Recoil spring bullet combo

[ENDO]

I am looking to get my daughter into amateur pistol shooting. I am looking for a bullet, recoil spring combo for a Glock 17. I am thinking of a 13lb recoil spring a 115 gn bullet and working a load to function properly.

My question to those with this type of experience, am I heading in the right direction with this combination? Will there be a noticeable reduction in recoil? Should I go to a lower recoil spring as she has a hard time manipulating the action into battery?

Thanks for your help.

[ENDO]

Recoil spring bullet comb

Come on you guys in IDPA, IPSC have to have some input? Please

[zfields]

Cant speak for anyone else, but I run 124 grain primarily. Never needed a spring change though since recoil was pretty mild to start with when you are loading barely at power factor.

[ENDO]

124's

Cant speak for anyone else, but I run 124 grain primarily. Never needed a spring change though since recoil was pretty mild to start with when you are loading barely at power factor.

I also run 124's however I am trying to reduce the spring tension and recoil for my daughter to be able to compete on her own by being able to manipulate the slide into battery under duress successfully. Thus the inquisition of spring weight retention. Thank you for your input

[scotty99]

Call or email the guys over at Glockworx, and I'm sure they can give you some advice. You may also look at adding a charging handle to the gun, basically a little knob that sticks out of the back of the slide and may allow her to work the gun in its stock form. Even with minimum power IDPA loads, the stock springs work fine.

[noylj]

Are you just trying to get her into shooting or are you getting into competition?
I would start her with a .22lr, if you are simply getting her into shooting.
If IDPA or such, then you have a Power Factor to meet.
You CAN have a gun work well with stock spring and light loads, but that DOES NOT mean that the gun might function better with a lighter recoil spring. Too many people put what they do as being what every one should do.
By a small range of lighter springs, work out a light load (I stay with stock spring and fire single-shot style to find the accurate load that feels good, then I try different springs to get the weight that cycles every time, limp wrist and all.
You may have to cycle the gun at first. You may even want to work up the light load yourself. Then, when you have the gun and spring working right, let her try it.

[M27]

for lighter recoil use heavier bullets at slower speeds, not lighter bullets

[joelogic]

Either way, springs are $7. Just buy and try.

[GeoffLinder]

Stock Glock, standard spring to start. Don't use light bullet to reduce percieved recoil, go for a poof load with heavy bullet. It will cycle gun fine with standard spring but will feel like a mouse fart in comparison to higher velocity light bullet load.

Use a 147-150gr bullet, use a 20-25% reduced charge from what is specified for 115-124gr powder charge. Test with one round in magazine at a time of various powder charges until you find charge weight that is just too light to lock gun back from last round in mag. Add .2 grain to this charge weight and test to make sure gun locks back reliably. This is minimum charge point for that spring.

As I said, try this with stock spring, then use softer spring if needed, but I doubt you will need to. Softer spring, find minimum charge needed same way.

My fave poof load this way is 3.2-3.4gr WW231 or 4.5-4.7gr AA7 under a 147gr. Super soft recoil impulse in stock Glock.

[MIAMIbaseballer]

for lighter recoil use heavier bullets at slower speeds, not lighter bullets

^^^^ this. Try a subsonic 147 load

[noylj]

The heavy bullet for low recoil only works in terms of perceived recoil at a certain power factor.
A 125gn bullet at 900fps will always have less recoil than a 147gn bullet at 900fps. Thus, if you need to get a round that cycles with a stock spring, you either need a light bullet at some speed or a heavy bullet at some much reduced speed. The recoil impulse of the lighter bullet at its greater speed will be perceived as being snappy, where the heavy bullet will be perceived as pushing.
However, the light bullet going at the same reduced speed as the heavy bullet (which would require a lighter recoil sprint) will be even lighter in recoil.
Thus, the comments about a heavy bullet having less recoil ONLY applies if one is working to a power factor and NOT to recoil in general. Recoil, like momentum, is proportional to Mass * Velocity.

[ENDO]

Spring

Are you just trying to get her into shooting or are you getting into competition?
I would start her with a .22lr, if you are simply getting her into shooting.
If IDPA or such, then you have a Power Factor to meet.
You CAN have a gun work well with stock spring and light loads, but that DOES NOT mean that the gun might function better with a lighter recoil spring. Too many people put what they do as being what every one should do.
By a small range of lighter springs, work out a light load (I stay with stock spring and fire single-shot style to find the accurate load that feels good, then I try different springs to get the weight that cycles every time, limp wrist and all.
You may have to cycle the gun at first. You may even want to work up the light load yourself. Then, when you have the gun and spring working right, let her try it.

Local amateur matches, power factor is not in the equation. I did not want to purchase another handgun as I have an abundance of Glocks. I was trying to avoid purchasing to many springs as the captured springs are $30. I shoot a stock spring with reduced loads in my G34 and I sometimes a failure to complete battery from them a 15 lb spring cured the issue. I will be working the load spring combo myself with her input only to be able to manipulate the action.
Thank you for the input

[ENDO]

Glockworx

Call or email the guys over at Glockworx, and I'm sure they can give you some advice. You may also look at adding a charging handle to the gun, basically a little knob that sticks out of the back of the slide and may allow her to work the gun in its stock form. Even with minimum power IDPA loads, the stock springs work fine.

Good idea to call Glockworx, Thanks

[ENDO]

Heavy

Stock Glock, standard spring to start. Don't use light bullet to reduce percieved recoil, go for a poof load with heavy bullet. It will cycle gun fine with standard spring but will feel like a mouse fart in comparison to higher velocity light bullet load.

Use a 147-150gr bullet, use a 20-25% reduced charge from what is specified for 115-124gr powder charge. Test with one round in magazine at a time of various powder charges until you find charge weight that is just too light to lock gun back from last round in mag. Add .2 grain to this charge weight and test to make sure gun locks back reliably. This is minimum charge point for that spring.

As I said, try this with stock spring, then use softer spring if needed, but I doubt you will need to. Softer spring, find minimum charge needed same way.

My fave poof load this way is 3.2-3.4gr WW231 or 4.5-4.7gr AA7 under a 147gr. Super soft recoil impulse in stock Glock.

Some of the shots we take can be 50yrds and a reduced 147 drops extensively at that distance. I have even hit the bottom of the plate rack at 10yrds with a reduced 147. Although I guess she does not need to take the shots at that distance until she gets comfortable any how. Thanks for the info. I may try the ww231 and I have an abundance ao 147's. But I will still have the manipulation of the slide issue with her.

[Bill Steele]

I think the main thing is to select a recoil spring that allows her to easily manipulate the slide and then just dial in a load that keeps the slide off the frame. No need to go to 147gr bullets for this application. You can load a 115gr or 124gr bullet for this purpose (see Noylj's post above).

I think after I got a spring that worked for her upper body strength, I would try some WST. You can load it light (say 4.5grs for 124gr bullet) and it will yield light recoil and a relatively clean gun after the match.