I have read and was informed that if your 1911 is giving you a FTE and you know that the ammunition is good and there is no issue with your magazines that you might try putting a higher poundage recoil spring in.

My question is how does  increasing the recoil spring poundage fix the problem?

Just trying to learn.

I use heavy springs in my 1911s , but never heard of that.... I remove the middle bearing surface of the extractor, and spring it entirely from the rear, with an oversized firing pin stop... use a good quality aftermarket extractor ... radiused and adjusted with a Weigand pull gauge to between 16oz and 24oz...long ejector (don't play cowboy and eject live rounds into the air )... make up a dummy round, and load via magazine...carefully retract the slide and the cartridge should be trapped by the extractor and the cut on the bolt face with a slight droop to the nose...I shot USPSA competition with a variety of 1911s with 18# - 22# springs, and to the best of my memory never had a failure to extract unless something broke.. I estimate well over 250,000 rounds...

I have heard of people using stronger recoil springs to help FTF's (failure to feed) because it will push the slide back harder encouraging positive feeding. I have heard of people using stronger recoil springs to reduce felt recoil (the extra force offsets the slide coming back).

I have not heard of stronger recoil springs to help FTE's (failure to extract or eject). If anything, I have used a lighter recoil spring in a 1911 because my lighter reloads were not providing enough recoil to positively bring the slide back far enough reliably.

Not an expert in 1911's but this is just some basic stuff I have read although most experienced 1911 guys usually seem to start with extractor tuning.

+1

Stronger recoil springs are often recommended for "hard use" environments to help the gun continue to function despite internal dirt and fouling.   They generally make most FTEs (stovepipes, etc) worse.   Extractor tension is one thing that most production 1911s seem to get wrong consistently.

Thanks for the info...I thought I had it backwards...I am good to go .

It doesn't.  Properly tensioning the extractor fixes the problem.  

If you're having FTE's a stronger spring might make things worse. A stronger spring can decrease dewell time and may start closing the slide before the empty is clear of the ejection port. There can also be issues with out running your magazine spring.

Is there a "standard" weight recoil spring for a standard, fullsize 1911? Or do different mfg's use different springs?

For when the SHTF, I  want to have spare recoil springs and extractors for my 1911's.  Anything else I should consider keeping for spare "backup" parts?

The standard springs for a 5" 1911 are 16# recoil and 23# mainspring. To your list of parts I'd add a firing pin and spring.

Thanks!

Should I include a mainspring? or is that something that doesn't wear out?

Mainsprings last a long long time, but they can break so a spare isn't a bad idea.

OK. Thanks.

Basically I'm just putting together  spare parts packages for the (2) 1911's we have so that I can do any repairs I may need to do in a pinch to keep them going. I've pretty much done this for our AR's now I'm trying to get our pistols taken care of.

Being prepared is half the battle.