Coil springs vs flat springs

F

FullEffect1911

New member
In my pursuit to find a durable revolver that i will hopefully rarely have to replace stuff, fix, or tune, i have a question about the main springs used in revolvers.

I am under the impression that coil springs last longer but cause a less smooth DA trigger pull and on the other hand flat springs need to get replaced every once in a while but cause a nice and consistent trigger pull. Is that about correct?

Or do the flat springs very rarely have to be replaced?

Thanks in advance.
 
Flats in Smiths

I have had all kinds of S&W revolvers and never had to replace a flat spring, except when playing around with trigger jobs. In some cases went back to the original, as some of the aftermarket flat springs were too light. I don't fire tens of thousands of rounds a year thru them, however. You should talk to a shooting range that rents revolvers and see if they have-they get a real workout on their guns and with thousands of rounds, I expect that other problems pop up before springs, in a revolver. I don't think they take the beating of a recoil spring in a .45, and they are basically at rest or under very little tension except when the hammer is cocked. Therefore I think revolver springs probably last and last. I have seen weakish springs in revolvers, but something like a 1849 model Colt I had! Yes, some prefer flat springs for "smoothness" and that is why they probably did not change the K frames to coil springs. If the Rugers had shown any practical advantage with coils, I think Smith would have changed to compete. Probably the flat springs are harder to make, they may vary in tension more than coils or something. Maybe a higher reject rate in making? Choose for the overall gun, not the spring style.
 
I replaced the flat mainspring in one S&W. A Model of 1902 32-20 with a hair trigger. I wanted it to be a little heavier. I have replaced coilsprings in many Rugers and H&Rs. The Webleys and Colts and Enfield revolvers I have are mostly antiques from 1918 and up. No springs have been replaced in any of these V-sprung revolver actions.
 
I only have one 'high mileage' flat spring gun. A S&W M19 with well over 40K rounds through it. The DA pull hasn't changed by more than 1 pound, the resolution on my scale, in all 40K rounds. When it had a trigger job the weight dropped by a half pound if not the same, just smoother. I have several S&W wheelguns from the late 1940's with who knows how many rounds through them, no spring problems there either.

I think a coil spring will 'wear out' faster due to being compressed than a flat spring will by being bent. By design most coil springs are also compressed nearly 100% of their usuable travel too, and that is probably why they are more prone to taking a set.
 
Flat springs tend to "stack" less. That is the force required to compress them doesn't increase a lot as they bend further.

Coil springs tend to last longer.
 
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