Could a new recoil spring cause malfunctions?

[condoor]

I jus updated my Glock 19 this week and took it to the range yesterday for the first time with the upgrades. In hindsight, I would have done these things independently in case there was a problem, but I did them all at once:

1) Replaced recoil spring and rod with new stock unit
2 Replaced connector with 3.5# Scherer connector
3) Replaced trigger spring with NY1 unit
4) Replaced mag release with Tango Down unit

I went to the range yesterday and experienced 3-4 stovepipe malfunctions using wwb. (I'd put prob 3-4K rounds through this gun over the last two years and I've never experienced a malfunction before. )

Could the new recoil spring be the culprit? Is it possible the recoil spring just needed breaking in? Any other thoughts? I can't imagine any of the other components I replaced causing this, but I'm all ears if you have ideas.

Note: I had a friend with me and she noted that it only happened when I was shooting speed drills. BUT - I did all of these same drills four days ago with all of the original parts and experienced no malfunctions. Possibly a technique issue, but again - it's never happened before.

thx-c

[dirksterg30]

I jus updated my Glock 19 this week and took it to the range yesterday for the first time with the upgrades. In hindsight, I would have done these things independently in case there was a problem, but I did them all at once:

1) Replaced recoil spring and rod with new stock unit
2 Replaced connector with 3.5# Scherer connector
3) Replaced trigger spring with NY1 unit
4) Replaced mag release with Tango Down unit

I went to the range yesterday and experienced 3-4 stovepipe malfunctions using wwb. (I'd put prob 3-4K rounds through this gun over the last two years and I've never experienced a malfunction before. )

Could the new recoil spring be the culprit? Is it possible the recoil spring just needed breaking in? Any other thoughts? I can't imagine any of the other components I replaced causing this, but I'm all ears if you have ideas.

Note: I had a friend with me and she noted that it only happened when I was shooting speed drills. BUT - I did all of these same drills four days ago with all of the original parts and experienced no malfunctions. Possibly a technique issue, but again - it's never happened before.

thx-c

I'd replace the recoil spring with the original unit and try again. Then you'll know for sure. Who knows - you could have gotten an out-of-spec recoil spring.

[Robb Jensen]

Stove pipes are typically the shooter not having a really firm grip on the gun and allowing it to move before it's done cycling (aka limp-wristing). Weak ammo combined with using a new recoil spring could cause it because the gun will want to move before the slide does. Try a more aggressive grip on the gun.

[USBP379]

Stove pipes are typically the shooter not having a really firm grip on the gun and allowing it to move before it's done cycling (aka limp-wristing). Weak ammo combined with using a new recoil spring could cause it because the gun will want to move before the slide does. Try a more aggressive grip on the gun.

Glocks are notorious for shooter induced malfunctions due to "limp-wristing." As I understand it, it's a physics thing-steel framed guns have more mass to resist tilting upward and dissipating the energy of the slide going backward. The Glock has a light weight frame which needs more shooter input to counteract the recoil and keep the frame in place while the slide goes back and does its thing. I see the same thing happen with Sig 220s, often.


I agree with gotm4. Try taking your humble little digital camera to the range and get some video of yourself shooting the drills in question. You might see something wrong with you grip.

I thought my technique was flawless and that my shit did not stink til I took some one-on-one coaching from an IPSC Grand Master who told me that my hands were breaking in recoil. I said, "no way!" He laughed and said "Yes-Way!" as he rolled the video. Sure as s**t, my grip broke under recoil and my hands came back together as the gun came down. I had been shooting for years and was top shot at my le office, but I had been doing it one handed, basically! So, I've spent the last two years working on correcting my grip.

Oh, one more thing, I think I seriously f***ed up my G 35 with aftermarket parts. I put in a lighter mainspring, and a complete Sotello/Trigger kit dot com system and I have never got that gun running right. I built it as a USPSA limited gun, but I can't run it cuz it shoves the nose of a round up against the barrel hood-almost like a stovepipe, and locks the gun up solid. Glocks are awesome til you start changing parts out. I only carry stock Glocks, as they come from factory, both for reliability and liability reasons.

G19 is on my list of perfect guns.

Enjoy.

[condoor]

Thanks guys. The more I read the more it sounds like I need to look at my grip. I'm guessing that the new stiffer recoil spring was less forgiving of limp writing than my old spring and I have issues with my grip that I wasn't aware of.

[tpd223]

WWB is often low recoil and lower velocity, I have also seen it cause stovepipes in Beretta 92s and an older Taurus 99 that I used to own.

Lower impulse ammo can sometimes require one to use a perfect grip or the pistol will short stroke the slide, causing these fails to eject issues.

[DacoRoman]

Oh, one more thing, I think I seriously f***ed up my G 35 with aftermarket parts. I put in a lighter mainspring, and a complete Sotello/Trigger kit dot com system and I have never got that gun running right. I built it as a USPSA limited gun, but I can't run it cuz it shoves the nose of a round up against the barrel hood-almost like a stovepipe, and locks the gun up solid. Glocks are awesome til you start changing parts out. I only carry stock Glocks, as they come from factory, both for reliability and liability reasons.

G19 is on my list of perfect guns.

Enjoy.

thanks for relating your experience..I guess we all fall prey to the periodic impulse of trying to turn the gun into a super shooter, when in fact it would be better to focus on just shooting the darn thing as is..because after all, if it ain't good enough as is, then why did we buy the sucker to begin with..I mostly write this for my own benefit as I've been getting a recent bug to start messing with my Glocks, putting in an aluminum trigger, different guide rods, etc., when I shoot them fine just the way they are

having said this, I don't begrudge anyone tinkering if that is what floats their canoe...and the tinkering bug might still bite me yet :)

maybe this would have been a better post in "stock or not", so apologies if it was too off topic