orangeman711 Posted August 13, 2021 Share Posted August 13, 2021 Are recoil spring testers very accurate and are they worth having? Who makes the best one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverscooby27 Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 I know it’s not a popular opinion, but I haven’t found them to be very repeatable with consistent readings, therefore, not very useful. It’s not like a calipers where 1.16 is 1.16. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
open17 Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 Built one similar to the commercial designs. Tried the cheap electronic scale, nope. Went to a spring scale with a sliding max indicator. Better. Ended up machining a vertical compression tester that uses a electronic platform scale. Mark on the rod at 1.625". Not perfect, but it will repeat within 2 oz. Amazing how far off some recoil springs are from the label. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim vaughan Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 Can you tell the difference between a 8 and an 8.5 lb recoil spring? I just use a cheap electronic luggage weighing device and I get consistency down to below 0.5 lb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverscooby27 Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 (edited) I will also add, that I’ve not found any springs that were off by very much of what they were labeled. Definitely none that were a full pound off. I cannot get consistent readings within 0.5 pounds. Edited August 14, 2021 by Silverscooby27 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam_b Posted August 23, 2021 Share Posted August 23, 2021 When I get springs usually they are unequal length so its harder to test but within a half pound the difference is negligible to me behind the gun. I do however notice when 2 10lb springs are both brand new but one is shorter do to a different brand. Gun feels a little bit different at the beginning of the recoil impulse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefVanHauwe Posted August 26, 2021 Share Posted August 26, 2021 I just bought this one: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nc1911 Posted August 26, 2021 Share Posted August 26, 2021 On 8/14/2021 at 8:58 AM, open17 said: Built one similar to the commercial designs. Tried the cheap electronic scale, nope. Went to a spring scale with a sliding max indicator. Better. Ended up machining a vertical compression tester that uses a electronic platform scale. Mark on the rod at 1.625". Not perfect, but it will repeat within 2 oz. Amazing how far off some recoil springs are from the label. What spring scale did you use? I have a digital but it is too difficult to get a steady reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
open17 Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 3 hours ago, Nc1911 said: What spring scale did you use? I have a digital but it is too difficult to get a steady reading. This one from Amazon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinister4 Posted September 6, 2021 Share Posted September 6, 2021 (edited) built one this morning, stainless and aluminium, uses a digital trigger pull gauge with a positive stop you can move, so you can check max and find the rates, anyway it appears accurate to about +/- 1 oz on 15 tests. first thing I learned is stick to well known springs and chuck the off brand in the bench box ....lmao explains a .2 grain powder difference I had in cycling slides on 2 exact guns springs measured 1 pound 1 oz different ( both marked the same from same vendor/brand) anyway more stuff to check now Edited September 6, 2021 by Sinister4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanttolearn Posted September 15, 2021 Share Posted September 15, 2021 Sinister, sounds awesome.....i'd sure love to see a photo of your build if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ssanders224 Posted September 15, 2021 Share Posted September 15, 2021 Just buy Sprinco's and spend the time doing something more productive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ontarget Posted September 16, 2021 Share Posted September 16, 2021 Are Sprinco more accurate and consistent than Wolff or ISMI? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ssanders224 Posted September 16, 2021 Share Posted September 16, 2021 4 hours ago, Ontarget said: Are Sprinco more accurate and consistent than Wolff or ISMI? By a giant margin. Lengths (number of turns) are always identical, wire dia is always identical. Wolf and others are somewhat of a lottery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmyster Posted September 30, 2021 Share Posted September 30, 2021 (edited) I strangely had exactly the opposite experience. Wilsons (ISMI?) were consistent, but low. Springco were 10% to 20% low. Wolf was most consistent, always within <5% of the label. It's frustrating because once you have a tester, you'll know what weight you want for a happy gun. At that point, you just want a brand that delivers springs that test to spec. If a brand (or your tester) was consistently a certain weight or percentage off, you could account for it. For brands that are inconsistent, you just waste time and money. $12 luggage scale from amazon, some plywood scraps, and misc hardware. I verify the scale on occasion using calibration weights and some water jugs against a fairly reliable (to about 0.5 oz) postal scale. Repeat tests on the same spring are always +/- 0.1 pound. Guiderod is 1/4" because it matches the ID of the spring almost perfectly. Threaded enough to hold a washer and nut on the end. There's another washer in the end of the PVC (held there by the cap) to give the spring something flat/square/even to sit on at both ends. I have marks on the side of the board to quickly measure the relaxed length of the spring...should be ~6.5" new. Slots in the lower stop allow adjustment of compressed length for the jig. Short piece of pipe is cut to exactly 1.625" and is used to set compressed length of the jig. Using the jig I know I'm compressing to the same length every time, which is a step up over the handheld versions where you pull to a measurement mark. I'd make a spacer for the difference between commander and govt compressed lengths if that was something I dealt with. It's not my finest woodworking project, but it took the guesswork out of dealing with my 9mm guns (not feeding if springs get too weak) and 45 guns (fail to lockback if spring to stiff for whatever ammo.) With a tester...at least you know what the spring is. Makes random, unlabeled springs on your bench less or a problem. With an ever changing collection of 1911s this was a game changer. Edited September 30, 2021 by johnmyster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-Tex Posted October 13, 2021 Share Posted October 13, 2021 Having an automotive background helps me too see other ways of doing things or having ideas. Try this? A valve spring tester. It will give reading based on compressed length. They are not as low cost or as portable, but give better readings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-Tex Posted October 13, 2021 Share Posted October 13, 2021 Part of the issue (or non issue) with springs with a shorter length can have a higher tension rate with the same compressed # reading. The coils can be the same number (in a shorter spring), but less diameter giving the same compressed length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iflyskyhigh Posted October 19, 2021 Share Posted October 19, 2021 Do ISMI Glock recoil springs fit on the SECURE FIREARMS PRODUCTS 1911 RECOIL SPRING TESTER? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loubob Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 thanks johnmyster for your diy scale made one and is piece of mind when changing springs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted December 26, 2021 Share Posted December 26, 2021 Lyman trigger pull gauge, cleaning rod with handle, screw and a couple washers. Slip spring onto rod with a washer on each end 8/32 screw in the end of cleaning rod. Pull rod between the jaws of my vise (using the trigger pull gauge) with the one washer on the end of the vise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted December 26, 2021 Share Posted December 26, 2021 This one's gonna be 20 years old in a few months: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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