9mm service...18# vs. 22# test, with pics - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

amishclark · 01-28-2007, 12:52 PM

so my stock guide rod/spring assembly broke (xd breakage...pics included!!! for those not in the know...), and i ordered a DGR to replace it, even though springfield sent me a new stock assembly. first, i really like the feel of the pistol with the added weight in the front, and the action feels smoother and more consistant than stock.

i also ordered two springs with the DGR...18# and 22#. i got the 18 because it was "stock" and the 22 because it was "popular.". i went to the range today to figure out which one i liked more. i shot slow-fire, five rounds per magazine (10 per target), and did my best to concentrate...first, the 22# spring:

then, i switched to the 18# spring, and shot another 30:

granted, i'm no marksman and i did have a few "fliers," but i think i like the 18# spring more. i think i'm more accurate and consistant with it than with the 22#...also, the action with the 22# felt too "snappy", whereas the 18# spring felt more "smooth." remember, this is what works for ME. hope it helps...

p.s. shot @ 50 feet

p.p.s shot using wwb 115grn.

Apdl · 01-28-2007, 03:36 PM

damn 50 feet how bout some semi reality distances
like 5 and 10 yards please!

BoomerBSG · 01-28-2007, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apdl

damn 50 feet how bout some semi reality distances
like 5 and 10 yards please!

heh 50 feet is 16 yards so its not that bad.
i would like to see some at 5 and 10 though

cheers

amishclark · 01-28-2007, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apdl

damn 50 feet how bout some semi reality distances
like 5 and 10 yards please!

ha! if i can shoot like that at 50', i would think it's only gonna get better the closer i get...

boomer, i'll try to go to the range tomorrow or tuesday to shoot some from closer. indoor is 50, but i can get as close as i want outdoor...i think that for non-+p or +p+ ammo, 18# is the way to go with a 9...either way, the dgr made a big difference in the feel of the pistol. the old codger i was talking to at the range today said, "well, they used to say you want the minimum spring weight to cycle the pistol consistantly." what do ya'll think?

scalce · 01-28-2007, 06:32 PM

My range is also 50 feet outdoors and I was using the 22# spring and seemed to be slightly off.

I was still able to put all of the rounds on a paper plate but I felt all over the place.

Next time out I am going to put the 18# in and see how it goes.

Thanks for the post.

aftershock · 01-28-2007, 06:44 PM

is the 18 spring feel any different than the stock assembly....

amishclark · 01-28-2007, 07:00 PM

the motion of the slide feels smoother, but pulling it back and recoil don't feel very different. i would attribute the smoothness to less moving parts...that stock assembly has at least two different springs and various pieces of metal moving around...i can only describe it as a stock suspension versus a tuned and re-valved suspension (a la dirtbike, mountain bike, or sports car).

if the spring weight is yin, and the recoil from firing is yang, i find a perfect mix with the wwb and 18#. too much yin with the 22#. i'm sure with some +p loads i might like the stronger spring...hope all this makes sense...

KYDoc · 01-29-2007, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amishclark

the motion of the slide feels smoother, but pulling it back and recoil don't feel very different. i would attribute the smoothness to less moving parts...that stock assembly has at least two different springs and various pieces of metal moving around...i can only describe it as a stock suspension versus a tuned and re-valved suspension (a la dirtbike, mountain bike, or sports car).

if the spring weight is yin, and the recoil from firing is yang, i find a perfect mix with the wwb and 18#. too much yin with the 22#. i'm sure with some +p loads i might like the stronger spring...hope all this makes sense...

Makes sense to me.

slugger6 · 01-29-2007, 05:27 AM

amish, thanks for posting such an informative range report. You gave us the facts and some pics to back them up. I, too, would like to see your test replicated with both springs at 5, 10, 15 yards.

ichy_trigger · 01-29-2007, 05:40 AM

You want just the right amount of spring so that the spring is being worked by the slide, not the whole gun. In other words, with a strong spring, its pushing the slide back and the same time, shoving the entire gun back because its pushing so hard against the spring. With a lighter spring, the slide is moving back but not pushing against the whole gun. I dont know if that explained it well or not. In my Sig I went down to a 14 lb. spring, my STI I use a Recoil Master. the way it works is you have 2 springs ,ike the XD. The bigger spring is lighter and its what works the slide, right as the slide is almost all the way back, it encounters the resistence of the second stiffer spring which cushions the slide from a sharp impact and helps eliminate the snap of recoil. The lighter spring then returns the slide to battery. Most competative shooters tend to shoot lighter springs and after time prefer a snappy gun to a pushy gun. You just have to figure out what works best for you.

