Recoil and hammer springs?

[Shooter212]

I had an edge for three years and just ran stock recoil master springs and never changed the hammer spring. I bought a new MPA and everyone at the matches told me it is sprung to heavy. I grip the hell out of my guns and have huge hands. With my 135pf loads the dot doesn’t leave a big window. I have looked around some and people have all kinds of crazy ideas on hammer and recoil and how they affect the gun. I am just wondering what’s a good starting point and what is the feel difference? I don’t think I want a super light recoil spring to me that seems like it would beat up the gun? Sorry for the long winded post just looking for some knowledge. 

Edited August 3, 2023 by Shooter212

[Bigzona]

Beautiful pistol!

 

Frankly, your commentary leads me to believe your technique yields the desired outcome if you're keeping the dot in the window and it returns appropriately to zero.  I also believe an element of joy in our sport is exploration. Just remember, the lighter you go on recoil spring, the higher the frequency for replacement.  To answer your question, I've often seen 9-11lbs as the general recoil spring range for competition double stack 2011s.  I seldom see anything for hammer springs other than 17lbs.  I strongly recommend using your phone to capture slow motion video and review how it's returning to zero.

 

Enjoy! 

[Maximis228]

A gun that is "Over sprung" dips when it returns to zero.

 

Main springs below a 17 run the risk of not popping primers. Infinity uses 15's in their comp guns to get their super light triggers, but they need to be tuned regularly to keep the reliability. The vast majority of people I know run a 17 LB main spring, and a recoil spring somewhere between 7-11 LB depending on caliber, gun set up, and grip for the individual person. 

 

I would shoot doubles/bill drills while filming in slow mo to see what is happening with different recoil springs for your current gun set up and grip. 

[MikeBurgess]

Two things on the dot not leaving the glass

1 its unlikely that's what's actually happening, based on watching the movement of open guns in slow motion video and also on conversations with super squad level Open shooters and my personal observations. 

2 if you know where and how far your dot goes any time other than shooting into a berm trying to observe it you need to change your focus to the spot on the target you want to hit.

 

as for springs the easiest is to play with recoil springs, try different weights and see where the dot first stops, your goal is the dot comes ripping down and stops right where the last shot was aimed, if the dot goes past the point of aim then a lighter spring may help if it stops above the point of aim then heavier. 

[MuayThaiJJ]

I changed my recoil master out for variable Wolff RS, much smoother IMO.

15-17# HS and 7-9# RS depending on slide weight, compensator, etc.

[Aiden]

I don't recommend going under 17lb main spring, especially if you're using whatever primers you find. It will have minimal impact on your recoil impulse compared to stuff like tuning the firing pin stop profile.

 

Oversprung pretty much just refers to the downward dip from going into battery, it comes from a heavier recoil spring relative to the ammo you're putting through it. Lower power factor generally means you want to use a lower rating recoil spring. 9 is a great starting point, but you can try 7, 8, 9.5, variable, etc to get the impulse you actually want. 

 

I'm a firm believer in "if it works for you, it works for you" so you don't have to change anything if you don't have complaints.