Spring rating vs. felt recoil ?

[MotoGPFan]

I have been a long time shooter, etc. but never really have seen definitive information on this: Specifically: Does a heavier main recoil spring cause increased felt recoil?....or the reverse, would a lighter spring reduce OR increase felt recoil? Although I have never made a "scientific study", my experience has been that going to a slightly heavier spring, say one or possibly two lbs. over factory, tends to yield slightly smaller groups. I am guessing that is because the heavier spring keeps the gun in lock up longer and that has some slight positive effect on accuracy/reduced group size.

So, again.... how does the main spring effect felt recoil and/or accuracy?

Thanks.....

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Does a heavier main recoil spring cause increased felt recoil?
I am guessing that is because the heavier spring keeps the gun in lock up longer and that has some slight positive effect on accuracy/reduced group size.

In general, no. The recoil spring is just slowing down/delaying the slide, the total energy is still the same.

The bullet has already left the barrel by the time the slide starts to unlock so a heavier spring alone shouldn't affect accuracy, it never has for me anyway.

One caveat might be if you had a severely undersprung slide it's slide-frame impact might change the feel & give the illusion of more recoil.

.

 

[Sevens]

Serious Bullseye shooters will tell you that more spring just throws the pistol downward as the slide slams forward, taking your sights further off the mark for your next shot. Keep in mind however that true Bullseye shooters make even the best of us "regular folk" look like total amateurs.

 

[skjos]

My thought would be that a "perfect" recoil spring would reduce felt recoil.

Too heavy and the recoil is transmitted through a shorter cycle.

Too light and the slide hits a hard-stop transferring a sharp recoil.

Just right lets the slide travel its full extent without a hard-stop, spreading the recoil out for the longest period of time.

Of course the time that all this happens is in the low milliseconds, so the difference may not be perceivable at all.

 

[GBertolet]

Generally a lighter recoil spring will reduce recovery time, as the muzzle dip is less, and you will be back on target faster, as the slide is moving forward with less force when it comes to a stop. You have to balance the load you are shooting to the spring rate.

As mentioned previously, if your barrel is unlocking too soon, before the bullet clears the barrel, accuracy will suffer. I shoot USPSA with a 1911 45 ACP. I use a 13-14 lb recoil spring, firing a 230 gr bullet at 740 to 750 fps, to make major power factor. I found that this spring rate does help recovery time, while not affecting reliability or durability. A 16 lb spring is standard for 45 ACP 1911's.

Most competitors in my division using the same equiptment use similar spring rates. Some, myself included, use flat bottom firing pin stop plates, which reduce the mechanical advantage in cocking the hammer. This retards the rearward momentum of the slide upon firing, negating the worry of frame battering at that spring rate. It's like having your cake and eat it too. Going to a heavier mainspring for the hammer will dissipate rearward slide momentum also.

You did not mention what type of firearm you have, or what load you are using, so this reply is informational in general, about what I have learned in personal experience.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Some, myself included, use flat bottom firing pin stop plates, which reduce the mechanical advantage in cocking the hammer.

A small radius firing pin stop; that's one of the things I used on my 1911 I set it up to shoot 45 Super.

"It reduces the slide's mechanical advantage in overcoming the mainspring's resistance. By reducing the slide's mechanical advantage in overcoming the hammer's resistance, the slide's acceleration is slowed. The recoil spring is compressed more slowly, slightly reducing the spring's push against the frame...thus extending the time that it takes for the slide to make the full trip rearward."

.

 

[rwsmith]

If the slide didn't hit...

If the slide didn't hit the frame at the rear of the stroke, spring rating would tell most of the story, outside of stuff like slide mass. All of my pistol slides hit the frame with a good thump, so, like said above, the spring just increases the overall time of the impulse.

Another variable is spring length. My compact pistols have to absorb the same shock as my full size pistols do, but do it in a shorter space. Therefore, the compact's impulse is not spread over time as much. That's one thing that makes a full size pistol 'feel' more comfortable than a compact besides less mass, etc. The recoil is not as 'sharp'.