01-28-2007, 12:52 PM	#1
amishclark XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: pennsyltucky Posts: 1,230	9mm service...18# vs. 22# test, with pics so my stock guide rod/spring assembly broke (xd breakage...pics included!!! for those not in the know...), and i ordered a DGR to replace it, even though springfield sent me a new stock assembly. first, i really like the feel of the pistol with the added weight in the front, and the action feels smoother and more consistant than stock. i also ordered two springs with the DGR...18# and 22#. i got the 18 because it was "stock" and the 22 because it was "popular.". i went to the range today to figure out which one i liked more. i shot slow-fire, five rounds per magazine (10 per target), and did my best to concentrate...first, the 22# spring: then, i switched to the 18# spring, and shot another 30: granted, i'm no marksman and i did have a few "fliers," but i think i like the 18# spring more. i think i'm more accurate and consistant with it than with the 22#...also, the action with the 22# felt too "snappy", whereas the 18# spring felt more "smooth." remember, this is what works for ME. hope it helps... p.s. shot @ 50 feet p.p.s shot using wwb 115grn. __________________ some say "cheese" and i'm picturing something lovely. others say "cheese" and i'm thinking government subsidy. i am the grammar police. all your bad grammars are belong to me! Last edited by amishclark : 01-28-2007 at 01:52 PM.

01-28-2007, 03:36 PM	#2
Apdl XDTalk 2K Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Burnsville, MN Posts: 2,338	damn 50 feet how bout some semi reality distances like 5 and 10 yards please! __________________ "He took off running, and we caught him, and he just kept resisting. So we just kept whipping his ass." -HulkXD "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." -Albert Einstein If you are not part of the solution you are part of the precipitate Springfield XD-9 TOTAL COUNT 7296 Daily Carry Springfield 1911 Loaded Target 9mm Walther P22... needs bigger mag EBR Build in progress

01-28-2007, 07:00 PM	#7
amishclark XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: pennsyltucky Posts: 1,230	the motion of the slide feels smoother, but pulling it back and recoil don't feel very different. i would attribute the smoothness to less moving parts...that stock assembly has at least two different springs and various pieces of metal moving around...i can only describe it as a stock suspension versus a tuned and re-valved suspension (a la dirtbike, mountain bike, or sports car). if the spring weight is yin, and the recoil from firing is yang, i find a perfect mix with the wwb and 18#. too much yin with the 22#. i'm sure with some +p loads i might like the stronger spring...hope all this makes sense... __________________ some say "cheese" and i'm picturing something lovely. others say "cheese" and i'm thinking government subsidy. i am the grammar police. all your bad grammars are belong to me! Last edited by amishclark : 01-28-2007 at 07:05 PM.

01-29-2007, 05:40 AM	#10
ichy_trigger XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Dayton, Ohio Posts: 7,412	You want just the right amount of spring so that the spring is being worked by the slide, not the whole gun. In other words, with a strong spring, its pushing the slide back and the same time, shoving the entire gun back because its pushing so hard against the spring. With a lighter spring, the slide is moving back but not pushing against the whole gun. I dont know if that explained it well or not. In my Sig I went down to a 14 lb. spring, my STI I use a Recoil Master. the way it works is you have 2 springs ,ike the XD. The bigger spring is lighter and its what works the slide, right as the slide is almost all the way back, it encounters the resistence of the second stiffer spring which cushions the slide from a sharp impact and helps eliminate the snap of recoil. The lighter spring then returns the slide to battery. Most competative shooters tend to shoot lighter springs and after time prefer a snappy gun to a pushy gun. You just have to figure out what works best for you. __________________ "The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." http://militarysignatures.com/signatures/member2645.png

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01-28-2007, 06:32 PM	#5
scalce XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Upstate SC Posts: 1,405	My range is also 50 feet outdoors and I was using the 22# spring and seemed to be slightly off. I was still able to put all of the rounds on a paper plate but I felt all over the place. Next time out I am going to put the 18# in and see how it goes. Thanks for the post.

01-28-2007, 06:44 PM	#6
aftershock XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 285	is the 18 spring feel any different than the stock assembly....

01-29-2007, 05:27 AM	#9
slugger6 XDTalk 10K Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 17,903	amish, thanks for posting such an informative range report. You gave us the facts and some pics to back them up. I, too, would like to see your test replicated with both springs at 5, 10, 15 yards.