Just a simple question that's been bothering me.

How does recoil spring weight affect recoil?

I have a Ruger SR1911. It came with a 21# recoil spring. I believe the original 1911s were about 18#. The 21# made it hard to rack the slide, so I replaced it, but with a 16#.

Does a lighter recoil spring reduce felt recoil or is it the opposite?

I'm usually shooting 230gr hardball out of it.

Going from a 21# to a 16# recoil spring on your 1911 should reduce both felt recoil and beating up your frame.

 

I think the heavy spring shot with factory hardball seems to make it buck decidedly harder.
Right now I have been rotating between two guns running a 16 and a 14 pound spring with a flat bottom firing pin stop.

The gun with 14# is really shooting fast and flat with my 200gr softball load.
There are definitely differences and you need to pay close attention to what you feel at the range.

 

The lighter the spring, the faster the slide is coming back and the more recoil you feel. A heavier spring mitigates felt recoil, but 16 pounds is industry standard for a 5" .45.
When you go to a gun with a shorter than 5" barrel, the springs get heavier to mitigate the loss in slide mass. If you are using a 16 pound spring in a commander or shorter gun, you will be battering your frame unnecessarily.

What can an a person that had trouble running the slide of a gun with heavy springs do?

Opt for a 1911 chambered for 9mm. Those springs are like 9 pounds.
There is also the option for a reloader to tailor loads to a gun with light weight springs.
You could also check out Wilson Combat's flat wire recoil spring set up with buffer.

 

The .45 pistol does recoil more. I think leaving what the factory put in, helps reliability, and recoil is just recoil.

 

In a .45, 16 pounds is just fine for your standard ball ammo, while 18 would be better suited for a +p load.
If one were a reloader that could download their ammo for softball loads and get away with something like a 14 pound spring.

It's all a balancing act. If you went up to an 18 pound spring for standard ball, the gun may not function. 14 pounds for a plus P load and you are battering the hell out of your frame. That's all with the consideration that the gun is a full sized gun. A commander with a shorter barrel is like an 18 pound spring, but it works because the slide has less mass and needs more spring to keep it running reliably. An Officer sized gun with even less slide mass than a Commander sized gun, uses like a 22 pound spring.

 

Thanks for the input. I may go to an 18#.

 

From what I understand lighter means it comes back faster. It also means it goes forward slower. Heavier springs mean it slams forward.

Traditionally heavier springs were meant for hotter rounds and lighter springs were for lighter loads. I think that's why with most range ammo and a lot of self defense ammo the 16-18 pound works fine.

I think if you go lighter you will have to change out the spring more often. My duty gun was like that until I put in the Wilson flat wire spring that was 17.5 pounds.

 

Just a simple question that's been bothering me.

How does recoil spring weight affect recoil?

I have a Ruger SR1911. It came with a 21# recoil spring. I believe the original 1911s were about 18#. The 21# made it hard to rack the slide, so I replaced it, but with a 16#.

Does a lighter recoil spring reduce felt recoil or is it the opposite?

I'm usually shooting 230gr hardball out of it.

In my experience, a heavier spring doesn’t really change recoil, but it does change the perceived impulse. A heavier spring will give you more of a push feeling, while a lighter one will feel snappier.

The main thing is the effect on function. A heavier spring will slow the slide during recoil, but speed it up during return to battery. Too heavy and you may see things like stovepipe jams and failing to pick up the next round.

Lighter will allow higher slide speeds under recoil, but slower return to battery. Too light and you may see erratic ejection and things like failing to fully return to battery. Oddly enough, also some stovepipes.

I’ve always had the most reliability with standard weight springs unless you’re tuning for a comped barrel or compensating for light bunny fart loads.

 

Just a simple question that's been bothering me.

How does recoil spring weight affect recoil?

I have a Ruger SR1911. It came with a 21# recoil spring. I believe the original 1911s were about 18#. The 21# made it hard to rack the slide, so I replaced it, but with a 16#.

Does a lighter recoil spring reduce felt recoil or is it the opposite?

I'm usually shooting 230gr hardball out of it.

It can in certian instances but its not an always rule.
Need to be more specific on what you are wanting.

 

To learn more about recommendations about recoil spring weights for 1911 pistols go to Wilson Combats website. It goes into detail about various slide configurations and bullet weights for various loadings. I personally would stick with not using a recoil buffer. If a 1911 really needed one John Moses Browning would have invented one. Just find your reliable recoil spring weight for your load and change out the recoil spring like changing the oil in your car. Your gun will last for thousands of rounds. Its a Ruger so if something were to happen to it. Youve got one of the best warrantys in the business. It does have a cast frame but let that worry you. Thats why you change out the spring. Enjoy your new to you gun. Keep it clean and you will get great accuracy and great service from it. 1911 models like oil better than some guns.

 

Just a simple question that's been bothering me.

How does recoil spring weight affect recoil?

I have a Ruger SR1911. It came with a 21# recoil spring. I believe the original 1911s were about 18#. The 21# made it hard to rack the slide, so I replaced it, but with a 16#.

Does a lighter recoil spring reduce felt recoil or is it the opposite?

I'm usually shooting 230gr hardball out of it.

The real answer is that it doesn't matter. The purpose of the recoil spring is to operate the gun, not alter how it feels to you. You adjust the recoil spring for reliability, not comfort.

 

It does matter though. It doesn't matter to a 30 year old with perfect hands, but it does to a 75 year old with tired old hands with arthritis.
My Dad is quite like me when it comes to our love for the 1911. He can't deal with recoil much anymore, so he runs a light weight spring and soft ball loads. The light weight recoil spring makes charging the gun easy for him and the light loads keeps him shooting.

Time marches on and it's not kind to all of us.

 

Here's a video I recently watched that addresses the life of recoil springs and when they should be replaced:

 

Just a simple question that's been bothering me.

How does recoil spring weight affect recoil?

I have a Ruger SR1911. It came with a 21# recoil spring. I believe the original 1911s were about 18#. The 21# made it hard to rack the slide, so I replaced it, but with a 16#.

Does a lighter recoil spring reduce felt recoil or is it the opposite?

I'm usually shooting 230gr hardball out of it.

It effects the balance - how much the muzzle jumps around. It has a minor effect on slowing down slide velocity with 45 Super loads.

When the stock spring (16#) wears out, you'll feel a bit more recoil. Put in a new spring and the gun will feel better. Put in a 20# spring and the gun will feel nose heavy - like it is diving forward.