Gun records...

[JimB120]

I still want to know the source for the need for spring replacement after some number of rounds.

In my case from the Sig Sauer Factory Armorer Certification Manual.

Some springs and pins on guns I shoot frequently and carry regularly need to be changed in as few as 5000 rounds. Doesn't take too long to reach that.

I don't want to find out at the wrong moment that the recoil spring on my carry gun has become too weak to effectively eject a spent round and load a replacement.

If it's just a range gun I guess you could wait for something to break, but I don't do that with any piece of machinery if I can prevent it, because experience has shown me that Mr. Murphey was right.

That's me though. :wink:

 

[Iron Mike Golf]

You maintain your car based on milage don't you? A gun is no different. It needs replacement of certain springs and parts at wear intervals, and needs to be inspected for signs of unusual wear.

Do you track dry fire counts? Parts wear every time you pull the trigger, bang or no. Do you track your rounds by strength (normal vs +P for factory or cool/warm/hot for hand loads)? I would imagine some parts would wear faster with a large number of +P or hot loads.

 

[JimB120]

Do you track dry fire counts? Parts wear every time you pull the trigger, bang or no. Do you track your rounds by strength (normal vs +P for factory or cool/warm/hot for hand loads)? I would imagine some parts would wear faster with a large number of +P or hot loads.

In short, personally no to both.

The most wear is caused by the extreme pressure during cycling. The recoil spring, and roll pins (on some guns) need to be replaced every 5000 rounds. Most other parts run for 20000 rounds before recommended replacement. (for Sigs, which is what I base all my maintenance on because that's what I own and shoot the most)

The second time I need to replace a recoil spring I'll do a complete tear down and replace all the springs anyway. Spring kits usually are about the price of a box of ammo. It's cheap insurance.

+P loads run about 20 - 22% (on average) higher pressure than standard pressure. The wear on springs comes from the repeated expansion and contraction, and if the higher pressure makes a difference in wear IMO it would be slight. Since the guns are +P rated I would expect the recommendations are based on their use. I don't shoot +P in anything but 38sp anyway.

I would think revolvers would need far fewer replacements because they aren't dealing with the cycling issues of an auto. But at 10K rounds I'd do a detail strip anyway.

Round counts also helps me keep track of how much I'm using each gun. Just what works for me, to each his own. :wink:

 

[Pernal]

The only spring I ever changed was a recoil spring on one of my Ruger KP91DC. That was last year. I can't complain.

I did change one or two other recoil spring/guide rods assemblies on relatives' guns (KP89/P89). They had put spring in backwards/bent guide rods.

All in all Ruger P-series can take lots of abuse. I have a spare guide rod/recoil spring assembly for each gun I have (Insurance).

 

[Charon]

Just to stir the snakes on spring life - I was doing some seasonal prep work on one of my mowers. It has an 18.5 HP Briggs engine, single cylinder. I have an hour meter/tach on it. It has about 355 hours, and runs somewhere around 3300 rpm. That roughly calculates to 70 million revolutions. Each valve spring cycles every other revolution, so each valve spring has cycled on the order of 35 million times. At 3300 rpm, each spring cycles about 27 times per second. Most automatic firearms cycle at less than half that rate. I won't even attempt to calculate similar numbers for my 250 Ninja, which turns about 7500 revs/mile, and has over 6000 miles on it. Just thought you might be interested.