The myth of the chrome-silicon gun spring ‘not taking a set.’

[Dangerous]

I thought HTCS meant "Highly Technical Custom Stuff."

[HRT]

Originally Posted by Dangerous

I thought HTCS meant "Highly Technical Custom Stuff."

Hey Dangerous you and I are thinking alike

[rhinokrk]

Originally Posted by BillD

Anyone ever had a 1911 fail because of the recoil spring?

Yep, 5" 1991, and twice with 4" Kimber compact. Quick change of springs solved the problem

[dahermit]

Originally Posted by BillD

Anyone ever had a 1911 fail because of the recoil spring?

Yes. Colt XSE Combat Commander, shiped with an under-powered recoil spring that would jam open with rounds still in the magazine. Ditto with the firing pin spring. It would not hold the firing pin stop in posistion when cycling...the stop would drop down and tie-up the gun.

[BillD]

Originally Posted by dahermit

Yes. Colt XSE Combat Commander, shiped with an under-powered recoil spring that would jam open with rounds still in the magazine. Ditto with the firing pin spring. It would not hold the firing pin stop in posistion when cycling...the stop would drop down and tie-up the gun.

A new Colt shipped with bad springs? That's a new one for me.

[rhinokrk]

Originally Posted by BillD

A new Colt shipped with bad springs? That's a new one for me.

Me too. But I suppose it's possible.

[Nick A]

Did I read the post from Western Spring Mfg correctly?


Wolff HTCS material IS CHROME SILICON.

[log man]

Originally Posted by Nick A

Did I read the post from Western Spring Mfg correctly?


Wolff HTCS material IS CHROME SILICON.

More or less what he suggests, but the HTCS is common in the spring wire supply industry to mean High Tensile Carbon Steel as evidenced by the link provided. Wolff does make and sell chrome silicon 1911 springs, but states they do not have as long a life as their std. spring material. Wolff is hard to beat.

LOG

[Nick A]

Luv ya, log man, but your link doesn't use the acronym HTCS.

The link is a chinese company, and it does discuss its high tensile carbon steel, which content shows that it does not meet ASTM A-401 for chrome silicon wire, so it is carbon steel. No question about that. But I didn't find the acronym HTCS.

I looked up HTCS in our engineering reference guides and it is not an industry defined acronym.

So when it comes down to it, the nomenclature really doesn't matter. Certain manufacturers have superior products, and each of us learns that through experience.





For the record, the OP uses the term 'not taking a set'. Actually, we have found that fatigue is the enemy of springs, not the free length set it takes after initial loading. But the OP's discussion seems to talk about fatigue, so I think that's the real subject of the thread.

[log man]

Originally Posted by Nick A

Luv ya, log man, but your link doesn't use the acronym HTCS.

Well, that was the point, it spells it out. High Tensile Carbon Steel wire for springs

LOG

[Nick A]

Yes, my friend, no argument from me. I'm just thinking that Wolff and IMSI and all those folks are holding more behind the screen that they aren't showing us and never will. We'll never really know what material they use.

So bottom line is performance. We know what performs.



By the way, any idea why other types of guns cycle their springs as much as a 1911 (like autoloading shotguns) but the spring lasts a lifetime? We're still using the same action spring and recoil spring in grandpa's Rem Mod 11 shotgun from 1932, probably 100,000 cycles by now, the action spring is about the same diameter & wire as a 1911 recoil spring and gets compressed the same. Like the Energizer Bunny it just keeps going...

[Al Booth]

I have been using ISMI springs for 6 years or so. They certainly take less of a "set", and lose less of their uncompressed length after use over the long term than Wolff springs. This obviously subjective opinion is based on year of shooting each spring in a 5" 1911 Colt, built by Novak's, using only hardball (I quit reloading years ago).

Either make spring is cheap, in the big picture. If I ever have any doubt as to the age or condition of any particular spring, I pitch it and install a fresh one. Cheap insurance.

Marc Cosat at ISMI certainly does not seem to be hiding any information. He is a delight to talk to about the technical aspects of his springs.

[MoNsTeR]

Regardless of what the materials are or what the marketing hype is, ISMI magazine springs do last longer than Wolff magazine springs. For me that's the bottom line.

[walterrego]

Do the Wolff variable rate springs have a front & rear direction that they should be assembled as ? I have one and neither end was crimped so as to be a tight fit on the recoil spring guide. Or does it not matter which end is which ?

[log man]

Open end forward, closed end against the guide rod head.

LOG