alzo Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 (edited) For shooting factory 230gr ammo, is there much of a difference in felt recoil between a 16lb recoil spring and an 18.5lb recoil spring in a 5" 1911? A 2lb reduction in recoil spring weight (from 16 to 14) made a huge difference in my 9mm CZ, and I was wondering if I could expect the same in my 45 going from an 18.5lb to a 16lb. Edited October 9, 2007 by alzo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 Yes, a big difference. 18.5 is a LOT of spring for factory 45 hardball. I run a 13 or 14 in a government length 45 gun. 16 is 'normal' for a government gun, 18 is extra power and typical of oversprung guns from the factory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddrod Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 I run an 11 lb spring in my 45 without any problems with hardball loads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeIndy Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 i run the 18 in my 1911 just in case i get a reload thats a little bulged or a wad cutter thats not seated all the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boz1911 Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 I run a 14lb with 230 grain bullets in the 167-169pf range. Enough spring for reliabilty and softens recoil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cking Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 14lb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 14 in a .45 is perfect for 165 pf. I use a 14 with full power factory loads and it seems to work better than a 16. Will not consider an 18 after trying various springs.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scribble Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 I went from a standard 16lb to a progressive 13lb with buffer and that made a world of difference in handling. I shoot 200gr LSWC making 173. pf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket35 Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 12-13# progressive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alzo Posted October 9, 2007 Author Share Posted October 9, 2007 Wow. I'm surprised that some of you use spring weights so low. I am talking about ammo with a PF of about 195-196. I guess I don't have anything to worry about with a 16lb spring. I look forward to trying it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxshooter Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 14 lb at 170 PF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFD Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 Like some others have said, a 16 lb spring was factory standard for probably 80 years or so before someone got the idea that 18+ lb springs were a good idea. I run a 14 lb spring with a shok-buff and factory ammo in several 1911s but I don't shoot a lot of factory ammo. A 16 lb spring is definitely safe and you may want to see how a 14 lb spring feels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhunter Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 No factory ammo here, but I run a 11 lb in a 169 PF load, I also use a wilson shok-buff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeHeadedDog Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 I run a 14 lb ismi spring with a buffer tech buff(should i try wilsons everyone else seemsto to use those?) using only factory winchester wite box since I dont yet reload. I tried a 12lb spring and for me it was a little too lite a spring for my set up. I will likely have to drop to lower spring rate when i finally get around to reloading. LOL I usea a 20-22 lb spring in my 10mm with a buff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOGA Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 I was advised to try 12.5 ISMI with a buffer and i liked it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbs007 Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 I use a Wilson 13lb. spring with buffer from 230gr factory ammo to 185gr reloads. A couple of my friends tried it in an indoor range with 230gr factory ammo and cannot believe how much softer it shoots compared to their H&K 45 USP and SIG P220. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoMiE Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Does changing the mainspring make a difference in how the recoil spring 'feels'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann the Horrible Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Does changing the mainspring make a difference in how the recoil spring 'feels'? Indeed sir, it makes a vast difference. I run a EGW square firingpin-stop with a very strong mainspring. I went to a softer recoil spring and honestly it feels like cheating. The gun feels more like a 9mmP than a 230gr, 45 on a 175PF. I went back to the Chronograph just to make sure that I still was at 175 factor. Obviously it is making a rather big difference to my shooting. Actually it would have made a bigger difference if I was not completely distracted by the gun shooting so "soft" that I completely forgot about my planned reload. I was running down the corridor thinking that I should have changed the springs long ago. Meanwhile I should have been doing a magazine change. My bubble burst big time when the gun went "click" on the last target. Dumb ass!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoMiE Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 If the mainspring 'soaks' up some of the recoil force, is there a need to balance the mainspring and recoil spring? I had the opposite experience switching recoil springs. Stock gun had 18.5# recoil and 22+# ms. I put a 15 & 16# recoil and the sights seemed to lift more. Went back to 16# recoil and 17#ms and gun was much softer, same load mind you. So I was going to try a 14# recoil w/ 17# ms and see if it was better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adweisbe Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 It would be interesting to try and correlate choice of recoil spring weight with classification or any other measure of shooting success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ong45 Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I had the opposite experience switching recoil springs. Stock gun had 18.5# recoil and 22+# ms. I put a 15 & 16# recoil and the sights seemed to lift more. Went back to 16# recoil and 17#ms and gun was much softer, same load mind you. So I was going to try a 14# recoil w/ 17# ms and see if it was better. As a general rule i use as light a recoil spring as the gun will reliably run. Not too worried about sight ( or dot) lift as i am the slide hitting to hard and causing the nose of the gun to dip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkeeler Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 (edited) I dont think I would be using an 11-12 lb spring shooting Factory 230gr hardball loads. (830 fps = 190 pf)???? I use 13lb using my reloads @ 739 fps = 170 pf. BK Edited July 25, 2008 by bkeeler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigsaxdog Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 i've heard old schoolers say that the 18 lb spring drives the gun back down better....i personally think it kicks like a horse, but YMMV.......defiinitely don't think 18 will work good w/170- pf, though...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revchuck Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 i've heard old schoolers say that the 18 lb spring drives the gun back down better....i personally think it kicks like a horse, but YMMV.......defiinitely don't think 18 will work good w/170- pf, though...... My Commander runs fine with 170 PF ammo and an 18.5 lb. ISMI spring. Don't know about the 5"....haven't shot it since I started loading down to that level. Going off on a tangent, my M&P .45 runs perfectly with the 170 PF ammo and a stock recoil spring too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catfish Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I run a 17# recoil spring; full size 1911(s), 172ish pf. I can't stand the lower wieght recoil springs. For one thing, I like the push of a heavier spring vs the snap of a lighter spring. For another, I want the gun to reliably feed whatever I put in it whether the gun is clean or dirty. Every time I try a lighter # spring I start to get reliabilty issues on top of not liking how it feels. The heavier spring weight feels better to me, and it works regardless of what ammo I'm stuffing in the mags. It's another one of those subjective things; some folks like it one way, others like another. Experiment and find what works and feels best for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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