What weight recoil spring in .40 1911

[cbmax]

Hi all,

I recently bought a new Para Ordnance 1911 single stack. It has a full length guide rod. I was having a heck of a time reassembling the pistol. The recoil spring tube would not clear the barrel bushing. As a last ditch attempt I took a slightly used 161/2 lb recoil spring that was in one of my Kimber .45's and problem solved. I think the one that came in the Para was too short. I actually started cutting coils off the stock Para recoil spring but that made things worse!

So on to the real question. What weight recoil prongs would you try? This will be a gun shooting 180 grain bullets just fast enough to make major power factor. I have read everything from 12 to 19 lbs. Can anyone please provide some specifics?

I will buy Wolff variable power springs but don't want to waste money buying the wrong thing!

CB

[JeremyM]

The recoil spring will depend on your load and gun. I determine my spring by watching the front site when shooting. If after I fire a shot and the slide has returned to battery and the front site goes out of my view, it's to heavy of a spring. The gun should always return to the same spot after the recoil as it was prior to firing. Try different springs until you have the slide simply moving back and forth during recoil with as little as movement up and down as possible.

Edited May 4, 2012 by JeremyM

[cbmax]

Jeremy,

Okay so can you give me the range of spring weights I should be looking at given a 180 grain bullet going just fast enough to make major?

CB

[Cy Soto]

I run a 14 lb recoil spring in my .40 S&W 1911.

[warpspeed]

11, 12 or 13. All will work. One will feel right.

[dover0020]

I use a 12 1/2lbs. spring in my gun. My PF is about 172.

[dogtired]

I just tried a 16.5 Wolff variable in my Trojan and it really makes the gun shoot well. Brass is landing in a neat pile about 5 feet to the right. Recoil feels much more controlled. I am shooting 180 grain lead at 950ish.

[tanfogliocoe]

I have been running a 12lb recoil spring for the last year. Recoil springs are subjective subject. What works for me may not work for you. Things like pistol set up i.e. Full length dust cover vs short, tungsten guide rod vs ss, grip strength. All of thise things can change your muzzle recovery.

[a matt]

Sorry my enter putton is Doubling. Lol

Edited May 4, 2012 by a matt

[a matt]

12 lb. Wolf springs have been working well in my 5" pistolla. I did not like the variable style. They are not that expensive so I would (and do) buy 11, 12 & 13 pounders and try all of them. Check recoil, the cycling of the gun when firing from slide lock, reloads from slide lock. Make sure it returns to battery, and ejection of the brass. Run it like it is a gun you are looking to purchase. I shoot about 50 rounds or so to get a true feel. You should be able to make a decision them. Good luck!

[latech15]

I use 11 lb variable. It is light though. I like it but I think I will go with a 12.5 next time.

[chaosshooter00]

I have used 10-13 pound springs with no problems. I have found variations within the manufacture as to what they're marked and what they are. I would get an assortment from 10 up and go from there.

[EkuJustice]

there is no right answer. The most common is 12.5 or 14

[cbmax]

Thank you for all of the replies. As usual I got what I needed! I will place a Midway order shortly.

CB

[Seth]

I like a 10#. The sight doesn't dip when the slide closes.

[leas327]

I also bought one of those Paras and had trouble getting the thing back together. Glad I am not the only one.

Edited May 4, 2012 by leas327

[z40acp]

Start with the 14# spring. I would watch going too light.

[Seth]

Start with the 14# spring. I would watch going too light.

I disagree with that entirely. The front sight dictates spring weight. The closer to dead flat that the gun tracks the faster the follow up shot. The only concern I would have about going TOO light would be functioning. But even my 6" gun will run reliably on an 8#.

A good test is to shoot one shot dead center and bang off the 2nd shot as fast as possible. If the 2nd shot is high the spring is too light. if its low it's too heavy.

[Cy Soto]

A good test is to shoot one shot dead center and bang off the 2nd shot as fast as possible. If the 2nd shot is high the spring is too light. if its low it's too heavy.

At what distance do you recommend this is done?

[Ronnie j]

I think you kinda grow into the lighter springs, I used to like a 16-14 pound spring it slowed the gun down and made it feel more manageable , now I like a 11-12.5 pound spring as makes the the gun feel quicker, snappier, more lively. Above all else the gun must run, so start with a 16-14 , break the gun in and after a couple thousand rounds then your probably safe to start dicking with it.

[cbmax]

Thanks again everyone! I just ordered a Wolff spring set with springs between 11 and 15 pounds. The spring I just put in the gun is 16.5 pounds. It was from a Kimber .45. It was incredible how the new sping made reassembly so much easierr. I am not sure what it was but the longer Kimber sping made the problem of the barrel bushing not clearing the guide rod go away!

CB

[Wild Gene]

Start with the 14# spring. I would watch going too light.

A good test is to shoot one shot dead center and bang off the 2nd shot as fast as possible. If the 2nd shot is high the spring is too light. if its low it's too heavy.

This is very interesting. One thing I really noticed when I transitioned from my stock Edge to my custom gun was how close the bullet holes were with the new gun. I know it is due to a combination of things, but never really considered the spring weight coming into play, I figured spring weight was determined by slide weight and load, but never really thought about how you can adjust it for an individuals shooting style.

Good Stuff.

wg

[cbmax]

Hi,

I got my pack of Wolff springs in the mail the other day. I got springs ranging from 11 to 15 pounds. Right now I have the 14 pound spring in the gun. I also added a shock buff just for extra insurance.

The gun is a Para Single stack Travis Tomasie Edition. Since I got the gun a couple of weeks ago, it has been incredibly tough to get the recoil plug to clear the barrel bushing. Tonight I think I finally mastered it. Mind you this is by no means my first 1911. You really, really have to push down hard on the recoil plug with your barrel wrench to get it to go in far enough! None of my other 1911's take this much effort.

I will let you know how it works with the lighter recoil spring shortly. I did have a couple of FTE's the first trip out when using the stock recoil spring.

CB

[Carmoney]

I also added a shock buff just for extra insurance.

Bad idea.

[cheers623]

Sometimes the guiderods are machined a little on the plus size as far as length and this can cause difficulty in moving the barrel bushing past it when stripping the gun. I've had this issue with a few guns and have a couple tricks. First, when trying to strip it, place your strong hand thumb on the back of the slide and press forward so that the slide does not move back any while turning the bushing. This will help get maximum clearance of the end of the guiderod if it's a tight fit. Another trick is to pull the slidestop out first and run the slide forward a little bit. This will definitely help clear the end of the guiderod. Third, you can lightly stone the end of the guiderod to remove just enough material to make it easier to clear. Fourth idea, try another guiderod, with Dawson Tool-less being my hands down favorite for any type of 1911/2011! Fifth, yank it out and replace with a G.I. length guiderod. That's the easiest and it's what I do with my single stack gun. One less hassle at matches to worry about. However, I've got nothing against the longer ones.

As far as weight of recoil springs, in my dedicated self defense .40 with full power loads I use a Wolff 14#. In my game guns with 172 power factor loads I like the ISMI 12.5# in my 5" slide and 11# Wolff in the 6" slide.

Hope that helps,

Cheers623

DVC