What nobody checks when changing Recoil spring

[Dave Waits]

Stacking! A new Recoil Spring, if not correctly installed and checked can cause malfunctions! Granted, we all know that new Recoil Springs are a bit longer than the old ones because they haven't yet taken a set but, they may be too long and that can cause problems with operation.

Okay, wise-guy, how do I check this? Simple test, all you need is a #2 lead pencil and a pair of side-cutters. Get your wife to help you for this one. She'll love to because she gets to draw on your toy. But, if you're checking a new spring,install it and let the gun sit for a couple days so it takes a set.

Clear the gun and pull the slide all the way back and hold it while she puts a witness-mark on the both the slide and Frame. Now, remove only the Recoil Spring ,leaving the plug in and ,tilting the muzzle down so the plug doesn't slide, pull it back again. The witness marks should still align. If the slide goes back further, your spring is too long. Make a new witness mark on the frame where the slide goes without the spring installed and wipe off the old one.

Take your Recoil Spring and, this is important, cut a half-coil off of the 'OPEN-END'. Try the test again, you want the witness marks to align. Keep clipping a half coil and testing until they do.

This doesn't weaken your spring but, it does increase the reliability of operation in both feed and ejection because you're now getting full retraction of the slide and more positive feed power and the slide moving further back can help the ejected cases clear the port better.

It's amazing how simple things can help like this.