Was thinking about changing out my 9mm recoils springs, what lb is standard?
PB
For my Springfield Armory Loaded, I use 11lb flat wire spring for 115gr plinking ammo and 13lb for 124gr or defensive ammo with a 19lb mainspring and radiused firing pin stop.
I think it came from the factory with a 9lb recoil spring and 23lb mainspring, but it wouldn’t feed reliably after 150 rounds or so.
If you have stock MS and are shooting “Range Ammo”, an 11#/12# should run fine PB.
The [b]factory standard weight[/b] recoil spring for 5" 1911s chambered in 9mm is 14lbs but that is very dependent on the ammo used and the fit of the pistol. As an example, I have a tightly fit (Acc-u-rails) 5" 1911 that will not run wimpy factory 115gr FMJ ammo unless it has a 9lb recoil spring, a 16lb mainspring (hammer spring), and a radically profiled firing pin stop. You may want to get an assortment of recoil springs and mainsprings to test to determine which combination works best for your pistol and your ammo.
What if I run range 147’s ? I have some Wilson 12.5’s
PB
They should work. For minor PF 147’s in my DW PM-9, I run an 11# recoil with a 19# mainspring and minimally radiused firing pin stop. When I was competing Matt Mink was running a 10# spring in his, but I found it to be a bit too flippy.
If I’m running full power ammo I’ll step up to 13-14#, so you could say the Wilson 12.5’s are in the middle of the range. Probably not the best for tailored loads but will run more variety of ammo without failures.
That is what reigns supreme for me. Reliability. The 1911 9mm is so soft to start with IÂ’m good.
My suggestion is not to get hung up on identifying a specific spring combination. Each pistol is different. Each shooter is different. Springs are cheap.
Get a range of recoil and hammer springs in 2lb increments and experiment until you find what’s right for you, the pistol, and the ammo. Keep in mind that you’re not going to hurt the pistol. For example, you could get 10, 12, and 14lb recoil springs as well as 17, 19, and 21lb hammer springs. That’ll cost somewhere around $36 and give you spring combinations that will probably work for any ammo you want to put through the pistol.
Go to the Wolff Gunsprings website that I linked to in my post above to view all the available spring weights.
Assuming you have stock MS, a 12# should be fine with 147’s.
Try your 12.5# Wilson. if it chokes, try an 11#.
My Legion P320 X5 uses 1911 springs which is smart. I had a 12 and 13 lb spring to change out. I put in the 13lb having no idea. My question, assuming all other springs are stock. 1911 or X5, Does a heavier spring give more of a range of ammo that could be used, or a lighter. I went down this rabbit hole once before but educate me on the implications of a 12 vs 13 …lb recoil springs if it can be boiled down to a generalizations. Is the goal to use the heaviest spring possible that it will cycle resulting in softest shooting gun???
PB
Too heavy a spring can cause ejection issues or failure to feed with light range ammo.
Additionally a heavier spring causes more muzzle dip as slide goes to battery.
A lighter springs downside is beating up gun, with hotter ammo.
It’s a balance. If you’re shooting lighter range ammo exclusively, use lighter RS.
If you’re shooting both range and SD ammo, I’d use a heavier RS.
And to answer your question; I use a light recoil spring with wimp range ammo for the “softest shooting gun”. Subjectively.
Both of your replies in this thread were spot on.
It takes less than a mag or two worth of ammo and less than 5 minutes to spring tune most any 1911 to the particular ammo providing one has a selection of the different weights.
I generally start with a spring weight that I know will not cycle the gun at all (slide not moving or barely moving at all) and work down in 2lb increments until it will move enough to feed the next rounds in the mag. Then (if not locking back on an empty mag) I move down in 1lb increments until it does lock back on empty, drop one more lb off the spring weight and call it done.
Those things are too inexpensive not to have a kit that contains an assortment of the different weights. ESPECIALLY if you frequently shoot a lot of different loadings…
I agree with @gaijin and @DG23.
My philosophy is to use the lightest recoil spring consistent with 100% reliability. I will use a flat bottom firing pin stop and/or a heavier than standard mainspring to allow for the use of a lighter recoil spring. What I’m looking for is the combination that results in the flatest shooting pistol i.e. the front sight ends up back on target by itself. Reliability is the prerequisite. Flat shooting is the goal. I will sacrifice flat shooting to maintain reliability, if needed.
Ditto FBFPS.
A favorite 5”, 9mm range gun I run the Flat Bottom Stop, 21# MS and 8 or 9 lb. recoil spring.
It’s a treat to shoot.
Thanks guys, a wealth of knowledge here.
PB
My Colt .38 super with 9mm conversion barrel had ejection issues with a #13 recoil spring. I use a full power main. Replaced with a #9-10 recoil spring for full function.