Why not cut the hammer spring???

B

Big Caliber

New member
I just got a new Baretta 92FS. My trigger gauge says the double action pull weight needs 2 freight train locomotives to pull the trigger. I ordered a new spring and steel trigger from Baretta. I noticed on You tube that changing it out is simple and that the only difference I could perceive between the 2 springs was that the replacement spring was shorter. So why not just cut the spring to match the replacement??? Just curious.
 
I am not saying I have never cut springs, but you should look it over first. It may have different coil diameter, or the coil per inch may be different. Short, heavy springs can cause trouble doing that by bottoming out. Longer springs, not so much. Wait and see what the new one looks like.
 
Another reason is springs often have extra turns on the ends to make them flat so the pressure is evenly applied.

Cutting them could change that.
 
big caliber said:
the only difference I could perceive between the 2 springs was that the replacement spring was shorter. So why not just cut the spring to match the replacement?
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Are you sure the two springs are the exact same? A few thousandths difference in diameter or a different type of steel or heat treat makes a huge difference in the spring rate.

If it's the spring rate (stiffness) of the spring causing your hard trigger pull then cutting it will make it worse. A coil spring provides force due to the twisting of the wire. It's actually just a curved torsion bar. Cutting coils off the spring (shortening the torsion bar) makes it stiffer.

If what's causing the hard trigger pull is simply the preload (how much it's initially compressed) on the spring, then cutting it could possibly accomplish the same thing as the replacement spring.
 
First off it is a Beretta not baretta:rolleyes: Wolff has springs for the Beretta's. The D spring will reduce the trigger pull and they also have a competition spring which reduces the trigger pull even more. www.gunsprings.com
 
I am not sure how much pull (in pounds) two freight locomotives exert, but I am pretty sure none of my DA/SA pistols, including that model, require quite that much.

Have you checked to make sure there is nothing else involved or interfering?

Jim
 
I am not sure how much pull (in pounds) two freight locomotives exert, but I am pretty sure none of my DA/SA pistols, including that model, require quite that much.
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I've got an old Burgo that takes at least that much, maybe three. :D I clipped two coils off the springs in an old double barrel and had to buy new ones because it didn't work anymore.
 
If you want to experiment, and have a bench type belt sander, you can lessen the OD of the spring instead of cutting it. You slide the spring over a small Phillips screwdriver, or any round object that will slide into it, so you can hold it. Place the spring at an angle to the running belt, and allow it to spin against the belt, gradually taking off the OD. It is about the same thing as placing an object in a OD grinder. It doesn't take long to do this, and you have to keep a watch on it, so you don't overheat it. Anyhow, taking down the OD lessens the spring tension.

All DA actions have a huge amount of trigger pull, when compared to SA, which is the nature of the beast.
 
I was taught to not cut springs because springs are designed to be a designated working length.
If a lighter spring is needed you either purchase one or make one.

If you want to start snipping springs I would advise you to have an extra one on hand in case the snipped one does not work as planned.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
 
There were a lot of springs clipped, even at the factory, before Wolff advertising took over.
But new springs with different full load ratings are cheap and you know what you are working with.
And there is always the kluge of putting a 1911 mainspring in a Beretta.
 
I thought the fix for this was to just replace the standard spring with a Beretta D spring? I don't remember the part number, or how much I paid, but it wasn't very much, I'm sure.
 
Yeah I've clipped springs before with a good bit of success. 45_auto your explanation CAN be correct, but is not in all applications. It a lot to do with the percentage of max compression for the spring during the cycle of it's intended operation. For a spring with resting tension that is already compressed a certain percentage, taking off a coil or two will reduce the compression percentage and can lower the overall pressure applied by the spring. It does not work in every scenario, but it does work in some. Revolvers (think older Rugers) with a heavier gauge mainspring wire and wide coils (fewer coils per inch) respond quite well to cutting a coil or two.

Dixie's idea of slightly reducing OD is much more likely to work in a more general purpose scenario. Jim really hit it with this though...

But new springs with different full load ratings are cheap and you know what you are working with.
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That's my advice unless it's a firearm with no aftermarket support. In that case, well... I would refrain from cutting coils off unless many before me had trod that path with success. In your case, I'm sure there are tons of options for aftermarket springs for $10.00 or less.



On a side note... I would also look at other causes of your pull weight. It's been years since I shot a 92, and it was well broken in, but I don't remember the DA pull being all that bad.
 
What did I say???

Perhaps some of you should re-read the original post. I said I ordered a new spring and trigger...from Beretta, a "D" spring, I might add. The new hammer spring came early. Yes it is the same size and material spring, only shorter. Same diameter wire, just fewer coils overall, same number of coils per inch. I thank those who did NOT whine about my spelling skills.:p

Any way, the pistol is smoother operating now and I learned that not everything you see on You Tube is as easy as they make it seem. ;) Thanks for your opinions and insight.
 
With Wolff spring gunsmith paks I have shortened springs when I build double or triple handgun recoil spring assemblies.
https://www.gunsprings.com/GUNSMITH

My father was chief engineer at Pac Car Renton, and got free samples of springs he would dream up from Renton Spring and Coil. He designed them from 4140 with the ends closed and ground. He was into artillery and machine guns.

I am into springs for overloaded handguns. I just pull them from the pack, measure the wire diameter and coil diameter, count the coils and cut with a Dremel cut off wheel.
 
I asked him why he did not spec spring force, and he screamed at me "That would be double dimensioning!"

I don't know how the hardness was controlled, the heat treat must have been called out on the drawing. I remember he had Hank Hadley, metallurgist, on staff. Hank was funny, but as a little kid, the only time I heard Hank talk about metal he was pontificating on what steel would be best for a rotary lawn mower blade.

The specialty steels that were the structure of the world trade center came from that Renton Pac Car plant.
 
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