playing with recoil springs

[wanderer]

i have been shooting ipsc for about a year now, with a stock cz 85 combat, low b grade, i just got the comp hammer and springs and fiber front sight.

for the first time ever i have actualy been able to follow the front sight through the muzzle rise and fall. could never follow it with the stock sight.

so to the recoil springs, the stock is supposed to be 14lb, this gives me a rise and fall back on target and ok groups during 6 rapid shots.

i put the 11 lb in and noticed the muzzle rise then lost the front sight as it dropped too low and then back up to target, groups sucked.

i tried the 10 lb and got much the same as the 14 lb, nice rise and fall back on target.

so, i've read various things on recoil springs and generally get the felling it's all about feeling.

i'm buggered if i can work this recoil spring thing out, maybe another year might give me some more insite.

what should i be looking for?

Edited August 16, 2009 by wanderer

[Duane Thomas]

Sounds to me you're already looking for the important stuff. Don't try to logic out a spring-weight-to-what-happens rule in your mind because, in my experience, there isn't one. As you've already seen, sometimes you'll find a heavier and a lighter spring both work great for you, but the in-between spring doesn't. Then if you want to add in using both conventional and variable power springs, clipping coils, etc., things can get REALLY interesting.

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: What I found with recoil springs is they are not always as stated on the package I ended up making a recoil spring tester for 1911 springs and found that some of the springs differed by as much as 6 lbs when new. I ended up just putting 5 springs in a box then trying them till I found the one I liked. I then checked the spring weight and bought more of those and checked them when they came in to make sure they were the same. It may sound a little anel which it is but at least I have the same recoil springs everytime I change them. Thanks, Eric

[Indijan]

Hello: What I found with recoil springs is they are not always as stated on the package I ended up making a recoil spring tester for 1911 springs and found that some of the springs differed by as much as 6 lbs when new. I ended up just putting 5 springs in a box then trying them till I found the one I liked. I then checked the spring weight and bought more of those and checked them when they came in to make sure they were the same. It may sound a little anel which it is but at least I have the same recoil springs everytime I change them. Thanks, Eric

THAT was some interresting info. Was this a specific brand of springs or a general thing?

Do you have pics and description of the spring tester you built?

[Mo Zee]

Hello: What I found with recoil springs is they are not always as stated on the package I ended up making a recoil spring tester for 1911 springs and found that some of the springs differed by as much as 6 lbs when new. I ended up just putting 5 springs in a box then trying them till I found the one I liked. I then checked the spring weight and bought more of those and checked them when they came in to make sure they were the same. It may sound a little anel which it is but at least I have the same recoil springs everytime I change them. Thanks, Eric

THAT was some interresting info. Was this a specific brand of springs or a general thing?

Do you have pics and description of the spring tester you built?

I am not sure if it the same reoil spring tester, but I based my design on this link....

I was too lazy to go and buy a 5/16" bolt, so I used my one of my dillon primer pickup tubes. Everything else is the same.

Recoil Spring Tester

[luckylager]

I used a Dillon Primer tube also, worked out great. I was amazed at how far off some of the spring weights were. I had good luck with the ISMI springs, as each one was just about at it's marked weight as the coils were just about to touch one another.

[dvc40jim]

As long as there are still guys playing around with springs... don't let it end with just the spring rate! I played around with length as well and was really amazed with the results. Most everything I run now is a shorter version what most would consider a standard rate for the type and caliber of a given gun.

[luckylager]

As long as there are still guys playing around with springs... don't let it end with just the spring rate! I played around with length as well and was really amazed with the results. Most everything I run now is a shorter version what most would consider a standard rate for the type and caliber of a given gun.

Examples?

[wanderer]

thanks for the coments guys.

since i dont like the way the 11 lb feels i might just try cutting it 1 coil at a time and see what happens.

i'm also going to start putting it against the timer now that i just got my hands on one, since we are talking splits in the seconds not 1/10th it shouldn't be too hard to see a differance.

i might just put a spring tester together using a hanging fish scale. should do the trick.

Edited August 20, 2009 by wanderer

[G-ManBart]

One additional thing to consider (you may know this) is that if you swap springs it takes a while for your body/brain to adjust to it. So, if you swap springs and shoot a couple of mags you might not like what you see immediately, but it could actually be a combo that works "better" for you once you get used to it. I wouldn't make any decisions without shooting 100-200 rounds using the new combination. R,