I am really interested in changing the guide rod & recoil spring in my SD9ve, wondering how you can reduce the recoil without having problems with at least it locking back after last round.
I shoot what ever 9mm I can get my hands on mostly 115 g.

you want to get a weaker spring than the 17lb that comes from factory? i use a 22lb in my SD40VE. i personally prefer the heavier spring from galloway. its stainless steel

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Fugitive Recovery Agent

I have the 20# spring from Galloway in My SD40VE and shoot 165 gr and 180 gr without any problems or malfunctions.

Thanks both of you, surly someone has done this to a SD9.
Nothing wrong with mine just like the looks of the stainless rod & spring. So the heaver the spring the less the recoil ?

That's a loaded question.
Typically a heavier spring is used when you have light powder loads (think competition, less recoil, quicker target acquisition), so the gun will cycle properly.

However, you don't necessarily need to have a light load to realize faster cycling. SW made these guns and rods to last thousands upon thousands of rounds.
However, if I kept mine...I would've eventually got the stainless rod and probably went with the 20 or 22lb spring for the placebo factor alone, regardless if it actually helped me or not.

A couple shooters on here swear by them, hmbio being one of them!

[QUOTE=dajogejr;137879096]
Typically a heavier spring is used when you have light powder loads (think competition, less recoil, quicker target acquisition), so the gun will cycle properly.


I think that might be backwards. Too heavy of a spring with light loads and you will have issues with the slide not moving rearward enough for ejection and feeding of the next round. Plus, a heavier spring will help with more powerful loads to keep the slide from slamming back too hard on the frame.

Bill

[QUOTE=brchambersjr;137879564]Not saying you're wrong, it's just not the way I understand it.

From Galloway's product page on the guide rod and spring:

"Custom made for the SD-VE and Sigma VE pistols these guide rods are made of Stainless and come pre-assembled to your selection. Factory spring rates are 17lb for both the 9mm and 40 models. We offer several rates as well as options on the retainer finish, black or polished stainless. We recommend the 20 or 22 for 40s/w pistols and 20 for the 9mm as upper limits. The 15 for light handloads only."

So I take it as light loads, light spring; heavy loads heavier spring. Just my $.02.

Correct.

Bill

Well, actually you can't REDUCE recoil by changing the recoil spring, but you can move it around, within limits.
First you need to evaluate the performance with you shooting your loads with the stock spring.
Where do the empties land? If they land 3 to 6 feet away, that's just right. If they barely make it out of the gun, your spring is too heavy.
If the empties go flying and land 10 feet away, your spring is too light for those loads.
How you hold the gun affects the ejection. A rock solid grip makes the gun eject better, and it can tolerate a heavier spring. A wimp grip that lets the gun flip makes the ejection less effective, and may require a lighter spring (or even better, learn how to hold the gun).

The recoil spring is there to make the gun function properly, not for YOUR comfort.

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Science plus Art

I realize that I'm often in the minority, but I see no need to change anything on the SD. Mine is stock and gets sweeter every time she goes out, just like the sigma did.

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SD9VE, American perfection!

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Yes I did read this at Galloway, They do not say why they recommend 20 lb. So thought before ordering I would come here & see if & or how many have tried the 20lb spring. & thank everyone for their feed back
I assume we are talking load as the grain & standard for 9mm is a 115 grain bullet ?
The question still remains does it reduce recoil ?
& for me even more the muzzle flip as I have found when shooting the wifes M&P9c. The muzzle flip is less allowing faster 2nd shot.

No it does not.
At best it can spread it a little.
You do realize that perception of recoil is highly subjective, and excessive muzzle flip is usually indicative of having the shooting grip too low and too loose. People look at Mr Miculek's videos and think his guns must be "specially modified", but the fact is his gator grip locks the gun down, making fast follow up better.

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Science plus Art

I do tend to agree with you & appreciate both of your posts & your advice. This started for me when I read here someone say it would or did reduce the recoil on their SD40.
I am not new to guns or handguns at all, kept a revolver in my bedside table until my kids hit their teens & decided to put it elsewhere not giving it another thought until my wife decided she wanted to start carrying for protection. I took a class with her at the range we started using 2 years ago, learning somethings & confirming some I knew. We are both proficient shooters, but having seen I can get the followup shot on target faster with her M&P9c than I can with my SD9 led me to wonder if there is even the lest bit of difference in recoil or muzzle flip could it make it worth the $30 or so.
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1 question , you said spread it around a little, meaning ?

Meaning that within the range of springs that will let the action work, the heavier spring makes the action work slightly slower (we're talking milliseconds here). Some of the top competitors use springs on the light side to get the (slightly) faster cycle time and the snappier feel.

IMHO, changing recoil springs to try to reduce muzzle flip is trying to solve a software problem (grip) with a hardware change.
Any of my students that have trouble with recoil in a full-sized 9mm almost always need help with achieving the proper grip, with both hands on the gun NOT the off hand gripping the shooting hand.
I test their grip by having them hold the EMPTY gun in firing position, and then I operate the slide with my hand, as it moves in firing. Often the gun nearly hits them in the face because they don't really have ahold of it.

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Science plus Art

Interesting , are you saying hold the pistol underneath the barrel with the off hand ?

No, I'm not.
Here's how to hold a handgun:

youtube how to shoot a handgun - Bing Videos

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Science plus Art

Yes indeed great vid. This is how or should say how I try to shoot.
Thanks again for all your input have a great week

NOW I SEE.