9mm 1911 recoil spring fine tuning help for IDPA

[JMPhotog]

I have an Ed Brown 9mm 1911 5" that I am setting up for IDPA. It runs near 100% and is a tack driver and fun to shoot. Aside from my 45 1911 Kobra that I also use in IDPA, I plan on using the 9mm for the majority of IDPA matches. I get an occasional stove pipe ejection (maybe 1 in 75 to 100 rounds) and an occasional mangled brass. The mangles brass does eject, but soft and falls at my feet. This happens again, maybe 1 out of 75 to 100 rounds with both my hand loads and 124 gr factory Federal American Eagle. Now I know some of it could be me. I had been riding the slide with my weak hand thumb, but have now corrected that. I understand any little drag on the 9mm slide can cause issues.

I reload and have been using a load of 4.3 gr of Bullseye powder on 124 gr Bayou Hi-Tek coated RN. It chrono's over min PF.

I am expecting 100% reliability, maybe that is too much to ask for the 9mm in 1911??

So I started playing with springs. Browns come with a 10# recoil and 19# mainspring.

I tried a 9# Wolff. The brass ejected pretty much straight out to 3 O'clock and landed about 5 to 6 feet away. However, the spring seems slow and odd to me.

I tried a Wolff 10# Variable power recoil spring. The rounds land in a 3 to 6 foot circle that would be about at my 4:30 position.

I shot the 10# variable on Sunday in a match and did the best I have ever, won my division. But yesterday when doing some testing at the home range, I got one stove pipe out of 50?? Maybe its just me, my grip? Maybe I loosen up a bit at the home range.

I have not had any stove pipes or mangles brass with the 9#, yet? Maybe 50 to 75 rounds tested.

With the 10# variable power spring I only had 1 FTE in 150 rounds.

Is my thinking correct? I want to lean on the 10# variable power and thing the odd FTE is either me or a soft round?

Thanks for listening to me ramble.

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: 17ib ISMI mainspring and a 9lb ISMI recoil spring should solve your problems. Chrono your loads and make them about 130PF. You are going to love how this setup feels. Thanks, Eric