The Unofficial P64 Resource Forum

Im looking at the Woff springs. Im looking at the recoil spring and trigger spring but do not know what to get. my question is what pound rating should I get recoil and trigger springs, and how difficult of a job is it to replace the trigger spring? any help would be apprecated

Thanks,
Josh

What are you trying to accomplish with the new springs? If it's a better double action trigger pull your after- the answer maybe "neither". The hammer spring might be the animal your after..... I just changed our mine this afternoon. It made a world of difference with the da trigger pull.

I went to 18# first and the DA was nice but the SA was to breath on it and it went off, so I changed to 19# and the DA was a little worse but not bad but the SA was still unaccpetable. Finally went to 20# and the DA is not as bad as factory DA but not real good or bad but the SA is acceptable still a little light but something I can live with.
The lighter hammer spring is nice but it sure makes the SA really too good. It hammer spring also controls the magazine and if to light the magazine will fall out after last round.
I believe it also controls the slide back after last round I wouldn't go less than 20# spring or at least in my gun.
The P64 has a nice size for conceal carry so a heavy DA is a good extra safety.


fknipfer1

The mainspring is the spring responsible for the trigger pull and the tension on the mag catch. As stated, if it's too light, you could end up with some light primer strikes and/or spontaneous mag dropping. To determine which spring is best for your gun, it's advised to test out springs in the 17, 18, 19, 20 range. The mainspring does not actuate the slide stop lever. I also see no need for the recoil spring and feel it's a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

Good luck!

It must also be considered that the P 64 was made over a period of many years and come to us in a wide variety of use and wear conditions. What mainspring works well on one gun may be terrible on another gun. Some of these guns are over 50 years old and can get very cranky.

Since we are on the topic of springs here, I thought I might mention something. I ordered and installed a new mainspring from Wolff and while I was at it (since I was already paying shipping charges) I ordered a new recoil spring also. (As a spare) I never really intended to install it. I changed my mind however, and ended up leaving it in the gun. In a previous post on this site I had read that the ends of the recoil spring needed to be ground down to fit the P 64 correctly. Someone even created a nifty jig to accomplish this and posted pictures! (Thank you!) It turns out however that this may no longer be necessary! The recoil spring that I ordered from Wolff came with the ends already ground down! Looks like somebody at Wolff was listening! Has anyone else ordered a recoil spring that was already ground down recently?

One other thing I would like to mention about changing out the mainspring... The safety detent is a bugger to get back in properly. I KNOW I got it in correctly. ( It's obvious if you look at both ends... ) However, now the safety is a little "sticky" in both positions. The only thing I can figure is that over the years there was a smooth or flat side that was worn into one side of the detent pin. I'm guessing with some use it will loosen up....

What does the recoil spring have to do with the safety detent? Recoil spring you just slide over barrel or am I missing something. I bought a new safety from my Polish friend Marcin and after installing it every thing worked a lot easier with the new safety. The old one was quite worn. Nice change for the working of the safety with one finger.

My gun shoots very well with 93gr reloads so I am very happy now. Great little small carry gun. Did anyone hear about the ATF sending a letter to the FFl licenses in Kansas saying anyone in Kansas with a current CCW license no longer had to have a background check (redundant) just put a copy of the license to the gun for and file it.

fknipfer1

The mainspring (aka hammer spring) has nothing to do with the safety or the slide at all. If you meant firing pin spring, then I would understand removing the safety. The detent sits in those corresponding notches in the safety. If the notches are too deep or not relieved slightly on the edges, then the safety will feel overly hard to operate.

fknipfer1, we have that here in KY. We still have to fill out the yellow form and sign it, but there's no call-in required if you provide your license.

I told my wife about the ATF letter and she said it didn't matter as I had to many guns now and didn't need anymore.


fknipfer1

Forgot to mention.... You are very CORRECT. The recoil spring has NOTHING to do with the safety detent. The ONLY reason it is related at all is that Wolff sends a free firing pin spring in the package with the recoil spring. (I also replaced the firing pin spring.) It was a relatively simple procedure..... EXCEPT for the safety detent!

Went to the range and tested my P 64 with the new recoil and hammer (mainspring- 18#) and firing pin springs installed. No good.... [heavy sigh] Several light primer strikes resulting in several misfires. (Bummer, cause that #18 spring was sweeeeeet. So, back to the vise with a 19# spring.... ( to be continued.... )

ben,
Have you shot the gun stock yet? Have you given it a thorough cleaning?

In my opinion, you need to ditch the recoil and firing pin spring and just try the 18 pounder alone. The recoil and firing pin spring are pointless (unless you need a replacement for a damaged/missing oem).

First, thank you for your reply and suggestions.
Yes, I have shot the gun stock. It was the first thing I did after a ridiculously time consuming cleaning. 150 rounds to get the feel of the gun and evaluate reliability. Like many P 64 users, I was extremely disappointed in the heavy da trigger pull. I decided that was really the only thing (mechanically) I wanted to change. (I would like new grips, but purely for aesthetic value.) I have read many of your posts, and I realize that you are not a fan of replacing the recoil and firing pin springs. As I stated earlier- my intention was only to have a spare firing pin and recoil spring on hand. I really had no intention of replacing either one of them. I was very surprised to find the recoil spring already ground from wolff. I decided to try it to see if I could take the slide on and off without a problem. It worked perfectly so I ended up leaving the new spring on. I still retained the old spring for a spare. I replaced the firing pin spring with the new firing pin spring because that is what Wolff suggested. (To prevent the possibility of slam fires I believe.... caused by an extra power recoil spring coupled with a weak firing pin spring.) I must admit I did notice a difference in the recoil springs. Changing them out did NOT reduce recoil... (as you have previously stated). It did help to prevent the slide from slamming against the slide stop quite so hard. If the 19# or the 20# springs do not work or are too stiff creating a double action trigger that is too hard, I may end up reverting back to the original stock springs.... (The thought of that ridiculously hard double action trigger pull is haunting me though..... lol)

I can assure you that my opinions are my own and I'm also sure that there are several people who will disagree. I have no issues changing the mainspring, and if my gun warranted it, would do the same. Fact is, my P64 DA pull is heavy but fine with me.

The extra power fp spring is the make sure the pin is retracted back into the breach face fast enough so it doesn't drag on the primer, thus maintaining the timing of the gun. This, of course, is assuming it's used in conjunction with the extra power recoil spring. If you lighten the power of the spring that's responsible for the power of the hammer, but increase the power of the spring responsible for keeping the firing pin away from the ammo, you effectively create a potential for light strikes.