Cutting Recoil Spring For Slide Travel Question.

[lucas]

After cutting recoil spring for correct slide travel havent i now reduced poundage?Should i now use buffer pad.I had to reduce length by 0.200 aprox two coils.

[HSMITH]

Yes and no. Don't worry about it, it is still close enough to the listed weight. It is probably still inside the variance you will see if you actually measured the weight of 4 more identical springs.

[nipplehead]

After cutting recoil spring for correct slide travel havent i now reduced poundage?Should i now use buffer pad.I had to reduce length by 0.200 aprox two coils.

Actually shorting a spring tends to make it stiffer...but as the last person posted no signifacant differance.

[lucas]

Thats great ,thanks.

[lucas]

After running my newly shortened spring since i first posted i dont like the feel.I'm using the same grip as always and the recoil seems to be for lack of a better word,squirelly and is harder to manage while shooting a bill drill.I put a un cut spring back in.Its funny that in my other gun a SVI 40 not only do i have a to long spring according to the ISMI instructions for slide travel but also with a buffer and it shoots sweet.I have been working with a ISMI 12.5# spring, since this gun is not responding as i'm used to with this set up i'm goint to try a 13# variable.

[HSMITH]

The buffer might be saving you right now. If the spring is too long and going solid when compressed you WILL break something, it just just a matter of time.

If you run a buffer check for coil bind without the buffer. Then put your buffer back in.

Coil bind WILL break your gun.

[Chuck Merriam]

Derek at Mellinium put it this way......a long spring will try to drive the end plug out the front of the gun. He said check for spring bind by (glasses on eyes first) seeing if you can make the back of the plug touch the head of the guide rod with it OUT of the gun. Takes a good grip but you can see what you are doing.

[LPatterson]

A long spring & shock buff can be hard on the barrel bushing & when it bends, it becomes a jam from HELL.

[lucas]

With a un cut ISMI 12.5 spring which is to long according to ISMI instructions will allow the back of the plug to touch the guide head.Now i'm beyond confused .

[wide45]

If the plug touches the guiderod head, the spring is not too long. This is what happens in the gun.

You are good to go. Add a shok buff if you must, it will not change the spring stacking.

When the spring prevents the plug from going all the way to the head, you will break something.

Reverse plugs are not all the same. Use the one you will be shooting when you check the length.

Edited May 15, 2007 by wide45

[kmca]

If the plug touches the guiderod head, the spring is not too long. This is what happens in the gun.

You are good to go. Add a shok buff if you must, it will not change the spring stacking.

Now I'm a little confused. Doesn't the buffer decrease the available space for the spring to compress?

[wide45]

If the plug touches the guiderod head, the spring is not too long. This is what happens in the gun.

You are good to go. Add a shok buff if you must, it will not change the spring stacking.

Now I'm a little confused. Doesn't the buffer decrease the available space for the spring to compress?

No.

The slide travel will be reduced by the thickness of the buff. This can cause problems for some guns.

In a gun with a reverse plug, the end of the plug touches the guide rod head when the slide is all the way back*. You can see that the spring must compress entirely into the reverse plug. Adding a buff does not change that. The plug will now stop on the buff instead of the guide rod head.

A regular bushing type gun works the same way, you just have to remember that the spring plug does not come all the way backthrough the tunnel in the slide.

*An EGW/STI type reverse plug must be even, or very slightly recessed in the slide. If the end of this kind of plug takes all the contact, it will break.

Edited May 16, 2007 by wide45

[kmca]

Okay, I get it now

Thanks.

[lucas]

If your spring fits but you want a buffer because you track better but with a buffer it wont lock back your slide which i want, would cutting 1 coil off reducing length 0.10 then putting in a 0.10 wide buffer make a difference?

[wide45]

If your spring fits but you want a buffer because you track better but with a buffer it wont lock back your slide which i want, would cutting 1 coil off reducing length 0.10 then putting in a 0.10 wide buffer make a difference?

No. Cutting the spring will do nothing for you.

