1911 Recoil Spring

[jak77]

Is there any practical/reliability benefits of replacing the standard 16# recoil spring with a 18 1/2# Wolff spring? Heard this argument go both ways and was wondering what you folks thought. Is it worth it? Not in price wise, as they are pretty cheap, but will it make my 1911 more reliable?

[wu_dot_com]

Is there any practical/reliability benefits of replacing the standard 16# recoil spring with a 18 1/2# Wolff spring? Heard this argument go both ways and was wondering what you folks thought. Is it worth it? Not in price wise, as they are pretty cheap, but will it make my 1911 more reliable?

the recoil spring reliability really depends on the load you are running. having it stronger would ensure reliable feeding but you might get ejection/timing (stove pipe is the most common specially if the ejection port is not lower) issue. having it weaker would ensure faster cycle time, but you sacrifice feeding reliability.

if you are running light loads, then having a heavier might caused FTE. if you are running heavy loads w/ light spring, you are accelerating the wear and the recoil will be violent.

if all you are running is standard loads, going up 1-2 lbs wouldn't hurt anything. the feed performance would theoretically improve. if you are running +P or +P+ loads, than having a heavier spring is a must.

[Colt]

Actually, for normal loads you can probably go down to 15# - on a 5 inch 1911. I run slightly reduced power recoil springs in mine and have done so for years with no issues. I shoot 230 grain ball ammo, and once in a while HP - all standard pressure.

[Army]

Yup. I use a 15# Wolff in all my 1911's. It functions effortlessly with 165gr Cor-Bons to 230gr GI ball.

[Sinixstar]

Generally - my rule of thumb with 1911s is - don't go fixing things that aren't broken. If the 16# spring is functioning and reliable for you, and you don't have a reason to go to 18.5 - don't.

This also begs the question of "more reliable". Well - more reliable then what? Is your 16# spring having problems? If the 16# works just fine, is the 18.5 going to be "more fine". Can you have < 0 problems?

More important than worrying about the weight, is worrying about the condition. Make sure your springs are in good condition, not compressed, free from defects/rust/buildup - and you'll be fine regardless of 16-18.5.

[jak77]

Ok thanks for the input guys. I was just asking because I took my SA Loaded out for the first time earlier this week and the pistol was having problems going fully into battery. I shot the handgun's first 150 rounds that day. While I expected this because Ive been told there is a 500 round break in period, I was wondering if getting a heavier spring would make it lock up easier. After 500 rounds this problem should go away right?

[Sinixstar]

Ok thanks for the input guys. I was just asking because I took my SA Loaded out for the first time earlier this week and the pistol was having problems going fully into battery. I shot the handgun's first 150 rounds that day. While I expected this because Ive been told there is a 500 round break in period, I was wondering if getting a heavier spring would make it lock up easier. After 500 rounds this problem should go away right?

When you say having problems going fully into battery - explain that a bit more.

Was it doing it literally right out of the box - or are you talking after 50-75 rounds it starts sticking?
Is this right out of the box, or did you clean/lube it first?
Also - what ammo were you shooting?

[Army]

Grip it more securely. 1911's require resistance from you in order for the slide to function correctly. Not enough resistance, and the function is slowed. Too slow, and the slide won't have enough "oomph" to go forward while chambering.

[BryanB]

Jak,

What kind of ammo were you using? Are you using reloads? There was another shooter on here who got a brand new Springfield 1911 and was having the same issues. He was shooting reloads that were out of spec and were hindering the pistol from going into battery. When he switched to factory loads the pistol cycled flawlessly.

[randy]

Springs that are too heavy or too light accellerate wear on the gun. Springs that are too heavy can cause the gun to be sluggish and can make it dip/slam when going into battery. Springs that are too light let the slide slam into the frame, but will slow down the return of the slide to battery and when dirty could cause FTF.

If you are shooting factory ammo use the spring that the factory recommends would be a good place to start. If you want to use lighter springs install a shok buff. I don't like them personally but I do use them on some guns that aren't using factory ammo.

[spursnguns]

[RedFord150]

I learned a long time ago not to fix what ain't broke. I currently work for a manufacturer and I have access to some very talented engineers who are also gun enthusiasts. I am often told that my very limited experience pales in comparison to the knowledge of the people who designed the gun at the factory. Also, a change in one area always impacts the function in another area. This has been addressed by the comments about accelerated wear and failures to feed or extract.
If it works, leave it alone. If you have to change something, you must define the specific gain you expect to get. If you cannot define the anticipated gain, you are likely to do more harm than good.

[wu_dot_com]

Ok thanks for the input guys. I was just asking because I took my SA Loaded out for the first time earlier this week and the pistol was having problems going fully into battery. I shot the handgun's first 150 rounds that day. While I expected this because Ive been told there is a 500 round break in period, I was wondering if getting a heavier spring would make it lock up easier. After 500 rounds this problem should go away right?

if you have a caliper, take it and measure the rail height. the cause for the hang up is most likely due to the uneven rail height that is mating with the slide rail grooves.

you have 3 options to solve your issue other than changing the spring. one is to put light lapping (polishing) compound (they carry them at midway) on the rail mix w/ some oil and hand cycle the slide (or shoot another 1-2 hundred rds if you are really lazy; i like the hand work becuase it gives me better control over the polishing job). this will wear down the high spots and mate the rail and slide.

the second option is to take a grinding stone (since you only need to polish more than anything, use 1800 gd so you dont remove too much material) and carefully polish off the high spots by moving the rail back and forth on the stone (be sure to keep the stone wet or oiled) .

the last option is to just shoot lots of rds. the gun would mate itself eventually. but i think this would hurt your wallet more than the first two options due to the high ammo cost.

[Sinixstar]

I learned a long time ago not to fix what ain't broke. I currently work for a manufacturer and I have access to some very talented engineers who are also gun enthusiasts. I am often told that my very limited experience pales in comparison to the knowledge of the people who designed the gun at the factory. Also, a change in one area always impacts the function in another area. This has been addressed by the comments about accelerated wear and failures to feed or extract.
If it works, leave it alone. If you have to change something, you must define the specific gain you expect to get. If you cannot define the anticipated gain, you are likely to do more harm than good.

Precisely.
Everything about how these guns works is a balancing act. You change one thing, and it may throw the whole scheme out of whack. It's why companies like Wolff don't just sell individual springs, but also sets of calibration springs to figure out what works - as well as packs of multiple types of springs that are all tuned to work together.
Jumping up from 16 to 18.5 isn't a HUGE deal, and generally wouldn't cause many problems. However also generally speaking - a 16# spring was probably chosen for a reason. Especially these days when everybody is looking for the "upgraded" 18.5 spring...

[JTROKS]

Stick with the 16 lb. Nothing to be gained with a heavier recoil spring, but more felt recoil and a possible failure to eject or feed with standard ammo. I gots lots of 1911 springs here so I learned the hard way. If you're a reloader and hotrodding the 45acp towards a 45 super then the heavier spring is a must.