed only the mainspring in the same gun to a 18lbs mainspring and the trigger pull weight only dropped a 1/4 of a pound. So dropping the mainspring weight really doesn't lighten the trigger pull weight that much, but it sure changes the feel of the gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MQW Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Ditto, Very well put. Guys, it always intrigues me that when a discussion arises about hammer springs the only two concerns mentioned is whether it affects trigger pull and ignition reliability. No one ever mentions that the hammer spring and recoil spring work in conjunction to control slide velocity, timing and lock up pressure. The hammer spring applies much more pressure when the slide is closed than the recoil spring does. To prove this just rack your slide once with the hammer cocked and once with the hammer down. I point this out to make sure that everyone understands that the recoil spring and the hammer spring work as a system that we must consider when making changes. I am not saying that things will automatically self destroy if you make a change, but these type of changes can cause reliability issues, increased wear and tear and in general changes to the system that has been developed for optimum performance of that system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe139 Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 So with all that said would you suggest a 17 or 19 Lb spring I use a 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes777 Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 I am no authority, but i agree with JL. Am currently experimenting with going heavier to achieve better recoil reduction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueOvalBruin Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Would there be a problem with using a 15lb mainspring with a 12lb recoil spring and a generous radius on the FPS? I don't care for small radii on the FPS, makes the gun flippy and sluggish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob DuBois Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I have several 1911/2011 pistols. A 17lb mainspring lives in all but one, a 9mm STI Trojan set up for IDPA ESP. It's mainspring is a 15 lb using the stock STI hammer. It's running a light 9 lb recoil spring also. Shooting heavier bullets in 9-minor works great. Slide cycling is quick with slight recoil. The 15 lb spring is two years old and has never given me a problem with Winchester primers. Using a lighter weight hammer probably would need a heavier mainspring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGO Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 17 for 9mm, 19 for .40 Can probably get away with 17 for both, but I run a little heavier for the large pistol primer. 9mm and 40 both use the small primer size. You might be using a rifle primer though in the 40, and that may require a little more oomph to set them off all the time. I use 17 in almost everything now, and an occasional 15 in the 9mm's. You gotta have everything right though to use the lighter springs! Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGO Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Would there be a problem with using a 15lb mainspring with a 12lb recoil spring and a generous radius on the FPS? I don't care for small radii on the FPS, makes the gun flippy and sluggish. Wow, you can feel this difference? Man, I just do it to change the trigger pull weight and keep the hammer from following when shooting really light trigger pulls. Whether it changes the way the gun kicks or feels means little to me compared to the ease and speed of shooting the lighter more reliable trigger pull. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueOvalBruin Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Would there be a problem with using a 15lb mainspring with a 12lb recoil spring and a generous radius on the FPS? I don't care for small radii on the FPS, makes the gun flippy and sluggish. Wow, you can feel this difference? Man, I just do it to change the trigger pull weight and keep the hammer from following when shooting really light trigger pulls. Whether it changes the way the gun kicks or feels means little to me compared to the ease and speed of shooting the lighter more reliable trigger pull. Rob I just built a .40 SS and wanted to try out a 15lb mainspring to get my trigger a little lighter without hammer follow. I normally use a 17lb mainspring but have no experience with the 15lb one. I’m not expecting much of a difference with the 15lb from a feel standpoint. I wasn’t sure though if coupling a 15lb mainspring with a lowish 12lb recoil spring and rounded FPS could cause reliability problems. Regarding the FPS geometry though I can definitely tell the difference between a squarish FPS and a more rounded one. My first 1911 was a Dan Wesson, it was flippy and slow compared to my glocks and I didn’t enjoy shooting it. I couldn’t track the sights on my 1911 like I could on my glocks. I then picked up a springfield GI and it shot much better. It had the same trigger kit, recoil spring, and mainspring (17lb) as the Dan Wesson. At first I thought problem with the Dan Wesson was lube shear drag from tight frame/slide fit and I asked about it on enos (see link below). After someone mentioned FPS geometry on the thread I noticed the Dan Wesson had a very small radius on the FPS. I did some testing and the rounded FPS made a huge difference. Now all my 1911/2011s have a generous radius on the FPS, up to the firing pin hole. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=121777&hl=sluggish&st=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodownzero Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Using a lighter weight hammer probably would need a heavier mainspring. Actually, the opposite is true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJM3808 Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 I have an STI Trojan .40 thats run a few thousand rounds without any mis-fires, when it was fairly new I called STI to inquire about the main & recoil springs as it came new, they said 15lb main & 15lb recoil. I changed to a 9lb recoil spring right away and it runs great, I think its soft and has a decent trigger, just under 2lbs. I've used winchester & wolf primers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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