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Posted: 1/4/2021 6:21:13 PM EDT
Can a Rifle Length Buffer Spring be Cut Down to Carbine Length? Safely...?
 I have a few extra rifle springs which I haven't found a use for since the '94 ban expired. |
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Posted: 1/4/2021 6:40:08 PM EDT
[#1]
Yup, go for it. Check for coil binding and depth of travel by the BCG.
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Posted: 1/4/2021 6:47:23 PM EDT
[#2]
We do it all the time on machines at work. The worst things that will happen are a more severe jolt on the max spring compression or it has too much compression and will have issues cycling by short stroking possibly.
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Posted: 1/4/2021 7:15:14 PM EDT
[#3]
Ok...
Thank you! Breaking out diagonal cutters (formerly known as..) and a file. I'll just count the coils on a carbine spring and duplicate. The wire gauge appears identical. 
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Posted: 1/4/2021 8:21:41 PM EDT
[#4]
Why? As cheap as they are at Damage Industries just buy the right one.
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Posted: 1/4/2021 8:55:18 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Why? As cheap as they are at Damage Industries just buy the right one. Glad that I am not alone.... |
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Posted: 1/4/2021 10:22:24 PM EDT
[#6]
Quoted: Why? As cheap as they are at Damage Industries just buy the right one. Quoted: Glad that I am not alone.... Unless you're in the lull of a fire fight and your only option is to mod a spring to get it going again, then I'd just buy a new one. They're still available everywhere. |
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Posted: 1/4/2021 10:34:46 PM EDT
[#7]
That’s the problem with this generation. Why not save $10 and have a FREE fix? That’s at least 9 .223 rounds. That’s 9 antifa if you can shoot like Kyle.
Count the coils on the carbine spring and cut your rifle length spring 2 coils longer to allow for possible difference in springs. You can always cut it later, you can’t add it easily. |
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Posted: 1/4/2021 10:44:43 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That’s the problem with this generation. Why not save $10 and have a FREE fix? That’s at least 9 .223 rounds. That’s 9 antifa if you can shoot like Kyle. Count the coils on the carbine spring and cut your rifle length spring 2 coils longer to allow for possible difference in springs. You can always cut it later, you can’t add it easily. 3 pk of CS springs from Brownells =$12. |
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Posted: 1/4/2021 10:59:29 PM EDT
[#9]
Just buy the right spring easy. If you couldn't find it or needed it in a life and death fire fight ok do it. But I personally only use the right parts. For me it would be in the back of my mind that I cut the spring. I couldn't do it. This is just me I have sold industrial machine parts for almost 30 years. OEM parts are made to certain specs for a reason by the manufacturer. Just my thoughts.
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Posted: 1/4/2021 11:12:26 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That’s the problem with this generation. Why not save $10 and have a FREE fix? That’s at least 9 .223 rounds. That’s 9 antifa if you can shoot like Kyle. Count the coils on the carbine spring and cut your rifle length spring 2 coils longer to allow for possible difference in springs. You can always cut it later, you can’t add it easily. Exactly. OP has rifle springs and no rifle tube to use them in. Makes sense to me to make them work if you can. Why buy another spring and still have these sitting about? If it doesn't run right, no harm done. Just put the cut end on the buffer and let 'er buck. |
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Posted: 1/4/2021 11:21:10 PM EDT
[#11]
To each their own......
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Posted: 1/4/2021 11:44:16 PM EDT
[#12]
I wouldn't. The coil pitch, and thus the spring rate, will be different. You will be forced to remove coils until the solid height of the spring is adequately small, in which case the free length of the spring will be too short. The energy storage capacity of the spring will be much lower than what it should be, and the spring force of the "in battery" (bolt closed) position will be too low.
