Are there any negatives or drawbacks to uping the lbs on your recoil spring?

[Lobo41]

I had a post on here a little while back about my Para Arms .45 jamming and it was suggested I replace the recoil spring. That being said is there any negatives or drawbacks to going from a 16lb spring up to a 18.5lb spring? Thanks for the help guys.


Mods if this is in the wrong place please relocate.

[.45Kimber1911]

Recoil springs are typically sized for the gun barrel length and caliber. One of the problems you may encounter installing a recoil spring of a higher weight is that the gun would short cycle and not load the next round into battery and be ready to fire. Depending on the barrel length and the ammunition that you are shooting, this may not be a huge significance going from a 16 pound to and 18 1/2 pound spring. Since recoil springs are so relatively inexpensive, I would suggest buying one of each size and trying them out at the range to see which one performs the best in your gun using the ammunition that you like to fire on a regular basis. There is not going to be a definitive yes or no answer or which one is better or worse. The only way to find out is through trial and error.

[Lobo41]

Thank you, can't give you any rep yet. I already ordered one of each, I was just wondering if there was any known problems before I headed out to the range.

[knight0334]

Lighter loads may have issue cycling the gun - thats about the only drawback you may face.

With super heavy springs you can hammer the locking lugs on the barrel. But that only really happens on overly tight fitted lugs.

I went from a 13lb spring to a 18.5lb on my Norc 1911 and accuracy improved. It locked the gun up tighter(frame-to-slide). Powderpuff loads will give FTL and FTE issues sometimes.

[harold63]

A heavier spring may spit the empties on your arm or down your shirt, as well. In a lot of cases, it can be resolved simply by tightening your grip, some. If you like to shoot loose, then you may be better off staying where you are

[Lobo41]

Lighter loads may have issue cycling the gun - thats about the only drawback you may face.

With super heavy springs you can hammer the locking lugs on the barrel. But that only really happens on overly tight fitted lugs.

I went from a 13lb spring to a 18.5lb on my Norc 1911 and accuracy improved. It locked the gun up tighter(frame-to-slide). Powderpuff loads will give FTL and FTE issues sometimes.

I don't reload, so it would all be over the counter stuff. Are there any known "light" loads out there?

[Lobo41]

A heavier spring may spit the empties on your arm or down your shirt, as well. In a lot of cases, it can be resolved simply by tightening your grip, some. If you like to shoot loose, then you may be better off staying where you are

I have been know to shoot a little loose. However one of the issues the gun is having is with the slide hanging up after ejecting the spent shell causing a load fail which is why I was leaning toward the heaver spring, so my grip can be corrected if that is what it takes.

[harold63]

I don't reload, so it would all be over the counter stuff. Are there any known "light" loads out there?

ASYM makes some factory loads that are light, around 775 fps (.45 acp). They are mad accurate, as well, but a touch on the $$$ side.

the slide hanging up after ejecting the spent shell causing a load fail which is why I was leaning toward the heaver spring, so my grip can be corrected if that is what it takes.

New gun? Which brand? One of the RIA's I just bought was like that, but the other wasn't. Being out even 1/1000" can cause some binding, and assembly line 1911's are not 100% perfect. A tool mark or a burr can cause this as well and can be worked out usually by handracking or shooting it in **

edit** assuming the gun is clean, lubed, and put together, correctly.

[caminoman]

I had a used 1911 a while back that ejected empties in my face, and all over the place. It was suggested the spring might be too heavy. I changed to a new spring that I knew was the factory weight, and it corrected the problem.

Recently I aquired a new Milspec, and had trouble feeding RangerT ammo. On the secong trip back to the factory, a heavier spring was installed, plus a repeat of the standard polishing that was done the first time...

Like "majic", the gun is %100 now.

[Lobo41]

New gun? Which brand? One of the RIA's I just bought was like that, but the other wasn't. Being out even 1/1000" can cause some binding, and assembly line 1911's are not 100% perfect. A tool mark or a burr can cause this as well and can be worked out usually by handracking or shooting it in.

It is a Para Arms PRX1445CB and has close to 3000 rounds down it. It has never had a problem untill just recently when it starded hanging up every now and then. I was told it was time to change the recoil spring and was susgested wolf springs. I ordered the 16lbs (standard) and the 18.5lbs.