Do anyone make a lighter recoil spring fo the CM9?

[Dirty Harry]

I'm wanting to get a lighter recoil spring for my CM9.

Does anyone make such a thing?

Also what is the weight of the stock spring? It feels like it's about 18-20lbs to me.

I would like something about 4-6lbs lighter. I like to experiment to see which one functions/feels the best.

[xsailer]

I bought from Wolff 5# springs and I'm happy happy happy with them. I was concerned about the lighter pull and carry situations. I need not have worried. I also put one in the K9. Glad I did. They are so close to the std 6# that although I notice the change it certainly isn't much.

Sorry, I'm talking striker spring.

[Rubb]

http://www.gunsprings.com/index.cfm?page=items&cID=1&mID=29

Reduced Power...: None Available
Factory Standard.: 18 Lb.
Extra Power........: 20.5 Lb.

[jocko]

I'm wanting to get a lighter recoil spring for my CM9.

Does anyone make such a thing?

Also what is the weight of the stock spring? It feels like it's about 18-20lbs to me.

I would like something about 4-6lbs lighter. I like to experiment to see which one functions/feels the best.

a coil. kahr used to make a "WOMENS pmj9 AND IT HAD 16# SPRINGS. THEY NO LONGER OFFER IT. So IMO u could reduyce 2-4# and be OK,only way to getto that is by cutting back ur factory 18# spring. Not to sure what u think ur gonna gain from it though. Certainly the lighter the recoil spring the harder it might be on the gun plus felt recoil should increase also..

[jocko]

I bought from Wolff 5# springs and I'm happy happy happy with them. I was concerned about the lighter pull and carry situations. I need not have worried. I also put one in the K9. Glad I did. They are so close to the std 6# that although I notice the change it certainly isn't much.

Sorry, I'm talking striker spring.

Kahr will tellu that their faCTORY SPRINGS ARE 6.5# TO 7#.mY 5# STRIKER SPRING NOW THAT IS HAS THOUSANDS OF ROUNDS THORUGH IT IS LESS THAN 5#. If one figures the percentages of drop it is alot, that is the timportant thing.

[Dirty Harry]

A lighter recoil spring helps you stay on target to get faster follow up shots. Most competition shooters including myself go to lower weight springs in their guns. I went from a 18# spring to a 13# spring in my Glock 35 that I use for competition. I also have done it to a few more of my guns.

I did cut 1/2 coil off the spring before I went to the range today. I might buy a new one and experiment with it.

[muggsy]

A lighter recoil spring helps you stay on target to get faster follow up shots. Most competition shooters including myself go to lower weight springs in their guns. I went from a 18# spring to a 13# spring in my Glock 35 that I use for competition. I also have done it to a few more of my guns.

I did cut 1/2 coil off the spring before I went to the range today. I might buy a new one and experiment with it.

Competition shooters also shoot lighter loads. If your want your gun for concealed carry and personal defense with full power loads don't mess with perfect unless your feeling lucky, punk. Well, are you? :)

[garyb]

Are you reloading your own ammo with puffy loads to match those lighter springs Dirty Harry?

[jocko]

to many scenario's. Most kahgrs are not competition guns but certainly defense gun. I wopuld sooner cut a half or full coil off of a broken in recoil spring than a new one, but thats just me. I thinkI would leave well enough alone and just shoot it like I stole it. Glocks ar enot kahrs and vice versa..

I cannot explain it other than maybe tightness but my G19 has a 18# factory spring and my PMJ9 has an 18# recoil spring and I defy any person to rack um by hand and tell me the kahr is just as easy to rack as the G19 is. NO way. Glocks are just for some reason extremly easy to hand rack, Kahrs just the opposite.

