Posted: 2/25/2008 2:47:29 PM EDT
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I have a SA Loaded PX9154. I'm looking to replace the recoil spring with a stiffer one. Thinking of a variable power Wolff. I'm not sure what size. I shoot factory ammo 230gr FMJ or slightly warm reloads (200gr @ 960ft/sec). I'm sure a 18.5 pound spring would be ok, Im wondering if a 20 pound would be better. Any advice based on your experience would be greatly appreciated. |
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You can't ever go wrong with Wolff. Having said that, if you're shooting factory ammo, why would you need a stiffer recoil spring? Even with slightly warm reloads the factory spring should be fine. By adding a stiffer spring you're possibly introducing extraction/feeding problems. |
Stripping a round from the magazine softens the return to battery, over springing the gun is going to cause failure to eject and fail to feed issues from the slide short stroking. |
| Me I get a recoil spring pack of assorted spring weths then about 400 rounds of ammo. I'll run bill drills at 10 yards changing out the recoil spring every few cycles reapting all spring rates. I then chose the spring rate that gives me the most uniform group size. |
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I have had 2 seperate occasions of failure to go to battery. The rounds fit the chamber well and I can just push the slide forward. Thought a stiffer spring might help as long as I don't get carried away. Short stroking does not seem to be the issue, all brass is thrown about 8-10 ft away. I'm not worried about the frame being battered, just looking to increase reliability. Does anyone have experience with variable power springs? They seem to be what I'm looking for. These should allow the slide to build momentum when the spring pressure is lower. This could possibly allow the pistol to eject well and still store enough energy to positively feed the next round. What are your experiences using these types of springs? What pound spring did you use? What type of ammo? What problems if any? |
Based on this description I retract my first statement. Definitely sounds like you need a stiffer spring. First clue is that rounds should land 4-6 feet away from a properly sprung gun. |
Factory loads, 17# recoil spring, 23# mainspring with that EGW firing pin stop w/broken edge??? If so, that is the exact setup I went with and I find it works perfectly and the gun tracks incredibly. Best setup I have found for factory loads. |
I'm assuming standard. Truth be told, I'm just passing on what was told to me by my gunsmith. A good guage of how your ammo and recoil spring match up is how far the empties eject. Fail to eject - 4' = too stong. 4' - 6' =perfect. Over 6' = too weak. It makes sense to me so I pass it on. Sorry, I should have been more clear about that in the first place. |
This keeps the 'Felt Recoil' down considerably, and keeps the slide cycling in a more flat or linear manner straight back & forth with limited muzzle climb/rise. This makes it easier to keep your gun on target, and faster follow-up shots! If you make this mod, and also change out the Firingpin & FP Spring, as well as the ILS/Mainspring setup on a Springfield GI 1911 (or even MilSpec model), your trigger pull will also be reduced from about 5# or 5.5# down to 4# or 4.5# pull. This is because the Mainspring (28# Factory from Springfield) will now be using a 23# spring and the decreased pressure on the Hammer/Sear contact surface will allow the sear to move more easily with slightly less resistance (pull weight). That little EGW Firing Pin Stop is a SWEEEEEEET addition to any 1911! Back when the 1911 was originally designed by our great Lord John Moses Browning, it was actually designed with this kind of firing pin stop! However, cavalry/horse mounted soldiers complained about it being more difficult to draw their 1911 from a holster, and cycle the slide to chamber a round while on a horse.  So when the next series of 'tweaks' were made, they redesigned the firing pin stop with the heavily 'tapered' bottom edge. It made the gun easier to manually cycle & chamber a round, but it also decreased the guns efficiency in transferring recoil forces into the gun's springs, and as a result, the M1911-A1 transferred more recoil into the shooter's hand (in felt recoil & muzzle climb). 
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