How often should I replace my Gov. Model spring?

M

Mike Irwin

Staff
It's a Springfield Armory MilSpec, probably has 750 to 1,000 rounds through it right now (I haven't looked at my logs).

Any thoughts on how often I should replace the slide spring?
 
IIRC, the USMC standard was minimum length of 6.25 inches.
Anything compressed to shorter length was scrapped and replaced.
This may or may not hold true for you depending on whether you use some of the more exotic springs out there.
 
can anyone recommend a recoil spring with a lifetime warranty for a para ordnance p-12? i've heard with officers models your supposed to replace the spring every 500-700rds.
 
And if we don't change the recoil spring every XXXX miles, what will be the symptoms? I ask because after 8000 rounds through one of my Springfield's, I do not see any ill effects.
 
I usually replace my Kimber's recoil spring when it tosses empties more than 5 or 6 feet. Usually 2000 to 3000 rounds. BTW I use a Wolff 18.5 lb extra power spring.

Mark / Fl
 
So far about 95% of everything I've shot has been either factory or handload 230-gr. loaded to military specifications.

I figure since it's a MilSpec, it's got a military weight spring in it, which is what, 17.5 pounds?

I'll measure it when I have it apart to clean next time.

Thanks, all.
 
the firing pin spring

should also be replaced periodically. I let one get loose once and it was Bad News indeed. The firing pin stop gets looser in its slot and starts moving a little with every shot, making the slot bigger. Bad News indeed.

Regards.
 
High_Caliber: unecessary battering and abuse of your frame. Replacing the recoil spring every couple of thousand rounds for ~$6 is cheap insurance, much cheaper than replacing a cracked frame. There is no valid reason not to replace it regularly.

Regards,
Frank
 
Wilson recommends every 2,000 rounds. I buy two shok-buffs for my wilson, one recoil spring, and I'm set for 2,000 rounds.
 
Mike,

Sorry to tell you that many M1911 users report/believe their arms have defective springs and must be replaced due to loss of spring pressure.

The arms (and cars) I own all seem to have true springs which work perfectly over their design life and then break.

In summary, it seems some people are throwing away perfectly good springs or some arms are coming with defective springs. This seems to be an ongoing debate. I would like to see some statistics.

Regards,
George
In sunny Arizona
 
Hey George,

You and I played this game over on the old Compuserve Firearms Forum, and you're STILL WRONG.

Springs AGE over time!

I wish I had kept the set of valve springs that I just replaced in my 10-year-old car. All 16 were Chrysler factory equipment, and all 16 were SHORTER, and LESS springy, than new springs. Why? Because the car has 140,000 miles on it, and they take a TREMENDOUS amount of heat and force.

The same is true of springs (slide return springs, not main springs, etc.) in semi-auto handguns.

There's not a gunsmith, designer, armorer, or gun company (or, for that matter, those who repair autos instead of guns) that I've ever spoken to that buys your combined theories of:

1. Springs are good for life, no matter what the usage (abusage) patterns.

2. Springs that do need to be replaced are inherently flawed from the beginning.

I'll also tell you the same thing EVERYONE told you over on the old CISFF, replacing springs is not unlike routine preventive maintenance, just like rotating your tires or changing your oil.


Good to see you here, by the way.
 
ISMI makes a spring/rod/plug unit for the OACP/P-12 that is guranteed for life. It utilizes a flat spring that fits on a proprietary rod, so the spring alone can't be retrofitted to a stock gun, or another company's aftermarket rod. I replace the springs on my 5" gun when they are 1/2" shorter than a new spring. On my compact, in which the springs are about 3" long, more like 1/4" shorter. I also look at it as cheap insurance.
 
Mike,

I am glad you are here to carry on this debate. I hate to see M1911 manufacturers
selling arms with defective springs. I do not know why this is so prevalent in M1911s.
Even worse is to see users throwing out perfectly good springs to buy questionable after
market springs from bad advice.

I bought a sports car in 1975 and the rear coil springs sagged. These were defective
springs and the car looked stupid with the rear end lower than the front. Funny thing
was everyone lowered the front suspension (by dialing the adjuster on the torsion bar)
and it became a lower/better sports car. Yes, defective springs do show up all the time
but we SHOULD NOT ASSUME ALL SPRINGS ARE DEFECTIVE AND SAG FROM
ORDINARY USE!!!

A “true” spring works perfectly till the end of its life and it breaks. Most cars and most
firearms that I am familiar with use true springs and will never need to be replaced in our
lifetime.

Regards,
George
In sunny Arizona
 
10,000 rounds and counting on the same spring in my Kimber and zero frame wear or indication of developing problems. I did replace all the springs on an older series 70 since I did not know its history, but I do know on the Kimber. I reload, and still no frame wear. The pistol is as tight as the day purchased.

I installed a shock buffer and then got rid of the darn things as useless. They also prevented tactical reloading by refusing enough clearance to draw the slide rearward. Not sure of the brand, but I have no use for them myself. Not shooting any whizbang loads, so why bother?

Springs do wear over time and need replacement when they no longer accomplish their designed function. If the function is being served without err, why replace it?

To each his/her own.
 
George,

How do you KNOW the springs were defective?

Did you have a mass spectral analysis done of the metallic composition?

Did you review the manufacturer's specifications on the heat treatment?

Or did you just assume, since they sagged, that they were "defective," and take someone's word on that?

When I had the valves redone on my car, I asked the mechanic about the spring compression rate for the ones he took out.

His response was that the condition of the springs taken from my car was perfectly normal.

Again, you are absolutely INCORRECT that a "true" spring works perfectly to the end of its life and breaks. That theory discounts a whole host of environmental considerations as well as perfectly acceptable inherent variances in the springs themselves.

I don't know where you've come up with this theory, but it's a bogus one.
 
Mike,
I got the 18.5# spring and buffer from Wilson and it's running great in my S-A Milspec. The factory spring that came with the gun was way under 16#... It felt like no spring at all in comaparison. I have been told that S-A's QC on springs ain't the best.. Regards, -Coop
 
Hi, guys,

Car valve springs are not quite in the same category of usage. Each valve spring is compressed every other cycle, so in an engine turning 3000 rpm the springs are compressed 1500 times a minute. In 10 minutes of running, those springs will be compressed far more than any gun spring is likely to be for the life of the gun.

I think I detect a budding engineer troll who just wants to argue and show off his supposed knowledge. Asking a question, baiting for answers, then showing off by flaming the "suckers" who respond is an old troll technique. Knock it off!

Yes, springs do compress over time and use. No, they don't have to be replaced every five minutes just for the fun of taking the gun apart.

Jim
 
Mike,

I don't have the time or space here to give a course on the physics of springs.

I am trying to point out that most of us own cars which have springs that cycle zillions of times and carry the weight of the car continuously for years without the loss of tension many M1911 users seem to experience monthly from a few thousand cycles. Either M1911s are being made with defective springs or paranoia is causing people to throw out good springs.

I can refer you to a NASA report on the use of MP5s for hundreds of thousands of practice shots. They documented all the maintenance. All the springs were serviceable till they broke. Their arms had real springs!

Regards,
George
In sunny Arizona
 
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