Recoil Springs
Recoil Springs
Semi-automatic pistols heavily rely on the recoil spring for safe shooting. The recoil spring in most guns contributes to faster shooting while preventing unwarranted jams during each firing attempt. However, most shooters find themselves installing the wrong spring, resulting in several firearm malfunctions. Find out more information on recoil springs and whether you need to replace or upgrade them.What is Recoil Spring?
Every time you fire your pistol, the slide recoils back, and the recoil spring returns it forward. This cycling process not only ejects the spent casing from your gun but also helps reload it. If you install the spring wrongly, your semi-automatic pistol will lack the automatic reloading and case eject feature.The recoil spring sits underneath the barrel, inside the slide, and a guide rod holds it firmly. They come in different types and weights, each affecting;
- The recoil sharpness
- Reliability
- Muzzle rise in the coil
What Type of Spring is Used in Guns?
Springs play a crucial role in the manufacturing of today's firearms. Each spring featured in your weapon plays a specific role, and here are some standard springs with their functions;- Compression/ recoil springs to store energy for pushing back the slide
- Helical extension springs store energy to exert a pulling force
- Tension springs with twisted coils store energy
These springs are essential in operating other gun components like the magazine, ejector, and recoil assembly. Installing the correct springs ensures they perform exceptionally in the limited space available and are durable enough to withstand heavy repeated use. The materials used on most options include high tensile rocket wire, stranded wire, or music wire.
Why Are Recoil Springs Important?
Recoil springs affect the performance of your gun, making them crucial elements in the weapon's design. Installing the ideal springs guarantees faster and more accurate shot attempts by improving recoil and preventing jams. Here are the critical spring functions that make it an integral firearm component.Controls Slide Velocity when Cycling
The installed recoil spring will affect the velocity of the slide when cycling. An optimal configuration should eject a spent case six to eight feet away from the shooter's feet on average. It is the ideal slide velocity to facilitate a complication-free extraction, ejection, and subsequent feeding.Your pistol is more likely to break a slide stop prematurely if the recoil spring ejects a case twelve feet or more. It can also produce excessive muzzle lift and increase the recoil felt. Facilitates the Slides Stroking
All semi-automatic pistols require the slide to travel its full stroke with every shot attempt. Installing recoil spring buffers can prevent the slide from achieving its full stroke, compromising overall performance. The full slide stroke allows the ejector and spent case rim to come into contact, producing a solid and long-distance ejection.
Feeds the Next Carriage
You eliminate any chances of misfeeds, improper feeding, and jams by installing the correct recoil spring on your weapon. Instead of selecting your recoil spring based on bullet weight, use the load's operating pressure for an ideal configuration. It'd help to note the wrong recoil spring can produce stove pipes, double feeds, and angle jams.
How to Select the Proper Recoil Spring?
Durability and strength are the two most important considerations when selecting the proper recoil spring. The spring strength is in weights, where a 20-pound spring can push up to 20 pounds. Here is how to choose the best recoil springs;
Too Strong
If your spring load is too high, you risk the slide returning with a snap. In addition, the impact can cause your sights to dip down with each shot instead of maintaining position. It is more like a recoil whiplash and may have you experiencing more jams.
Too Weak
The recoil will feel snappy when returning if the spring load is too weak. It may cause physical injuries to shooters lacking excellent grip and technique. The slide might also return too slowly before reloading, which increases the likelihood of jams.
