Recoil reduction problem in a hybrid

[dreampiper]

I have a Colt CCO enhanced. Commander slide on an officers frame. I installed the EGW OS firing pin stop
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c391/dream449/IMG_1960.jpg
then followed this plan:

Originally Posted by 1911tuner
"I use the small-radius stop and 23# mainspring in my Commanders...but if you use a 20-pound recoil spring along with that combo, you can probably expect
weak ejection or even short recoil with standard hardball ammo.

Noticed the different recoil "feel" in your pistol?

My trick for Commander springs is to take a Wolff 32-coil 16 lbs GM spring and trim it to 23.5 to 24 coils. The added preload in the Commander usually produces a 16.5 to 17 pound spring. Good strong ejection with cases landing about 4-5 feet from the gun. Be sure to check for coil bind whenever using this technique."

Ok, did that with a 23# officers main spring. Follow up shots are very quick and the gun is quite controllable. However, I am still putting brass 15 to 20 feet to the 9 to 10 oclock area, and the gun goes to battery naticably slow. I had to "forward assist" on two occasions. I fired 25 gold dots and 80 ball. Is the combo of the commander/officer componants throwing off the system?

[1911Tuner]

Ok, did that with a 23# officers main spring. Follow up shots are very quick and the gun is quite controllable. However, I am still putting brass 15 to 20 feet to the 9 to 10 oclock area, and the gun goes to battery naticably slow.

Hmmm...You probably need a bit less extractor tension or a little less slide impact velocity. If you have another 16-pound recoil spring, cut it to 25 turns and check for coil bind. Most Commander slides will accommodate 24.5-25 turns...but check just to be sure.

You also might need to upgrade your magazines with fresh springs. The upward push from the mag spring gives the round a little boost in getting under the extractor...which helps to break the round over to horizontal as it enters the chamber.
Which magazines are you using?

EDIT:

Just went back and looked again...Do you have an Officer's Model or a Commander? The OM mainspring is shorter than the standard spring.

[OD*]

CCO is an Officers Johnny, Concealed Carry Officers.
You maybe on to something. ;)

[1911Tuner]

CCO is an Officers Johnny, Concealed Carry Officers.
You maybe on to something. ;)

Ah! Didn't see the top line. Thanks OD.

Okay...The shorter OM mainspring is an issue, but not a major one. You may need to go with a 25-pound spring that is length-specific to the short housing...but it's hard to predict what the effect will be. It has to be at least somewhat different than a Commander slide on a standard frame.

In a nutshell...When the slide impacts the frame, it doesn't just stop. It rebounds and gets a little extra forward momentum above that provided by the recoil spring alone. This is why we sometimes run into feed/return to battery problems with a shock buffer. The buffer dampens the rebound effect. Less forward momentum means a greater chance of a failure to go to full battery.

A little less extractor tension will probably help with that, and it will probably reduce the lively ejection and distance that the brass flies. If it also produces failures to extract...ioncrease the tension again and go to a slightly heavier recoil spring. Try the 16-pounder with 24.5-25 turns first. if that doesn't do it, you may have to look for evidence of excessive stem bind. (aka 3-point jam)

[OD*]

Ha, neither did I, I was going by CCO. :o

Maybe we should have our reading glasses checked amigo. ;)

[dreampiper]

Would this ejector have anything to do with what I like to call the very positive extraction I have?

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c391/dream449/IMG_0622.jpg

It seems to be longer than the standard. I am using CMC power mags. Only a couple years old, but kept loaded most of the time. The mags and gun functioned well before the spring change. It worked flawlessly with the osfp stop and stock springs. I think the problem is in finding a balance with this setups dynamics. I'll order a few more springs and do some experiminting.

[wichaka]

CCO's are Officers frames, with Commander length slides..........so it should take a Commander length spring.