When do You replace your recoil spring?

[bkeeler]

I was just wondering why you would replace the recoil spring every 2000 rounds if after the 200 rounds it is still the same rate?

If I use a 10lb recoil spring which was checked on a recoil spring scale and after 2000 rounds it is still at 10lbs why change it?

Thanks

bkeeler

[Loves2Shoot]

When a spring fails, it goes quick. I have only ever had 1 spring fail, and it was because I was paranoid to change it and it had about 50,000 rounds on it, this was at a major match too. I could feel the spring go out during a stage. I now have 1 spring for matches and one to put lots of rounds on. I hated blowing 2 stages over a $8 part.

ISMI says they will guarantee their springs for 1 year, reguardless of the # of rounds.

[Hagop]

"When do you replace a recoil spring?"

The way I determine whether or not to replace a recoil spring is....I have a SDM Fabricating recoil spring tester and I use it to note the mesured closed and open weights of a brand new recoil spring before it goes into my pistol.

Once I have that mesurement on hand....I use it to gauge off of every time I take the pistol apart for reqular maintenace or cleaning if you will.

For example: I run a mesured 13lbs spring when the pistol is open and 7lbs when it is in battery.

If ever that drops to say 3lbs below the mesured open rate or 2lbs below the rate when in battery when installed originally....I tend to replace it.

That is the maximum loss of weight I am willing to tolerate.

This tool will also tell you if the spring is to long and needs trimming in order to avert coil bind.

So to recap....once the spring is mesured to have 10lbs open and 5lbs when in battery gauged off the original mesured weight.... into the garbage it goes.

[Eric Schwab]

Every 1000 rds.

[Loves2Shoot]

Eric,

Would you send me all your springs with 1000 rounds on them, I will give you .50 each for them.

[benos]

"Would you send me all your springs with 1000 rounds on them, I will give you .50 each for them."

lol! No, send them to me and I'll give you 75 cents. Okay, nevermind, I've got one spring in stock and I'm not shooting that much lately, so I'm all set.

Seriously, when shooting a HEAVY schedule, I'd replace the spring a week or two before a the Nationals, just to be safe, and then maybe three times a year beside that. I always used standard Wolfe springs, and found that once they had taken a set they'd pretty much stay there forever.

be

[Steve Anderson]

When I feel a drag in chambering I put a new spring in.

Feels like a little bump in the cycle.

SA

[SiG Lady]

( "...springs with 1000 rds on 'em..." ) I'll give you $0.85 each...!

[Bill Schwab]

Sorry folks, but as his "little" brother I have first dibs on the springs.....

[Loves2Shoot]

Dang! I was going to sell them as "tuned" springs. Oh, well.

[Rufus The Bum]

After every 1000 rounds?  Grief, I've had a 14lb ISMI recoil spring in my Edge for about 15000 rounds now with NO spring related failures.  A group of us were at the Factory Natl's last year and we were talking about how often we change springs, one guy changed his before every major match, another guy had "match-only" springs, another guy changed his once a month.  I kinda felt like a cheapskate when I said I changed mine once a year.