springs and where to start

[xd_xl]

im shooting downloaded ammo (180grain jhp @ 3.1-3.4 grains of powder)
in a xd 40 tactical. i want the gun to shoot as flat as possible. not much recoil now but thinking about changing springs to recduce recoil more. i see people talking about 22# and 20# springs but are they using factory ammo?

so in short any idea what # spring i should start with?


thanks

[Old School]

I recommend trying a 16# and 22# spring for testing. There is not much difference between the 18# and 20#. Good luck.

Old School

PS: Sorry, Don.

[Don]

Old School, I'd be a poor resource since I don't own a Tactical, so I'm glad for your input.

If you are using the stock spring, I believe it is 18#. Watch what you brass does. for what you should do. When it is dribbling off of your wrists you are going to get intermittant failures. You can reduce the spring to bring the brass out farther, ideally it should be landing 2-4 ft off of you body. The lower limit to this whole game would be that the slide mass is unchanged, and you need enough energy to cycle this mass against a spring that will still close the slide and cock the striker.

More suggestions for the lower end:

Originally Posted by mullanman

As far as spring weight, I use a 14LB spring. My loads are about a 150 PF and this is tuned to my gun perfectly.

Originally Posted by RIIID

If your looking for a spring for reduced loads this what I have found. If you want the gun 100% XD Tac .40 18# fixed rate spring, For the 9 Tac 16# fixed rate spring.
Tacticals will run with lighter weight springs but not at 100% reliability. Now if you have lightened the slide it's a whole new story. Just for the record I consider any load with a power factor of 145 or less is a reduced load. This is what I have found with my testing. Others may have come up with different results.
Later,
Rich

[R/T Performance]

Hey don love your work.I need to make some poofy loads and am looking for a 14# spring for my service.Can I just buy 1911 spring?do I need to clip them down Thanks

[Don]

The Colt Commander series of springs has the low ranges that you need, but you will need to cut off some coils to make it fit. You can trim the coils without changing the rated force for the most part. I'll have to check my notes at home to get you the maximum compressed height you should use.

[R/T Performance]

Thanks don I have a 14 and 16# coming in from www.sprinco.com
My first spring was a 22# wolf and didn't seem to last very long.Since I have been reading in Brian Enos web forum it seem harder springs cause the slide to slam shut and cause double taps to be low or muzzle dip

[Don]

There is 1.104" of space available when the slide is back.
Take out 0.055" for a washer and 0.055" for the rod head, leaves you 0.994" for the compressed spring.
What will be the stacked spring height? Multiply the spring wire diameter times the number of coils along the axis. Make sure you include all of the coils, and not just the "active" ones.

[R/T Performance]

I will try that soon as they come in
Thanks Don

[R/T Performance]

That was easy and works good thanks Don measured one coil/and counted

[koruptor]

Hey guys. When you're talking about 16# and 22# I'm assuming it's the tension in the springs (22 being greater). Anybody know the tension value for the factory recoil spring?