On your 1911 how often do you change your recoil spring

[cw308]

I'm shooting a Colt New Agent it's a 3" 1911 45acp . I shoot 50 rounds every week , I reload using a mild load 4.6 gr. of Win 231 230 FMJ bullet. I changed the recoil assembly from a daul spring Colt to a flat single spring full size guide rod by EGW. Works flawlessly. The NA is a lightweight carry pistol , the frame is aluminum not steel . A weak spring can beat up a frame if not changed , so when do you change even though it's running fine ?

[BigJimP]

Replacing recoil springs - depends on the mfg's recommendation on life expectancy. I have never used any EGW springs or parts so I don't know what they recommend.
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I only have one alloy frame 1911 ...its a 4" in 9mm ...Kimber../ all the rest of my 1911's are 5" steel guns from Wilson in 9mm & .45acp

I have changed my 5" guns to Wilsons flat wire springs about 2 months ago and estimated life on their 5" flat wire springs is 40,000 rds ...on my 9mm, that's about 2 yrs. This particular Wilson 5" 9mm is my training gun and primary carry gun, so I noted my log & my calendar to change it out at 18 months.

On my 5" .45acp...its now just a backup gun & gets fired very little...maybe 300 rds a year now since I retired it as my carry gun ( arthritis in my hands )... so I'll go 40,000 rds on it.

Kimber 4" alloy frame is a gun only my grandkids shoot at range...and it has traditional bull barrel chrome silicone spring in it, that should run 20,000 rds which will be 10 or 15 yrs on it too.

[HiBC]

I'm not experienced with a 3 in 1911 at all.The reason is from multiple sources I have been told when you go shorter than Commander length,the "window of operation" gets smaller.
JMB designed in a choreographed dance in the 1911 which involves timing.

I can't find the whole article right now,but Bill Wilson wrote one on short barreled 1911's.I do have a link to part of the article

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/201...-can-reliable/

I do recall he recommended 185 gr bullets.

You have one less locking lug slide to barrel,I believe. Between that and a lighter slide,and an alloy frame,I suggest moderate loads and lighter bullets.

The lighter slide has higher velocity and a little less stroke.This gives your magazine less time to raise a round.

No,I'm not trashing your handgun. I'm saying it demands everything be in tune. A strong hammer mainspring will slow the slide,and a square cornered firing pin stop will also enhance using the hammer to slow the slide....in balance,the hammer pin in the aluminum frame takes more load.

A weak mag spring will be a problem. Keep those up,too. And lighter bullets lift a bit easier.

Its good to think of the recoil forces hitting your aluminum frame,but they are more robust than the slide stop holes in the aluminum frame that take the impact from the recoil spring flinging the slide.
So,IMO,stay with a moderate recoil spring ( In larger steel pistols,I don't generally exceed 18 lb) and then load to the spring.

How many rounds to change springs? I just don't know.Wild guess? 3000 rds,but its just a guess.

[Charlie98]

I swap my 1911 springs out about every 800-1000rds or so. Yep, it's overkill, and I don't care. I shoot factory or full power 230grn ammo, and $8 every few months to keep a pistol from beating itself to death... seems like a bargain to me.

[cw308]

Thanks Guys for getting back so soon . It's my first compact 1911 it's a pleasure to shoot, recoil is not sharp , very accurate at 21' that's the distance I shoot. I read articals on the flat bottom FPS to slow the slide an control muzzle rise , may need some fitting to install . Being the gun is running well I didn't think to install . If The Life for the spring is in the thousands I couldn't ask for more , I do keep a log an round count . I'll EGW a call on what the average spring life is . Thanks again .

Chris

[Charlie98]

Just FYI, spring life is different between pistols... a 5" Government model typically has a longer recommended spring life than a 4", and again for the 3"... because of the different spring rates between the springs (necessary to compensate for differences in the shorter pistols.) Kimber, for example, lists a specific round count in their literature, Colt may as well.

[RickB]

On my compact, 500 rounds or annually, whichever comes first.

[Siggy-06]

I usually change my springs every 1500-2000 rounds. Luckily springs are cheap enough so it's not a big deal if you wanna change them sooner.

[cw308]

The flat spring EGW uses is a commander size cut back , I can see how the 3" can get beat to death in a shorter time then the medium or full-size slide 1911's . 500 round count per change is pretty lame but if thats what it is to keep the gun running trouble free ,an 8 dollar spring is better then a damaged frame. I'm going to call EGW to keep some springs on hand. Thanks for answering my post.

Chris

[Don P]

I swap my 1911 springs out about every 800-1000rds or so. Yep, it's overkill, and I don't care

I usually change my springs every 1500-2000 rounds. Luckily springs are cheap enough so it's not a big deal if you wanna change them sooner.

I'll supply you with my address so you can send me your used recoil springs. It will be much appreciated and I'll be a sport and pay postage

[cw308]

Just got off the phone with EGW , Gave them the information as far as the gun , load & bullet I'm shooting . They said the flat wire springs last longer and the round count is between 7 to 10 thousand. I of course will play it safe , I keep records , measured the spring when new an measure every time I clean , no big deal , was thinking of adding a spring gauge to my gun stuff. I'm a benchrest shooter in the warmer months an shoot handgun in the colder months indoor range . I like shooting my Colt New Agent 3" 45acp 1911 so much I will probably shoot benchrest on the weekends & pistol on Thursdays. Life is Good . Thanks again

Chris

[Dufus]

I have four 1911s. They are all full size. They are all Series 70 Colt except one and it is a WWII relic. It still shoots. It was a gift from a cousin that did service in that war.

I bought the first one in 1973.

