Will leaving a Kimber 1911 cocked and locked do any damage to the hammer spring?  I want to keep the pistol in my night stand ready incase anyone breaks in while I'm asleep, currently I am keeping it with the hammer down on a loaded chaimber so all I have to do is cock it.  The scenario that I most fear is to be waken up from a deep sleep so I want the pistol ready with the least amount of dexterity involved.  Maybe I should just get a Glock and install a Safe T block.

over the long haul yes.
but your main spring will also wear out at about the same time.  i think it's a good idea to buy new springs every 3-5 years.  it's the price of perfection.  i like wilson spring sets.

Quoted:  Will leaving a Kimber 1911 cocked and locked do any damage to the hammer spring?

... No

Here is a question for the physics or engineering majors out there.  I know that springs weaken over time but if they are not compressed or stretched too far don’t they only loose so much force and then stop?  For example the springs on your car will weaken over time and your ride height will lower an inch or two but I have never heard of a suspension completely collapsing even after many decades of the cars weight on the springs.  

If my previous observation is true then it would seem that firearms engineers would speck a spring of higher spring constant than desired so that over time it would weaken to the desired spring constant.  Is this right or just a steaming pile of ….?

thats right "in theory".  but you are betting your life on if this guy's guess and practical application is a good one.  

it's kind of like taking a 5 year old vett out for a few laps on an oval track.  yea you can do it and the car can do it but as you increase your speed springs that are fatigued and tires that are old begin to make the car act unstable.  if the car fails it will do so at the worst possible time like sliding out of a turn.  

the pistol like the car must be kept tuned to provide maximum possible performance.  do you want your pistol to fail or jam at 2:00am for lack of a $10.00 spring kit?  sure it will probably work just fine w/o them but why take the chance.

My opinion of the safety block for Glocks is that it is almost completely useless.  The doggone thing falls out all the time.  I have adjusted it, and even put a slight indent in the trigger guard so the setscrew could have a better bite.  I don't even know where it is now.  It is laying about the house in the last place it fell out.  

This is one of the greatest misconceptions about firearms. If I leave my mag loaded, pistol cocked, will I wear out the springs? The answer is no, you will not. Movement wears out springs, not compression or tension. Springs need to be replaced in pistols that are shot alot, not the ones that are left loaded or cocked and locked. Properly made springs can still function after 50 years in a fully loaded magazine.


Tom

"over the long haul yes.
but your main spring will also wear out at about the same time."

The "hammer spring" he asked about is the "main Spring". That's why they call it a "main spring housig"!

XM15M4 (Tom) got it exactly right. Compressed or relaxed, springs will out last you. Use wears them out.