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Old October 3, 2016, 08:33 PM   #1
UncleEd
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Ruger 1911 .45ACP spring weights?

I have a TALO 5-inch barreled Ruger .45 1911 and I have a real hard time racking the slide back, even with the hammer cocked. I mean a real hard time. I finally switched to a 16-pound recoil spring but it is still very, very stiff.

And a Commander TALO from Ruger is also hard to rack but not quite as much as the GM.

But a Springfield Loaded and a Colt Elite give me no problems and they shoot fine.

I'd swear TALO is using 20-pound springs or something akin to that.
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Old October 3, 2016, 10:31 PM   #2
redlightrich
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Hello Uncle Ed, I too have a Ruger Talo 5", and yes it is harder to rack the slide than my Kimber. Come to think of it, it felt stiffer than the last Colt I handled as well. Until this moment when I read your post, I thought the difference was the GI guide rod in the Ruger as opposed to the full length guide rod in the Kimber.

I intend to take the spring and guide rod from the Kimber and try it in the Ruger just to see if the feel changes.

I thought most 5" guns used a 16 lb spring, but who knows what Ruger used for the Talo.

I did notice that Ruger sells the replacement recoil spring for 2 dollars. Their site makes no mention of the Talo version being different though.

Good Luck

Rich
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Old October 4, 2016, 07:46 PM   #3
rodfac
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My 5" model from several years ago came standard with an 18.5 # spring in it. It was reliable with target and full house loads and racking it, tho it took a bit more effort, was not a serious problem. Rod (70 yrs old now).
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Old October 4, 2016, 08:33 PM   #4
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Have you tried the "push-pull" technique?
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Old October 4, 2016, 10:18 PM   #5
UncleEd
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It's not that I can't rack the slides of the TALOs; it's just so much more effort, real effort compared to other makes.
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Old October 5, 2016, 02:33 PM   #6
Aguila Blanca
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The original M1911 recoil spring was around 14 pounds. For many decades the accepted "standard" was 16 pounds. In recent years, a number of manufacturers seem to have adopted an 18-pound recoil spring in order to keep the tactical crowd happy.

Wolff still shows the 16-pound spring as "factory" for a 5" 1911.
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Old October 5, 2016, 04:24 PM   #7
g.willikers
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If you're already trying it with the hammer fully back, then the mainspring shouldn't be adding to the problem.
And a 16 pound recoil spring isn't usually a hindrance, either.
Maybe it's not really a 16??
Does the slide run back and forth smoothly without the recoil spring in place?
Are you using a spring buffer?
They can makes things a lot harder if they don't fit so good.
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