[Cody302]

Anyone know what the stock spring rating on a .38Super are. And if I dropped the spring rate down a pound or two, would it help in reducing a little bit of muzzle flip??

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Not sure about the spring weight for 38 super... 12#-14# maybe.

A lighter spring would more than likely "increase" the muzzle flip...the slide would hit the frame harder.

 

[Bud White]

Factory rating for super .38 & 9mm is 14 Lbs ...Now did it come with that rated spring is a different story

 

[Cody302]

How do I test it?? Anyone?

 

[Bud White]

just replace it its easier

 

[Cody302]

With? what weight? I'd kinda like to know what I've got to start off with so that I know where to go. If I put in a 14#,and I've got a 14# stock, I've done nothing.If I have an 18# stock, I don't want to make a 4# decrease in one shot do I?

 

[Bud White]

you dont have a 18 it prob 14

 

[Freedom]

Well........ You could do what I did. Was having problems with my 45 and bought a spring replacement kit from Wollf. It was about 30.00 but it came with a wide assortment of recoil springs and I have a cool assortment of springs leftover in case I or someone else needs one down the road.

 

[Cody302]

Thanx Freedom, I don't know why I was stuck in the line of thinking to just by a spring and not a kit.

 

[Freedom]

No problem. I was the same when I bought my RIA. I was stuck on which single spring to get. And someone from another forum said "Buy a Spring Kit".
Well...They were not that much so I did and after switching the recoil spring out a couple of times I found the right one.

 

[msjdgman]

Not that it matters much at this point, since my gun is new and running out flawlessly, but just for future reference, does anyone know what the rating is for the stock mainspring on the 38 Super?

 

[Bud White]

23#

 

[msjdgman]

Thanks Bud, I appreciate the info.

 

[Bud White]

Not a Prob i Double checked to and only listings i could find was 23# stock across the board for all calibers

 

[msjdgman]

Stock to Wolff

I did a little shooting with the 38 Super over the 4th (100 rds), and upon cleaning and inspecting afterwards, I found a few metal shavings resting in the frame below where the bottom barrel lug rests in battery, and a couple spots of wear on the frame rails. Total thru the gun so far is between 350 to 400 rds. I could not really determine where the shavings came from, but I decided that seeing this wear, I should replace the stock recoil spring. I got a pair of springs...Wolff 14 & 16 lb. Just a few minutes ago I finally had the time to swap the springs out. Hand compression didn`t really reveal any difference between the stock spring and the Wolffs` (didn`t think it would), but the stock spring was certainly shorter, almost an inch. I thought I`d try the 16 lb spring first and see how the gun functions. I am running pretty much standanrd 130 gr hardball @ 1240 fps. Does this sound ok? Or should I put in the 14 lb spring and see how that performs?

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Check for 'spring bind' before you fire it.

 

[Cody302]

Define spring-bind for me.

 

[msjdgman]

Laymans terms for spring bind are compressing the spring to the point where the coils touch each other and it becomes solid, and in this case, slide travel is not complete. You do not want this to happen.

I finally got out last Sunday for just a few minutes and function was perfect. Looks like the 38 Super is good to go again.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Define spring-bind for me.

It happens when the spring is too long, it can, and does sometimes bust frames and slides.
msjdgman explained "spring bind" pretty well...sorry I missed the post somehow, I was not ignoring you.

 

[Cody302]

It happens when the spring is too long, it can, and does sometimes bust frames and slides.
msjdgman explained "spring bind" pretty well...sorry I missed the post somehow, I was not ignoring you.

Nah, don't worry about it. When you said 'bind',I was thinking it was somehow folding or "jack knifing" during the cycle. But not simply bottoming out, but I guess it's just like when a coil-over sping bottoms out on a shock absorber in a car.