Letters 12/96

Reader: What’s The 1911’s Standard Spring Weight?

Please settle this issue once and for all: Is the standard-weight recoil spring on a Government Model 1911 16 pounds or 18 pounds? By standard weight I mean as it comes from the factory. I’ve heard many conflicting views. You write in the July 1996 issue on page 12 that it’s 18 pounds. I think it’s 16 pounds because when I put a 17-pound spring in my Springfield I could feel the difference both when racking the slide and when the pistol would fire if I dropped the slide on a live round (due to hammer follow-through and a shoddy trigger job.) With the factory spring, the hammer should stop at the half-cocked position.

Also, though a heavier spring will ease the slide battering the frame, what about the increased force of the slide going into battery? I was always told not to drop the slide on an empty chamber as this will damage the pistol. It was never explained to me why, but with a heavier spring, won’t this augment the risk?

I did get the Springfield fixed to eliminate the slam fires. I’ve had to have other things done to it to get it to function as I want it to. I still have to more things done to it. I agree with you, no other pistol is as tolerated as the 1911. I’ve had this on-going, love-hate relationship with it. There are times when I swear that I’ll leave it for good. “Go to a Glock, they’re sexy in a spartan, utilitarian kind of way,” I say to myself. I try to convince myself. But, I always come back. I think it’s because I have so much invested in the relationship. It’s hard to throw that all away. It’s like a rocky marriage. I just want it all to work out. If I could just get a little appreciation and cooperation out of that ungrateful….

As one of your charter subscribers, I really enjoy your magazine. I find it interesting and informative and look forward to it each month.

-Philip Gilkey
Torrance, CA

Standard factory recoil spring weight varies somewhat. Military specs don’t actually specify weight. Under Drawing #5013299 they describe the diameter of the music-wire spring (.043 inch), its length (6.55 inch), and the number of coils to be used in making them (30). Put the specs together and do the math and you come up with a nominal weight of 14.9 pounds. In practice, GI pistols ended up with springs of about 16 pounds, which was about right for issue FMJ Ball ammo rated at 800 fps.

However, most factory ammo has been loaded to ever higher pressures and velocities over the course of the past couple of decades, and 18-pound springs are now being used by most makes to accommodate the changes. The slide returning to battery with the heavier spring won’t cause noticeable increase in wear for quite some time.

As to the reason for not allowing the slide to be released on an empty chamber, that has to do with the shock of the slide moving unimpeded into battery causing jarring and eventual damage to the hammer and sear engagement from severe vibration, which in turn will result in the kind of follow through of the hammer that you were experiencing with your Springfield pistol and possibly inducing slam-firing. You can prevent such damage as well as the risk of slam-fire, whether or not the pistol is feeding a cartridge, by holding the hammer back with your thumb when releasing the slide.

Otis Gun Cleaning Product
Where can I get the Otis Kit & Kaboodle gun cleaning kit mentioned in the October comparison of .22 STC rifles?

-Rob Bruton
Elk River, MN

Contact Doreen Marks at Otis, Dept. PS, P.O. Box 582, Booneville, NY 13309, telephone (315) 942-5484.

More on the Marlin 39AS
In answer to Mr. Billond’s letter about his Marlin 39AS in the September issue, try this one. I own a like-new Marlin 783 bolt-action in .22 mag. At 50 yards off a benchrest, with a 24x scope, the first four shots will go into a half inch. After that it goes to hell, with about a 4-inch spread. At that point, it takes both hands to close the bolt. I don’t expect MOA, but I do expect better performance than this. In essence the bolt works okay, until it gets hot. To you guys at Performance Shooter, Mr. Gillund’s 3- to 7-inch spread is not acceptable for anything, bolt, lever or auto! I can damn near beat that throwing rocks!

-Bill Greene
Springfield, MO

Where Is The 541-T?
I am a new reader of Performance Shooter and would like to submit some comments concerning several areas. On the article concerning the Hunter Silo .22 Update: Consider the NS 522, as a new shooter in the NRA Smallbore Hunting Silhouette Rifle competition, I was disappointed that no mention was made of the Remington 541-T rifle. In the September 1993 issue of The American Rifleman, written by Michael R. Irwin, titled “1993 Smallbore Silhouette” the author states, “the most popular rifles at the championships were the Ansch tz 1700 FWT used by 29 competitors and the Remington 541-T used by 28.” Obviously, you missed out on using the Remington 541-T and instead listed three pricey rifles, the Ansch tz 1416D Classic, the Kimber Model 82C Classic, and the Cooper Model 36 Featherweight. Why did you omit the Remington 541-T frm this excellent article, particularly when so many competitors are using the Remington 541-T?

Not being able to locate an Anschutz dealer in my area, I telephoned their distributor requesting a catalog and price list and also the name of a local dealer in my vicinity. I was informed that Anschutz’s policy doesn’t allow them to mail any literature or price list of their rifles, and I could contact a local gun dealer and have the local gun dealer contact them for this information. Not only is Anschutz pricey, but not very customer friendly.

