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.