Recoil Springs: P220 vs. 1911

by FOG, Thursday, July 04, 2013, 18:52 (4164 days ago) @ rob

Nothing against the SIG, but a 'full-size' P220 is more akin to the Commander than a Government Model.

In terms of recoil springs, this means you start at the short end of the stick with the standard P220.

Step down to the P220C, and you probably cannot expect more than 1000 rounds or so before it's time to replace the recoil spring. The good news is, factory replacements are available.

Regarding lengevity, 'extra' power wouldn't buy you much. Some might even argue it beats up the gun on the forward recoil stroke, but that could be 'stretching' things. If the gun is cycling properly, the spring itself won't last any longer than a standard-power spring.

Alloy selection, along with construction techniques such as the wound-wire recoil springs used in SIGs, can affect spring life, but those choices are typically beyond the purview of the end-user.

If the 'old days' were any indication, the gun to probably have is indeed the full-size 1911. Back then, no one ever replaced the recoil spring in their .45 or anything else.

Unless something broke...

That's a bit of an exaggeration, of course.

But only a bit.

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