I did receive excellent data from Keng’s and Richard Spruill and also from Cooper Arms and their distributor David McLemore.

In a related vein, the excellent article concerning rimfire ammunition also overlooked the Remington 541-T rifle. I don’t know how many KFS NS boltaction rifles are in the hands of silhouette shooters, let along the average .22 caliber rifle owner, but I’m sure there are more Remington 541-T’s out there than possibly the Cooper Model 36 BR-50 and the Walther GX-1 free rifle as well as the KFS NS 522 bolt action. Why did you omit the Remington 541-T rifle from the rimfire ammunition test?

No, I’m not an employee or shareholder in Remington Arms. I just happen to own a few Remington rifles and shotguns and because of the popularity of Remington firearms, I couldn’t understand this omission.

As I explained, being a newcomer to the smallbore metallic silhouette game, I am astonished to discover the high prices of some of these rifles, which in most cases (if one is to purchase an Ansch tz, Cooper, Kimber, or Walther) may mean missing one or two or three mortgage payments. To learn of the KFS NS 522 bolt-action rifle retailing around $300 was quite a pleasant surprise. It would appear to me that the shooter with deep pockets has the edge over one that is restrained by a limited budget. The KFS NS 522 is not as yet approved for NRA smallbore competition, and it is also interesting to note that some of these rifles (the KFS NS 522 and the Remington 541-T) do not have rubber rifle butt pads, a very low cost item for the manufacturer to install as standard equipment and a much needed item to the shooter.

Perhaps the NRA could take a strong position to limit the retail price of rifles that compete in this sport, even though they may lose valuable advertising money from these manufacturers. But unless a stand is taken in this sport, the shooter with the most expensive gun will have the upper edge in competition. Maybe Performance Shooter could take a stand on this issue once and for all. Otherwise we may find ourselves facing retail prices approaching and exceeding $2,000 a rifle.

Your comments on my questions and viewpoint will be most appreciated. Thank you for your consideration and attention.

-Ben Ritter
Boca Raton, Florida

We haven’t reviewed either the Remington 541-T or the Ansch tz 1700 because, as you noted, they’re already established in the silo game. We were simply looking for alternatives. In rifle ammo testing, we will try to include the 541-T in the next round of data collection. As far as our stand on rifle cost for silo use, we recommend using the gun that will win. If that gun is a $300 KFS NS, great. If not, you have to accept that gaining a edge in accuracy costs dollars. Ain’t that the American way?

Hope For Lever Actions Yet
As a new reader of Performance Shooter, let me first say that I have really enjoyed reading my first copy. I was reading the Reader Forum when I came across the article “Lever Action Blues.”

When I was stationed in San Diego, California, back in the late 1970s, I purchased a new Winchester 22 Mag. Lever Action rifle that gave me nothing but grief as far as performance went at the range. At first, I tried different ammo, then I changed from iron sights to a scope from the base PX. And I still had a hard time even hitting the paper.

Then I ran into a shooter from the base range. He tried shooting the same rifle and had a real problem getting it on the paper. He took my scope apart and slipped a small piece of wood into the adjustment control on the scope and then resighted the rifle. He did get the rifle to hit paper, and after a change of ammo and some coaching and help with the scope, I was able to fire groups of 1 MOA. I was finally able to take it hunting jackrabbits in the desert with a lot of success.

I would like to tell that gentleman not to give up, and sometimes it takes extreme measures to bring a sweetheart of a rifle to life.

-Daniel J. Orsen
Lexington, KY

.45 Pistol Clarification
In the July issue, on accurizing .45 pistols on a budget, you say, “...One of its fingers will fracture, and the barrel will have to be replaced.” What nonsense! Only the bushing needs replacement, and a properly fitted solid one is the choice of any decent ‘smith. Also, correctly polishing the feed ramp should allow empties to feed, regardless of recoil spring weight.

-Unsigned Fax

The line referring to the collet-type bushing of a Series 70 pistol was unclear. It should have read, “Eventually, metal fatigue will take its toll and one of its ‘fingers’ will fracture, but replacements aren’t hard to find.” As to your statement that the choice of “a properly fitted solid one is the choice of any decent ‘smith” is certainly true and was addressed in the article. However, the whole point of the piece was to describe methods the owner of a GM pistol may undertake on his own without the services of a gunsmith. If the job is to be done right, the shooter should ask for proper installation of a tightly fitted solid bushing, with the attendant need to properly fit the locking lugs at the rear of the barrel to the slide. This is not a job for amateurs, as was pointed out in the story. Ditto that for polishing the feed ramp for reliable feeding of a variety of bullet types. Both of these processes should be left to a professional. Changing spring tension to accommodate ammo variants will often accomplish the same thing as polishing the feed ramp and can be done at a fraction of the cost of a gunsmith’s services.

High Standard Hijinks
My High Standard .22’s slide is sticking, and I’m at a loss to determine why. All the bearing surfaces seem to be clean.

