learn me on 1911 springs for diferent ammo

hi guys!  Im new to the bullseye world, and also to 1911's    I have my Dads old 1911 that he shot bullseye with in the 60's. its old, and a little sloppy, but once in a wile i like to take it out and run a few mags through it. I have some lighter weight target ammo that was left with it, but also some FMJ ball. it runs flawlessly on the swc target stuff, but I also want to be able to shoot the common ball ammo. Is there a set spring tension for the diferent ammos, or is it something thats trial and error?

If it has a BoMar rib on the top, it would NOT be advisable to shoot ball ammo in the gun. If it has a separate front and rear sights then it would be ok. It would be a good idea to replace the recoil spring with a factory standard  16 lb. one. The recoil spring is the long one running under the barrel. You can buy them here: http://www.gunsprings.com/Semi-Auto%20Pistols/COLT/1911%20GOV%27T%20PISTOL/cID1/mID1/dID1#3

it has no rib. Separate sights.

You should be good to go, except, like I said, it would be advisable to replace the recoil spring. If mild loads function in the gun, it probably has a recoil spring which has had coils cut (a common practice in the 60's) or a lighter than standard one. Putting in a standard, 16 lb. or even a little heavier, i.e. 18 lb. will just keep the gun from being battered when shooting factory FMJ ammo.

target ammo in a gun like that should function with a 15lb spring

thanks for the tips guys!! Shes a old bird  (its a wwII era remington rand that was modded back when it was just a old surplus gun. ) so i dont want to beat her up. But i hate having a gun that i wont shoot, so i like to run a few rounds through once in a wile

If you buy a few different weights of those recoil springs, you always want to use the stiffest spring that still cycles for that ammo.  That will protect the gun.

thanks for the tips guys, you have been a huge help!  ive looked around, and reada lot about the diferent springs, but little about what is stock, and how to choose whats the best for your gun. Im getting set up for reloading, but at this time just for 38/357 so until i get going it will be running some FMJ ball ammo. I will picck up some springs, and get testing

The reason nobody said what weight is "best for your gun" is because it varies from gun to gun, and ammo to ammo.  For factory loaded FMJ try an 18lb-20lb recoil spring.

Depending on your load, I'd say a 16lb spring in bullseye is about right. I shoot a 200gr swc with 4.1 bullseye powder and use a 16lb spring. I also have an UltraDot on a slide mount. No problems at all.