[lucas]

I'm determined to use a buffer .Next up ,i have filed down a alum buffer from 0.10 thick to 0.080 leaving the spring uncut and will test it tomorrow.

[HHjr]

I check for recoil spring bind by locking the slide back and trying to pull the slide back by hand. If the slide will not allow the slide catch to be fully lowered by the slide travel I trim coils until it will do so. Makes no difference if I run a slide buff or not I use the same procedure. I even use this on my XD tactical with 18# 1911 springs. Too often the unaware just drop in a new recoild spring and think they are good to go .... bad mistake. Harold H.

[LPatterson]

I check for recoil spring bind by locking the slide back and trying to pull the slide back by hand. If the slide will not allow the slide catch to be fully lowered by the slide travel I trim coils until it will do so. Makes no difference if I run a slide buff or not I use the same procedure. I even use this on my XD tactical with 18# 1911 springs. Too often the unaware just drop in a new recoild spring and think they are good to go .... bad mistake. Harold H.

This fits in the category of YMMV because I have a Colt slide on a Caspian that with a shock buff will not let the slide forward EXCEPT by using the slide release even without the recoil spring.

A more correct method would be to turn the barrel bushing to release all spring pressure. Pull the slide back & put a piece of tape across the slide/frame, cut the tape so the slide is free to move. Depress the spring & install the barrel bushing, if using a solid guide rod install it, pull back the slide & the edges of the tape should still be aligned. If not there is spring stack & the spring needs to be cut, otherwise leave it alone.

Shoot as fast as you can see applies to typing too.

Edited May 28, 2007 by LPatterson

[HHjr]

Respectfully, very respectfully ....... in any forum YMMV. I can fault LPatterson's technique at all ....What I said worked for me in four different 1911's of 3 different calibers for unpteen years. If the slide will not release the catch by pulling it rearward by hand the recoil spring is too long. IMHO. Do your research to assure yours is Not too long. HH

Edited May 28, 2007 by HHjr

[lucas]

Fianally got gun to work the way i like it with the 40cal barrel in it and a buffer.I filed a alum buff to 0.065 and replaced all the grams spring kits i just bought replacing them with ISMI 11 coil springs and STI followers.The grams would have worked but i have need for the slide to reliably lock back which they happen to do on two other of my guns but not this one for some reason.

[Radical Precision Designs]

Cut the recoil spring lenght only as a last resort, and then only if it is close to binding in its total lenght when compressed within the space alloted in your firearm.

Very often in 19/2011's a government length (5") is cut below its regular lenght as a design item, other times a gov. lenght is cut down to be used as a Commander lenght spring. Sometimes a spring may be offered as "generic" to be cut to suit as needed (be very careful with these)

In all instances the space/size of your "dust cover" will determine the available space in which to compress the spring in use.

In a 19/2011, if you use a recoil guide rod, with the spring installed, just push it (the guide rod) from behind out of the front until the guide rod head (with or without buffer installed) touches the back of the dust cover. The recoil spring must disappear completely inside the dust cover area. If it doesn't and shows an area of touching coils between the guide rod head and the rear of the dust cover, THEN YOU HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM ... which must be corrected immediately BEFORE firing the gun. Cutting spring coils in these cases is advisable. Proceed by cuting coils until the bind is gone, then cut one or two more coils to establish a complete bind free and longer spring life. When in doubt, just obtain an use a spring specifically intended for use in your model gun.

As for Glocks ... use flat springs whenever possible, specifically designed for use in Glocks. If you are cutting from longer spring, intended for larger system guns, then a way to verify available compression space is to remove the recoil spring assembly from the firearm, install the slide back (only the slide) and rack it back untill it stops, then put a mark in your frame to index the front of the slide as it stops. Now install the spring and rack back untill the slide stops solidly. IF the mark does not match the mark made in your frame, then your spring is too long and must be trimmed. Follow the same procedure to trim off coils.

I do not recommend the use of 1911 style springs for use in Glocks as they usually have a longer area needed for "unbinded" compression and mostly because they will not provide the higher "preload weight" needed in Glocks when in battery to function hassle free.

Edited June 11, 2007 by Radical Precision Designs