Firing Pin & MainSpring replacement

[SMS2]

Is there any preventative maintenance schedule to replacement of the firing pin or mainspring. If not what might symptom be that would warrant changing them. I also see no # tension noted on firing pins. Are they all the same # tension?

Even though I use ISMI I notice Wolff recoil springs come with a firing pin spring included, do you automatically change the firing pin spring when changing recoil spring?

Thanks

[APL-G35]

Springs are cheap, why not change out yearly?

[bountyhunter]

Is there any preventative maintenance schedule to replacement of the firing pin or mainspring. If not what might symptom be that would warrant changing them. I also see no # tension noted on firing pins. Are they all the same # tension?

Even though I use ISMI I notice Wolff recoil springs come with a firing pin spring included, do you automatically change the firing pin spring when changing recoil spring?

Thanks

No. The recoil spring suffers a lot more abuse. In "shorties" for 1911 guns with short slides, some recoil change intervals are as short as 500 rounds because the small slide means the slide spring absorbs more of the recoil.

I rarely change FP springs. Hammer springs only need changing if you start to get light strikes, again rarely. But recoil springs need changing regularly.

You can usually measure the free length of the spring and tell if it is getting worn. Or, just replace once a year on guns you shoot a lot.

[Steve RA]

I've never had to replace a mainspring (unless I just desired to change the poundage) or a firing pin spring, but, when I was shooting competition I changed the recoil spring about twice a year.

[bountyhunter]

I also notice the Wolf spring kits always include an increased power firing pin spring. I wonder if that is lawyer proofing because a stronger FP spring makes the gun less likely to fire on a muzzle drop or on a slam fire. But a stronger FP spring also makes light strike misfires a problem if using a reduced power hammer spring to get a lighter trigger pull.

The only time I ever saw any use for an XP firing pin spring was in cases where the primers showed "primer wipe" where the case was being extracted before the firing pin had retracted fully. That is a very rare occurrance.

Edited December 29, 2013 by bountyhunter