RSA replacement? 45 Shield

[pantannojack]

After some 1k firings of standard pressure mostly 200g LSWC, might it be time to replace my RSA? If not now when?

 

[pantannojack]

Sorry, FA is a Shield 45 not marked 2.0.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

RSA?......

Ruger semi auto
Ruger single action
routine shooter always
rusty single action
regular semi auto
rusty side arm

 

[.38SuperMan]

My guess is “recoil spring assembly.”

 

[lkabug]

I believe factory Armorer manual recommends something like 10,000 with live ammo an 30,000 dry fire. I have about 6K through one of mine with no problems.
Im sure one of the armorer folks will come along and correct me if I wrong.

 

[Fastbolt]

I believe factory Armorer manual recommends something like 10,000 with live ammo an 30,000 dry fire. I have about 6K through one of mine with no problems.
Im sure one of the armorer folks will come along and correct me if I wrong.

The Shield armorer manual recommends replacement of the RSA every 5,000rds. (As well as the magazine springs and followers, slide stop assembly and trigger return spring.)

It's the striker assembly that's replaced at every 10,000rd service interval or every 30,000 dry-fire cycles.

Naturally, these recommended intervals presume normal condition and operation, meaning there's no indication of damage or excessive wear occurring.

 

[lkabug]

The Shield armorer manual recommends replacement of the RSA every 5,000rds. (As well as the magazine springs and followers, slide stop assembly and trigger return spring.)

It's the striker assembly that's replaced at every 10,000rd service interval or every 30,000 dry-fire cycles.

Naturally, these recommended intervals presume normal condition and operation, meaning there's no indication of damage or excessive wear occurring.

Thanks . I should replace mine.

 

[H Richard]

That sounds like a good way for S&W to generate some added revenue.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

OK. My Browning HP is 48 years old. I bought it new and have never replaced anything except the sights. Still works as new.
I believe a lot of worry over nothing.

 

[Fastbolt]

That sounds like a good way for S&W to generate some added revenue.

Suit yourself. Free country.

While we've been told in various S&W armorer classes that the recommended spring replacement intervals are on the admittedly conservative side, because we're talking about duty/personal defense weapons, it's usually better to err on the conservative side of safety matters. Folks are certainly free to ignore recommendations of equipment manufacturers. Life is all about choices, after all.

For example, in the earlier days of the 3rd gen TDA guns, the armorer training went from examining "free" length of used recoil and mag springs, as well as considering live-fire functioning, to a new standard recommendation of spring replacement every 5,000rds fired or every 5 years of being in-service (mags left loaded).

Back then my agency wasn't interested in listening to the recommendation (since it's NOT a factory "mandate") to replace recoil/mag springs at the 5Krds/5yr point in our 9's due to the cost of replacing them in a few hundred guns. It wasn't until some feeding/functioning issues started to come along during range quals, and pointing out that if ever called upon to testify in a survivor spouse's lawsuit that someone's weapon failed to function properly due to a weakened/worn springs, we'd have to acknowledge that we'd asked for money to replace them at the service interval recommended by the factory, but had been denied. We got the money and new springs.

An armorer at another agency called and told me that he'd similarly been having no luck getting the money budgeted to replace the recoil/mag springs in their issued 4006's. They were at the 5yr mark, and had seen more rounds than 5K, but his agency wouldn't pay to re-spring their weapons as long as they were running normally. The old, "why pay to fix it if it ain't broke?"

Well, it was a little over a year later, during some range quals, that a lot of their officers started experiencing feeding stoppages that were obviously related to weakened mag & recoil springs. Apparently, when it was pointed out to the folks who controlled the purse strings that they were lucky the weakened spring problems had only - thus far - occurred on the range, and not the street, he quickly got the money to re-spring their weapons.

Sometimes you may have to explain why wheels are still round, and what "penny-wise & pound foolish" means to some folks.

Now, slide mass and velocity, slide travel/run distance and caliber (power/recoil), as well as shooter grip stability, also have a part to play in the dance of recoil/mag spring replacement intervals.

Then, there's always the potential for some particular spring or RSA to have slipped out the manufacturer's door with an unrecognized materials or production defect, or tolerance issue, which might shorten the useful service life. That's why inspections between service intervals are still important (checking functioning every range session/cleaning).

Springs are pretty inexpensive insurance to help keep pistols running in optimal form. Or, as one well-respected armorer instructor for another brand of pistol likes to say in his classes ... "fresh springs help keeps guns alive". Some folks savvy in the shooting and firearms training circles tend to listen to what Dennis Tueller says about things once in a while. (Another old time 1911 guy, BTW, when he's not wearing his Glock polo shirt.)

 

[Fastbolt]

OK. My Browning HP is 48 years old. I bought it new and have never replaced anything except the sights. Still works as new.
I believe a lot of worry over nothing.

The Browning HP was a stout built 9mm pistol.

Back in the 80's that was the FBI HRT pistol. I have a copy of one of their academy FTU documents about pistol testing (received in my firearms instructor class in which the FBI participated with instructors), and it mentions they used their well-worn HP's as a benchmark for service life during some service pistols testing of newer pistols ('87-'89?). I'd have to find the document among my older notes, but if I recall right, they mentioned that the steel frames of their HP's had gone an average of 85,000 rds without problems. FWIW, sometimes when agencies talk about duty pistols and use the terms "frames" & "without problems", that's often another way to say that they consider slides and barrels to be replaceable parts somewhere along the line.

As a firearms instructor and armorer (for a number of gun companies) who has seen folks run through classes, training and quals for about 26 years, and watched my fair share of private citizen shooters attending range quals (think CCW licensing) for approx 10 years, I've seen at least my fair share of problems occur during range live-fire that can be identified as involving weakened/worn out recoil and mag springs.

Most were due to the springs having been run for longer than they were able to keep their strength and function the guns normally. The rest were due to a smattering of shooter neglect (grungy mag bodies, dry slide rails, contamination/dirty conditions, etc), and the occasional unrecognized defect in a new (or even brand new) spring or RSA. Well, when springs are spit out of machines and shipped off in crates that might number 10,000 units at a time, do you really expect every single spring to have been bench-tested by the manufacturer?

BTW, I've seen a fair number of older 20th century Colts and Brownings exhibit range live-fire hiccups due to someone having run a recoil or mag spring too long.

Hell, some folks don't think they need to change their motor oil and tires until things stop working, though.

Springs are relatively inexpensive items, and cheap "insurance", but that's not to say they all may be of the same quality.