I'm having trouble with a new Kimber SEll in .38 super. I'm using reloads with a 130 power factor for IDPA shooting.The gun repeatedly jams with stovepipes, double feeds, and sometime a round will fire but the empty case will not eject.The factory recoil spring is a 14 pound weight. Do you guys think that this spring is to heavy for this load causing all of the mentioned problems or something else?What weight spring should I drop down to? This load works fine in a friend's gun but it isn't a Kimber. My empty cases only eject about 2 feet from the gun.Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks, ShooterJD
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.38 Super, Not
- Thread starter ShooterJD
- Start date
14 pounds is the standard spring for 38 Super. Since your empties only eject about 2 feet from the gun, I would suspect a too heavy recoil spring and/or insufficient extractor tension. Try a lighter spring first, maybe 11 or 12 pounds. Empties should land five or six feet from the gun. A too heavy spring will cause the slide to short cycle resulting in stove pipes and double feeds. The same thing happened to me with a TZ-75. Dropping the spring rate by two pounds solved all of its problems.
Jack Weigand
New member
ShooterJD,
If your load is at the 130 power factor and your slide is not lightened I would suggest a 10# Wollf variable rate spring. I have been shooting a .38 Super in IDPA since it started with a stock weight slide and that is the spring that seems to work the best. One other thing to watch, make sure you are not dragging your thumb on the side of the slide. A .38 Super can be made to jam by doing that where a .45 ACP it is very hard to do. I hope this helps.
God Bless
Jack Weigand
If your load is at the 130 power factor and your slide is not lightened I would suggest a 10# Wollf variable rate spring. I have been shooting a .38 Super in IDPA since it started with a stock weight slide and that is the spring that seems to work the best. One other thing to watch, make sure you are not dragging your thumb on the side of the slide. A .38 Super can be made to jam by doing that where a .45 ACP it is very hard to do. I hope this helps.
God Bless
Jack Weigand
dick w. holliday
New member
i shoot a light load 231 in my steel gun (i think 5.2 grains and a 125 gr lead bullet) and a 12 pound spring...go to gunsprings.com and order an assortment of springs--if you're a 1911 man you'll need them someday........Dick