variable or standard recoil spring

[jimbullet]

I've been looking for replacement recoil springs for my Para P16-40 and while I typically went for the variable rated Wolff recoil spring, the gunstore I typically went to ran out of them and but told me that they have the standard Wolff recoil spring in the same spring weight.

Their explanation was the variable is that if it is say a 12lb spring, it actually starts at a lower weight and increases to 12 lb once fully compressed whereas the standard Wolff spring is 12 lbs all the way from uncompressed to fully compressed mode.

This is the first time I've ever heard of this. Is this true and if so, how will the gun behave differently?

[CocoBolo]

We tend to pick springs on feel, which is a huge mistake, we should test them on the timer and chose the one that lets us shoot A's faster. But to the question, yes, the stronger spring at the beginning of recoil will give a little more muzzle rise early, where as the variable will have a bit more thump in the palm as it lets the slide retract faster.

I've shot both in my open gun and can't tell the difference. In a 40 limited gun I normally run a 14# spring, sometimes a 12.5# IMSI, depends on the load, for jacketed 14# for Moly 12.5#.

[ParaGunner]

I've been running 12lbs Sprinco on my P16 for years. They seem to last longer to.

[jimbullet]

We tend to pick springs on feel, which is a huge mistake, we should test them on the timer and chose the one that lets us shoot A's faster. But to the question, yes, the stronger spring at the beginning of recoil will give a little more muzzle rise early, where as the variable will have a bit more thump in the palm as it lets the slide retract faster.

I've shot both in my open gun and can't tell the difference. In a 40 limited gun I normally run a 14# spring, sometimes a 12.5# IMSI, depends on the load, for jacketed 14# for Moly 12.5#.

Sounds like it is a matter of preference then on whether one likes the thump at the end or have it at the beginning.

I'm thinking of giving ISMI a try. Are ISMI springs then considered variable?

[Jaxshooter]

I run variable rate springs in my Open guns and a regular 12.5 lb spring in my Limited gun. It is strictly a matter of personal preferrence.

[Steve RA]

Get one of each style and weight you want and try them. Relatively cheap experiment..