Thats why a few years back kahr made a lady PMJ9 with 16#sring, It didn't go over well and was dropped, so IMOone could at least drop down to 16# asnd be safe but 13# , just not sure you gonna get reliablility u need in a defense gun at best one can only fokk up a recoil spring. One has torealize that the recoil spring is also responsible for feeding that next round in the chamberso that slide needs some momentum to strip thatround. Just sayin One would thinkmy PMJ9 with over 32Krounds would be arealpussy to hanbd rack, but it doesn't even compare to my G19..

[Dirty Harry]

Are you reloading your own ammo with puffy loads to match those lighter springs Dirty Harry?

I shoot my friends reloads


to many scenario's. Most kahgrs are not competition guns but certainly defense gun. I wopuld sooner cut a half or full coil off of a broken in recoil spring than a new one, but thats just me. I thinkI would leave well enough alone and just shoot it like I stole it. Glocks ar enot kahrs and vice versa..

I cannot explain it other than maybe tightness but my G19 has a 18# factory spring and my PMJ9 has an 18# recoil spring and I defy any person to rack um by hand and tell me the kahr is just as easy to rack as the G19 is. NO way. Glocks are just for some reason extremly easy to hand rack, Kahrs just the opposite.

Thats why a few years back kahr made a lady PMJ9 with 16#sring, It didn't go over well and was dropped, so IMOone could at least drop down to 16# asnd be safe but 13# , just not sure you gonna get reliablility u need in a defense gun at best one can only fokk up a recoil spring. One has torealize that the recoil spring is also responsible for feeding that next round in the chamberso that slide needs some momentum to strip thatround. Just sayin One would thinkmy PMJ9 with over 32Krounds would be arealpussy to hanbd rack, but it doesn't even compare to my G19..

I agree.

[b4uqzme]

I guess I don't know about competition guns and puffy loads and the like but my experience with Kahrs is that a heavier recoil spring reduces felt recoil and helps me reacquire target more quickly. Kinda the opposite from what you are sayin'.

But maybe some trial and error couldn't hurt if you have an extra spring around. Like Jocko said, you can trim a little at a time and see if you like the result. I'd be curious to hear a report if you go that route.

[jocko]

goodpoint!! If u want a race gun u do all u can to makethe gun perform the way u want but IMO for a defense gun, error on te side of caution. I thinkone could lighten up a kahr spring a tad but I wonder if any real gain would come from it, then u hve the necessary crapola of changing out the spring when ur gonna carry defense ammo in it etc, and then for ol timers like me the fokking springs get mixe dup and I don't know what is what. My PMJ9 that Icarry 24/7 I know exactly how it is set and how I want it. I have anutter PMJ9 that I could mess around with but I just like things the way they are. It gos bang every time, felt recoil as most know is different for every person. I am a porter fan so my 24/7 PMJ9 is magna ported and I have no complaints with that set up at all...

[jocko]

b4ugzme: Puffy loads is actually pu$$y loads, does that ring a bell? Just sayin..

[garyb]

haha....Love the terminology for the Puff.
I enjoy loading and shooting them out of my 40. However, I have not done anything to my stock recoil spring. I simply use the lightest load my gun will cycle (then add a couple of grains) for training, but still shoot standard loads to practice what I've trained. Works out great. Lots of "fellas" do it. No pun intended....haha.

[b4uqzme]

Ding

[garyb]

OOPS. I mis-spoke. I use the lightest load my gun will cycle and add a couple tenth's of a grain. I do not add a couple grains..... Just wanted to be clear. Sorry for the mis-info. Not intentional.

[garyb]

I guess I don't know about competition guns and puffy loads and the like but my experience with Kahrs is that a heavier recoil spring reduces felt recoil and helps me reacquire target more quickly. Kinda the opposite from what you are sayin'.

But maybe some trial and error couldn't hurt if you have an extra spring around. Like Jocko said, you can trim a little at a time and see if you like the result. I'd be curious to hear a report if you go that route.

