1911 Recoil Spring Effect on accuracy

Okay curiosity got the cat. Yeah, I'm wondering how much difference changing from a 11lb recoil spring to a 12.5lb spring will effect accuracy like point of impact ? Hoping some of our High Masters can answer my questions or one of our Gunsmiths.

Depends on the gun. As a general rule you want the most amount of spring rate that allows reliable function.

Can depend on what is holding the gun. Also, I have found that too light of a spring will cause vertical stringing from early/inconsistent unlocking. Agree to use heaviest spring that is mechanically consistent, with the warning that your grip needs to be firm and consistent as well.

I agree with chiz1180, I use as much recoil spring that will allow reliable function. I use as light of main spring as possible and angle on the firing pin retainer so as to use as heavy recoil spring as possible. Accuracy depends on a completely closed slide. Centerline is also correct, vertical stringing is the result of an incompletely closed slide, barrl is not completely in up most position all the time. I also use very small radius on lowed barrel lug so there is less drag on the slide which helps recoil spring to close all the way every time.
 If a heavier recoil spring will allow the slide to lock back it best to use it to prevent the slide and barrel from hammering back.

What do you consider to be an effective spring combination for 185 SWL, .452, 4.0 BE, from a accurized Springfield RO?   The accurizing was done by Dave Sayler. He suggested 4.5 BE which works well, but I'd like to cut down on recoil and our club only shoots the short line.

Probably 12-16#

I've never concerned myself with recoil, sooner or later you will want to shoot matches at other places. Shooting at one place is not good, everything becomes so routine that when you do shoot someplace else it becomes a problem. I find the powder and bullet that give me the best accuracy and adjust the gun to match the loading. After finding the best bullet/load combination I don't do much experimenting with loads unless I hear of a better bullet or powder.
 Adam was shooting those full loaded rounds when he was 10 years old! I did have a National Match 1911 in 38 special, he shot it once then decided he want the .45!
 Try shooting at other matches, no one cares who came in last or very low, they only look at the winners. I use 185gr JHP Zero bullets with 5.4grains 700X.

Sooo, what weight recoil spring would you recommend?

If your gun has a slide mounted dot….my load is 4.3 Bullseye with a 185 cast SWC.  I load 4.4 BE with a 185 JHP.  Shoots well.  I also load 4.0 with cast 200 SWC.  Same spring 12 pounds.

Steve K wrote:What do you consider to be an effective spring combination for 185 SWL, .452, 4.0 BE, from a accurized Springfield RO?   The accurizing was done by Dave Sayler. He suggested 4.5 BE which works well, but I'd like to cut down on recoil and our club only shoots the short line.

This is going to be a bit of a tough love statement, but enough info has been given to answer your question. Quite frankly you are not providing enough information for a good educated guess, one big piece of information missing is what sights you are running, are you running a bomar/RRA rail? dot on a rail (and what dot for that matter). If Sayler did the work and made the recommendation for the load, it is probably best to listen to that advice.

If you want to ignore the smiths recommendation, get an assortment of springs from 10lbs-16lbs and use the highest rated spring that will allow reliable function.

I can't recommend any recoil spring weight. There is more involved! Main spring, shape of the hammer and firing pin retainer as well as the way the barrel lower lug is shaped in addition length and slide stop pin hole size in the link. Also if you have a scope mounted on the slide or maybe a rib.The way you hold the gun will also add to it's function. Best way to determine recoil spring weight with what you have is to get a recoil spring kit. Properly hold the gun or at least hold it the way you are shooting though it might not be best. Find the weight of recoil spring that will not allow the slide to lock back, lower spring weight 1 pound, (1/2lb if available) at a time until it does lock back. That will insure your gun don't hammer itself into problems and the gun will function as it is built. There are other factors that will contribute though small but selecting the recoil spring as suggested will prevent damage.
 There is quite a few ways to build a tack driver, one is to complete all that have proven to work then match a load to it. It may have been determined by Sayler that 4.5BE will work best with the bullet you listed. Simply lowering powder weight does not allow a simple recoil spring weight change for optimum performance. In addition lowering powder weight and recoil spring weight might allow the gun to function but not at optimum.

Boy did I open a can of worms(lol) I have ran a 11lb recoil spring but found the stringing effect quite annoying with a slide mounted Ultra Dot. And switched back to a 12.5lb spring and adjusted the load accordingly. also got tired of the occasional flier that couldn't be explained. I suspected all along that the slide was unlocking early and not going into full battery with the 11lb spring and watched things improve when adjusting the spring weight up to 12.5lbs. The loads with WST using a Zero 185 LSWCHP ranged from 3.6grs to 4.2grs, primers were both Federal and Winchester with an occasional Fiocci large pistol primer. Fiocci's are hot and you can feel the difference when using them. I haven chronographed any loads with them yet but will later on.

Get the kit (or borrow one from someone who has already done this). Run each spring starting at 11 and see when you start to get FTEs. The good spring is the one before that . Then test in cold weather and when your hand is tired. You may need to step down again. Or increase powder charge just in case. Or change powder. Or keep trying to eliminate factors until you drive yourself crazy . . . Best to buy the kit for sure, because your friend will become tired of loaning it out to you. And you'll need it to do the same process for your second or third gun anyway, and when you change out scopes between them or want to try out that new scope or go back to irons, or after you try rock climbing and your grip and arm strength increases. Can you see how this may not have a solid answer? Just buy the kit . I wouldn't worry about half sizes.

Rodger Barthlow wrote:I haven chronographed any loads with them yet but will later on.

Would be interested in seeing the results. I've come to the conclusion that MV is important too. My SA RO 9mm loads (147 gr JHP, 925 fps) get to the target at 50 yards pretty quickly compared to the .45 185 JHP out of my Colt NM (lightened slide), both having metallic sights. Suppose you RR tested your .45 load and a 500 fps load printed a 1" group at 50 yards. Would you really want to shoot that? I need some room for operator error.

If you get a Kit, color code them or buy color coded springs. Those that are not coded can after a while be hard to determine weight. Yes most springs have tags or are in marked plastic bags but color coding is best! Measuring wire size will help but color coding last few coils is simple way to determine spring weight.
 As I mentioned there is a definite force required to close the slide that will not change, Different bullet types can also change the force required to chamber it. Some guns that have no problem chambering SWC will not chamber JHP, Adam had a top name 1911 that chambered SWC rounds with out problem but when he tried Atlanta Arms 185 JHP they would not chamber no matter how much force was applied to the slide. When round is being chambered the force required to chamber will change the speed of the slide. Closing speed has inertia that can over come forces against it. If enough spring pressure is not applied the complete closing is not the same, stringing and fliers will occur. Minimizing chambering force and having enough spring pressure to insure barrel locks-up in the same position every time is needed for accuracy.
 If when finding the spring that works as I mentioned previously yet stringing and fliers occur, increase powder charge, do spring test to determine proper weight. Repeat until stringing and fliers are eliminated. Remember a round is chambered before the slide is fully forward, the last 3/16" or so of movement is the barrel locking up into the upper legs and tapered lower lug on the slide stop pin. If barrel and slide are not in the forward-most position the barrel is not in the position that Sayler set it up to be and accuracy will suffer. You are limited to the force needed by Saylor's work, to change that re-working the gun is required.
 FTE??? Failure To Eject? I would use failure to lock-back. You want to have the slide travel to rear as much as needed to allow lock-back. That rearward/forward travel allows time for the next round in the magazine to reach the top also the forward travel allows the speed to increase to help removing the round from the magazine and into the chamber. The inertia from the speed is important. Plus some guns like mine have long ejectors.