Recoil spring question 1911 officers model

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dal22ses

New member
I am in need of a new recoil spring. I honestly do not know what # spring is currently have so what would be a good # to get? 18, 22,or 24 for officers model 1911



Thanks again
 
Could thanks. I did since research and since I already had an order going through with EGW for a reverse keyed plug I had them add an ismi recoil spring #22
 
If your Officers ACP still has the original dual recoil spring-within-a-spring setup, the guide rod is .250" diameter rather than the standard 1911 .330" diameter. Be sure you can get an ISMI spring with the aft end reduced to fit your small guide rod, or you'll have to source a replacement guide rod.

Wolff makes recoil springs with reduced ends specifically for this purpose. I have no idea about ISMI -- haven't drunk the Kool-Aid yet.
 
22 pounds is the factory rating for the Officers ACP, but ... did you buy it new? As far as I know, ALL Officers ACPs and M1991A1 Compacts left the factory with a dual recoil spring. What's the outside diameter of your guide rod -- .250" or .330"?
 
The Colt factory standard was that both springs combined added up to 22 pounds, so you use a single spring of 22 pounds.

If you're shooting hotter loads over 860 fps you can go up to 24 pounds.
 
It was brand new when i bought . it wouldnt return to battery originally so,i got a new spring installed but i just decided to get a new spring so that i know exactly what i have in it
 
That's why they make calipers and micrometers.

If you don't know the diameter, and since the Officers ACP should have shipped with a .250" guide rod -- how do you know what spring to order?
 
I understand what a caliper and a micrometer is for thanks.

I ordered what was suggested for my gun through egw. It' 1/4 " guide rod.
 
Then you need to verify that the "closed" (rear) end of the spring is wound tighter for a turn or two to keep it properly centered on the guide rod. In other words, the hole at one end of the spring should be 1/4", not 5/16"-plus
 
The single springs wear out fast on the officers. Spring life according to Wilson Combat and others is 300-500 rounds before they need replacement due to high slide velocity. I tried the single set up and went back to a dual set up. Can get almost 2000 rounds out of it.
 
dal22ses said:
It was brand new when i bought .
Click to expand...

dal22ses said:
My pistol came setup with a single spring
Click to expand...
Stranger things have happened, but that should be impossible. Was it ordered for you and shipped directly to your FFL from a distributor, or was it pre-owned and sold as "NIB"?

Regardless of what spring was in it, you have confirmed that you have the small (.250") diameter guide rod, which means that you need a recoil spring with the closed end sized to a .250" opening. If the spring you got has a .330" opening, it's the wrong spring for your pistol.
 
OK so the ismi spring didn't fit my pistol it was to small so I'm back to square one.

The current spring I'm running has the last coil just a little tighter at each end so going based off of that I need to get the 250 recoil spring but I'm having a hard time locating any.
 
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Here is a picture of my guide rod and spring
20140918_131027_zpsrkohnlfb.jpg
 
That's a full-length guide rod, and it appears (without benefit of any visual reference) to be a .330" diameter, not a .250" diameter. The ISMI spring you received is "necked down" for a .250" guide rod because that's what was standard on the Officers ACP. And standard was a VERY short (stubby) guide rod, not more than probably 5/8" or 3/4" long, with a rounded forward end.
 
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