Chris Leong Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 Can't get no satisfaction! Limcat 4" .355 barrel, 5-port on a Limcat STI with extended dust cover. The slide wouldn't lock back fully, and I wanted to install a Wilson Shock Buff, so I clipped the recoil spring to just where the slide lock will catch it (with the shock buff installed). Problem solved? Read on. Now the barrel is flopping around, i.e. won't go into full lock anymore and I can physically push the slide forward about 1/10", whereupon the barrel locks and stops moving. Solution? Stronger spring? Longer spring? Bought the gun used and so don't know the weight of the recoil spring in the gun at the moment. Have a whole slew of spare (linear) Wolff 1911 springs. What weight does anybody use? (124gr JHP with VV N350, 1.260" OAL at the moment, probably switching to 3N37/3N38 to get that fabled 3ft flame) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detlef Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 Brian, I propose we have a separate forum category *Recoil springs* just under the Brian's shooting forums. People appear to be more concerned about recoil springs than any other single *Gun specific* topic. Why that is you ask? Don't look at me.... --Detlef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 Detlef, I think that the recoil spring interest is caused by the fact that no one will tell someone what weight spring they "should" use , therefore causing a grey area. Most people like for things to be "black or white" and recoil springs are not. I can relate to the concern because I have been there. No one wants to damage their gun and everyone knows that competition shooters use less spring weight then the factory recomends but will not give a specific answer when asked by a new shooter "what spring should I use?". To me, its like the question: "What load should I use?". Ask 100 shooters and you will get 100 different answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detlef Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 add to that the fact that this is probably the most easily exchanged internal part of the gun, and you have an active *gunsmithing* community. I understand that all, and I must have more recoil spring in my box than anything else (well, lately magazine springs are giving them a run for space...) myself. Still somehow funny.... and yes, Chris, now your spring is probably just too short! --Detlef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Leong Posted September 10, 2001 Author Share Posted September 10, 2001 Hey Detlef You're right. I've been at this game for just under six months, and already I have more than enough of these darned springs to fill a shoebox.. Yeah, it's an inexact science right now, but I'd venture to say that if there's a group with either the experience (you guys) or the willingness (us guys) to get this subject grappled with, it's this group. BUT I'm not asking for 100 shooters, just us BEst ones! I'll make a compendium and post it, like load data, if I get enogh replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 Congrats Detlef, you're the new moderator of the new forum. Chris, exactly what's wrong with your Limcat that makes you want to add new parts and clip existing parts? Don't answer, that's a rhetorical question. BTW, a slide that doesn't lock back is a feature, not a bug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 Detlef, I like your idea of a Spring forum, and I also like the idea of you being the moderator! If I make a new forum, however, probably everyone will stop asking spring questions. Wait, maybe that's it! I'm gonna start few new forums today, one more wouldn't hurt. Especially since I already have a moderator "volunteer." Chris, If you have to clip the spring to make the gun lock back, you got troubles there somewhere. It's a 4" gun? That's a shorty. The gun may not have enough "stroke" to add a shock buff and still have enough spring to operate the gun. Every shock buff you add decreases the stroke, and on a 4" gun, you don't have much to work with. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detlef Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 Doh! That's what you get for trying to be helpful, MORE WORK! Hey, it probably makes sense to have a theoretical physicist run the *Recoil spring* category.... --Detlef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 #Moderation Mode Moved here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolan Posted September 27, 2001 Share Posted September 27, 2001 Chris, Buy a recoil spring tester from Brownells. Once I found what spring weights and lengths worked well in my guns I measured them for compressed (gun open) and extended (gun in battery) weights. Now every time I clean the gun I measure the springs and if they have changed I replace them with the same weight springs. When they do change it is a fairly small change in weight not a drastic collapse. In my Open gun using 115 gr bullets I run a 9 pound compressed/5 pound extended spring, with 124 gr bullets I use a 10 pound compressed spring. In my Limited gun using 180 gr bullets I run an 11 pound compressed/6 pound extended spring. I like measuring stuff so I am thinking about building a fixture to measure my mag springs. (Edited by Nolan at 3:25 pm on Sep. 27, 2001) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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