-Jim Dale Gravaskovski
via AOL

Burrs often cause a slide to become sticky or sluggish. Check the slide lock, slide plate, stop lug, top of the frame, and the sear bar and dress any burrs with a #2 cut file. If burrs aren’t the cause, examine the driving spring rod, driving spring, and the interior of their housing for burrs. Replace a damaged rod or spring. Remove burrs with a #2 cut round file or emery cloth wrapped around a dowel. Don’t forget to flush any gritty residue out of the housing when you’re finished. Also, mistakenly squeezing a slide in a vise to tighten up sideplay can cause binding. You can clear this binding by tapping the slide back and forth with a plastic mallet.

Case Forming Question
I have just gotten a custom .250-3000 Ackley Improved rifle and need to fireform cases. I have read somewhere that a person could use a small amount of a fastburning powder and corn meal with a wax, soap, or tissue paper sealant to contain the corn meal, and that will form the case to the chamber. Do you know of this procedure, and what fast burning powder do you suggest? I already have a good supply of 231 and Unique. Any help you can give will be appreciated.

-Charles H. Lamar, Jr.
via Compuserve

The beauty of any improved-case wildcat is that they retain the same datum line as the original parent case, so factory loads of that parent case can be fired in the improved chamber. This of course results in a perfectly fire-formed case. Accuracy and velocity are usually not compromised to any great extent.

Last June a staffer was shooting prairie dogs in South Dakota with Dave Brown, who is the marketing director for the Pentax Sport Optics division and an avid rifle shooter. One of the guns Brown had with him was a new custom rifle in .243 Improved. The targets were very spooky, so the shooting was on the long side, 300 to 500 yards. With a strong wind, .22 centerfires they were using were being blown off target. They switched to the .243 improved using .243 Winchester factory loads. Not only did the heavier bullet show less wind deflection, but the accuracy was excellent, even while fire-forming the cases.

However, if you have a supply of cases and do not wish to use up your powder and bullets in fire-forming them, you certainly can use the method you described. The most common powder used is Alliant Bullseye. Although we do not have any experience forming cases with 231, its burning rate is similar to Bullseye, so it should work with like charge weights. The downside, at least in theory, is that 231 can be a little hard to ignite. You need a powder that will ignite easily and quickly. In a larger case with a relatively small mouth diameter, such as the .250-3000, Alliant Unique will also work well.

With an improved chamber the shoulder does not have a lot of contact with the chamber and can be subject to pushing back from a hard firing-pin strike. This can lead to stretched and separated cases. A large pistol primer is softer and will yield to the firing pin blow easier and put less stress on the shoulder. CCI LP primers are good choices for this kind of forming operation.

Try a charge of 5 or 6 grains of Bullseye powder or about 10 grains of Unique topped with enough Cream of Wheat to fill the case to the bottom of the neck. Then pack the neck with a plug of toilet paper. Paper towels are an even better choice than toilet paper because its easier to work with. Wax or soap will also work, but they can be a messy if you are forming a lot of cases. You may want to tweak the powder charge up or down to reach the optimum charge for your cases and rifle. You can start with a lower charge and move up in 1/2-grain increments until the cases are coming out of the gun fully formed. These are very fast powders and pressures can spike quickly, so be careful about going too high on the charge weight, and don’t be lulled into thinking that you can’t create unsafe conditions in this process, because you can.

Other points: Be sure to clean the barrel of the gun well before using it again. Also tumble clean the cases before you use them. Do not underestimate the power of these loads. They can cause serious injury or even death at close range, so be careful where you point the gun.

Gauging .22 Success
I was very interested in your test of .22 rim thickness gauges. There have been several reviews of these various products lately. I think C.E. Harris wrote the definitive modern articles on what influences .22 accuracy in the 1992 and 1994 Gun Digest. He tested extensively for over a year with a Winchester 52, Kimber 82, JW-8, and two Ruger 77/22s. They were all shot stock and then modified in various ways “per accuracy.” His first conclusion was “sorting is of no value—test ammo for good lots instead.” He found the closer bullet diameter was to .225 the better it shot, but the most important contributor to accuracy was chamber dimension. Jim Carmichael ran an ammo test in Outdoor Life in 1995 comparing 21 types of .22 ammo in a dozen rifles. He fired 9,000 rounds and measured 1,700 five-shot groups. Carmichael ranked Fiocchi Rifle 320 and Pistol 315 one and two.

My own testing and observation over the last five years pretty much agree with them both. The smallest 10-shot group I ever shot at 50 yards was from a stock 77/22. It measured 0.3 inches. It was shot with Fiocchi 310.

As you may have guessed, I love .22 rimfires. I currently own and shoot more than 50 of them. They range in age from 1914 to the present and represent most manufacturers, foreign and domestic.

Also, keep up the unusual articles like “Handgunning and Repetitive Stress Injury.” They are a nice change from the 9mm versus .45 comparisons.

-Benjamin H. Rawls, Jr. DVM
Daytona Beach, Florida