Raydee38 Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 I recently added a slide mounted optic to my 9mm 1911 to use in NRA bullseye and I am noticing that the light loads I am using no longer work with the optic added. I am shooting 122gr bullets with 3.9gr of Titegroup. This load cycled the slide without a problem before but didnt always keep the slide locked back on the last round so I know the load is on the light side. With the optic now and the same load I get a stove pipe on just about every round. I know the stock recoil spring on the pistol is 12lb so the question is do i go to a lower 10 or 11lb spring or load the rounds with a higher powder load? Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 You make your 9mm bullseye load for maximum accuracy, and then spring for whatever the load needs. My bullseye buddies say the need fast 9mm for best accuracy. For your current load, try a 10 lb. conventional spring. You may have to go to a 9 lb. The idea is to get it to work 100% and return to battery as quickly as possible for rapid fire. There is a decidedly different feel between 8, 9 and 10 lb. springs. They are cheap, so experiment. You may also try some variable springs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ltdmstr Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 I run a regular (non-variable) 9 lb Wolff in mine. It's 100% reliable, feels great, and sights come right back on target. I also tried 8 lb and couldn't get it to run reliably. As zzt stated, somewhere between 8 and 10 should work for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcc7x7 Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 I just finished a new 9mm build and took it out yesterday to proof it. The spring in it was a 10 or 11 lbs that I had on the bench when I started the build. Everything safety "double" checked and functioned in live fire, the first 100 rounds. Had one or two failure to lock back. So near the end of the first 100 rounds I changed to a 9lbs Wolfe Variable . Once again I was pleasantly surprised at how much difference a spring makes. The front sight just kinda bounced in the rear blade for the next hundred rounds. Which I shoot as fast as I can load mags: 3 or 4 at a time, to duplicate a USPSA 32 round stage. For me it makes sure there is nothing going to bind up from the gun heating up etc Back to springs, as stated above, 8-10 is the ball park, for me and this new build 9 variable seems to be the sweet spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raydee38 Posted December 28, 2019 Author Share Posted December 28, 2019 I am going to order a 9, 10, and 11# in both conventional and variable and see which runs the best. Is there a way to know for sure if and when the rate is to low? I don't want to damage the pistol with a spring than is to low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broadus123 Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 I use 10lb variable wolff springs in my 9mm. I am loading to 130 pf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 (edited) 11 hours ago, Raydee38 said: I am going to order a 9, 10, and 11# in both conventional and variable and see which runs the best. Is there a way to know for sure if and when the rate is to low? I don't want to damage the pistol with a spring than is to low. Yes, especially since you have slide mounted optics. With too light a spring your dwell time at the rear of the stroke will be long, the muzzle will rise more, and it will feel like slow motion. Repeated firing can/will damage the pistol. For me, if the brass gets tossed 3-5' to the side, the slide locks back when empty, and there are no FtFs, the spring is right. After that it is all about feel. Note that more than one weight of spring will do that. So experiment with what you ordered, starting with the heaviest and see what works the best. For bullseye, I want as little muzzle rise as possible, given 100% reliability. BTW, you can do that with bullets too. I don't shoot 9mm for Centerfire. With 45 I find that using a 185 gets the dot back on target that the 200s I have been using for years. Edited December 28, 2019 by zzt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pskys2 Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 Adding any weight to the slide/barrel has the effect of slowing the slide. Just go down in weight if your load is accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raydee38 Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 I ended up dropping to a 9lb spring to get a reliable function but the pistol just feels odd now. It's almost like the slide is going in slow motion but not all the time. Might have to try the variable 9lb and see if it feels any better. If not I am going to remove the optic all together. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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