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Posted: 1/5/2021 12:29:38 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That’s the problem with this generation. Why not save $10 and have a FREE fix? That’s at least 9 .223 rounds. That’s 9 antifa if you can shoot like Kyle. Count the coils on the carbine spring and cut your rifle length spring 2 coils longer to allow for possible difference in springs. You can always cut it later, you can’t add it easily. https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/receiver-parts/recoil-parts/recoil-springs/ar-15-m16-buffer-springs-prod41438.aspx |
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Posted: 1/5/2021 12:32:16 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That’s the problem with this generation. Why not save $10 and have a FREE fix? That’s at least 9 .223 rounds. That’s 9 antifa if you can shoot like Kyle. Count the coils on the carbine spring and cut your rifle length spring 2 coils longer to allow for possible difference in springs. You can always cut it later, you can’t add it easily. That logic applies to many things, cars, home repair, etc, etc, but not on my firearms. Like stated before, 3 for $11. |
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Posted: 1/5/2021 12:05:30 PM EDT
[#15]
@Duffy
What would your thoughts be to this? |
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Posted: 1/5/2021 12:13:32 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I wouldn't. The coil pitch, and thus the spring rate, will be different. You will be forced to remove coils until the solid height of the spring is adequately small, in which case the free length of the spring will be too short. The energy storage capacity of the spring will be much lower than what it should be, and the spring force of the "in battery" (bolt closed) position will be too low. The coil pitch on your springs is different? Mine are identical and the wire gauge is identical. The rifle spring just has more coils. I can't comment on the metallurgy and I have seen several different colors of springs (same with mag springs). I "assume" some are stainless and some are not. |
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Posted: 1/5/2021 12:15:39 PM EDT
[#17]
I'd reply in more detail, but I'm pretty busy washing and folding aluminum foil for reuse and rinsing out old sandwich bags.
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Posted: 1/5/2021 12:42:31 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The coil pitch on your springs is different? Mine are identical and the wire gauge is identical. The rifle spring just has more coils. I can't comment on the metallurgy and I have seen several different colors of springs (same with mag springs). I "assume" some are stainless and some are not. Just do it, man. Let them cringe |
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Posted: 1/5/2021 2:24:42 PM EDT
[#19]
I would not do it. As mentioned previously, a proper carbine length spring is not expensive. Cutting off longer springs doesn't make it a carbine length spring, I'm nowhere near as knowledgeable on spring rates, installed height/length and other springs specific facts as Alan Dugger at Sprinco. If he says no (and he does on cutting small springs, the same would apply to the largest spring on an AR), I listen to him.
AR15 is very tolerant of shenanigans. M16 in full auto, not so much. That you can do it and get away with it in semi is far from any proof it'd work in burst/auto, or being optimal for the given configuration. |
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Posted: 1/5/2021 3:05:55 PM EDT
[#20]
The longer the wire is the lower the spring rate. As the wire get shorter, such as when cutting the coil, the spring rate increases.
Just an FYI. |
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Posted: 1/5/2021 3:07:18 PM EDT
[#21]
The two springs have more differences that just the length.
The helix angle is different. The nominal diameter is slightly different. By clipping the end you loose the reduced diameter at the end, as well as the closed and ground end feature. And, you don't get the same spring rate as the correct 10.7 inch 38 coil spring, even though the wire diameter is the same. EDIT: A little calculation and: M16 spring rate = 1.342 lbs/in M4 spring rate = 1.488 lbs/in clipped M16 spring to 10.7 inches = 1.611 lbs/in |
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Posted: 1/5/2021 6:10:04 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: To each their own...... This ^ Also just barely touched on here, is that when ever you cut a spring, you increase the spring rate, leading to an unknown force on the BCG at both closed, and fully open. The other thing is that the spring sit strait, due to the end of the spring not being square any more, so it will sit canted in the tube, and cause wear, or even binding on the buffer. You can get around this by reforming the end, but there is a chance of damaging the spring material (micro fractures) that leads to a small piece of spring breaking off, and free floating in the tube, if the spring was heat treated after it was formed. |
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Posted: 1/10/2021 8:00:27 PM EDT
[#23]
So a more detailed inspection reveals...
3 rifle springs all have slightly different wire gauge and slightly (1") different total lengths. Also one has one more "coil". One carbine spring I looked at has a different helix angle although its gauge is right in the middle of the rifle spring range. Others have the same helix. There are at least two materials in play. 17-7 and C-S? It seems there are are a lot of variations! |
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