1OKshooter
Well-Known Fanatic
What is the reason one would want to change the weight of the spring on a Glock Guide rod, and if you are shooting reloads should I replace this spring for better performance?
Glock guide rod swap
- Thread starter 1OKshooter
- Start date
drmitchgibson
The white Morgan Freeman
Faster cycle time, less felt recoil. The slide will travel back with greater velocity, and the cycle will end much more quickly. You'll experience less movement of the gun, mostly vertical movement, but less push as well.
OUshooter
Well-Known Fanatic
I will throw in my 2 pennies. The lighter lbs spring means you can run lighter loads. The stock spring is 18lbs? I don't recall, but if you're handloads are in the 167pf range then you could get lots of stovepipes. That's because the load wont run the slide all the way back. Most factory loads are 180ish or so, at least the ones I have shot.
What can get you into trouble is a light spring and hot (factory) loads. The gun hammers itself and brutalizes the internals.
The lighter spring allows you to run lower recoil loads. My G35 will choke with a factory spring and my 167pf handloads. Drop in the 14lbs ISMI spring and she runs like a Singer.
What can get you into trouble is a light spring and hot (factory) loads. The gun hammers itself and brutalizes the internals.
The lighter spring allows you to run lower recoil loads. My G35 will choke with a factory spring and my 167pf handloads. Drop in the 14lbs ISMI spring and she runs like a Singer.
1OKshooter
Well-Known Fanatic
So now is the time to break out the cronograph? Fine tune the load to a softer spring??
OUshooter
Well-Known Fanatic
Really it's more about the shot timer. The chrono is good to get the pf of your loads set. However, the shot timer will let you detect if a Bill Drill with one spring will be faster splits from one spring to the other.
People will laugh at thousands of a second per shot, but it all adds up.
1OKshooter
Well-Known Fanatic
Okay got it, So what is the Bill drill??
technetium-99m
Mighty Righty
Draw and fire 6 rounds into the A zone of a USPSA metric target at 7 yards. It's a drill that teaches you to track your sights during recoil, recoil control, and what an acceptable sight picture is. The drill is nice at extended ranges too.
Springs affect the "timing" of the gun which is a fancy way of saying your slide speed changes as you change spring weight. You want the gun to operate reliably while having the sights track predictably. The bill drill will tell you what your gun is doing as long as you aren't flinching.
Springs affect the "timing" of the gun which is a fancy way of saying your slide speed changes as you change spring weight. You want the gun to operate reliably while having the sights track predictably. The bill drill will tell you what your gun is doing as long as you aren't flinching.
technetium-99m
Mighty Righty
Plenty of videos on youtube with Bill drills, but I can't figure out how to link them. Watch a few then watch Travis Tomasie's shot calling video.
shootingbuff
Well-Known Fanatic
Lighter spring wt.
As been stated faster cycle times, perceived felt recoil i.e a pistol weighing xx oz shooting xxx bullet wt at xxx/x vel is going to have the same free recoil regardless of the spring wt. Normally a softer spring doesn't give you as much dip when the slide slams forward.
You may see a benefit in tracking your sights. I have not seen or experienced split times increase due to recoil spring wt. A softer spring wt can give more reliability if shooting with a weak grip and or weak loads.
I have not seen a caliber (edited i see a g35 wont cycle) so I would like to know what caliber in ref to a 167 PF not cycling a pistol? A 167 should cycle even the 40 S&W, 10mm and 45 Glocks, so WT Heck? The spring wt in a Glock is by caliber and model they are not all 18 pounds.
With the Gen 4s we need to make ref to if it is a gen 4 and what recoil spring assembly it has or when it was produced. I have run a G19 Gen 4 with target loads new. A Gen 4 needs break in or a new recoil assm if it doesnt function with standard vel factory ammo.
One thing that has not been mentioned is if the round is out of spec just a bit a soft spring may not chamber a round as well as a weak spring and you may fire out of battery. To much of a good thing can be bad.
Lastly spring wt is a individual feel as long as the gun works.
As been stated faster cycle times, perceived felt recoil i.e a pistol weighing xx oz shooting xxx bullet wt at xxx/x vel is going to have the same free recoil regardless of the spring wt. Normally a softer spring doesn't give you as much dip when the slide slams forward.