Please understand, I am simply explaining your question about puffy loads and I am NOT bashing anyone or anyone's cal. The way it works is that some guys (usually for competition) will change out the recoil spring to a lighter spring. In turn, they reload lighter ammo (less powder) - hence "puffy ammo", so the gun will still cycle because you are using the lighter recoil spring. This is how less recoil is achieved. By having less recoil or muzzle flip, you can get back on the target quicker for the next shot. Think of a 22 vs a 40. If you can take the power factor of a 40 load down a notch, lets say, so the ammo power factor is more like a 9mm (just using this as an example - not bashing and not stirring a pot), the heavier spring will not allow the lighter "puffy" load to cycle properly. If you install a lighter recoil spring, that puffy load cycles. Now you take an "obnoxiously unpleasant 40" and use a puffy 40 that shoots more like a 9. If you want to go back to your SD ammo, you reinstall the original recoil spring and it will cycle that SD ammo again. It is really not that complicated and it works. Some competition rules require a minimum power factor for each specific cal, for the gun/ammo combo to qualify for that competition. They test the gun through a chrony with your ammo. Other competitions do not require this and do not test your power factor before the shoot. It is not really cheating. It is a form of training with your gun, during competition. Competition is not just to compete, it is to train. You just use the tools you have (reloading, puffy ammo, recoil springs, etc...) to become better and better with your weapon. You still need to practice with standard ammo. However, you are able to practice translating what you achieved with the puffy ammo. You get to know your weapon better, what you can do with it and increase your skill level. Then apply that new skill level to your carry ammo. I practice using the "lightest" reload (least amount of powder and lowest velocity) that I can, so the gun will still cycle with the factory recoil spring intact. Nothing dangerous or cheating about this. It does not make me less of a man. The bullet still goes down range and the gun cycles the next round just fine. For me, It means a little less powder consumption on reloads with a less obnoxious training experience with my 40. My guns are still within the required power factor for the competition. This is a very common compromise. A lot of good shooters do this. When I go back to SD ammo, I've gotten better with the gun because of the progress I made with the training and practice with my "Puffy" loads. I hope I've explained this satisfactorily for you. Seriously. If not, please let me know and I will try to give more detail and explain how you determine a functional puffy load. Puffy is just a term used for lighter powder charges. I did get a chuckle out of Jocko's translation. HaHa. It made me wonder if that might have been the original term applied to Puffy, but Puffy was more socially correct....haha. Good one Jocko! We always appreciate your good humor. :)

[hardluk1]

Different pistol but the old recoil spring for the cw9 had less coils in that a replacement spring. Now I know trusting memory is not a good thing to do but didn't kahr go from a 13 twist recoil to a 15 twist recoil spring for it a few years back . Wolff makes the springs so would that not be the old lighter spring. Chop a coil or two to soft'n the springs poundage just know it may no longer be good to shoot +P loads in it or have the energy needed to chamber new rounds at some point.

[muggsy]

