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What kind of replacement cycle do you guys have for your recoil springs on your (in my case, full size) M1911s?
A couple weeks ago, I was told that it's a good idea to keep a spare recoil spring (and accompanying firing pin spring) handy so you can check for the current spring losing strength, etc. I've probably put about 1200 rounds through my Springfield, but just to be on the safe side, I ordered a Wolff 16lb spring set (after double checking the Springfield's recommended spring weight), and found that the replacement spring was significantly longer than the one that came with my gun.
I switched the springs and found that the wolff is recoil spring significantly stronger than the factory spring, and the firing pin spring is fairly significantly shorter than the factory (I forget how much... probably between 1/4 to 1/2 in?...). If I'd shot the factory springs out and the recoil spring I got is the right weight, then I'm fine. But if the 16 lb spring Wolff spring IS way too strong, I can see a myriad of FTE and FTF problems, and if the firing pin spring is too short or too weak, I'll have a fully automatic 1911.
What should I do?
A couple weeks ago, I was told that it's a good idea to keep a spare recoil spring (and accompanying firing pin spring) handy so you can check for the current spring losing strength, etc. I've probably put about 1200 rounds through my Springfield, but just to be on the safe side, I ordered a Wolff 16lb spring set (after double checking the Springfield's recommended spring weight), and found that the replacement spring was significantly longer than the one that came with my gun.
I switched the springs and found that the wolff is recoil spring significantly stronger than the factory spring, and the firing pin spring is fairly significantly shorter than the factory (I forget how much... probably between 1/4 to 1/2 in?...). If I'd shot the factory springs out and the recoil spring I got is the right weight, then I'm fine. But if the 16 lb spring Wolff spring IS way too strong, I can see a myriad of FTE and FTF problems, and if the firing pin spring is too short or too weak, I'll have a fully automatic 1911.
What should I do?