You may see a benefit in tracking your sights. I have not seen or experienced split times increase due to recoil spring wt. A softer spring wt can give more reliability if shooting with a weak grip and or weak loads.
I have not seen a caliber (edited i see a g35 wont cycle) so I would like to know what caliber in ref to a 167 PF not cycling a pistol? A 167 should cycle even the 40 S&W, 10mm and 45 Glocks, so WT Heck? The spring wt in a Glock is by caliber and model they are not all 18 pounds.
With the Gen 4s we need to make ref to if it is a gen 4 and what recoil spring assembly it has or when it was produced. I have run a G19 Gen 4 with target loads new. A Gen 4 needs break in or a new recoil assm if it doesnt function with standard vel factory ammo.
One thing that has not been mentioned is if the round is out of spec just a bit a soft spring may not chamber a round as well as a weak spring and you may fire out of battery. To much of a good thing can be bad.
Lastly spring wt is a individual feel as long as the gun works.
shootingbuff
Well-Known Fanatic
Just have to sorry 
Let us say you are at .11 for splits. The gun is already in battery after cycling so other than knocking at best .02 off of your splits with the gun still in battery after cycling do you really, really think recoil spring wt is going to make the gun shoot faster? It might help track the sights better, but that is just practice or practice will do the same thing.
Now a G18 fires at what 1100-1300 rnds per min with a stock recoil spring. Guess what? That is still about twice as fast as the top shooters can manage and any split under .2 is good. Any .15 or less is very good and any under 12 is great how I look at it. If a person needs practice then practice and that is how you get faster or different trigger setup, not a recoil spring.
Let us say you are at .11 for splits. The gun is already in battery after cycling so other than knocking at best .02 off of your splits with the gun still in battery after cycling do you really, really think recoil spring wt is going to make the gun shoot faster? It might help track the sights better, but that is just practice or practice will do the same thing.
Now a G18 fires at what 1100-1300 rnds per min with a stock recoil spring. Guess what? That is still about twice as fast as the top shooters can manage and any split under .2 is good. Any .15 or less is very good and any under 12 is great how I look at it. If a person needs practice then practice and that is how you get faster or different trigger setup, not a recoil spring.
technetium-99m
Mighty Righty
The recoil spring absolutely alters how the gun behaves. Its quite apparent when you watch the gun return from recoil. I can shoot a handgun with splits less than .15 but that's not really the point here. Differing recoil spring weights will make your sights track differently and your sights tracking reliably is very important for shooting fast and accurate.
I shoot a Glock 34 with stock spring and rod. My reloads are about as light as you can have to make minimum power factor. I've NEVER had the gun malfunction except for a couple of bad primers and 1 uncrimped round sticking in the chamber. This 34 has at least 10k rounds thru it. Speaking of which, it's almost time to clean it. . I've got a stainless rod and some springs you can have at the next match if you want to tinker with what's already perfect. I am just a C class shooter though, maybe I do need a new spring...or some practice.
. I've got a stainless rod and some springs you can have at the next match if you want to tinker with what's already perfect. I am just a C class shooter though, maybe I do need a new spring...or some practice.
Mac MacDonald
GunZoo
Here is my recoil spring logic for my USPSA Production G34 (link in my gunzoo signature below):
When I run with my hand-loaded 147gr 9mm rounds I use an 11-pound ISMI spring. I load right to power factor so the softer spring is clutch. Sometimes I don't have a chance to hand-load before a match and I run Atlanta Arms 147gr rounds and install a 13-pound spring as their ammo is about 100fps faster.
I've found this works well for me and so far I've had zero issues with this approach.
When I run with my hand-loaded 147gr 9mm rounds I use an 11-pound ISMI spring. I load right to power factor so the softer spring is clutch. Sometimes I don't have a chance to hand-load before a match and I run Atlanta Arms 147gr rounds and install a 13-pound spring as their ammo is about 100fps faster.
I've found this works well for me and so far I've had zero issues with this approach.
mike cyrwus
.223
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2010
- Messages
- 4,827
put a 13-15# ismi in it and try em out. unless youre reloading, I wouldnt bother.
