I got the 3-spring pack of 18, 19, and 20-lb. mainsprings, the 17-lb. mainspring, and the 22-lb. recoil spring. I guess that completing my collection should have included getting the 20-lb. recoil spring, but I'll cross that bridge if I get to it.
I decided to go for maximum effect and install the 17-lb. mainspring. I haven't had a chance to fire it yet, but I'll report on my experiences once I do. The DA pull is noticeably lighter, but I do have concerns about the magazine popping out because it's the same spring that holds the mag in place. More to follow after a couple hundred rounds!
The main reason I'm putting this post up is a problem with the recoil spring that I encountered, and my solution.
Basically, the spring did not fit in the gun. I couldn't get the slide back on and soon realized that the spring was just too long.
Others have mentioned cutting it, but I was concerned that this could negatively affect the power of the spring, so I looked a little closer.
If you look at a stock spring, you'll notice that the face edges of the ends are flattened, with the ends of the spring wire itself coming to sharp, angled edges. This was not the case with the replacement spring! The spring end's face edges were still rounded, with the spring wire cutting off bluntly. Putting the springs side-by-side, I realized that this was adding 2-3 mm to the overall length of the spring.
My solution was to break out the belt sander, and (with good eye protection on of course) grind the ends down so that they were flat.
The spring now fits, and everything cycles perfectly.
I just wanted to pass this on as an alternative to those who might be tempted to cut the spring, as this shortening reduces the force that it exerts. Simply put, if you halve the length of a spring's compression, you halve its force! Grinding the faces slightly changes the physical length of the spring, but not the length of its compression (i.e. force it exerts once compressed). As the obvious reason for replacing the spring is to increase the force it exerts, this is very important!
I realize that my explanations here may be a bit muddy and difficult to understand, and welcome any requests for clarification, but I really do hope that this helps!
Range report to follow...
