Calling GRM's 1911 gurus: help/opinion wanted.

Sorry about the pic size.

I recently bought a recoil spring and shock buff package from Wilson Combat for my Springfield 1911. When I disassembled the pistol to pop in the new spring I was shocked at the difference in length so I took some measurements:

These are approximate dimensions since my "at home" calipers suck.

Wire Diameter:

Old = .042" New = .042"

Distance between coils:

Old = .155" New = .165"

"Active" coils:

Old = 29 New = 29

Overall length:

Old = 5.865" New = (Longer than my 6" calipers.) about 6.3"

When I installed the new, longer spring I was then unable to release the slide, once it was locked back, by tugging on the slide. I had to thumb down the slide release. Now I'm worried that the extra length combined with a shock buff might cause it to bind when I shoot it.

Here are the questions:

Has anyone ever cut down a pistol spring?

Is this a terrible/dangerous idea?

Am I over-thinking this?

The old spring had less than 500 rounds on it.

Did you contact Wilson Combat with your concerns?

Not yet.

You do realize that springs are a wear item and don't stay the same length after being compressed for a while? Throw the wilson in there, if everything works as it should, don't be worried.

I just re-springed my M1 carbine and the new recoil spring was almost 1" longer than the old one....prolly explains why the old one wouldn't cycle the bolt forward anymore.

Edit: this is excatly it, the old one has been compressed more from being in the gun, throw the wilson in there

Over-thinking. Never been a fan of shock-buffs for this very reason. Nothing wrong with the spring- I'd suggest you shoot it and see what happens- don't be surprised if the slide won't lock back on empty.

Yeah, I know they compress over time.

In reply to The_Jed:

You answered your own question.....its possible(being a wilson) that the spring is slightly stiffer. I'd recommend working the slide for about 10-15 minutes after installation and before firing though. That should prevent any failure to cycle issues that could arise from the new spring.

I assumed the Wilson spring would be a bit stiffer; it's rated at 18.5 lbs. I was surprised that the wire diameter (as close as my crap calipers can measure) was the same along with the number of active coils and O.D. which should indicate that the rates are the same. The pitch of the Wilson spring seems a bit steeper which explains the extra length despite the identical number of coils.

That would also explain the difference in length being closer to .500" than .290".

I didn't think <500 rounds would compress the stock spring so much. I assumed it was close to the original length.

Thanks for the prompt input, fellas!

I popped in an empty magazine and racked the slide by hand. It locked.

I guess I'll run around the house working the slide, acting like I'm G.I. Joe!

The_Jed wrote: I didn't think <500 rounds would compress the stock spring so much. I assumed it was close to the original length.

its not the 500rds that compressed the spring, the spring is compressed all the time while in the firearm.

Report back how it works.

Don't shot anything. Sound like you have it figured out and its about what I expected, but I'm no expert.

In reply to N Sperlo:

Me neither.

18.5 lbs sounds heavy for a .45, but really the answer is try it and see how it works. Best case is you'll like it and it'll work fine. Worst case it won't let the slide come back far enough to chamber the next round.

In general, I always like the lightest recoil spring I can get away with. You want it to be able to push the slide back easily, but not so easy that it slams into the back of the frame and eventually causes damage.

jg

In reply to JG Pasterjak:

Thanks for the advice. Hopefully it's not a single shot now!!

I've never upgraded a firearm before, hence the confusion.

What size is your 1911? 16 pounds is standard for the Government model, 18 pounds for the Commander.

In reply to Will:

Government model.

Weird. I would have assumed since the Commander has a shorter slide that it would have the softer spring.