All of them are original, meaning that nothing has been changed or modified. They all shoot as they were designed to do.

[cw308]

Dufus
How often do you shoot them ? On 3 out of 4 what do you think the round count is . Are all the frames steel? I'm reading about people change springs do to feeding problems , that I can see . I am just unsure on changing something when it's operating good , This is the first pistol I own with a aluminum frame , I like the pistol very much , it carries well an fires great . Will be shooting it every week 50 rounds. Thanks for answering .

Chris

[Bill DeShivs]

What if you take a good spring out and put a bad spring in?

[RickB]

I shoot with a guy who used to be a rep for Nighthawk Custom, and he said they would sometimes reject entire lots of springs because they'd found some bad ones.
On my 5" guns, I tend to go with the theory of replace the spring when it's three coils shorter than a new spring of the same rating; I removed the spring from a gun that easily had a thousand rounds on it, and old spring was EXACTLY the same length as the new one, so why change it and risk installing a duff spring?

[kraigwy]

I have a Cold Series 70 Gold Cup I got new in '76. I've never replaced the spring and I've shot the crap out of it shooting practicing for the AK NG Pistol team. Shot a tone of bullseye, and bowling pin matchs. And many USPSA and 3 gun also.

The only thing I've done to it was replace the finger bushing with an match bushing and replaced the front sight with on that could be staked better then the normal front sight.

I still it a lot but I've NEVER had to replace the recoil spring.

[Charlie98]

I still it a lot but I've NEVER have replaced the recoil spring.

There... FTFY. I'm sorry... the recoil spring is a wear item, cycling is what wears them out. Most likely, you have shot the crap... out of the spring. Yes, the spring will continue to work, and I understand your idea that if it ain't broke, don't fix it, but not everything is obvious.

[Charlie98]

I guess I just have to scratch my head over some of these replies... people will dump money into their firearms... new sights, new barrels, optics, magazines, holsters, the best bullets money can buy... and cheap out over an $8 wear part.

[reddog81]

Originally Posted by Don P

I'll supply you with my address so you can send me your used recoil springs. It will be much appreciated and I'll be a sport and pay postage

That's what I was thinking. Those springs are barely broken in.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by Charlie 98

I guess I just have to scratch my head over some of these replies... people will dump money into their firearms... new sights, new barrels, optics, magazines, holsters, the best bullets money can buy... and cheap out over an $8 wear part.

3-inch 1911s never have just an $8 recoil spring -- they have a "recoil assembly" that typically consists of two springs, some sort of telescoping sleeve gizmo, and a skinny recoil spring guide all nicely put together. Some of them are user-serviceable, others are strictly replace-only. The replacements run between $25 and $35, and the rated life span is generally around 500 to 800 rounds.

The short pistols are very different from the full-size models in this regard.

[JDBerg]

A Wilson Combat flatwire recoil spring (FWRS) with the FLGR & plug sized for the smaller ID flatwire recoil spring, has an average service life of up to 40,000 rounds, or up to ten times greater than conventional coil springs. Shooting +P ammunition with this setup is not a problem since flat wire springs don’t lose their length over time like round wire springs. There is evidence that the FWRS setup cushions the 1911 frame more effectively over time. Flat wire springs also tend to compress in a more linear fashion which makes them more tolerant of a wider variety of ammo loads and grip tecniques.

I can attest to all of this, I have a 13lb. FWRS with the full length guiderod & plug, in my STI Trojan 9mm 1911, the gun shoots every type of ammo I have tried beautifully. The gun locks back on empty for every magazine I have for it.

[Charlie98]

3-inch 1911s never have just an $8 recoil spring -- they have a "recoil assembly" that typically consists of two springs, some sort of telescoping sleeve gizmo, and a skinny recoil spring guide all nicely put together. Some of them are user-serviceable, others are strictly replace-only. The replacements run between $25 and $35, and the rated life span is generally around 500 to 800 rounds.

The short pistols are very different from the full-size models in this regard.

No, and that's true... and one of the reasons why I don't own a 3" 1911. Again, at $25-35, it just cheap insurance against beating a pistol to death.... the cost of doing business.

The gun locks back on empty for every magazine I have for it.

...and that has what to do with the recoil spring?

[cw308]

Aguila Blanca
My 3" 1911 did start out with a daul spring assembly, I changed it to the EGW assembly . The assembly uses a solid steel FLGR a single flat wire spring an a reverse plug . A very nice setup. The Colt assembly fine but was very flimsy. I have spare assembly's springs an e clips from Colt . I have a spare flat spring from EGW. I guess I'm covered on recoil problems for awhile .When I asked Colt Customer service the told me the springs were good for 7000 . As I did some reading is where the count changed . The Colt guide rod assembly looked like a nail that went through the stop plate an held in place with a e clip. Gun is solid but that assembly should have been made stronger.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by cw308

The Colt guide rod assembly looked like a nail that went through the stop plate an held in place with a e clip. Gun is solid but that assembly should have been made stronger.

That type of "encapsulated" recoil assembly was created by Louis Seecamp, the designer of the popular little Seecamp .32 pocket pistols and also the designer behind the Seecamp double action 1911 conversions, several decades ago. The same basic mechanism has been used by multiple manufacturers in tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of pistols with very few problems. Why should it have been made stronger (and, thereby, heavier and more expensive) when it's clearly strong enough to do the job?

[cw308]

Colt did have problems with the assembly . Weight wouldn't be that much of difference an if I am willing to pay the difference now on a aftermarket part , I wasn't able to see the assembly before I bought the gun . when I cleaned it for the first time , I was disappointed on how flimsy such an important part of the firearm was . That's the only reason I changed , only shooting the gun will see if I made the right decision .