Pistol recoil springs

[alan]

Just out of curiosity, how frequently do you change the recoil springs in your pistols?

 

[HooDoo Man]

500 to 700 rds. There inexpensive.

 

[xchecker]

Only when I start having FtFeed's with normally reliable ammo.
I have over 1K rounds through most of my semis. No problems so far.

EDIT: https://diatomaceousjohnson.com/2024/03/18/do-springs-take-a-set/

 

[Steve Hendry]

Only when I start having FtFeed's with normally reliable ammo.
I have over 1K rounds through most of my semis. No problems so far.

EDIT: https://diatomaceousjohnson.com/2024/03/18/do-springs-take-a-set/

Great article.
I have always emptied my mags if I'm not using them in the near future. Is it even possible to learn at 77?
I have worked around heavy equipment. Water tank drivers would never leave a tanker truck full overnight. Nor would a dump truck leave the truck loaded. It was thought that it would take some of the spring out of the spring.
Excuse me, I'm going to load 20 mags for my S&W 41

 

[alan]

Only when I start having FtFeed's with normally reliable ammo.
I have over 1K rounds through most of my semis. No problems so far.

EDIT: https://diatomaceousjohnson.com/2024/03/18/do-springs-take-a-set/

That’s a really practical way to look at it, and it resonates with what a lot of experienced shooters have noticed. Focusing on real reliability issues instead of just counting rounds makes a lot more sense, especially when you’ve already gone through 1000 rounds without any issues. The article you mentioned brings up a crucial point. Springs can “take a set,” but that doesn’t mean they’re automatically done for or need to be swapped out immediately. Function tends to be a more reliable measure than just theory.

Thanks for sharing that info!

 

[Saudade]

I haven't changed any yet.

My Sp2022 (9mm) has somewhere around 6000 rounds and still runs fine. That's not including all the dry fire and function checks. I have a complete parts kit for it once it does hiccup.

My M&P 9 (1.0 full) has around 1500 rounds (plus dry fires and function checks). No issues so far and I do have a bunch of spares once it starts complaining.

My Shield 1.0 was almost impossible to rack when new. After a few hundred rounds it got a bit easier (still need to show it who's the boss).

Still, preventative maintenance is a good thing for items you rely on regularly.

 

[alan]

I haven't changed any yet.

My Sp2022 (9mm) has somewhere around 6000 rounds and still runs fine. That's not including all the dry fire and function checks. I have a complete parts kit for it once it does hiccup.

My M&P 9 (1.0 full) has around 1500 rounds (plus dry fires and function checks). No issues so far and I do have a bunch of spares once it starts complaining.

My Shield 1.0 was almost impossible to rack when new. After a few hundred rounds it got a bit easier (still need to show it who's the boss).

Still, preventative maintenance is a good thing for items you rely on regularly.

I usually find myself in a sweet spot between “run it till it chokes” and sticking to strict round-count schedules. Modern recoil springs are tougher than most people realize and as you’ve probably noticed, most pistols can keep going well beyond the typical numbers without any issues. That said, for anything I depend on for carry or duty, I tend to swap out the recoil springs proactively before they give me any trouble. It’s just a little insurance that I believe is worth it....