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Firearms Legal Protection

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  1. #1
    MGO Member JDeko's Avatar
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    Do I Need a New Recoil Spring?

    So I tested out my new compact Witness slide and I must say it did not go well. I can tell the recoil spring is much weaker, in changing the slides I can hold the compact one in place to line up the dots easily but the full size cramps my hand holding it in place. Inserting a mag will drop the slide on the compact half the time, but that or hitting the slide release leaves the slide stuck on the round at the top of the mag, only slingshotting it by pushing on the grip and pulling the slide surely gets it to load. It also fails to feed a lot to when firing. Based on the scalloped front and lack of front slide serrations it's an older model so maybe the recoil spring was meant more for "10mm in name only" .40 S&W loads in longer casings[?]

    Would a weak recoil spring cause all these problems? I'm really hoping so since I love the way the shorter slide looks on there so I really hope it's not a lemon.

  2. #2
    MGO Member Ol` Joe's Avatar
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    The 10 is Noticeably the longer of the Two cartridges.
    The slide should not fall with insertion of the mag at any time it should require the use of the slide stop or manual working of the slide.
    I am no gunsmith or expert by any means but failure to fully go to battery does sound like a weak spring, but again I am not at all qualified to make a diagnosis Of you gun.
    "Saepe errans, numquam dubitans --Frequently in error, never in doubt".

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  3. #3
    I am a Forum User
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    can you please re-post your question and observations. I couldn't follow through what you are asking for and what the issue is..
    Start by stating what caliber is the original gun is in with the full slide?
    What caliber is the conversion compact slide is in, and did it come with its own shorter barrel and its own shorter recoil spring?
    are you using the compact slide on the same frame?

    Do you have feeding problems with the large slide as well or not and only with the compact slide?

    until you answer all these questions here is a list of noise factors that would contribute to failures to feed:
    1. Ammo pressure (both over and under might cause problems.
    2. Ammo OAL, this might interfere with geometric compatibility with the feeding ramp on the barrel.
    3. limp wristing the gun as will interfere with the slide full travel.
    4. Weak recoil spring as well as overly stiff spring, the recoil spring strength has to be within a tolerance window
    5. bad feeding angle on the barrel ramp
    6. tolerance issues on the barrel chamber relative to used ammo.

  4. #4
    MGO Member JDeko's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JimSig View Post
    can you please re-post your question and observations. I couldn't follow through what you are asking for and what the issue is..
    Start by stating what caliber is the original gun is in with the full slide?
    What caliber is the conversion compact slide is in, and did it come with its own shorter barrel and its own shorter recoil spring?
    are you using the compact slide on the same frame?

    Do you have feeding problems with the large slide as well or not and only with the compact slide?

    until you answer all these questions here is a list of noise factors that would contribute to failures to feed:
    1. Ammo pressure (both over and under might cause problems.
    2. Ammo OAL, this might interfere with geometric compatibility with the feeding ramp on the barrel.
    3. limp wristing the gun as will interfere with the slide full travel.
    4. Weak recoil spring as well as overly stiff spring, the recoil spring strength has to be within a tolerance window
    5. bad feeding angle on the barrel ramp
    6. tolerance issues on the barrel chamber relative to used ammo.
    Both slides are 10mm, and the new one did come with it's own shorter barrel and spring [and guide rod]. I am using it on the full size frame because I wanted to have it be flush with the dust cover. I do plan to eventually leave the full size barrel on and get it threaded but this time I was using the shorter barrel.

  5. #5
    MGO Member MichiganShootist's Avatar
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    The rule of thumb is... the shorter the barrel the stronger the recoil spring needs to be.

    Mark

  6. #6
    I am a Forum User
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    Quote Originally Posted by JDeko View Post
    Both slides are 10mm, and the new one did come with it's own shorter barrel and spring [and guide rod]. I am using it on the full size frame because I wanted to have it be flush with the dust cover. I do plan to eventually leave the full size barrel on and get it threaded but this time I was using the shorter barrel.
    before jumping into the conclusion that you need a stronger spring for the new shorter slide, let us try this, get both barrel out of the slides and try to drop a fresh round in each barrel.. Do you notice any difference in the way the round sinks in the barrel chamber.. is one chamber tighter than the other, is the feeding ramp on the short barrel scratched or have rough edges, does it have the same ramping angle. etc..

    Second the recoil spring of the shorter sled should be stiffer than the recoil spring of the longer slide. The reason is to control recoil energy in a shorter travel distance and manage dwelling time as well. The force to strip a bullet from the magazine and force feeding it to the barrel might be affected if the recoil spring is too weak. Here where you need to order a stronger spring that might be helpful.. Try to research spring ratings for compact 10 mm and see what you might need and check wolf springs for that matter.

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