3" 1911 recoil spring

[RancidSumo]

My dad carries a Colt Defender. He has close to 1000 failure free rounds through it but cleans it religiously and the vast majority of the ammo has been on the weaker side.

I'm trying to make sure that his gun stays in a condition which is appropriate for carry use and the main issue I have read about these guns is that they eat recoil springs. How soon should he replace that spring? Also, are there any other parts that need replaced sooner on the 3" guns in order to maintain their reliability?

[RancidSumo]

Bumping this one up with some new info on the gun.

So after reading around quite a bit it seems like ever ~500rds that spring would need to go. However, his gun has been working now for almost 1000 with only one or two issues (during a course where he decided not to clean or lube :laugh:). I was looking at it and it has a double recoil spring where one is inside of the other. Is this a new thing on these pistols that makes it where the springs don't wear out as quick or something?

[Dave Berryhill]

The dual spring telescoping recoil system (invented by Seecamp IIRC) is used in several compact pistols including the Colt Defender.

The outer springs wear out quickly and most companies recommend replacing them somewhere around every 750 rounds. The inner springs are usually captive and are not easy to change without a special fixture. The inner springs last much longer than the outer springs.

Just because the pistol worked the last time it was shot does not guarantee that it will work the next time your father shoots it. Since Mr. Murphy likes to have his way with us, the next time the pistol is fired may be the time when someone's life depends upon it working. Is that risk worth it?

That is why preventive maintenance is done on cars, firearms and other mechanical devices. Springs are cheap. Buy a few from Brownells or Wolff and change them regularly (somewhere between 500 and 1000 rounds). Replace the entire recoil spring assembly (or send it back to the factory if they will replace the inner spring) every year or two, depending upon how many rounds you shoot each year.

[RancidSumo]

Thank you, thats what I was looking for. I'll just buy the things, put a new one in, and leave several at his house so he has no excuse not to change them out.

So with the inner spring, should it be alright for a few thousand provided the outer spring is changed regularly?

ETA- NVM, found it on Colt's site.