Springs someone know why?

[Harrylee]

Can anyone answer this for me I was looking at mag springs and noticed on my 1911 springs one coil has a different bend on it, one spring was Springfield and the other was Chip McCormick. The other question was the 1911 springs where both 8 rounds and you look at a 9mm 8 round spring and it's way longer.Any ideas, I was just curious about this

[jocko]

well that bend is there by design for sume reason, maybe to fit right in the mag follower.

could the two springs in the left have been in the magazines and the one on the right possable a new spring, . Mag springs take a pre designed set just like recoil springs

[Harrylee]

Forgot to say the one one the right is kahr 9mm 8 round I was comparing 1911 8 round and kahr 8 round

[jocko]

are they all new??

the 2 on the left then are 45 mag springs and they are alot bigger in over all size to so maybe that is why they are shorter.The strength is there,

I doubt if either of those magazine makers do their own spring work. same amout of coils on each even, my bet they came from the same sring maker and more than likely wolffs who is the premier spring makers for most all gun makers..

[muggsy]

I don't think so, Jocko. The longer spring has 17 coils and the shorter only eight coils. Springs can be made in all sorts of configurations and still work properly. As long as the bullets feed properly it isn't anything to be concerned about.

[Harrylee]

I know the bend was factory I just wondered why they did it that way

[jocko]

good question..

[rjt123]

My own theory on why the Kahr spring is so long...and why Wolff also makes "extra power" replacement springs for Kahr mags.

The action on these small pistols has to cycle so quickly that there is a very narrow window of time for the next round to feed up from the mag before the big/tight recoil assembly spring slams the slide shut again. A bigger/longer spring in the mag would power the follower with more "oomph" to get that round quickly shoved up and ready while that narrow window is available. I guess what I'm going for is Kahr's stronger recoil springs and smaller slides (as opposed to a 1911) equal a need for a stronger mag spring.

Or I could be completely misunderstanding the mechanics of the thing. :)

Thoughts?

[Salty]

Different spring wire material has different pressure rates. The 1911 45 acp has a long history as requiring good quality mags to ensure reliability more than some other designs. Circumference of the 45 acp is different than the 9mm so it may take more spring coils to maintain pressure as you fire. The recoil rate of the 45 slide is different than the 9 mm and the pressure on the next round to chamber needs to be different to ensure smooth chambering. As muggsy said no big deal as long as it works.

[Harrylee]

Thing is I put a 6 round spring in my 8 round mag and it works better with the small spring

[jocko]

as the ol saying goes: If it ain't broke don't fix it.... smarter people than I have figured this magazine spring out.

[Bawanna]

I've heard that before too. I haven't made sense out of it yet. Can't comprehend too much spring pressure being an issue but it apparently is.

[wyntrout]

I've tinkered with a lot of 1911 magazines trying to find something would do what I want in my PM45 for more capacity without protruding too much. I tried up-conversion kits and different followers... destroying a few followers in the process.

There are a lot of different spring designs but most manufacturers have one end that's unfinished... as in several of those, but most had a top end of the spring designed to fit the follower to stay in place and provide the proper grip. Most of the 1911 magazines have welded bases for economy and the spring fills the tube and keeps the follower in place. The Kahr has a very long or deep front skirt to work with its narrow, or less than tube filling springs. Other problems arise with the magazine slack or tension as it's compressed and the follower and magazine catch seem to conflict.

Wynn:)