Please understand, I am simply explaining your question about puffy loads and I am NOT bashing anyone or anyone's cal. The way it works is that some guys (usually for competition) will change out the recoil spring to a lighter spring. In turn, they reload lighter ammo (less powder) - hence "puffy ammo", so the gun will still cycle because you are using the lighter recoil spring. This is how less recoil is achieved. By having less recoil or muzzle flip, you can get back on the target quicker for the next shot. Think of a 22 vs a 40. If you can take the power factor of a 40 load down a notch, lets say, so the ammo power factor is more like a 9mm (just using this as an example - not bashing and not stirring a pot), the heavier spring will not allow the lighter "puffy" load to cycle properly. If you install a lighter recoil spring, that puffy load cycles. Now you take an "obnoxiously unpleasant 40" and use a puffy 40 that shoots more like a 9. If you want to go back to your SD ammo, you reinstall the original recoil spring and it will cycle that SD ammo again. It is really not that complicated and it works. Some competition rules require a minimum power factor for each specific cal, for the gun/ammo combo to qualify for that competition. They test the gun through a chrony with your ammo. Other competitions do not require this and do not test your power factor before the shoot. It is not really cheating. It is a form of training with your gun, during competition. Competition is not just to compete, it is to train. You just use the tools you have (reloading, puffy ammo, recoil springs, etc...) to become better and better with your weapon. You still need to practice with standard ammo. However, you are able to practice translating what you achieved with the puffy ammo. You get to know your weapon better, what you can do with it and increase your skill level. Then apply that new skill level to your carry ammo. I practice using the "lightest" reload (least amount of powder and lowest velocity) that I can, so the gun will still cycle with the factory recoil spring intact. Nothing dangerous or cheating about this. It does not make me less of a man. The bullet still goes down range and the gun cycles the next round just fine. For me, It means a little less powder consumption on reloads with a less obnoxious training experience with my 40. My guns are still within the required power factor for the competition. This is a very common compromise. A lot of good shooters do this. When I go back to SD ammo, I've gotten better with the gun because of the progress I made with the training and practice with my "Puffy" loads. I hope I've explained this satisfactorily for you. Seriously. If not, please let me know and I will try to give more detail and explain how you determine a functional puffy load. Puffy is just a term used for lighter powder charges. I did get a chuckle out of Jocko's translation. HaHa. It made me wonder if that might have been the original term applied to Puffy, but Puffy was more socially correct....haha. Good one Jocko! We always appreciate your good humor. :)

Gary, no need to apologize. Were pretty thick skinned around here. A Rhino has nothing on us. I've been trying to offend Jocko for months without success. :) Then again a man has to have some degree of sensibility to be offended.

[muggsy]

Different pistol but the old recoil spring for the cw9 had less coils in that a replacement spring. Now I know trusting memory is not a good thing to do but didn't kahr go from a 13 twist recoil to a 15 twist recoil spring for it a few years back . Wolff makes the springs so would that not be the old lighter spring. Chop a coil or two to soft'n the springs poundage just know it may no longer be good to shoot +P loads in it or have the energy needed to chamber new rounds at some point.

I don't think that the number of coils has that much bearing on stiffness. I believe that it more a matter of wire thickness and the degree of temper.

[garyb]

I wasn't really apologizing for anything. I was trying to address the question without offending anyone. I've learned that folks tend to get a bit sensitive to cal discussions, but needed to relate the issue of puffy somehow. I actually feel Jocko does a great job of adding his own flavor to the forum. I like to hear the way he brings it to the forum....so to speak. His expression for puffy was actually dead on and made me chuckle because that is probably the original name for lighter loads but it could not be used socially for obvious reasons. Still smiling.

As for the spring issue, I tend to believe you are correct Muggsy...wire thickness (strength) and temper. Coils could have an effect too, but this would need to be fewer coils over the same length...I guess....but I am not an engineer.

Anyway, Dirty Harry is looking for a lighter recoil spring to test some things out. I don't want to see the thread get broken. I hope he finds what he is looking for. The discussion is all positively directed.

[Dirty Harry]

I understood what he was trying to say.

[b4uqzme]

I don't think that the number of coils has that much bearing on stiffness. I believe that it more a matter of wire thickness and the degree of temper.

The number of coils changes compression which will make a difference. Whether it's enough to notice --- well that's another matter.

Garyb. Not making fun of your pu$$y loads. I apologize if it came out that way. I agree that they seem necessary if OP wants to lighten his recoil spring enough to make a "felt" difference. Lighten the spring with standard loads and it's likely to feel worse (was my only point and from my limited experience). But OP has more experience than I in this arena. He didn't say if his friend's reloads were light. Then again, he didn't ask if lightening the spring was a good idea --- I think he just asked where to find one... :o. Your advice about light loads is good advice IMHO.

[jocko]

no doubt spring diameter dictates spring strenght, as does coil count itself. I am not sure if wolffs PM9 20.5# spring is thicker than their 28# factory spring, someone could mike um and see. Felt recoil is a mind thing to. everyone will have a different viewpoint of what serious recoil is and what it isn't.